Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A Peek Inside the Playground

Posted By on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 at 4:00 PM

This gigantic video screen is the main highlight in the lower bar of the new bar and lounge Playground.
  • The spot for the enormous video screen in the lower bar of Playground.

We took a peek inside the new downtown bar and lounge Playground this morning, and things are coming along nicely. Owner Kade Mislinski, who also owns the nearby HUB Restaurant and Ice Creamery, gave us a quick walk through while workers toiled to get the place ready for the grand opening on Wednesday, Dec. 28.

Right now it's sort of a skeleton of what's to come, but the 82-square-foot video screen and the big rectangular bar are shaping up nicely. Upstairs the small craft bar Detention is also starting to come together, although it probably won't be ready for the opening later this month.

Out back one can start to see what Mislinski's bar-cinema will entail - think movie nights and cocktails leaning toward the tropical side of things - and there's even a small chocolate shop called The Chocolate Fox coming in.

All in all, the project aims to play up themes that reach back to childhood memories, and Mislinski is ever narrowing and sharpening the concept as it evolves. He's also weaving in clever techie details like video screens that show through the mirror in the women's restroom and light controls that change the hues of the walls. The plans also call for bringing in live music, DJs and video artists who can make the most of the place's enormous audio-visual capacities.

Add to that some unique food offerings like gourmet popcorn, nuts, olives and other small plates; a rooftop dining area being modeled in a treehouse theme; and a slew of other unique touches like swing decorations dangling from the ceiling, and you have Playground.

You can get on the list for the grand opening over here.

Swings on the ceiling!
  • Swings on the ceiling!

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