Kraine Station [Photos: Adam Larkey
If you ask Papillon Sorrelis, Denver was really lacking some good Ukrainian food. Sorrelis and partner Jimmy Calanni wanted to change that, which is exactly why they opened Kraine Station last Friday night in a space that used to be The Blake.
Sorrelis and Calanni were greeted with 20 inches of snow on opening day, but that didn't prevent people from coming in for festivities. "We're cold weather people, so you're not going to stop us," Sorrelius said, referring to his Ukrainian friends and family. With the help of chef Rick Seifert, Sorrelius and Calanni hope to show Denver a piece of Ukrainian culture.
Kraine Station isn't just a restaurant and bar though. Maybe you walk in looking for borscht (beet soup with other root vegetables, cabbage and mushrooms) and holopshi (cabbage rolls), but you'll soon discover that Kraine Station also has a dueling piano bar and an upstairs arcade. Sorrelis and Calanni are professional dueling piano players, so don't be surprised if you see one of them belting out "Piano Man" while they're working the floor. There are even plans for an upstairs art room where guests can enjoy cocktails and painting classes. "It's like putting on a gypsy-carnie show. It will be random, but that's what we're going for."