From 2006 until 2012, the Rockbar era at the All Inn motel was all sweaty dance parties, rainbows of Mad Dog and blurry memories. It was a hell of a time to be partying on Colfax, but those of us who partook in that particular debaucherous scene have (mostly, kind of) grown up, and now Rockbar’s former space is back as FiNO, a much more grown-up concept that offers a very different kind of fun. The restaurant has been hosting previews ahead of its official debut on Monday, March 23.
“It’s very different than the days of old in there. … Rockbar had such an incredible following, and people found it very beloved,” says FiNO owner Steven Waters, who has Rockbar memories of his own. “We wanted to make sure that we are never trying to recreate that or keep it intact, because I just don’t think that’s possible.”
Instead, Waters, along with consulting chef Sheamus Feeley and the team behind the revamp of the All Inn (which is now elevated to a “hotel” rather than its former “motel” status), has created a sleek bar and restaurant where MD 20/20 has been replaced by colorful displays of wine and spirits. “Ultimately, I think we succeed if people find that kind of love and attachment to the restaurant. … The hope is that people find some of that magic they had at Rockbar and rediscover it in a different way,” says Waters, who also owns one of the city’s best cocktail bars, the subterranean Run for the Roses in LoDo.
Resurrecting a Colfax Classic
The building that houses the All Inn at 3015 East Colfax Avenue was constructed in 1950 and has been resurrected by a team that includes owner Brian Toerber, who has been working toward reopening the hotel for a decade. On March 26, the All Inn Hotel will officially debut; Maximalist Experience Design, founded by Abigail Plantier, who is also an ownership partner in the project, is behind the look of the revamped space, which pays homage to the hotel’s mid-century roots while incorporating modern cool.
It was Plantier who connected Waters with Toerber. The bar pro had already been running a food and drink program at a New York City hotel, so he was intrigued by the prospect of becoming part of the All Inn’s comeback. “Originally, it was just solely because it was Rockbar and the building and memories there and being on Colfax,” Waters recalls. But he also found that “Brian and I really hit it off. He had a like-minded vision and was really looking to bring something good to the neighborhood. He didn’t want a standard, cookie-cutter place, so the idea developed from there.”
Of course, openings are always full of surprises. In FiNO’s case, that meant a broken pasta die, forcing a temporary, last-minute swap from bucatini to mafaldine for one dish. There was also “furniture that didn’t work as it showed up five days before we were supposed to have people in there. Our walk-in went down, so we had to rent a trailer and get the walk-in fixed. It’s just all the joys of a new opening,” Waters says.