New Ann Arbor restaurant The Ravens Club to open Friday on Main Street in ex-Full Moon bar
The Ravens Club, a Prohibition-era themed bar and restaurant at 207 S. Main, is set to officially open Friday.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
The restaurant, located at 207 S. Main, in half of the ex-Full Moon space, had two soft openings this week and is planning a benefit today for the Wild Swan Theater — a nonprofit that hosts plays for children.
Jeff Paquin, co-owner of the The Ravens Club, said there was a delay because the space needed more work than he anticipated and he wanted to “do it right.”
“We wanted our opening to be solid and so we combed over every detail and took our time,” Paquin said. “It has been painful financially, but I think in the long run it will be appreciated.”
With a Prohibition-era theme, The Ravens Club will feature jazz music, old-fashioned cocktails and throwback recipes, said Paquin.
“Our chef is using recipes from the late 1800s and early 1900s,” Paquin said. “We want our menu to remind empty nesters of grandma’s cooking. And it is something unique for the younger crowd to try.”
Co-owner Chris Pawlicki said the menu, which includes items like beet cured salmon Nicoise and rabbit confit, is made largely of ingredients from local farms. The cocktails will also be made with fresh juices and homemade ingredients, he said.
Aside from the dinner menu, the restaurant will serve small plates and signature cocktails from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., according to The Ravens Club website.
Pawlicki, who also owns Old Town Tavern on West Liberty, said The Ravens Club would have a different feel, and a more expensive menu, than Old Town.
Co-owners Jeff Paquin and Chris Pawlicki sit at a booth in their new restaurant on Main Street, The Ravens Club.
Lizzy Alfs | AnnArbor.com
“Old Town is a townie bar,” Pawlicki said. “We still want a nice, comfortable feel at The Ravens Club, but we will attract a different clientele. We can’t just do burgers and beer here and have the space pay for itself.”
Paquin agreed, and said that although Main and Liberty streets are close, they are “two vastly different areas.”
He said the restaurant’s price point would be somewhere between The Chop House and Old Town.
As a longtime Ann Arbor resident, Pawlicki said he’s happy to establish a new business in the space that was an Ann Arbor staple for years as the Full Moon, which became a destination bar in the 1980s and launched what today is downtown’s thriving nightlife scene.
“Although The Ravens Club will be different, people are going to be coming in here and reminiscing about coming into the Full Moon forever ago,” Pawlicki said.
Paquin said he has been doing research on the history of the building, and his goal is to get that information on The Ravens Club menu.
“I want people to know what this building looked like in the early 1900s,” Paquin said. “It’s got such a history.”
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at or 734-623-2584 or at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
bedrog
Tue, Jun 7, 2011 : 9:46 p.m.
When i clicked on the highlighted 'hot new osteria' item in the article i got info on the Ravens Club instead of what i assumed would be the (what i regard as excellent ) new Mani Osteria.....which seems to have had a virtually seamless and popular opening based on the crowds we saw when we went recently... you might correct that, as i'd be interested in others' reactions to it.
djm12652
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 8:14 p.m.
Wish Chris and his partner much success. If the service level is anything like what Chris offers at Olde Town, it will be a pleasure to dine there...and yes folks, if ya have to ask the price, you can't afford it...either go first class or friggin stay home...
81wolverine
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 5:36 p.m.
Yippee. Another expensive restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor. Please wake me up when an actual store selling merchandise opens up down there. THAT will be news.
djm12652
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 8:11 p.m.
You want to pay $12 for a $2 screwdriver?
Wolf's Bane
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 5:39 p.m.
I know, a hardware store would be nice!!!
CynicA2
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 5:19 p.m.
Just what A2 needs - another pricey yuppie bar.... ugh! What this town really needs are a few good smokey dives. Alas... no more.
Top Cat
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 5:12 p.m.
Good luck to them but my days of paying for pretentiousness are long gone.
Ellen
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 8:26 p.m.
LOL @ djm12652!!
djm12652
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 8:15 p.m.
Preteniousness? In Ann Arbor? Seriously? Naw...we are better than everyone else!
David Briegel
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 7:46 p.m.
Makes me really miss Stadium Tavern!
hyp0static
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 3:52 p.m.
So their prices will be somewhere between a $45 Porterhouse and a $7.65 burger. Thanks for that information, guys. Gives a good indication of what to expect. ;-)
David Briegel
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 7:41 p.m.
Quit suckin' up to PETA Craig!
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 4:18 p.m.
In either case could we please observe a moment of silence for the dearly departed cow.............
Wolf's Bane
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 1 p.m.
Al Capone used to stop here, in Ann Arbor, for a few drinks and relaxation between Detroit and Chicago trips. He could have logically stayed in the building when it housed a different restaurant or bar.
Wolf's Bane
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 5:39 p.m.
He sometimes did. Mostly, though, he was driven in his V8 Ford.
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 4:33 p.m.
I wonder if he took the train?
Adam Jaskiewicz
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 12:35 p.m.
Sounds pretty cool. I'll be sure to try it out. Sounds pricey though, so it'll have to be really good to live up to that and keep me coming back. Good luck!
rusty shackelford
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 11:41 a.m.
This is a new fad I find really frickin irritating: restaurants (like this one) that refuse to put the price of their goods on the menu. Can I stop in for a drink after work, or is it a once-in-a-while on the weekend kind of thing? Who knows, because they won't tell you what things cost. C'mon! And no, his vague statement about being cheaper than the Chop House (which I hope he is not trying to emulate, that place is a joke) does not count.
Matthew Snyder
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 4:22 p.m.
I walked by several days ago and their menu was on display in the window, complete with prices clearly listed. Certainly they weren't trying to hide anything. It's a little too rich for my blood, but that's beside the point. I wish them good luck.
Craig Lounsbury
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 12:02 p.m.
maybe its the old "if you have to ask you can't afford it" business model. If you don't want the unwashed masses mucking up your establishment just price point them down the street.
Linda Peck
Thu, May 12, 2011 : 11:35 a.m.
I wish The Raven Club success. I wonder if the name was lifted from the Raven Cafe in Port Huron, that fabulously unique and Goth eating and drinking establishment created by Jerry Edson. The Ann Arbor "Raven" would have to go some to live up to that level of cool.