Trendy restaurant and bar plan continues downtown push beyond Fremont

Imagine sipping a cocktail at a Kerry Simon rooftop bar, overlooking — Carson Avenue?

The downtown revival that started on Fremont Street is spreading, with businesses opening beyond the small corridor between Las Vegas Boulevard and 10th Street.

On Wednesday the Las Vegas City Council approved tavern licenses for two restaurant and bar concepts at 124 S. Sixth St., the former John E. Carson residential hotel and site of a convenience store and barber shop.

“Don Welch’s vision was always to bring it over to Carson Avenue, so not everything is on one street,” said developer Trinity Schlottman, who is working on the project. Welch heads the Downtown Project’s small-business fund.

Construction at the site began in May. When it’s complete, it will house three restaurants, a juice bar, a yoga studio and tattoo, flower and doughnut shops. The second floor will be office space.

Plans for the Kerry Simon restaurant include two stories of contemporary American fare with bars on both levels and outdoor seating.

Simon is a celebrity chef behind Simon at Palms Place, KGB gourmet burgers at Harrah’s, Pork &Beans at the Container Park and the menu at Sapphire Pool &Day Club.

The second tavern license is for a sushi restaurant.

Downtown redevelopers have dabbled beyond Fremont Street, opening Eat, La Comida, two Work in Progress co-working locations and renovating the Bunkhouse Saloon, but most efforts have focused on the single street.

La Comida is owned by Jenna and Michael Morton, who also own La Cave at Wynn and the recently opened Crush Eat Drink Love at MGM Grand.

In recent years, several new bars and restaurants have opened on the stretch, including Le Thai, the historic Atomic Liquors, Park on Fremont, Backstage Bar &Billiards, Fremont Country Club, Radio City Pizza and Commonwealth.

Previously the neighborhood was neglected.

The Downtown Project owns $93 million in downtown property, mostly contained between Las Vegas Boulevard and Maryland Parkway and Lewis Avenue and U.S. Highway 95, but uses for much of the land is yet to be determined.

“Now we’re one block north of Fremont on Ogden, and now we’re bringing activity one block south,” Schlottman said.

“It doesn’t have to be on Fremont to be a success.”

Contact reporter Kristy Totten at ktotten@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3809. Follow @kristy_tea on Twitter.