Over the past week, a handful of people have wandered into The Parlor through an unassuming door on the side of Lespri in Prospector.  It’s cozy and inviting, owner Dan Warren said, designed for people to stay awhile. Just like Park City has felt for families like his. Unlike most “Covi dians” in Park City, Warren actually grew up in Deer Valley part time with his family, since the age of 5 splitting time here and in Los Angeles. When COVID lockdowns brought his adult life in Chicago to a screeching halt, he and his wife popped open a bottle of wine and booked one-way tickets here for them and their two sons. Nearly seven years later, they haven’t looked back.  And nearly seven years later, Warren is finally returning to his lifelong career in bar ownership with the opening of The Parlor cocktail bar and lounge in Prospector. The 24-seat bar draws on the success of establishments Warren opened in New York City — like Common Ground in the East Village and West 3rd Common in the West Village — and Chicago over his adult life, all designed as neighborhood bars.  “I always described my bars in New York as the physical comfort of a lounge with the atmospheric comfort of a neighborhood watering hole,” he said. “They know me, they know the bartender, and they know half the people in the room. Everyone’s friends, and we’re all just hanging out having a good time, sharing stories over some good drinks.” That’s his goal with The Parlor, a high-class cocktail lounge within walking distance of homes and away from the crowds on Main Street. Tourists aren’t the intended audience here, Warren said. The bar is for locals. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record The Parlor owner Dan Warren said his goal is to offer the strongest, legally allowed drinks in Utah, meaning every drink is 2.5 ounces of alcohol. So having a soft opening during a, well, soft time of year wasn’t a concern.  “We’re in Deer Valley, so our kids were at McPolin (Elementary). McPolin is Prospector, Park City Heights, Park Meadows. That’s where all of our friends are. It’s where everyone lives, and none of them have a little neighborhood bar,” he said. “Yes, it’s a slow time in town, but all the people that I’m friends with and that live in Prospector, all their kids are in the school district. They’re all here. They’re not going anywhere (just) because it’s shoulder season, and that’s who we’re going after.” Ever since moving full time to Park City to raise his family, Warren had looked into opening a bar, but Utah’s challenging liquor laws and licensing hurdles put that plan on the back burner.  “They said there’s no licenses available, so rent a space and start your renovations, and when enough businesses in Utah go out of business, you’ll be next on the list,” he recalled.  Instead, he became a full-time mountain biker and skier. After a few years, the decision to trade in that leisurely schedule happened on somewhat of a whim, Warren said, which sent him back to the market just in time for the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services to relax its process.  “One day I was lying in bed, staring at my ceiling, and I just decided I didn’t want Chicago to be my last chapter. And I woke up, I called the DABS the next morning, and they said, ‘We’ve upped accounts. We have licenses available. You can apply online,’” he said. Not long after, he found the perfect space. Lespri in Prospector, which formerly housed a Japanese-fusion restaurant, had been renting out its kitchen space to a catering chef since closing during COVID and recently decided to also rent out the bar side of the restaurant. At just 575 square feet, it was “cozy,” Warren said — just what he’d envisioned. The Parlor bartender Jess Stringer dresses a cocktail at the recently opened neighborhood bar in Prospector. The bar opened with a list of classic drinks, and will soon expand with craft cocktails. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record “It’s the cutest little cocktail bar, and I love it,” he said. “My rent is small. It’s me and a bartender. I don’t have a lot of overhead. I’m not taking a whole lot of financial risk, but it gets me into this area. It exposes me to these wacky drinking laws that we have in this state.” When it comes to bar ownership, Warren said he’d learned the importance of extraordinary service — something he’d seen as a patron of bars around the world. He told the story of one experience with his wife, who loves blue cheese-stuffed olive martinis. They were at a restaurant one day, and she asked the bartender if they could make one, but even though a blue cheese salad was on the menu, and they had olives for a martini, she was told no. Another day, at a different bar, she asked the same question, and without hesitation the bartender said, “We can make that happen,” Warren recalled. It was a matter of, if they wanted to, they would. “It’s so simple, and she felt like royalty when he went that extra step,” he explained. During the soft opening week at The Parlor, someone asked for a spicy margarita. Rather than say no just because it wasn’t on the menu, Warren ran to the store, bought a few jalapenos, and served them the off-menu drink. For another guest, someone who just moved to the neighborhood days before, Warren gave him a pretzel on the house. That’s how to be memorable, he said. “It’s not rocket science — the little things that you can do to make someone feel special, that’s essentially what it’s all about,” he said. “He’s been to a bunch of places in the two days he’s been here, he’s probably going to remember the one that put a warm, delicious pretzel in front of him just to say ‘Thanks for stopping in.’ That’s what resonates.” The Parlor is now open with a list of classic cocktails, like an old-fashioned, a pisco sour, a Manhattan, a paper plane and of course, a blue cheese-stuffed olive martini. As a big negroni fan, Warren also included four types of negronis on the menu. Eventually he plans to hire a mixologist to add a few craft cocktails to the menu, but in the meantime, his bartenders can get creative on request. Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record Credit: Jonathan Herrera/Park Record While the menu right now focuses on classic cocktails — including a blue cheese-stuffed olive martini, right, his wife’s favorite drink — he encourages his bartenders to go the extra mile and create something special by request, like a spicy mezcal paloma, left. For light bites, Warren is sourcing as many local items as possible, like pretzels from The Pretzel Connection in Heber City, cookies from Auntie Em’s Baked Goods and garlic marinated olives from Sweets and Cheeses inside The Market. Sourcing locally is another touch that makes The Parlor a neighborhood bar, supporting businesses in the neighborhood, Warren said. For drinks, Warren said every cocktail will have 2.5 ounces of alcohol, per the Utah laws that allow 1.5 ounces of a base spirit and 1 ounce of a flavoring spirit. It’s another goal that stems from Warren’s own experience being disappointed by weak drinks served in the state. The Parlor is currently open starting at 4 p.m. daily, and will close at 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday, though they can stay open later if there are guests. Eventually, Warren said the plan is to stay open until 1 a.m. For updates and the full menu, see theparlorparkcity.com or follow on Instagram @theparlorparkcity. “In an old mansion, The Parlor was the nicest room in the house. It was sexy and luxurious, but simultaneously it was warm and inviting because that’s where they entertain their guests,” Warren explained. “That’s what we’re doing. We’re just entertaining our guests.” The post The Parlor opens with a neighborhood bar philosophy in Prospector appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less