wordplay: Samantha Donen
images: Michael Hystead & Nevada Lee/VailPM.com

A smile lit Eddie Ballouchy’s face, when asked about the jaw-dropping detail put into Le Rouge. It is not often that one asks an owner about their business and gets a blinding boyish grin in response. “I always wanted to open a bar called Le Rouge,” says first-time owner Ballouchy, “This is what I love to do and I wanted to leave a signature on Denver with this place.”  With a background like Ballouchy’s, opening and managing Denver’s hottest clubs for the past 10 years (Blue 67, Citrus, Lotus, Monarck, Mynt and 5 Degrees), it is no surprise that he “did not leave room for mistakes” with his new lounge. In fact, he believes that Denver does not have the real concept of a lounge down yet. “People in Denver leave their houses to go to a lounge at 11 p.m.-that’s not a lounge, that’s a club with no cover,” says Ballouchy. “The real concept of a lounge is a place that sells food early in the night, a place where people can hang out earlier in the night and stay out all night as the lounge evolves into a new atmosphere.”

Le Rouge’s French cuisine was created by head chef Eric Rodger, formerly of Bistro Vendôme. The plan was to create a mouth-watering menu that was affordable, ranging from $1-$14. The signature dish is the Duck Burger, and Image Mag Publisher Greg Bloom enthused, “It is succulent-the flavour that came out of that thing!” Bloom added that he had never heard so many people say “Oh My God!” at once as when everyone sampled the chocolate bread pudding dessert.

When the restaurant winds down, the loungy European music of Casablanca’s DJ Elite and Madrid’s DJ Tatiana entice one to stay all night. These DJs have migrated here to live in Denver and work full time for Ballouchy at Le Rouge.  As with all things well put together, Ballouchy has made it possible for customers to experience a VIP evening and reserve any area in bottle service seating for just the price of their bottle of choice. To polish off their evening, guests with reservations can enjoy complimentary limo service, courtesy of Le Rouge, any night of the week.

Ballouchy, a native of Casablanca, Morocco, says he was always influenced by French culture growing up, which explains Le Rouge’s French concept and European vibe.  Apparently, the name of the lounge was partly influenced by the movie Moulin Rouge, but it is not a cabaret by any means. He chose the name, Le Rouge, because the color red is such a lovely color, as it is the color of love, sickness, and passion.

From the moment I set foot in Le Rouge, I noticed the whole place was put together the right way; red tulip lights scattering down over the bottle service booths, red roses in full bloom tucked away in corners, male bartenders’ crimson staff shirts lined up behind the bar (as if they were little rose buds themselves and a part of the decor), waitresses’ retro dresses as they’re busy milling between the bar and the restaurant…it compelled me to pause at the front door and think, “Where am I?”  This certainly was not anything I had seen before in Denver. As the music’s European vibe took me back to a summer abroad in Europe, I made my way through Le Rouge, constantly taking in organic details like a miniature waterfall facing the bar, a fireplace on the lower level staffed by black corseted French-looking female bartenders, a wall that embraced a private dinner booth so polished with red I had to touch it to see if it was indeed as soft as it looked…ah, c’est fantastique!

1448 Market (LoDo)

(303) 892.5555

myspace.com/LeRougeDenver
LeRouge.us