Yacht Club in Denver has received just about every accolade there is, including the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation win for Best U.S. Cocktail Bar, a James Beard Awards finalist nomination, and a coveted spot on North America’s 50 Best Bars list. So, what are the owners of such a lauded establishment to do next? Open a restaurant named for a mythical, shapeshifting swamp creature, of course.
Rougarou is the new concept from Yacht Club founders and hospitality veterans Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges. It opened August 21 in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.
Rougarou is described as “a little bit swampy and a little bit rock’n’roll.” The space has been designed as an extension of Yacht Club’s mythos, where a boat crashed into a swamp and a bar was built off what remained.
Hot and sour catfish is a hearty main course.
Imagine venturing further into that same swamp and finding an old, enchanted home. That’s this place. It has 68 seats, including 12 bar seats, and features warm woods, marble, and pops of red, white, black, and bronze throughout the space.
The casual backyard seats another 75 guests and is home to Over Pour, a retail shop where guests can purchase grab-and-go items, like dips, spreads, and Rougarou’s house seasonings. There’s also a curated selection of wines and bottled cocktails, plus some whimsical home goods and novelties. The backyard has a stage for live music and will host local musicians as the seasons allow.
“It’s been a wonderful process operating a full restaurant again,” said Hedges. Both he and Wright had worked in restaurants for years before turning their focus to Yacht Club. “Inevitably, a restaurant has more moving parts, so learning how to improve our juggling skills always comes with a touch of a learning curve, but this isn’t our first rodeo in the restaurant world. So, if anything, it feels the right kind of familiar, almost like coming home.”
Cocktails are inspired by the southern coast, with drinks like the Hurricane and Muffuletta Martini.
Rougarou’s menu showcases culinary traditions from the American South and pulls some inspiration from the founders’ own journey, which began in Chattanooga, Tenn., and eventually took them to Denver. Mary Allison’s brother, John David Wright, is the executive chef.
A section of “tidbits” includes pickled shrimp, black-eyed pea salad, crab salad, and smoked catfish dip. A rotating selection of chicken on a stick pays homage to the iconic Oxford, Miss., staple and is served with pepper jelly and comeback sauce.
Mains include chicken with white barbecue sauce, hot and sour catfish, and a pork chop with rhubarb and charred cabbage. There are also vegetables like heirloom tomatoes and a collard greens salad.
The cocktail program features southern coastal drinks that blend nostalgia with modern influences. One example is the creative Muffuletta Martini that enlists gin, fino sherry, sesame seed, olive, and tomato. And the Hurricane is a polished take on the New Orleans classic, made with good rum, sherry, fassionola, and citrus.
The wine list aims to be food-friendly and a good value, incorporating benchmark varietals and some lesser-known natural producers.
“The creative floodgates are open. We’re always cooking up something on the back burner,” said Hedges when asked what’s next for the team. “We were actually looking for a space for a different project when this one presented itself, so if the stars align, maybe that project comes alive in the not-too-distant future.”
