From Bulldog to Bullfrog

What, they don't have bulldogs in Louisiana? When Matt Lokowich, owner of the Bulldog Uptown and Bulldog Lowertown, decided he was going to open another bar, he knew he wanted to keep the new place in the family. But with this being a Cajun-style bar, he thought a slight tweak to the Bulldog name was in order. Thus: the Bullfrog.

On Wednesday, Lokowich gave me a sneak peek at his new spot, located in the former Gladius space (1111 Hennepin Av. S.) in downtown Minneapolis. Gladius was a short-lived gay bar that mixed "New York-chic" design with Roman flourishes. It closed in late December. While its half-nude gladiator was still plastered on the window this week, Lokowich's team was busy working inside, preparing the joint for an anticipated March 1 opening.

"It's going to be gangbusters in here until we open," Lokowich said.

Lokowich is opening the Bullfrog with his Lowertown partner, Jeff Caster. While that bar specializes in mostly Belgian beers, the duo are going in a different direction here. The Bullfrog's 24 taps will mostly feature pilsners and lagers from around the world. "It's going to have a weird beer twist, but who cares," Lokowich said. Lokowich said these beers have a smoother taste, which will go better with the bar's Cajun menu. The chef, Tim Favre (no relation to Brett, and he pronounces it differently), will serve crawdads, po'boys, gumbo, lobster bakes and other New Orleans delicacies, including alligator and frog legs. If that scares you, don't worry: A few of the Bulldog's burgers will be on the menu, too. Price points will be comparable to the Bulldog Lowertown.

The space (near Eli's) is about half the size of the Bulldog Lowertown. Lokowich plans to keep some of Gladius' design elements, including the black granite-top bar and the Roman-style arches that extend over the booths. But for the most part, Lokowich will stamp out Gladius' sleekness and replace it with a rustic, amber-hued ambience. He'll cover the walls in wood, hang old light fixtures and add more windows.

Lokowich anticipates a lot of Twins traffic during the baseball season (which means he'll be bringing in a lot of TVs, too). He's also hoping for some foot traffic from the Hennepin Avenue theater crowd. Whatever the case, the place should be hard to miss with a name like Bullfrog.

"A lot of these restaurants have fancy names, but we just want to be a great bar with great food," Lokowich said.

"It just wasn't meant to be," said general manager Randy Norman. He cited a tough economy and cuisine that didn't mesh with foodie tastes in the Twin Cities. Norman admitted that filling 200 seats in a two-level restaurant on a regular basis was no easy task.

The restaurant didn't close without controversy. Om partnered with happy-hour website ThriftyHipster.com for an Asian-themed New Year's Eve bash called "Shanghaied." Unfortunately, the much-hyped event turned into what Thrifty Hipster's Matt Dowgwillo called a "debacle." On Dec. 30, organizers found out that the city wouldn't be granting the expansion-of-premises permit needed to hold the party inside Om's building, Dowgwillo said. With only one night to go, the party was moved to the Graves 601, two blocks away.

Facebook and Twitter were abuzz with angry partygoers who complained of the last-minute venue change and long lines at the bar. Some revelers wanted their money back. Dowgwillo and Uppal told me they are trying to remedy the situation with the Graves in hopes of getting partial refunds to disgruntled ticket buyers. Norman said Om's closing on Saturday had nothing to do with the last-minute changes to the NYE party.