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And thatâs how new owner Kurt Janowsky wants it.
âYouâre not sure if youâre in a cocktail bar or an opium den,â Janowsky said. âAnd thatâs OK with us.â
Gone are the days when the downtown South Bend cocktail bar was decorated with earthy touches and light blue walls. Now, the walls have been painted a deep eggplant purple with black ceilings, gold accents and very dim lighting using open flame candles, vintage Edison light bulbs and hanging crystal chandeliers.
âWe are trying to do something different and we wanted to really lean into the name Spirited,â Janowsky said. âWe decided not to change the name and go a little further to kind of take another meaning of spirited with tarot cards and crystals. ⦠And I think we pulled it off.â
It had been two and a half months since Sean Kelley had worked in a kitchen.
The former Temper Grille owner and chef was feeling beaten down from a busy night and from months of hearing from angry customers who spewed hateful comments about his decision to close Temper last December.
Near the end of dinner service, he stepped out of the kitchen and on his way back, diners started to stand and clap.
Kelley got a standing ovation.
âI met a lot of people over 10 years, a lot of friends,â he said Wednesday. âThe people that were here last night were showing some love, and that was awesome.â