The chalkboard paint had just enough time to dry by the time Cycle opened its doors for a "secret opening" during Art Detour weekend. There wasn't a menu unveiling or a chef introduction (though you can read all about the food plan over on Chow Bella), but guests were given a sneak peek at the space inside the Lexington Hotel, at 11 N. Central Ave.
Cycle is Phoenix's first pop-up restaurant -- it'll open on April 1 and will close when the Lexington closes for renovation later this summer. In the meantime, chefs, menus, and decorations will rotate, including the chalk decorations that had most guests occupied during the opening.
The restaurant's hip interior is still pretty bare -- concrete floors, industrial ceiling, butcher paper table cloths on high and low table tops. In the works are bike racks -- the pop-up hopes to appeal to downtown's tight-knit bike crowd -- and a garage-like door that will allow food trucks to park and serve food into the restaurant space.
While Cycle's chalk wall decorations will be more ephemeral, the lobby and hallways feature the more permanent work of Kyle Jordre and Jenny Ignaszewski, the hotel's resident artists.
Jordre and Ignaszewski share a large studio on the hotel's first floor (a combination of hotel rooms that are in the process of renovation and will eventually be joined). Their artwork is on view throughout the hotel, but will also be viewable through the studio windows, which face the hotel pool.
Both artists will contribute to the Cycle's decor (in chalk and paint), and will stay through the hotel's renovation.
Read more about Cycle on our food blog, Chow Bella and keep updated with the latest chefs and menus through Cycle's website.
