Ode to Food & Drinks to open next week

The new downtown restaurant Ode to Food & Drinks opens next week and is wrapping up renovations to the former Wild Sage Grille.

The restaurant inside Cherapa Place along the Big Sioux River has new seating, light fixtures and paint, and a more open feel.

The new look is shades of blue and gray, and a wall in the center of the restaurant has been removed.

There's also wireless Internet access, and the outdoor seating area will have new umbrellas and planters.

The restaurant will add live music Thursday nights starting in mid-April.

"We are looking for local talent," catering director Theresa Flanney said.

Hiring for has gone well, Flannery said.

"We are so happy with who we've got," she said. "We were nervous, but we got good workers and we're starting training."

The restaurant also will launch a package designed for prom season. It's a three-course dinner that includes a professional photo. Many prom-goers use Cherapa Place as a backdrop for their photos, "and we're going to have a photographer in the lobby with all the big lights to take photos," Flannery said.

"We don't know exact pricing, but it will be a high school-friendly menu and pricing."

Groups will need reservations.

Ode is a locally owned concept led by brothers-in-law Bob Allen and Michael Flannery, Theresa's brother.

Allen, most recently an executive chef at Hy-Vee, is a San Francisco native whose experience includes prepping behind Wolfgang Puck for his show on the Food Network and working at well-known restaurants Roy's on Maui and Postrio in San Francisco.

The restaurant will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Cherapa Place is on the east side of the river between Sixth and Eighth streets.