July 27, 2023

Downtown Sioux Falls gained another cocktail lounge this week with the opening of Myrtle’s Fur Vault & Bar.

The bar, which is an expansion of Parker’s Bistro, is the original home of Frye’s Furs at 208 S. Main Ave., and the vault in the basement was used to store furs in the summertime.

Parker’s owner Stacy Newcomb led the restoration of the 1934 building, which Parker’s Restaurant Group bought in 2020. In addition to gaining room for the bar, the new space includes an additional dining room for the restaurant.

Myrtle’s serves a dual purpose.

“This adds substantially to the ability to have people come in before a reservation or to hang around afterward and just have a drink or stop in just for a drink or an appetizer,” Newcomb said.

The original space at 210 S. Main Ave. is small enough that people typically didn’t pop in for a cocktail and conversation. “Now, this is an entire space that we can dedicate toward spontaneity,” she said of Myrtle’s.

The space can hold 50 people at seating along the bar and at tables and banquettes.

The back half of the expansion is the additional dining area for Parker’s with table and banquette seating for 60 people. Large industrial windows fill the space with natural light and views to the north and east of neighboring business rooftops and glimpses of taller downtown buildings.

The two buildings are now accessible through two shared interior doorways.

A photo of Newcomb’s grandparents Myrtle and Parker hangs in a place of honor above the bar.

“I see that as the centerpiece of this new building,” Newcomb said. “Adding this building was really adding a story about them — Parker’s being the first part of that story, and Myrtle, being my grandmother, who was the other side of that story. They are depicting the Parker and Myrtle connection.”

The woodworking that makes up the shelves to display the bar’s liquor bottles was crafted by carpenter Dennis Erickson.

“That’s a wonderful thing to be able to add so people can sit down and they can see that we have some very nice unique liquors and other options for drinks,” Newcomb said. “We have a great nonalcoholic cocktail list also.”

The bartop is a dark green granite with a leather finish. “It’s kind of unique,” she said. “It’s not a typical really smooth finish, but it has a little bit of character of highs and lows.”

Myrtle’s cocktail menu incorporates some of Parker’s classics and new creations that introduce an interesting variety of flavors, beverage director Paul Squyer said.

Myrtle’s Spritz uses an Italian tomato gin, French vermouth, elderflower tonic and sparkling wine.

“It’s a very unexpected flavor. … It’s very crisp, very clean, clear, very effervescent.”

Local beverages also are used as ingredients in the cocktails. Songbird Kombucha, Glacial Lakes Distillery and The Breaks Coffee Roasting Co. are among the suppliers.

The bar menu offers a half-dozen appetizers, which are made in the kitchen at Parker’s.

“They’re nice things like cocktail shrimp, a hummus dish, charcuterie plate,” Newcomb said.

“Quick, spontaneous options, if you want something to nibble on while you’re on your way to something or you’re having a drink.”

Because of the large windows, the new dining room for Parker’s is brighter than the original space, and it also features the brick wall of the Parker’s building and high ceilings with exposed wooden beams.

“It’s almost like you have two different restaurants to choose from,” Newcomb said.

The seating in the new dining room can be moved easily.

“I love to use banquettes,” she said. “They’re just a good way to add softness and character and make it feel like a home or a comfortable seating. And then, it’s also a very adaptable space. Because they’re modular, you can move things around to accommodate a lot of different types of events.”

Newcomb noted she’s already been contacted about hosting a wedding reception with a dance in the new space.

Parker’s and Myrtle’s both open at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The bar closes at midnight, and the restaurant seats its last diners at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.