by Lauren Kruchten | Dec 2, 2024 | December 2024/January 2025, Eat
Moo Deng walked so The Hippo Wine Bar could run.
If the viral sassy pygmy hippo Moo Deng was any indication, the world is obsessed with those barrel-shaped semiaquatic icons. Now, Raleigh’s getting a new hippo obsession in the form of the December-slated and revamped Hippo Wine Bar, recently acquired by North South Hospitality.
The hospitality group made up of Vance Daniels and Katie and Clayton O’Kane—also behind fast local fave Gussie’s—is keeping the same name (with Sorena Dadgar also staying on as the operating manager), but giving it a refreshed vibe in collaboration with Julia Petiprin of Cincinnati-based design consulting company House of Departure, who also helped with the interior design of Gussie’s.
Katie says Petiprin drew inspiration from the name, but instead of going really on the nose with something like animal print/safari vibes, she’s “using colors, textures and lighting to give us warmer, cozier vibes.” Think natural elements such as handmade tile, West Africa-inspired patterns, and natural wood tones and fibers throughout.
“We’re definitely focusing in on things you can’t get other places. There’s a couple of really phenomenal wine bars already here, and, more than anything, we’re just really excited to be part of that community.” —Katie O’Kane, North South Hospitality
And while the OG Hippo leaned more wine shop than wine bar, the trio hopes to shift the new space more bar. “We want it to be a place you could hang out for a while—that could be the spot you are going to that night,” says Katie. “It doesn’t have to just be a place you’re stopping for a bottle of wine on your way home or waiting with a glass of wine before dinner.”
They’re also hoping the addition of food—think charcuterie, tinned fish and the like—will further encourage people to linger a while. And, leaning into North South Hospitality’s “everyone’s considered” MO, Hippo will also offer beer, beer cocktails, shandies and spritzes in response to the national low-ABV trend.
“I find that Raleigh—and I really love this—is looking for lower-ABV stuff as opposed to asking for the strongest thing,” says Daniels. “I think it’s because people are happy here. No one’s drinking to forget; they’re just drinking to have fun—they’re not miserable. … And the spritz menu will really scratch that itch.”
Ultimately, it’s just “damn good wine”—for everyone. “There can be such a misconception of pretension around wine when it’s made by farmers. It doesn’t have to be such a scary, pretentious thing,” maintains Katie, who’s also a sommelier, noting she is a fan of Triangle pros who’re working to change that narrative to have vino be more approachable. … So whether you’re a wine lover or not, rest assured Hippo’s going to make a splash. @the__hippo
by Lauren Kruchten | Oct 30, 2023 | Eat, November 2023
Gussie’s bar, bottle and bites to open on West Morgan Street this month.
Gussie’s isn’t specifically a cocktail bar, nor a taproom, nor a bottle shop, nor a restaurant or cafe. It’s a bit of all those things wrapped into one. Think of it as a “third place,” co-owner Vance Daniels affectionately describes it. “You’re not at home, you’re not at work—it’s that third place that feels comfortable, and that’s what we want to be.”
The welcoming neighborhood joint is bowing in the former Soul Taco space on West Morgan Street this month from the team behind North South Hospitality, which includes Daniels, alongside partners Katie and Clayton O’Kane. The trio recently moved to Raleigh to open their first business together, with Daniels actually returning as a born-and-raised Raleighite after spending ~20 years in LA.
Really two concepts in one, the space is divided into a grab-and-go-geared section (with outdoor seating and a small bar for posting up at as well) serving up sandwiches, salads, dips, snacks, coffee and a mini-bottle shop, while the other side leans more toward a sit-down format with a menu of made-to-order shareables and elevated bar food. However, Katie maintains the to-go side will evolve as they get acquainted with the neighborhood and the city.
North South Hospitality tapped consultant Greg Lyons to assist with the menu (Michael Bean will take over as Kitchen Manager upon opening), which will feature the likes of smashburgers, Nashville hot fried oysters and duck wings. A pared-down late-night bites menu will also be available. “Shareables over forks and knives,” says Katie of the MO. “And we’re throwing around the idea of doing something with some LA flair to it.”
Despite the plethora of chef-driven fare, Daniels emphasizes “we’re a bar with food, not a restaurant.” Thus, naturally, the beverage program will be a core focus, but—rest assured—not a fussy one. Think craft cocktails, housemade sodas, local draft beers, and thoughtfully and ethically produced wines at a fair price point.
“You shouldn’t have to go to the fine-dining version of a bar to get a great cocktail,” says Daniels. “The person next to you might be drinking a beer and a shot, and that person has just as much right to be there and deserves just as much hospitality as the person who does want, say, a Corpse Reviver No. 2, a really well-made Negroni or an Old-Fashioned.” To sum it up: “pride without pretense.”
Complete with a loungey atmosphere complemented by colorful murals and wallpaper, Gussie’s is a “new version of an old idea,” Katie maintains. Adds Daniels, “It’s not supposed to fit a fad or a current trend. We’re trying to build a place that could’ve been here 40 years ago, could be here now, could be here 40 years from now.” Here’s to your new fave go-to neighborhood hangout. gussiesraleigh.com
Positive Shift
The hospitality industry is the second largest employer in the country, but there’s no overarching system to support them. Enter the Shift Foundation, a 501(c)(3) founded by North South Hospitality with the hope of providing programs, activities and services that are “normally either too expensive or unavailable—or seemingly unavailable—to bartenders, servers, chefs and other people of that nature,” explains Katie. Think financial and legal advice, tax assistance, and activities like dog walking and 2am yoga. “Something very important to us is employee health and wellness,” she adds. “The scene in Raleigh and the Triangle is exploding—so what are we doing to support the people who are doing that?” To kick things off, the trio will start gaining interest from the local industry, forming a community and compiling a mailing list—with in-person events hopefully starting by the first of the year.
