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Saketumi sushi restaurant moving to location on Yampa River

Michael Schrantz

Saketumi is moving from the base of the mountain to the banks of the Yampa River.

The slopeside sushi restaurant will open in the space The Boathouse Pub now occupies on Yampa Street by mid-May.

Business partners Kier and Eric Delaney and Drew Brilakis struck a deal with the owner of the pub and building, Howard Ulep, and The Boathouse Pub will be no more after March 22.



“We were very fortunate for Howard to work with us on this,” Brilakis said.

Saketumi has been around for about nine years, with Kier Delaney and his brothers, Eric and Alex, making it a family affair. Brilakis first moved to Steamboat in 1994 and has worked for multiple local establishments, including Slopeside and The Tugboat, but since then, he’s worked for club and bars, big and small, in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.



Brilakis said he’s been friends with the Delaney brothers for years and moved back to Steamboat this winter to partner with Kier Delaney for Saketumi’s move.

The long friendship made a great transition to business partnership, according to Brilakis, with both men seeing the same vision for the riverside space.

The Saketumi that now exists at the base of the mountain will basically fit on the second floor of the Yampa Street building, Brilakis said.

Except in May, it will open up to a patio overlooking the Yampa River.

One of the ideas Brilakis has for the new dining area is to make the cap on the upper patio railing wide enough to eat a meal on and line stools along the edge of the railing.

“It’s that one spot where you don’t need a friend,” he said of solo diners being able to sit and eat overlooking the Yampa.

The river is a focal point of the building, and they want to make sure they take full advantage of that from the upper patio to seating on the lower level that leads to the river.

Another advantage of the Yampa Street location, according to Brilakis, is the larger kitchen.

The sushi bar will expand some on the second floor, but to take pressure off the sushi chefs, the menu also will offer a broader selection beyond sushi.

Saketumi joins a Yampa Street in transition, with accommodations tax funds flowing into the promenade project, and a row of unique, thriving restaurants.

The appeal of drinking on the river, which was so integral to The Boathouse, will not be lost when Saketumi moves into the space. The bar will remain largely the same with a full liquor selection. Brilakis said the decor will transition to something along the lines of a modern sushi house, but it will retain the Steamboat connection.

Brilakis has plans to put up photos in the bar of his friends from over the years along with some of the items Delaney was able to pick up from The Tugboat auction.

Brilakis said he’s not trying to emulate The Tugboat, but the bar could accumulate photos and memories on its walls as time passes.

“It’s going to build on its own,” he said.

To reach Michael Schrantz, call 970-871-4206, email mschrantz@SteamboatToday.com or follow him on Twitter @MLSchrantz


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