The Kouza family is getting closer to opening Siris (subtitled Brew, BBQ, and Cigar) at 207 N. Main in the building that most recently housed Sheesh, destroyed by fire in 2011. Rick, Joe, and several other siblings who like to stay in the background are the Kouzas’ second generation. They own the building and a number of other buildings and businesses on the block: Main Party Store and the Heidelberg, as well as the building that houses Sabor Latino. Ian Gray, media consultant and spokesperson for the family, says Siris will be a bistro with lots of varieties of barbecue and over 100 craft beers on tap. As for the cigar lounge, “it’s a gamble. They know they’re probably going to lose some people with that, but they’re going to try it out.” Cigar bars are a specially licensed exception to Michigan’s smoke-free business law.

Gray says the family has a particular approach to its businesses: “They try to clean a place up a little bit and not lose the locals’ business,” stopping short of full gentrification. “I know, [Siris’ construction] seems like it has taken forever,” Gray apologizes. There have been some hitches along the way. For one thing, “it’s been really hard to excavate since we’re on Main St. You can’t just bring in a bunch of heavy equipment. A lot had to be done by hand.” He says they should be open in June or July.

Swetang Patel was sparkling with energy as he prepared to turn the just-closed Wine Seller, the wine and beer store at the back of Plymouth Mall, into a “global” restaurant. “We’re almost there with the name,” he says, speaking for himself, his brother Hardik, and their partner Jeff Sanchez, but he can’t divulge it yet: “We’re just finishing up the logo and branding.”

In April, he was expecting “final approval from the city any day” to begin construction. When the place opens, probably toward the end of the summer, he plans to have “about fifteen to twenty items on the menu, but it will be a full kitchen, not just pressed sandwiches.” Though they’ll have a liquor license, he says, “you can grab a beer or a glass of wine anywhere. What you remember about places is the food. We’re foodies.”

There probably won’t be any Indian items on the menu, but he says it will be global, reflecting the diverse cultures of the North Campus area, an area in which he grew up and loves. The Patel brothers’ parents operate Om Market around the corner, and Swetang used to be a partner in Curry On next door to Om. “I sold it to my partner [Rutul Patel, no relation] last year so I could focus on this.”