Let's face it: Rochester could use something new. Bargain beer dives and '80s dance nights serve their purpose, but what about all those young professionals the city's trying to retain/attract?

New nightlife stop One (1 Ryan Alley, 546-1010) hopes to give that clientele a taste of something different. The restaurant/nightclub, which faces the Alexander Street strip, will bring NYC style to Rochester's East End by combining high-end diner service with a late-night club focus when it opens in September.

Chef and general manager Jay Cohen - who's opening the location with owner Tim Tompkins (also a co-owner of Alexander Street's Two89) - describes the high-concept project as "at 6 o'clock, it's going to be a very good restaurant with a high-energy, happening bar. At 11 o'clock, it's going to be a nightclub that serves food."

The restaurant and lounge will occupy the former Cadillac dealership garage's lower level, with an upstairs bar and dance floor opening about six weeks later. The after-hours second floor will also include an open rooftop with a skyline view.

Downstairs, the lounge's green granite bar serves a dual purpose, with seats next to the fireplace for dining and a DJ booth and projectors to facilitate the club vibe later. One also has a VIP room for private parties and bottle service - a metropolitan touch that's yet to really find its way upstate until now.

"In bigger cities there's more places like this. But I think this is the first in Rochester," Cohen says. "It'll be turning out some of the highest-end food in the city.

"All my training is in snooty high end French restaurants," he continues. "I'm not French, I'm not snooty, but I like good food. So it's kind of my interpretation of food for the Rochester audience." Cohen has previously cooked at Rio Bamba and restaurants in Manhattan.

The menu will feature a wide variety of styles and tastes - from Japanese to French - with the kitchen open late Thursday through Saturday for the nightclub crowd. Cohen describes how the menu's "tasting portions" ($6-$15) will try to foster a social dining atmosphere.

"It's made for people to mix and match and share," he says. "The thought is also, if you're dancing upstairs, you can come back down here and get something to eat, then go back upstairs.

"I really don't think that there's a lot of places for the young professional crowd that we're going after," Cohen says. "We're filling in a little bit of a niche."

One holds a preview night Thursday, September 6, and a grand opening Friday, September 7. Look for City coverage online at www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/nightlife.