*UPDATED 1/23/09 WITH OPENING INFO*

The wind was bitter cold, and the snow was just starting to pick up last week, when I went by the old Park Bench space to check out the not-yet-opened Dragonfly Tavern (725 Park Ave). The fireplaces were going full blast, and the scent of pine hit my nose as I stepped through the side door. Pine and stone runs throughout the bar, but it's the fireplaces - and the European-mounted animal skulls on the walls - that imbue Dragonfly with its lodge-lounge spirit. The black diamond plate that runs around the bar gives an industrial edge to the bar's warm tones and careful lighting.

Dragonfly has consumed the lives of co-owners Brant Riggs and Aaron Gibalski - two of the owners of the Bug Jar - for the past six months or so, and it shows. The Bench was gutted, and in its place is their joint concept come to life: an "urban lodge" in a back alley of Park Ave.

Right now there are two dart boards, some counter-height tables, a lounge space, and room for a pool table and touch-screen game, which Riggs says they plan to install. They put in 14 lines for draft, craft beers (Gibalski says there'll be an explanation of what you're drinking so you'll end up with something you like), and a list of organic "green" wines.

WiFi runs through the place, and a new sound system was installed in the ceiling (they're mining the iPods of all their hipster and DJ friends for music). Three flat-panel TVs hang on the walls.

"It's not a sports bar by any means," says Riggs, "but somewhere you can have a good conversation, and hopefully have a good time, chat with whoever's working."

Somehow the interior seems to have gained heaps of space since its days as the Park Bench. The bar is now on the west wall instead of the north, and the change opens up the room considerably. And if you head downstairs, you might think you're descending into someone's high-class wine cellar (or dungeon, maybe), when what you're really headed for is the bathrooms. The stone walls down here have been refinished, the bathrooms reworked in wood, and little niches were placed in the walls for artwork.

Riggs used to frequent the place when it was the Bench, and Gibalski used to work there (he joked that he's already spent a good chunk of his life in the place), and they both liked it as a neighborhood hangout.

"It was great for what it was," Riggs says, but the duo wanted to start something new. "It was a good place to start the night, finish it, or stay all night," Riggs says, and they hope to keep up that tradition.

They'd also like to hold over what they do at the Bug Jar, showcasing local artwork. Right now, the piece de resistance isn't the work of an artist, but a hunter: it's an immense skull from a greater kudu (a species of antelope) that hangs behind the bar.

Not many dragonflies adorn the place yet, though Gibalski says they'll show up soon. He designed the striking black-and-white logo that hangs from a signpost and fills the front window of the bar, and named it "Dragonfly" to keep in theme with the Bug Jar.

"Bugs have been good to us so far," he says.

All this, though, is not to mention the front of the building, which used to house Pontillo's. In April, the second part of Dragonfly will open there, offering a menu of gourmet pizzas and takeout, and a front porch where people can smoke, use their laptops, and sip drinks in warmer weather.

On that frigid day last week, though, I could've cozied up to the fireplace and stayed all night.

Dragonfly will have its soft opening this week, and plans a grand opening for sometime in February. Check rochestercitynewspaper.com/nightlife for updates. Dragonfly will be open Monday through Friday 5 p.m. to close, and Saturday and Sunday noon to close.

OPENING NIGHT UPDATE:

We trudged along the messy sidewalks around 9 p.m. Thursday to check out the opening of Dragonfly on Park Ave. When we previewed the new spot last week, it was still under construction; lights needed to be hung, the bar awaited its bottles. But last night the bar was stocked, and the place was, well, hoppin': it was wall-to-wall people and everyone knew everyone. Service was attentive and fairly quick, considering the state of the place. We drank whisky gingers, and it was too crowded to do much more than stand around and talk, and listen to the music, which was more than fine -- I got to see friendly faces from around town that I hadn't seen in months. We skipped out to Abilene for a few, then went back to Dragonfly. It had cleared out a bit, and we relaxed at one of the tables, digging the vibe of the new lodge-like bar. Only thing missing was a bearskin rug.