Welcome to #TBT, or Throwback Thursdays, where we revisit some of the Denver metro area’s tried and true restaurants that have become institutions. For example, Bistro Vendôme, which premiered on Larimer Street in Downtown Denver over 20 years ago, and moved to its current home in Park Hill in 2023. Over time, these places have weathered the shifts in our city’s restaurant landscape. As flashy newcomers enter and exit, these restaurants, bars, and cafes remain, though sometimes get overlooked by the fickle short-term attention span of a social media-driven obsession with the new and the now.
The story of Bistro Vendôme begins before award-winning chef Jennifer Jasinski owned it, and prior to the Park Hill location it currently resides in. The time was the early aughts, and chef Eric Roeder decided to launch a French bistro concept on the burgeoning Larimer Square in Downtown Denver.
He brought intricate, feminine decor to the spot, adding plenty of Parisian flair to give diners the sense they had traveled far beyond the Mile High City. Its patio, tucked away from Larimer’s hustle and bustle, won legions of fans. Among those were chef Jen Jasinski and Beth Gruitch, co-owners of the neighboring establishment, Rioja.
When Roeder decided to sell the spot three years after opening, the ladies swooped in and took Bistro Vendôme into the fold. Nineteen years after first opening, the pair passed the reins of the restaurant to long-time chef Tim Kuklinski. They also relocated the bistro to Park Hill, where it continues to win new loyalists with its ambience, French dishes and dedicated staff.
Growing That Solid Reputation
Bistro Vendôme already had a steady customer base and buzz around it when Jasinski and Gruitch took over in 2006. They’d heard the business was going up for sale and realized they could stop a possible competing restaurant from moving in if they bought the concept.
“We just thought Bistro Vendôme was the cutest thing, with the patio and the food and the quaintness of the dining room just really, truly amazing,” Gruitch said. “We used to always joke that we were going to build a tunnel [between Rioja and the French eatery].
So, the team procured a lease and started their tenure as owners of Bistro Vendôme. But it didn’t go quite as smoothly as expected. For starters, they decided to keep the restaurant operational throughout the transition, a mistake, they now say, that sparked a few growing pains.
While maintaining the Parisian decor, Jasinski did want to add her own flare to the menu. The chef put on a beef tartare, which soared in popularity. Other changes didn’t go as well. After attempting to change the Bistro’s legendary fries with champagne gastrique and herbes de Provence, the guests revolted. So, Jasinski went back and kept the fries as Roeder had prepared them.
Under Jasinski and Gruitch and their Crafted Concepts restaurant group, Bistro Vendôme enjoyed a sustained popularity for more than 15 years, but pandemic shifts and Larimer’s purchase by Asana Partners in 2020 changed everything.
A New Place, a New Neighborhood
Bistro Vendôme’s Larimer lease ended in 2022, and Asana was planning major renovations that would have closed the business indefinitely. So, Gruitch and Jasinski began shopping around for new locations. They brought along their long-time culinary director, Tim Kuklinski, who was overseeing all the Crafted Concepts restaurants, which at the time also included Rioja, Utreia, and the now closed Stoic & Genuine.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we wanted to have a place not downtown, because everything we have is downtown, and we felt, accurately, I think, that we needed to diversify our locations,” Jasinski said. “We looked for someplace maybe in a neighborhood, and Bistro seems like a neighborhood restaurant to me.”
They settled on Kearney Street in Park Hill, choosing the building that formerly housed the restaurant Tables, about five miles from Bistro’s former Larimer home. Working with the designer who’d revamped their other restaurants, they made the space more Bistro-like with intricate wallpaper, a huge wine wall of offerings from France, and other Parisian-themed details.
The restaurant closed on Larimer after New Year’s Eve, 2022, and “went out with a bang,” Gruitch laughed. They’d been telling customers since September that they’d be relocating, so the final service was more of a party than a memorial.
“We knew we had a place, so it wasn’t like some sad story,” Jasinski said. “It was the end of one era but the beginning of a new one.”
Kuklinski took charge of much of the hands-on work and would ultimately become operating partner in 2024. Now, both he and his wife, pastry chef Erin Kuklinski, have put their stamps on the Park Hill spot.
Steward to a Legacy
While Bistro Vendôme’s Park Hill incarnation continues to focus on French fare, the restaurant has also embraced the idea of all-in-the-family. The Kuklinskis have two boys aged 11 and 7. They’d always dreamed, said Tim, of running a place where their kids could hang out and help. Already, their sons cut greens, do dishes, and take on other kitchen tasks; there’s even a basketball hoop for them in the parking lot.
The Kuklinskis have also incorporated ingredients from the onsite garden they’ve established, as well as the garden at their family home in Edgewater.
“We planted it specifically so that we could bring stuff in,” Erin said. “We talked to everybody in the kitchen, and we’re like, ‘What are you thinking vegetable-wise?’ And so we planted those things.”
Last year, the beans for the tuna nicoise on the menu all came from the Kuklinskis’ patch at home. With the blessing of the Bistro landlord, they’ve also expanded the parking lot garden from 25-square-feet of soil to 125-square-feet using raised bed planters and horse trough planters.
They change the menu frequently and welcome ideas from staff. The current menu includes a chicken dish from a line cook, for example. Other favorites, such as the beef tartare and fries, have remained throughout.
“I think of it as being a steward of this concept of Bistro Vendôme, because the whole goal coming in was: Just don’t fuck it up,” Kuklinski laughed. “For real, the food’s good, the brand is strong, the staff is happy. Don’t come in and bulldoze everything.”
Keeping Long Term Staff and Customers
It’s apparent the staff indeed is happy. Many of the employees that have worked at Bistro Vendôme for years, and originated at the first location.
“It’s really cool to know that our bartenders have been here, collectively, the three of them, for 25 years,” said Kuklinski. “They know exactly what the culture is, because they built it, and they predate me, and more than half the staff here predates me.
Through all this, the owners see Bistro Vendôme as woven into the local community fabric. There’s weekly movie nights, space for events like baby showers, events, and a come-as-you-are vibe. Today, the restaurant has many neighborhood regulars as well as visits from fans of the downtown location. Parking is better too.
Overall, at the heart of the operation the restaurant remains “a Parisian bistro,” Kuklinski said. “We are known for our quality ingredients, our impeccable technique [and] a fantastic value-driven French wine list, and creative cocktails.”
And maintaining the ambience, he said, is key.
“I think that people know when they come to Bistro Vendôme that you’re not a customer, you’re a guest,” he said. “I know that’s a cliche; I don’t care, because that is what it’s like. I want people to come in and be comfortable and feel welcomed.”
Visit Bistro Vendôme for dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and 4 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2267 Kearney St., Denver. bistrovendome.com
