August sure went quick, and now that it’s September, we are looking back to the hottest openings and saddest closings of last month. On a happy note, there are even more baked goods on the scene, Boulder gets a sure-to-be banger Chinese restaurant, and Denver is blowing up with new concepts. As for closings, there were two major ones that stuck out from the month, but more on that below.
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Denver Area Openings
Ride On In
On August 6 The Carriage House officially opened to the public, taking over the space that formerly housed Secret Garden at 1290 N. Williams St. The menu showcases pastry from Black Box Bakery, freshly-made sandwiches, salads, coffee drinks, wine, beer, and more. While there’s no indoor seating, diners can take food and beverages to go or enjoy on the vast patio overlooking Cheesman Park.
American Chinese in Boulder
Celebrated chef Edwin Zoe opened San San (2014 10th St.) in Boulder in mid-August. The 80-seat restaurant showcases classic American Chinese dishes such as General Tso’s chicken, chop suey, and fried rice. Want to try it all? Order the $47 Summer Tasting Menu, which includes bites of just about everything on the menu. The overall vibe is casual, but nice enough to put your napkin on your lap.
Call This Place Open
Call Your Mother Deli launched its latest branch, this time in Downtown Denver, in the middle of August. Located at 1607 Wewatta St., the new space features the same bubblegum pink and teal hues, spiked with whimsical art and an outside patio. The drink menu, bagels, and sandwiches remain consistent with the other properties too. With this opening, there are now nine Call Your Mother Delis in Colorado, with another slated to open in Happy Canyon soon.
Bring On the Cake
Hearth Patisserie just opened at 3621 W. 32nd Ave., right next door to Hearth bakery in Highland. Founded by Hearth’s Matt Quinlisk and pastry chef Kevin McCormick (Baume Dessert Bar, Per Se, Frasca) the European-style dessert shop is meant to showcase elevated sweets. Think chouquettes in raspberry and tropical, Paris-Brest with hazelnut praline and pralinettes, rotating tarts, tiramisu, and more.
Wholesome and Delicious
Restaurant chain True Food Kitchen just opened in Boulder at 1755 29th St. #1080, and already it’s on my food-focused kid’s love list. From his eyes it’s easy to see why: the menu is vast with dishes ranging from pizza to poke to noodles and more.
On my side, I love it because everything is made fresh and the menu tells you how many calories and protein you’re getting. Plus, the wine and cocktails are great, the space huge and friendly, and it’s easy to please everyone at the table.
Pop On Over to RiNo
Soda Club (1260 25th St.) officially opened on September 1, located in the former Super Mega Bien space in the Ramble Hotel in RiNo. The first, and only other Soda Club, resides in New York where it became known for great vegetarian fare alongside a killer wine list and thoughtful cocktails. The same grace and goodies can be found at the Denver venture, with a decor meant for photo shoots. Read more about it in this feature by Ruth Tobias.
Mile High Tea
Global tea shop brand CHI CHA SAN CHEN opened at The Orchard Town Center in Westminster at the beginning of August. The entire barista team flew to Taiwan for training at the original location, so each tea is expertly prepared as it’s meant to be. This is the first Colorado opening.
Cold Coffee Awaits
The most awarded cidery in the state, Snow Capped Cider, just launched Snow Boy Coffee, located in the Taproom & Wine Bar in Cedaredge (105 N. Grand Mesa Dr.). Owner and head cidermaker Kari Williams created the coffee extension in order to feature hand-crafted espresso drinks, ceremonial matcha, and specialty coffees made with beans from Colorado roasters Sweet Bloom Coffee and Bonfire Coffee. All the syrups are made in house, and many drinks include fresh fruit purees and creamy cold foams.
Coming Soon to the Denver Area
Pastry Paradise
Yes, you can score Black Box Bakery goodies at the newly-opened The Carriage House, as well as the bakery’s location in Edgewater Public Market. But this fall the popular shop, known for stunning pastry and unique croissants, will open Black Box Café in the former Suzette space in Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood.
The new, cafe-style spot will allow co-founder and baking queen Arielle Israel to expand on the goods and showcase what she and her team can do. When it opens, the cafe will offer coffee, made-to-order sandwiches, homemade ice cream, and plenty of baked goods.
“Black Box Café will showcase what we’re capable of as a team,” said Israel, in a statement. “There’s so much more to Black Box than the pastries people already love. We’ve spent years perfecting one corner of our galaxy, and now we get to explore the rest of the universe.”
Famous Ice Creamery Grows
Fans of ice cream probably already know about Michael Kimball’s Sadboy Creamery, which sells out of pints online as soon as they drop. Lucky for us, he has plans to open a brick-and-mortar location this month at 1502 Marion St., inside the former French for Sugar space off East Colfax Avenue.
While we hear it won’t be a proper ice cream shop, it will allow Kimball to sell even more pints of his whimsical, small-batch and sometimes seasonal creations such as the Pali-sad Peach Cobbler, Key Lime Cry, and Melancholy Mint Chip. Get the theme? Ironically, you won’t be sad at all when eating it, just when it sells out. Hopefully with the new digs there will be plenty of ice cream joy for all.
Now the Closings
Tapped Out
Brunch hot spot Syrup in Cherry Creek closed on August 16 after the owners decided not to renew the lease. The mini chain, which launched 16 years ago, now has four locations in Denver, City Park, Capitol Hill, and Edgewater.
No Longer Bang’n
After eight years in Capitol Hill, the vegan Caribbean restaurant Bang Up to the Elephant closed in the middle of August. Owner Kevin Delk didn’t say why, only telling BusinessDen he was planning on going back to New York to live with his wife.
