Nothing about chef Cliff Blauvelt’s approach to food is boring, so it’s no surprise Boombots Pasta features an array of funky, fun, and flavorful noodle dishes.
“With pasta you can do anything and be playful, it’s the style of food I want to make,” said Blauvelt over the phone. “It’s a great starting point to see how far we can push pasta, but also stay approachable.”
Those who know the chef’s other concept Odie B’s, which he also runs with his wife and partner Cara Blauvelt, will understand this philosophy of play. At Odie B’s the subject revolves around sandwiches. While the burger, chicken biscuit, and chopped cheese all sound run-of-the-mill, with additions of “fanciest sauce,” Cajun pepper relish, and everything seasoning, respectively, it’s anything but. The same can be said for what the Blauvelts have done at Boombots.
On the opening menu you’ll find pastas including Smoked Duck and Green Chili Lumache, a take on mac n’cheese with smoked cheddar and duck fat bread crumbs; Dirty Martini Bucatini, one of the first dishes created for the restaurant; and Samosa Agnolotti, which oddly tastes just like the Indian appetizer in the best way.
The Everything Seasoned Cavatelli Stroganoff stood out as a favorite from a recent tasting, and speaks to Cliff’s days cooking in Aruba. It includes a rich porcini pasta, pear oni, mushrooms, and hearty chunks of braised beef balanced on top, rather than the traditional way of mixing the meat in with the sauce and noodles. Overall, Blauvelt plans on changing the menu as time goes on, shifting with seasonal trends and what the staff and customers enjoy.
“I wonder what is going to stick around and what is going to change,” he mused, adding the Boombots Meat and Cheese and the house salad with pepperoncini Italian dressing will always be available. Another item that we predict will never come off is the Big Ass Mozz Stix, which is what one would expect but even better. Served with a slightly spicy Calabrian red sauce, the combo of melty cheeses and the epic cheese pull will predictably have every table waiting one.
When choosing your pasta adventure, you’ll notice there are two sizes, “single” and “mingle.” As the names suggest, one is more of a personal portion, and the other twice as big and good for sharing. Or, get every pasta in single form to try them all. There’s no wrong answer, the owners reiterated, the idea is to keep things casual and laidback while offering great food and drink.
“We want people to be able to sit at the bar and get a meal and beer at a reasonable price, and, if they want to be out in 20 minutes they can be,” the chef added.
It’s a comfortable space too. Though not underground, there’s a grandparents’-basement vibe, if said relatives had a sleek, minimalist style and the capacity to seat 50 guests.
“I described Odie B’s as being a mix of Little Wayne and Supreme (a 30-year-old street wear/art shop in NYC) and I really wanted this place to be the Pharrell and Louis Vuitton classy sort of vibe,” said Cliff, who had pasta-themed designer wallpaper added select walls. “It’s modern but still retro and fun.”
Starting out, Boombots will be walk-ins only, though that could change down the line. The team also wants to add a happy hour and eventually open every day of the week. Expanding offerings and hours isn’t as simple as it sounds either, Boombots shares a kitchen with Odie B’s next door, and every day the staff has to roll out pasta making equipment to create the fresh noodles, and then put it away before service.
“It goes back to space saving,” said Cliff, referring to an article we did on the subject back in 2023 when the sandwich shop was called Bodega. The shared space also saved money when they built out Boombots. “Not building a new hood, and the savings on that, it was half the cost.”
It’s a good thing too, it took the team over six months to open Boombots thanks to delays in restaurant permits, a challenge many new eateries in Denver face. Now that it’s opening, the Blauvelts can sort of relax, or at least, not think about opening anything new right away.
“We are content in showing love to all our current spaces right now, but keeping open to opportunity,” said Cara, with Cliff chiming in that it’s all about feeding the customers and taking care of the teams. Find out what the fuss is about and dive into some pasta starting Saturday.
Visit Boombots Pasta starting Saturday, November 7. Opening hours run Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. Currently it’s closed Monday and Tuesday. 2647 W. 38th Ave., Denver, boombotspasta.com
