New Restaurant Cheat Sheet: Jan/Feb 2025 Report
The tasting menu getting the cold shoulder, a hand-pulled noodle shop, and the spot to sip Champagne in a train station.
Good afternoon! I hope your week is off to a great start.
While many are diving into the new season of Severance, I’ve gone in the opposite direction with some comfort TV – season two of The Gilded Age on HBO/Max. It’s carefree and easy to watch.
The plotlines are predictable, but the dialogue keeps me hooked, and the costumes and scenery are gorgeous. No jump scares or surprises – just drama about which opera house people will support. Plus, Carrie Coon (also in The White Lotus) is a legend, and I love the steady stream of theater actors in the cast. If you need a break from the chaos, I highly recommend this show.
Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:
10 new Denver restaurants you should know about
5 links that made me laugh, cry, or say waahht?
10 new restaurants you should know about
As I announced in last month’s newsletter, I’m keeping a list of every new and upcoming restaurant opening in and around the Denver area. I regularly update the list based on your tips and my research, and so far I’ve marked 36 restaurants, bars, or cafes that have opened their doors since January 1. But not all openings are created equal, so I’ve sifted through everything to come up with a cheat sheet of 10 new restaurants that opened in January and February that I think you should know about:
New concepts
Thirteen20 - RiNo: No one wants to talk about this $295 tasting menu. Thirteen20 quietly opened in late January. It is the type of restaurant that should have attracted substantial press: chef-owner Jacob Bickelhaupt’s previous Chicago restaurant, 42 Grams, earned two Michelin stars within 10 months of opening and retained them for three years. Yet, the only major coverage has been Molly Martin’s story in Westword, which details Bickelhaupt's troubled history and legal battles that have spilled into public view. From what I can tell, other outlets have stayed silent about the RiNo restaurant, leaving details about Denver's priciest chef’s counter scarce.
However, the media’s muted reception isn’t the only reason why the restaurant remains under the radar. Its Instagram account and website are both minimal, and most surprising, the restaurant doesn’t appear when you search for it by name on Google Maps (but you can find it on Yelp and Apple Maps). Despite this, some diners have managed to get wind of the restaurant and deemed it worthy of a visit, as evidenced by three concise 5-star reviews on their OpenTable profile.
Yu’s Noodle Shop - Lone Tree: A new hand-pulled noodle spot has entered the chat. This place opened just south of Denver in late January. One of the selling points is that noodles are made to order, and much like the fast-growing Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings restaurant group, there’s a viewing area where you can see the food being made. Instead of a cadre of Asian aunties folding dumplings, during my visit it was one uncle making the noodles, and its satisfyingly soothing to watch the chef stretch, pull, and beat the dough into thin strands before dropping them into boiling water.
Posters on the Crazy Hungry Asians of Colorado FB Group left a number of glowing reviews during the soft opening in late January, so I eagerly headed down to try it myself. My personal opinion? I felt the dishes weren’t dialed in just yet. Sadly, I was left wanting more. While the made-to-order hand-pulled noodles were delightfully chewy, I had (different) small to medium quibbles about each of the four dishes we tried. Maybe next time.
Mama Jo’s - City Park: Good Southern comfort food now on Colfax. Hot dog enthusiasts may still be mourning the closure of Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs on East Colfax, but the space has found new life as Mama Jo’s. This is the newest venture from industry veterans Jodi and Ben Polson, who launched Mama Jo’s as a food truck in 2021, serving fried chicken and BBQ.
The Polsons have kept some of the original features from Steve’s, like the scratchy intercom system used to alert guests their order is ready. For me, one of the biggest draws of this new spot is Jodi’s involvement in the kitchen. A long-time fan of her work as pastry chef at the now-closed beast + bottle and still very-much-open southern Italian restaurant Coperta. You can choose from plates, sandwiches, sides and order meat by the ¼ pound. Brisket is currently only offered on Saturdays.
The pulled pork and all the sides I tried (cole slaw, pimento cheese mac ‘n’ cheese, collards, smoked beans, biscuit) were satisfying and of the from-scratch quality I was hoping for. I only got a few bites of the fried banana pie (handheld pie shape, crisp pastry with soft banana filling, nice dusting of nilla wafers on top) before my dining companion ate the whole thing while I wasn’t looking. By the time we got up from our picnic table around 12:30pm last Saturday, the place was humming with a line to order.
Baumé - Union Station: Pinkies up. You can now sip Champagne in the middle of a train station. As the cost of living and inflation continue to rise, there’s uncertainty as to how diners will choose to spend their dollars in 2025. The market for bakeries and “little luxuries” are still strong, but what about $30 glasses of Grand Cru Champagne? Denver Union Station is betting diners will be charmed by the French pastries and bubbly on offer at Baumé, a new dessert bar in the Great Hall, which operates as a daytime kiosk with a nighttime seated experience. It is helmed by Union Station culinary director Kevin McCormick who previously served as Executive Pastry Chef at Good Ambler in Chicago, and also worked at Per Se and Frasca Food & Wine.
The launch is part of a major revamp of the iconic train station's food and beverage offerings. It’s been a minute since the Great Hall felt like it was living up to its potential, and it would be a joy to see it come back to life. I admire the big swing on this one, (we don’t have a proven record of dessert bars existing, let alone performing well, in this town). More than a few folks will be eager to see if Baumé can pull it off.
Cafes and coffee shops
Coffee Sarap - RiNo: Filipino flare makes its way to the Arts District. This Filipino coffee concept started as a coffee cart for the past three years, popping up at farmers markets and festivals around Colorado. Now, owners Chelsey Solemsaas and Hannah Cambronero-Belgarde have found a permanent spot to call home. The café serves up vibrantly colored lattes flavored with Filipino ingredients like pandan and ube, alongside straight espressos and cold brews. The shop makes space for other Filipino-owned businesses, offering specialty pastries from Cakeheads, such as a tart calamansi loaf and ube brownies, plus burritos from Paborito. Lovers of ensaymada recently rejoiced when the coffee shop just announced it'll be adding the Filipino bread dish to its menu.
Elemental Bakery - Clayton: Laid back spot for coffee and artisanal bakes. This darling spot is owned by barista Cindy Wright, who previously ran the Beeler Perk coffee trailer. She’s partnered with Sani Obhodas, aka the Bosnian Baker, who handles the baking. I was in the area for a meeting and dropped in just 30 minutes before closing, and pastry case was nearly empty so unfortunately, I can’t report on the food just yet. However, the space was cute as a button, quiet, with Wi-Fi and a substantial seating area. The York Street Yards is a pretty chill, so while there seems to be a steady flow of customers popping in for coffee, a lot of them take it to go and I doubt it gets too busy on most days, making it a great spot to try out for a remote workday.
Cafecito - Gateway - Green Valley Ranch: Shaking it up with Mexican coffee in the ‘burbs. Really, I’m a simple girl. Some people can fall in love after one glance from across a train platform. I can develop a crush on a restaurant simply by coming in contact with great graphics. That’s exactly what happened when I stumbled upon Cafecito’s website and photos of their new store. They’ve got impeccable visual design – the painted sky blue signs adjacent to their front door are doing some heavy lifting to signal something cool and quirky is going down inside. They describe themselves as a cultural hub aiming to be a “home away from home for the Latino community,” and offer Mexican coffee, cortaditos, Mexican mocha, horchata, and pastries like conchas, flan, and cupcakes. If the Google reviews are anything to go by, the folks in Montebello are pumped to have an independent business breaking up the endless parade of chain restaurants and big-box stores.
Expansions
Leven Supply - Wash Park West: The deli empire has expanded, this time with pizza. Leven Supply officially opened its doors on January 13th. This marks one of two major openings this year for the owners of Leven Deli Co., whose original location opened in 2018 in the Golden Triangle. At the new location, guests can enjoy a similar menu of sandwiches and salads, along with the addition of sourdough pizzas.
During a visit last week, I tried the broccoli rabe and fennel sausage pizza that hit the spot. The bright and airy space is great for a casual meeting or quick-ish bite with friends, though it offers fewer seating options than the original location. This is partly because much of the floor space is dedicated to pantry displays and grab-and-go drink fridges. You can find a variety of packaged goods from local Colorado businesses, including brands like Sfoglina, PB Love, and Green Belly Foods hot sauces. The fridges are stocked with wines, beers, sodas, and waters.
Odie B’s - RiNo: The sequel with extended hours. Fans of the counter-service spot known for modern bodega sandwiches, now have a second location to check out. Opened in late January at NOVEL RiNo, its menu is nearly identical to the original Northside location but offers more seating, including roomy booths and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the space with natural light. Of the two locations, this new one is where I would slow-sip my drink and linger.
At a recent media event, I sampled several items on the house, but "The Basic" – a bodega-style breakfast sandwich with bacon, egg, and hashbrowns – remains my favorite. I also had the OD Blaster, a non-alcoholic drink made with carrot, ginger, and lemon. I’m hooked on root-vegetable-based drinks for their natural sweetness without the sugar overload.
While the original Odie B’s is purely a daytime spot, the RiNo location is open Wednesday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm (Sundays 9am to 2pm) and will soon introduce a happy hour. Other recent openings in the same building include two Culinary Creative concepts: Magna Kainan, a Filipino restaurant with Portland chef Carlo Lamagna, and cocktail bar Sorry Gorgeous, both of which opened in late 2024.
The presence of some vibey restaurants just an elevator ride away is probably a draw to some residents living in the NOVEL, which markets itself as a creative-friendly building. Their website touts resident amenities like an in-house podcast studio and a Tesla Model 3 for rent – I wouldn’t be surprised if residents are already dropping into Odie B’s during their content creation session lunch breaks.
Cafe Miriam: Uptown - City Park West: 100% the kind of spot your parents will loooove. Father-daughter duo Touhami and Miriam Elfahdi have opened a second, larger location of their charming family-run neighborhood café, serving up French-Moroccan cuisine. The menu features a variety of sandwiches and both sweet and savory crêpes. When Touhami first launched the café in 2016, his goal was to spend more time with his kids, including his daughter, who the café is named after. Now that Miriam is fully on board with the family business, the new spot – a former residential home converted to a commercial space – boasts a bigger footprint, with a two-story layout and a spacious outdoor patio that’ll be perfect for dining once spring rolls around.
That’s all for this month’s cheat sheet. If a monthly dispatch of my top picks isn’t enough, you can always check out my full list of everything that opened up since the start of the year. If I missed an opening, let me know so I can add it.
5 links to made me laugh, cry, or say waahht?
OpenTable is back on the cool kid’s list. The hottest restaurants are slinking away from Resy and Tock and moving over to OT. They did it by making smart upgrades to improve the product and appealing sales tactics. FYI - the company has an all-female and AAPI leadership team.
Would you rent a chicken for cheaper eggs? It honestly scares me out how easy it sounds for just about anyone with a PayPal account to get live chickens delivered right to their door. In Denver, you’ll need a $25 permit and can keep up to 8 birds.
We’re all trapped in a “pick me” food cycle. Welcome to the world of aesthetic pickles, olive oil, and tinned fish.
Panda Inn in Pasadena, CA just reopened after two years of major renovation. The New York and LA Times both did stories on the restaurant, the progenitor to the Panda Express fast food chain, although the NYT piece leaned more nostalgic.
You don’t actually need to read this Economist story about how Michelin is struggling to maintain its relevance. I just wonder why they felt compelled to publish this 1,000+ word article pointing out the obvious: Restaurants on the list skew heavily toward fine dining, social media has made food recommendations a noisy business, but many still look to Michelin as an authority on food.