A new salad restaurant concept recently signed a lease for their second Colorado location which is planned to open later this year in LoDo.  Choppers Custom Salads, based out of the DTC, will open in a 2,300 SF location at the base of the 1755 Blake development.  You will be able to pick one of four types of lettuce (romaine, iceberg, spring mix & spinach) and up to four ingredients (“choppables”) which will then be chopped up (it would appear by a mezzaluna) and served with one of twenty dressings. 

They charge $5.50 for a small and $6.50 for a large with extra ingredients and some “choppables” costing more.  They also have featured salads like “The Colorado Cobb”, “The Ninja”, and “The Chopper”.  I think it is great that LoDo is getting a new fast casual dining option for its many employees and residents.  I will be interested to see how it stands up to Mad Greens and Green Fine Salad Company.  Location wise they will have the salad market cornered for the foreseeable future.

H Burger CO will hold their grand opening on February 10th.  When I first posted about this new restaurant back in October, the name on the liquor license application and on their window sign was H Burger Lounge.  They have a website up now and you can get a preview of their menu here.  Their home page says they open on the 8th, but on Facebook they just posted that it will be the 10th.  I think the Chinois Chicken Salad, Sweet & Spicy Wings and Truffle-Parm Fries all look good - they will have a full bar as well.

Today is was confirmed that phase two of the re-development of the former Olinger Mortuary site in the Lower Highlands is moving forward.  Developer Paul Tamburello and his partner Stephanie Garcia secured $2.1 million in private financing for the project from investors after they were unable to get a traditional bank loan.  This is the same team who a few years ago completed phase one that now is home to LoLa, Vita and Little Man Ice Cream.

Having been to LoLa and Vita many times I am very excited about the possibilities of what will occupy the 18,000+ SF building located at the corner of W 30th Ave. & Umatilla.  Already confirmed is a restaurant that will take up half of the second floor (approx. 5,500 SF) and have a huge rooftop patio underneath the giant Olinger sign - very cool.  Since this building is about 40 ft taller than the one housing LoLa and Vita, the views of the Downtown skyline will be stunning.  The chef and concept of the restaurant are TBD. 

Other plans for the site include a plaza in between the buildings along 30th and around Little Man that would be a community gathering place that could be programmed for movies etc.  A 7,800 SF ground floor space could be split into two or be occupied by a single tenant - possibly a market.  Phase one of the project served as a catalyst for this neighborhood and it will be exciting to see this site evolve in the coming months.

One of several new tenants announced recently that plan to open later this year in Larimer Square is Goorin Bros. who will take the space located at 1410 Larimer (formerly Loft 22).  The San Francisco based hat shop has been around since 1895 and offers a wide assortment of styles including fedoras, duckbills, beanies, baseball and cadets.

“Goorin offers timeless, classic styles with a unique flare and personality - hats that allow you to make a statement without having to say a word.”

Goorin has locations in some of the most unique shopping destinations around the country including Nob Hill, Haight Street, North Beach, Melrose, Union Square and Bucktown.  I think it reflects very well on Downtown Denver that with only 8 stores they chose Larimer Square for their 9th location.  Stores that offer a one-of-a-kind shopping experience like this are just what we need. 

Downtown Denver is getting a Smashburger.  Long rumored to be looking for a suitable location, they will be taking over the former 2,164 SF Christopher & Banks space at the Tabor Center in between Ling & Louie’s and the future location of Mellow Mushroom.  I have not been to one yet but I am excited they are going to be Downtown. 

Smashburger is a fast-casual restaurant that has its headquarters in Denver that opened their first store in 2007.  Their core concept is that they take fresh, never frozen 100% Angus beef that is then smashed, seared and seasoned on the grill.  If you don’t want beef they also offer “smashchicken” and a ”smashsalad”.  Along with an assortment of sides including “smashfries” they offer Haagen-Dazs Milk Shakes or Malts and Root Beer Floats.  Construction is already underway and Smashburger will open for business this summer.

Mellow Mushroom, a pizza restaurant based out of Atlanta, will be opening their second Colorado location in Downtown Denver later this summer.  Located at 1201 16th Street, on the ground floor of the Tabor Center, they will be taking the long vacant 6,402 SF space right at the corner of 16th & Lawrence.  This is exciting because it will mean that soon the entire block will have all of its retail spaces filled and as a result generate a huge amount of pedestrian activity in that part of Downtown.

Founded in 1974, Mellow Mushroom offers salads, pizza, calzones, deli hoagies, grilled hoagies and a wide selection of unique and local beers.  I look forward to trying their “Funky Q Chicken” (BBQ Chicken, Cheddar Cheese, Caramelized Onions, and Bacon) or “Buffalo Chicken” (Hot Buffalo Chicken, Caramelized Onions, Bacon and Mozzarella Cheese) pizzas and you can also build your own.  I previously toured the space when it was just a concrete box and I think Mellow will fit in the space nicely.  It will be cool to have a unique, slightly funky, sit down restaurant where you can grab a pizza and some beer right on the Mall.

Last week I attended the grand opening of Jiberish on Platte Street in the Lower Highlands.  Jiberish is a Denver based hip-hop and snowboarding apparel company that was founded in 2005.  This flagship, located at 1621 Platte St., Unit F, is the first retail location.  The event was fun featuring a mini fashion show and culminating with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.  While the clothing is not for my demographic this is a very exciting and welcome development for Downtown Denver.  I wish Dave, Pete and Gabe all the best in this new endeavor.

Months of construction at the Denver Pavilions finally wrapped up on November 10th at their Grand Re-Introduction Event held in Welton Plaza in front of the new stairway and escalator.  Having followed the renovation closely it was gratifying to see all of the work that has been completed.   To celebrate there was an escalator fashion show as well as remarks from the Mayor, the owner and other Downtown leaders. 

It was amazing to see what a difference was made from just a week prior when I had thought in the back of my mind that they might miss the deadline.  The event drew a large crowd and I am optimistic that the next chapter in the history of the Pavilions is off to a great start.  To cap off of the ceremony a portrait by Malcom Farley of Mayor John Hickenlooper was presented.  I will be posting a final construction update with photos shortly.

Recently I attended the grand opening of the Cornerstone Residences located at the corner of Park Avenue West and Curtis.  I first posted about this project when I attended their groundbreaking last June.  I was amazed at what a transformation had been made and how similar the final project was to the rendering I had seen over a year ago.  When you look at what was there before there is no question as to how good this is for this part of Downtown.  The first part of the ceremony took place in the new community room and culminated with the ribbon cutting at the front entrance to the building.  I really hope this continues to spur further development for this part of Downtown.

I was in LoDo last week and got to see the new Oxford Hotel awning for the very first time.  I had not realized it had been so long since I was down there - it was installed in July.  It makes such a difference and I like that it feels as if had always been there.

The awning cost $125,000 and resembles the original that was in place from 1894 through the mid 1930s.  The Colorado Historic Fund provided a $35,000 grant for the project.  I think it adds even more character to the building and really gives that block a modern vintage feel that plays against the facade of Denver Union Station.