Ling & Louie’s at the Tabor Center on the 16th Street Mall opened last week.  When I walked by during lunch it was already packed.  I last posted about this new Downtown restaurant in November when they installed their permanent signs.  I really hope this provides some momentum to get the rest of these spaces and the Tabor Center overall leased up. 

Denver Restaurant Week 2009 will be February 21 - 27.  The list of participating restaurants is now up on the web.  We have been participating since Denver Restaurant Week started in 2005 and usually go out with friends a couple times and then once for a special romantic dinner.  For 2009 they have a record 198 restaurants that are participating and I am happy to see that all of our favorites have joined again this year.

Keep checking the website as eventually all of the menus will be up which helps you decide which restaurant you will go to.  I highly recommend making reservations as soon as you can because they get completely booked.  I like that a very wide range of cuisines and price points are among the choices - it is up to each restaurant if they will offer lunch or dinner or both.

This morning I got to take a hard hat tour of the Spire project currently under construction at 14th & Champa.  I have followed this project very closely since it broke ground in May of 2007; my first post was in January.  It has been so exciting watching it crest upwards and take its place in our skyline.  I did find out today that there are now 496 units down from the original 503 as a result to some changes on the upper floors.

Our tour began all the way up on the 38th floor and the views were amazing.  We were able to walk around the entire floor and see the views from every side of the building.  Next we went down to the 25th floor which was much further along.  Each floor of the Spire will have a central hallway down the center of the building where people will enter their units.  Our next stop was on the 12th floor where a majority of units are very close to being finished.  I liked the selection of finishes for both the cabinets and countertops.  Another great feature throughout the building is that the ceiling will be exposed concrete for most of the unit.  Where there is a traditional ceiling it has a great curve to it which really provides visual interest and drama.

We then walked down to the 10th floor and toured a unit that was just about to get carpet - it already had the hardwood floor installed.  The darker finishes in this unit were great.  Another unique feature is that wherever possible they have designed the units to let in as much daylight as possible - especially with the clear glass sliding bedroom door and open shelf on top of bedroom walls.  Even 10 floors up the views were great.  We finished the tour on the 9th floor which is the amenity floor where we got to see the roughed in pool, hot tub and planters.  There will be a couple of units on this floor  - one has a stunning wrap around terrace with views of the CBD.

Spire will be topping out in January and their sales center is expected to open across the street in early February.  Homeowners will most likely start moving into their units in 4th quarter of 2009.  Hopefully I will get to tour the completed building sometime in 2009.  Thanks to JE Dunn who made today’s tour possible.  Spire is being developed by the Nichols Partnership and was designed by RNL.

A new restaurant concept is being launched in Downtown Denver.  Noca Kitchen, a Northern California styled gourmet-fast -casual, plans to open in LoDo at 1433 17th Street in the spring of 2009.  Chicago based Seasoned Development LLC is testing the very first Noca in Denver with plans to open 30 more company owned locations in its first phase of the launch.  This first Noca has signed a 10 year lease for their 5,500 square-feet location.

Noca’s menu will feature entrees inspired by Northern California’s famed wine regions with items like Chardonnay Rotisserie Chicken, Salinas Valley Vegetable Risotto, Grilled Artichoke, Artisan Mac & Cheese, Pork Tomatillo Pizza and Chicken Brie Sandwiches.  Probably most remarkable is that Noca Kitchen’s average check will be $11 -$17 per person and because the food is ordered at a counter there will be no customary tip.

“The value makes Noca Kitchen the right concept in today’s economy, however, the gourmet food, high-end decor and wine-bar component make it right for food lovers in any economy” - Robert Thompson, co-owner of Seasoned Development 

Noca is being designed by J.G. Johnson Architects and will feature a warm, modern California Ranch theme with Frank Lloyd Wright influences throughout.  Seasoned Development feels that as other fast casual concepts fall victim to the difficult economic times there will be a demand for fresh, new, innovative concepts like Noca.  I am very excited about this concept - its proximity to both the 16th Street Mall and Union Station will certainly have a competitive advantage as planned development gets underway.  An online DBJ article on Tuesday provides some further details.  The corporate press release from Seasoned Development can be found on their press page.

Demolition work has began at the McDonald’s at 16th & Cleveland - finally!  I have been walking past for months and was beginning to wonder if the work would ever start or given the economy we would have another vacant storefront to contend with.  The last time I looked into the space it had been completed gutted with no resemblance of the old space.  I now doubt that they are going to do anything to the exterior but will keep tabs on it.

The Peak Events Center that I followed and posted about earlier this year has been dismantled.  According to their website they were unable to get extensions on their permits to keep the structure up past the original expiration date.  My last post was in May.  I realized I never posted a picture of the completed structure so I am providing it belatedly.

The last event held there was in mid September.  Too bad things did not work out for them.  I am sure development plans for the entire block continue to make progress.

Yesterday I attended the Urban Land Institute (ULI) High Design In LoDo event.  We started on the second floor of the Tattered Cover Bookstore for a panel discussion and then afterwards got to tour five projects throughout LoDo in various stages of construction.  Due to the lack of sunlight and freezing cold I did not take as many photos as I would have liked but really had a great time.

Our first tour was of 1755 Blake which will move in its first tenant in two weeks.  We got to see a couple of office spaces that were almost finished on the second and fourth floors.  I have never seen a building with a raised floor system or toured a LEED certified project so it was definitely a learning experience.  Next we went to 1900 16th Street and took the construction elevator to the fourth floor.  While it is almost topped out, (I thought we would go higher) I was grateful for the windows that shielded us from some of the cold. 

After that we went over to the 1400 Wewatta project that I posted about this past May.  The lobby on Wynkoop is completely done and the one on Wewatta is close to completion - residents start moving in next week.  The next stop on the tour was 1515 Wynkoop which has made tremendous progress since this past summer.  We got to walk through what eventually will be the dining room and kitchen of the 12,000 square-feet Fogo De Chao restaurant - the ground floor windows and ceiling heights were impressive.  When completed the building will look like three separate buildings because of the different facades.  Our tour wrapped up with the ULI Holiday Party at SugarCube which I toured and posted about in July.  It’s remarkable to see so much in one afternoon and I can only image how much more will take off once work actually  begins at the Union Station site.

Last Sunday we had brunch at Bistro Vendome in Larimer Square.  Despite the weather it was packed and the food was as always delicious.  We also wanted to check out all of the holiday garland that was installed the weekend before.  I think it looks (and smells) very festive and was a great way to celebrate the holiday season in Downtown Denver.       

A team of volunteers from the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus (DGMC) make it an annual tradition to spend a Saturday morning in late November hanging hundreds of feet of fresh pine garland that adorn every window and door frame in Larimer Square.  I have always admired how great this part of Larimer looks during the holiday season but did not realize a non-profit group did all of the installation.  I think we just might make this brunch excursion a holiday tradition going forward!  The DGMC has a series of holiday concerts coming up, you can find out more about them here.