Those of you who’ve been around the Denver dining scene since the 1990s might remember Michael’s, a former fine dining spot at 2710 E. Third Ave. that lasted until 2000 when chef/owner Michael Shiell sold the place and relocated to The Big Apple.
After a chef stint there, he headed to the other coast as a restaurant consultant in California. But he longed to get back to his chef self, and to again own his own restaurant. Shiell got his wish when Lime owners Curt Sims and Pam Savage decided to leave Larimer Square and set up shop in the Denver Pavilions.
Shiell leased the below-ground level space in a Larimer Square courtyard (near Bistro Vendome), and will open Milk & Honey Bar Kitchen (he hopes) in August.
“We chose the old Lime spot because … well … it’s Larimer Square, and I always love those tucked away little gems personally when I go out,” Shiell said. He was particularly attracted to the large below-ground patio, which he plans to decorate with numerous flowers and plants similar to his Bistro Vendome neighbor.
The “contemporary American” cuisine includes appetizers such as yellowfin tuna tartar, roast hen and foie gras terrine, rabbit rilette and honey-soy lacquered pork belly.
Entrée selections vary from butter-poached halibut, roast French hen, crispy duck breast and veal osso buco. Other dishes are soups and salads, an assortment of artisan cheeses and salumi, pasta and a burger.
Further West as part of the Union Station redevelopment, Zoe Ma Ma, an Asian eatery with a location in Boulder, will open in the former south parking lot on 16th and Wynkoop.
The menu features Dim Sum, noodle and rice dishes and daily specials.”We use organic unbleached wheat flour, all-natural meats, cage-free eggs and wind power,” the menu says. “We don’t use MSG.”
Check out the complete menu at www.zoemama.com.
Moving east from LoDo to Uptown, Pitch Coal-Fire Pizzeria is slated to open on 19th and Pennsylvania with another Marg’s taco joint opening across the street next month.
Marg’s World Taco Bistro, which has Denver locations in Cherry Creek North and LoDo, serves soft tacos with unusual fillings, housemade guacamole, chips and salsa. Complete menu at www.margstacobistro.com.
Pitch Coal-Fire Pizzeria, with one store in Omaha, Neb., is expanding into the Denver market.
Pitch is the brainchild of Willy Theisen, the founder of Godfather’s Pizza who sold the operation in 1983 for millions of dollars. But despite his gah-zillionaire status, Theisen, in his mid ’60s, has marinara sauce running through his veins and refuses to retire.
But Pitch is more than a pizza place. The menu includes steaks, pasta, fish, fowl, salads and appetizers. Check it out at www.pitchpizzeria.com.
Rabbit rilette at the new restaurant, Milk & Honey Bar Kitchen, which chef/owner Michael Shiell hopes to open in August. Milk & Honey will be located in Larimer Square next to Bistro Vendome.
Wayment’s the winner
The only super-secret double probation award given out during the Colorado Restaurant Association’s Industry Spotlight Awards was the coveted Richard P. Ayers Award for Distinguished Service, the CRA’s highest honor.
All the other deserving award-winners had been previously announced, and were there to pick up their prize last Thursday at The Ritz-Carlton Denver.
This year’s Ayers Award went to Roland Wayment, joint venture partner in Bonefish Grill. This award, presented annually to the CRA member who has distinguished his or herself through service to the CRA, the food service industry and the community, honors the late Dick Ayers, who exemplified distinguished service.
Wayment worked his way up in the food service industry from dishwashing at Valley Country Club to working in the kitchen at Steak and Ale, then serving 17 years at Bennigan’s before opening the Outback Restaurant in 1993 in Littleton.
In 2004, Wayment became a joint venture partner with Bonefish Grill in Westminster. He currently oversees 12 stores – five in Colorado and seven in other states.
He has been involved with the CRA since 1996, serving on the Mile High Chapter Board, the CRA Education Foundation Board of Directors and on the CRA Executive Committee. Wayment was CRA’s chairman of the board 20011-2012.
“I am honored and humbled to receive this award from my friends and colleagues in this amazing industry,” Wayment said. “It has always been a distinct pleasure to work with the Colorado ProStart program. My greatest satisfaction comes from watching young people develop and go on to become great chefs and career professionals in food service.”
Spokes town
The people have “spoken” and Denver has emerged triumphant in REI’s hotly contested Cycle Town Showdown, which pitted several U.S. cities against each other in a battle to see which city was the most bike friendly.
The outcome was no surprise to anyone who has enjoyed the Mile High City’s 850 miles of paved off-road bike paths and more than 300 days of sunshine every year. Denver defeated Portland in the final round of the eight-city NCAA Tournament-style bracket. See the final bracket at www.rei.com/features/infographics/cyclingtown-showdown.html.
Visitors can experience this two-wheel paradise by using Denver B-cycle, the pioneering bike-share system. B-cycle features 56 B-stations located all over th e city. The program will increase to 86 stations by the end of 2013. More information: www.denver.bcycle.com.
Women Cook!
There are still a few tickets left for Women Cook! the all-female chef food fest from 6 to 8:30 p.m. May 6 at Temple Emanuel, 51 Grape St.
Like always, this ninth annual event benefits Work Options for Women, an organization that trains displaced women to work in the food service industry.
This year’s chick chefs are:
Alex White, Jonesy’s Eat Bar; Aniedra Nichols, Elway’s Cherry Creek; Dana Rodriguez, Bistro Vendome; Elise Wiggins, Panzano; Jennifer Jasinski, Rioja, Euclid Hall and Bistro Vendome; Kathleen Kenny Davia, Gateaux; Lisa Bailey, D Bar Desserts; Mary Nguyen, Parallel Seventeen and Street Kitchen Asian Bistro; Rachel Kesley, Water Course Foods; Rasha Husseini Trujillo and Summer Polson, Project Angel Heart; Samm Sherman, Root Down and Linger; Sandra Adams, Grand Hyatt and Sheila Lucero, Jax Fish House.
Oh, and there are a couple of guys thrown into the mixing bowl. They are: Craig Dixon, Cafe Options and Jeff Koch, WOW Cafe.
Tickets are $125 each, and available at www.workoptions.org or by calling 720-944-1920.
Eavesdropping on one woman to another at the Blue Bonnet bar talking about the start of the Rockies season: “Back when I moved to Denver, the Rockies were the hockey team. Coming from Kentucky, I didn’t know a thing about hockey, but fell totally in love with the sport – it was like Jerry Springer on ice!”
Did you hear that I have a new column, “Mile High Life,” in Colorado Community Media’s 17 weekly newspapers circling Denver? Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.
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