Twelve restaurant’s number is up in small space

Twelve, the Ballpark neighborhood restaurant that much-lauded chef-owner Jeff Osaka opened in November 2008, will serve its last supper on Aug. 23 in the 2233 Larimer location.

Osaka said he plans to reopen in a new space that allows more seating than the tiny eatery now accommodates.

“I opened Twelve on the same day that Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, and I’m closing Twelve on my fiftieth birthday, so I guess you could say that I’m a man who marks milestones,” said Osaka, whose own mark on the Denver dining scene has resulted in a swell of accolades, including a 2014 James Beard semifinalist nomination for Best Chef Southwest.

Osaka, who opened Twelve when the Ballpark area was still in its infancy, rose to culinary prominence with his seasonally intensive, peak-produce menus that changed on the first day of each month, an endeavor that resulted in 70 menus and more than 1,000 different dishes.

As the popularity of those menus grew, so, too, did the crowds, and Osaka has finally outgrown his diminutive space that seats 40 in the restaurant and 10 at the bar.

“I’m looking at a variety of different spaces, and my goal is to resurrect Twelve in the future, but at the moment, there’s no concrete timeline,” said Osaka, who will devote the majority of his time in the coming months to Osaka Ramen, his Japanese ramen noodle shop that will open this winter at 2611 Walnut St.

“At Twelve, it will be business as usual for the next three weeks until we close, and I’m urging everyone to come in and celebrate,” Osaka said. “When I moved to Denver from Los Angeles, my intention was to be an integral part of a food scene that had amazing potential, and this restaurant has helped me build so many relationships and friendships. I really hope that I see a lot of familiar faces in the next three weeks.”

For reservations through Aug. 23, call 303-293-0287 or go to www.opentable.com.

After Twelve closes, the space will become Butcher’s Bistro, a retail butcher shop and restaurant helmed by Scott Bauer, the regional manager of Snooze, and Tyson Holzheimer, the regional chef at Snooze. Butcher’s Bistro plans to open in October, serving lunch, happy hour and dinner from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.