When Tom’s Urban 24, the 24-hour diner-ish eatery at 15th and Larimer, expands into other cities, chief concept officer Tom Ryan said the plan is to keep roughly 70 percent of the Denver menu, but reserve the other 30 percent to include local fare.
Immediate growth plans include two more Tom’s restaurants with one likely to be in California, said Stacie Lange, executive vice president of public relations for Consumer Capital Partners, parent company of Tom’s Urban 24 and the Smashburger chain.
Ryan and Lange invited Pat “Gabby Gourmet” Miller and I to a lunch tasting Thursday to sample dishes from the “Winter Menu” that debuted Monday.
We nibbled on 14 new delightful dishes that, frankly, have much improved the cuisine quality over my first experience at the restaurant right before it opened roughly 90 days ago.
“The old 90-day rule is really true,” Ryan said about what he asserts is the typical amount of time it takes a restaurant to work out the kinks. “It’s like rewiring your house with the electricity on.”
New menu items include pot pies with filet mignon or truffled lobster and shrimp; Stranahan’s whiskey barbecued ribs; Angus open-faced meatloaf platter; Urban super pho with egg, shrimp, chicken and duck confit; fried brussels sprouts with Asian vinaigrette; Tuscan kale and romaine chicken Caesar and fried “Chickenlooper” with sweet corn pancakes served with syrup and butter.
Some of the new dishes are on the dinner menu only, available from 4 to 10 p.m. daily. Others appear on the breakfast, lunch and late-night menu from 10 p.m. to 4 p.m. Egg dishes have been added to the dinner menu because of customer demand.
In addition to expanding the Tom’s brand, Consumer Capital Partners plans to reopen Tossa, the pizza and pasta place in Boulder that the company closed in December, somewhere in the Denver region, but Ryan wouldn’t specify. He said the concept needed to be refined.
Above: Tuscan kale and romaine chicken Caesar salad with peppercorn Caesar dressing on Tom’s new menu.
Give Live
The Grammy-nominated band DeVotchKa will headline Give Live, a benefit concert for the Bonfils Blood Center, beginning at 8 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Paramount Theatre.
DeVotchKa, widely known for composing the score to the film “Little Miss Sunshine,” released its seventh album “Live With the Colorado Symphony” in November.
“Throughout the Colorado community, Bonfils is most known for collecting blood donations from our generous blood donors,” said Jessica Maitland, vice president of marketing and community operations. “This new benefit concert will give us the platform to share another important way our community can help us save and enhance lives – through financial contributions.”
Reserved and VIP tickets available at www.bonfils.org/benefitconcert.cfm.
Dinner, a show and Short
Comedian and actor Martin Short is the featured entertainer during the third annual Early Bird fundraiser, a benefit for the InnovAge Foundation, a nonprofit that channels community support and funding to enhance the independence and quality of life for seniors.
The early evening event, from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Feb. 23 in the Seawell Grand Ballroom in the Denver Center of the Performing Arts, includes cocktails, dinner, auctions, music and Short’s comedy.
This is a chance to dress up, dine well, laugh loud and still make it to bed at a reasonable hour.
Tickets are $500 for dinner, Short’s performance, a post-event reception and meet-and-greet with the comedian. Tickets for dinner and the show only are $250. And there’s a $100 ticket for the show only with general seating in the back of the ballroom.
RSVP by Feb. 15 at www.myinnovage.org.
Prime time Palm premiere
The Palm in the downtown Westin Hotel is celebrating tonight’s premiere of the new reality series “The Job” (7 p.m. CBS4) where five candidates will vie for the job as an assistant manager at the New York West Side Palm.
From 5 p.m. to close tonight, The Palm will run its PrimeTime promotion in the bar, which means 50 percent off all beer, wines by the glass, premium spirits and PrimeTime bites.
During the episode, complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be passed throughout the bar area and in the back dining room where there will be a large screen for viewing. They will also have giveaways throughout the show.
Hot time with hotties
The Hotel Monaco Denver, at 1717 Champa St., is hosting a four-alarm special wine time from 5 to 6:30 tonight where several firefighters from the Colorado Firefighters Calendar will be signing calendars and posing for photos, with donations benefitting the Children’s Hospital Colorado Burn Cednter and other burn centers across the state.
At least three of the calendar models, including Mr. February, will be there for the photo op and calendar signing. The event is open to hotel guests as well as the public.
“The Colorado Firefighter Calendar is always a huge hit in Denver, and Hotel Monaco is excited to partner with the organization for the first time,” said Von de Luna, Hotel Monaco general manager. “This calendar signing gives us the opportunity to help give back to the community and the Children’s Hospital Burn Center.”
Gather the girls for the weekend and take advantage of the hotel’s “Put Out My Fire” packages starting at $185 for this weekend only. Reservations: www.monaco-denver.com or call 1-800-990-1303. Use the rate code FIRE.
Fat Tuesday fun
Opus Restaurant and Aria Wine Bar at 250 Josephine is holding Fat Tuesday: A Drink to Celebrate Project Angel Heart, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Tickets are $15 and include two drink tickets (well cocktails, select draught beers and/or house wine), appetizers and a donation to the charity, and are available at www.sorewarding.com.
No Noodles
The Cherry Creek Noodles & Company – the first in store in the chain – has closed. Founder Aaron Kennedy opened the first location at 2360 E. Third Ave. in 1995.
The fast-casual concept where noodles dishes of several cuisines are served under one roof has grown to a chain with hundreds of locations across the country. The “& Company” part of the name refers to additional menu choices including soups, sandwiches and salads.
Eavesdropping on a customer at Mail It! Pack It! Ship It! in Cherry Creek North: “I told my grandson I was sending him a package. He said, ‘Can that come today?’ He knows there’s some candy in there.”
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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