Much-lauded chef Troy Guard (TAG, TAG Raw Bar, TAG Burger Bar, Los Chingones, Sugarmill, Guard and Grace) is moving his TAG Raw Bar concept from Larimer Square to Lowry, according to a story in Westword.

In its stead, Guard plans to “re-concept” the TAG Raw Bar space on Larimer Square to a less expensive yet-to-be-named restaurant. (The rap I’ve heard against Guard’s Raw Bar is that while the food is delish, the tab is tall.)

Recognizing that diners are predominantly ordering less expensive menu items such as noodle bowls, rice bowls and salad bowls, and more often eschewing pricier items such as sushi, Guard aims to appeal to more frugal folks.

The old TAG Raw Bar will close on July 1 and reopen as its reinvented self on or around July 15. Lowry’s TAG Raw Bar is slated to open in September. Meanwhile, the prolific chef/restaurateur (emulating successful chef/restaurant owner Frank Bonanno?) is opening a second TAG Burger Bar in the former Subway Tavern space in the Sunnyside neighborhood in northwest Denver.

“I think a TAG Raw Bar will do really well in Lowry, especially since there’s nothing else like it in that neighborhood,” Guard told Westword.

Larimer Associates chief operating officer Joe Vostrejs agreed. “… that kind of concept just doesn’t exist out there, and I think it fits in really well with the collection of dining options that we have in Lowry, all of which are local concepts,” Vostrejs told Westword.

Read the rest of the story at: http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2014/05/_tag_raw_bar_troy_guard_lowry.php.

How is Cherry Creek North like the month of June?

It’s bustin’ out all over.

Last week, Julie Underdahl, CEO of the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District, led media types through a slide show of new construction as well as conducted a foot tour of a handful of shops in the popular shopping destination.

Cherry Creek North, whose boundaries encompass 16 blocks from First to Third Avenues, and from University to Steele, has several major building projects under construction or on the drawing board, which will increase the number of residents, office spaces and retail outlets in and around the burgeoning area.

But the pressing question, is how will the construction craze impact parking, which remains the No. 1 complaint of CCN shoppers and diners.

While the resolution to that issue remains to be seen, cranes are quickly becoming CCN’s official bird.

Projects on board to be added to the 400 businesses operating within the District’s borders, are:

* Adolph Coors Foundation headquarters, Second and St. Paul; 27,500 square feet of office and retail space set to open soon.

* Western Development Group (Christian Anschutz’s project), under construction at 250 Columbine St.; 273,000 square feet of office, retail and residential space slated to open in June 2015.

* Fillmore Residences, on Second Avenue between Fillmore and Milwaukee; 26 apartment units in 38,000 square feet with a projected opening of August.

* Columbine Development Partners, 245 Columbine St. in the old Post Office space with 94,000 square feet of office, retail and residential space.

* Paul’s Group, 100 St. Paul; 150,000 square feet of office and retail with a fall 2015 opening date.

* Whole Foods Market – Cherry Creek, adding one-third more seating to the cafe, a fresh juice and pickled items bar, more prepared foods, more shopping room on the retail floor and a food cart.

In Cherry Creek East and the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, new projects include:

* The Rifkin Group – The Residences at Cherry Creek, 360 S. Monroe, 300 rental units in an eight-story building; completion date in 2015.

* Steele Creek, southeast corner of First and Steele, 230 residential units and retail with a slated opening in December.

* 3300 E. First Ave., northeast corner of First and Cook, 334,000 square feet of office and residential.

* Restoration Hardware – Cherry Creek Shopping Center, in the old Saks Fifth Avenue building, which will be demolished for a new 53,000-square-foot Restoration Hardware with an anticipated opening at the end of 2015.

Cherry Creek North facts at  your fingertips:

* Largest generator of retail sales tax in the city.

* Including the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, the Cherry Creek Shopping District is the No. 1 visitor destination in Colorado.

Restoration is taking over the old Saks 5th Avenue space at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. The new location is slated to open in 2016. (Restoration Hardware photo)

The Five Star Burgers spot on 555 Broadway has bitten the bun.

The affable burger joint (great service, yummy food) suddenly shuttered last week, which Westword promptly reported.

Here’s the blog item: “The Five Star Burgers … had a lot going for it, even on the restaurant-heavy corner of Sixth and Broadway. The green chile on that big, fat cheeseburger featured real Hatch chiles. If that and the hand-cut fries didn’t fill you up, you could order deep-fried banana bread for dessert. There were even plans to book bands for live music on the patio. But the lights at Five Star Burgers have gone out.

“Five Star Burgers is owned by the Taos Restaurant Group, which also owns Old Blinking Light in Highlands Ranch and Taos, and has other Five Star locations scattered between New Mexico, Missouri … and metro Denver, where the spot at 2330 E. Arapahoe Road in Centennial is still open.

More at: http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2014/05/five_star_burgers.php.

Portland-based Thirsty Lion Gastropub & Grill opened its first Denver location at 1605 Wynkoop St. in the renovated One Union Station building on Tuesday.

The first restaurant in the Union Station redevelopment to open, Thirsty Lion serves lunch, happy hour and dinner. The gastropub features 8,393 square feet of interior seating, handcrafted food, 52 beers on tap and more than 2,000 square feet of downtown patio space.

“We are extremely excited to open our newest location in the Union Station neighborhood,” said Thirsty Lion CEO John Plew. “Thirsty Lion is the perfect fit for this neighborhood and we look forward to providing Denver with great service, a diverse menu, local quality ingredients, and not to mention a great selection of local craft beer.”

Thirsty Lion’s culinary commitment is to provide an eclectic variety of multi-cultural cuisines with an emphasis on local ingredients, bold flavors and scratch recipes. A seasonal fresh sheet will focus on the changing season’s offerings including fresh seafood, quality meats and local vegetables and fruits.

The bar will feature 52 beers on tap, 28 of which are from Colorado. The gastropub also features craft cocktails that utilize combinations of fresh fruit purees, juices and premium liquors, as well as 25 different wines by the glass.

“At Thirsty Lion, we work hard to combine quality ingredients and scratch recipes to create menu items that satisfy the ‘foodie’ in all of us,” said Thirsty Lion executive chef Keith Castro. “The flavor profiles are complex, yet blend well in their simplistic approach to create ‘craveable’ food; an intense desire for more.”

Open from 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. For more information visit www.thirstylionpub.com/denver.

Has 9News installed a revolving door at its entrance?

Kirk Montgomery is leaving; former Rocky Mountain News columnist Sam Adams and ex-Fox31 anchor and former 9News sports anchor Ron Zappolo are joining forces on a regular weekend gig at Channel 9 and David Krause left 9News to return to The Denver Post (return, who does that?). And now longtime weekday morning sports anchor Susie Wargin is leaving to join the real estate business, The Post reported.

Wargin told The Post she’s  had her real-estate license “since June (and) my mom’s been in the business for 38 years (with Re/Max). It’s a good family decision for me now. Mom wants to hand down the business and I’d be an idiot to refuse.”

The Pro Challenge cycling series, which ends Aug. 24, likely may be her last full-time assignment at 9News. She has been the morning sports anchor at 9News since 2004.

Denver’s Euclid Hall has been praised for its food, mainly because of James Beard Award-nominated chef Jorel Pierce and co-owner Jennifer Jasinski, a “Top Chef Masters” finalist.

Add one of America’s best beer bars to the accolades, courtesy of Travel + Leisure magazine.

Here’s some of what T+L wrote about Euclid Hall: “Beer Bitches” Jessica Cann and Jules Bouchard‘s expert sourcing have made this brick-walled 1863 landmark building one of the best beer halls in all of Colorado — and according to Food & Wine, one of America’s best gastropubs in one of America’s best cities for foodies. Locals belly up for 12 taps, beer cocktails, and an extensive menu of bottles and cans quirkily ranked by mathematical difficulty (“Arithmetic” session beers to strong, complex bad boys under “Quantum Mechanics”). Bestsellers like Boulevard’s Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale and Avery IPA get paired with way-above-average bar bites by Jorel Pierce.

Visit  www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-beer-bars/9 for more information or go to www.EuclidHall.com to learn more about the restaurant.

Ever wonder what was behind those mysterious clock faces of the D&F Tower?

Now you can find out! The top floors of the historic downtown clocktower are now open for guests to take a 45-minute guided history tour. The tour will include many behind-the-scenes areas not open to the public.

Guests will be able to journey upstairs to see behind the mysterious clock faces, take in the breathtaking view of the city and surrounding mountains from the 20^th floor Observation Deck and see the original two-story spiral staircase leading up to the bell inside the belfry while hearing many Tower Tales along the way!

Tours are Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m., are 45 minutes in length and are $15 for ages 10 & up.  For more information go to http://www.clocktowerevents.com/tours.html.

Radio station KBCO, 97.3 FM is honoring Record Store Day with the first release of tracks on vinyl from the live performance studio known as KBCO Studio C.

In celebration of Record Store Day on Saturday, KBCO will release two songs on a 7-inch vinyl record benefiting the Food Bank of the Rockies.  The record features “Lightning Bolt” by Jake Bugg and “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors, both recorded live in KBCO Studio C.

KBCO has hosted thousands of intimate KBCO Studio C sessions with artists and bands from around the world for more than 25 years.  A limited number of vinyl releases will be sold at two local record stores — Twist & Shout Records in Denver and Albums on the Hill in Boulder. The releases are $10 each with a limit of one per person starting at 10 a.m. Saturday at both stores.