The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today!
I’d like to buy a vowel…Lola European Café, the new downtown coffeehouse open 24-7, has been renamed Leela European Café. Christening a place after your kid is quaint—think Emma’s and Luca d’Italia—but when the cafe opened its doors, trademark alarms must have sounded for Dave Query, owner of LoLa, the wildly popular restaurant on South Pearl Street. So rather than start over and scrap the signage, New York restaurateur Ron Ven Ari, replaced the “o” with two “e”s. It’s got a decent ring, but so much for honoring the little darling. 820 15th St., 303-534-2255.
Lola, L-L-L-ola (again)…When LoLa (1469 S. Pearl St.) picks up and moves to East Highland in February, BB’s Bistro and Bar, a casual-fine dining restaurant in Parker (11280 Twenty Mile Road, Parker) will open a second location in the empty Pearl Street digs. BB’s owner Paul Blakely inked the deal about three weeks ago and says he takes possession February 15 with a target opening date of “sometime between April Fools and Tax Day.” The restaurant will serve dinner and Sunday brunch. BB’s menu will remain largely the same (think meat, fish, and veggie dishes), but Blakely hopes to make some changes to the space: LoLa’s dining room and bar will all become eating space and Blakely wants to turn the un-used second floor into a piano and martini bar. “Right now the neighborhood doesn’t have live music,” says Blakely. “We won’t be playing AC/DC, we plan on tapping into the DU music school, bringing in some blues, and the rest will be piano.” Easier said than done, the expansion and change in liquor license (from restaurant to cabaret) is already raising eyebrows with the fiercely protective neighborhood association.
That's only $1 per issue!
And just down the street…La-ti-Da (1551 S. Pearl St.), the adorable one-stop shop for coffee, dessert, and knitting supplies, closes its doors in January. The space has already been leased to Patrick Mangold-White and his wife, who are opening an as-of-yet-unnamed neighborhood bistro offering breakfast and lunch. The thrust: Worldly cuisine featuring artisan breads and pastries, crêpes, soups, salads, sandwiches, and lunch entrées. “We’ll do some classical French but we’re not going to be a Crêpes & Crêpes [like] in Cherry Creek,” says Mangold-White, who also owns Pajama Baking. The bistro, which will open in March, should fill a niche on South Pearl Street, which currently has no breakfast spots. “I live in the neighborhood and this is the kind of place I’ve been wanting to go to—it’s family owned and it’s going to be cool and affordable.” Expect stroller and bike parking, a dog run, and a garden planted with vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees (all grown specifically with the bistro’s menu in mind). Bonus: Keep your eyes open for outdoor sculpture—Mangold-White’s father-in-law happens to be Robert Mangold, the celebrated American abstract artist.
