Cheaper meals appear on NoCo dining tables

What a year it has been for hospitality in Northern Colorado! While new restaurants opened with high hopes, and others closed, even old hands scrambled to come up with new formulas for diners freshly interested in value as well as in well-prepared, imaginative meals. But more trends later.

First, the hellos and goodbyes for 2009.

Hello, NoCo

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Fearless in the face of economic stresses, the folks behind the Rio Grande decided to kick Mexican/American Western fare up a notch with El Monte Bar and Grill. The new upscale restaurant is notable not only for its signature drinks like the Esteban (a fresh lime/mint/gin concoction) and guacamole, but also for its location in the same College Avenue strip mall with Chuck E. Cheese. El Monte also offers the Open Table option: reserve a table online even when you cannot do it by phone.

Down the avenue at Harmony Road, Spotlight Music’s owners decided to test the odds by upsizing with the Spotlight Café, stocked by Loveland’s The Black Cup coffee roaster and Schmidt’s Bakery as well as Johnstown’s Johnson’s Corner. There’s nothing quite like sipping a cup of joe and listening to a blues jam on a chilly Thursday night.

Half of a two-pronged value trend — crepes and barbecue — has already pierced Old Town. In July, Orry Carr opened up the Funky Monkey Crepe Café on College Ave. A scant month later, Carole and Claude Lucas opened La Crêperie, bringing the gluten-free buckwheat galette and the cocotte to Mountain Ave. La Bonne Crêpe, an Old Town crepe cart owned by Melodie Nicholas, has closed for the winter, but expect to see it back when spring arrives.

As for barbecue (or, depending on where you come from, barbeque, bar-b-q, or just ‘cue). A while back, Brother Mel’s Barbecue closed, Editor’s note: Brother Mel’s is open for business at 111 W. Prospect Road in Fort Collins and can be reached at 970-224-2833.

leaving only Korey Albert’s Albert Pit Barbecue (primarily catering) and Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que (a chain) to satisfy the big meat cravings of transplanted Kansans, Southerners and Texans. Then in 2009, Serious Texas Bar-B-Que opened between Fort Collins and Loveland. It caught on quickly, partly because prodigious portions of smoked meats make a relatively inexpensive but robust meal.

As if drawn by some smoky pheromone, two more barbecue joints will open in the 100 block of College Avenue early next year. Nordy’s Bar-B-Que and Grill, which already has a location in Loveland’s Centerra, will open in the space previously occupied by the recently departed Plank. Just down the block, Moe’s Original Bar B Que, named for the Tuscaloosa, Ala., pit master Moses Day, will add to its seven locations in Alabama and three in Colorado.

The Fort Collins-based Island Grill, after closing its Greeley location, opened a new place in Loveland, proving that you can’t keep American Baja cuisine down for long.

Also in Loveland, the historic McKee House has become the Euro-style Sofia’s Bistro. Perhaps it can enjoy the longevity of the clutch of popular restaurants that have been holding steady in the downturn downtown.

In Greeley, beset by a disproportionate number of restaurant closings and other traumas, there are some bright spots as well. The Roadkill Sports Grill has opened at the Greeley Mall, notable because it is the newest from Rob Haimson of Potato Brumbaugh‘s fine dining fame. Also hoping to tap into another local comfort theme, Theresa and Rusty Boyd opened their second Whiskey River country-western dance bar.

Less good news

As mentioned above, Plank in Fort Collins finally closed after a highly visible clash with the taxman. Ristorante Damosso in Loveland also closed – the novelty of a singing chef just did not catch on.

In Greeley, more went wrong than right in 2009. At St. Michael’s Town Square, longtime restaurateur Mike Hood and his two partners, chefs D.J. Nagle and Dan Chrzanowski, closed their two restaurants: The Harvest Modern Country Kitchen and The Hobnobber Tavern. The liquor license at the Clarion Hotel in downtown Greeley was suspended for a week, turning at least one event into a temperance affair.

Also in Greeley, Rafferty’s closed, then reopened in October in an interesting blended way: the defunct Corleone’s Italian Underground becomes the kitchen, and Rafferty’s remains the bar. Stay tuned.

In Windsor, the combination of an unfamiliar concept and a tornado that trashed it a-bornin’ put an end to Chef Florian Wehrli’s Chef’s Basket. Hardly missing a beat, Wehrli was hired as executive sous chef by executive chef Chris Cole at the John Q. Hammons Embassy Suites and Convention Center at the Embassy Suites-Loveland.

And for those of a golfing persuasion, it’s official: C.B. & Potts will replace the Crown Club (aka Crown Pub) as concessionaire at the Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins.

What’s on the table

The hospitality sector is nothing if not adaptable. By early 2009, experienced local restaurateurs had adjusted their menus and their expectations. Nationally, the trends identified as “hot” for 2010 by the National Restaurant Association put a positive spin on the trend.

Locally sourced produce, meats, wine and beer are in – and less expensive to transport. Sustainability is in – and can save a bundle in energy costs. Ditto smaller portions – except when it comes to barbecue.

Next year, call bass “branzino” and perch “barramundi.” When a New York strip begins to seem too pricey, cut the chuck a bit differently and call it a “Denver steak.” By any other name, these foods can be absolutely delicious – at a lower price.

Speaking of delicious, on the NRA’s list of eight culinary themes to look for in 2010, number six is “umami,” the savory so-called “fifth taste.” A Japanese chemist discovered the root of the sensation in 1908, patented it and marketed it as Ajinomoto, “essence of taste.” The more familiar translation is monosodium glutamate or MSG.

What’s in a name, after all?

Jane Albritton is a contributing writer for the Northern Colorado Business Report. Her monthly column features restaurant and hospitality industry news. She can be contacted at jane@tigerworks.com.