Stanley Marketplace in Aurora welcomed an aviation-themed cocktail bar on Wednesday that combines both classic and experimental drink-making with a 180-degree rooftop view of the Front Range. Sky Bar is located on the observation deck on the west side of the marketplace at 2501 Dallas St. above Sweet Cow, offering 28 seats accessible by an elevator up to the third floor from a “pre-flight lounge” on the ground level.
Sky Bar is the brainchild of Skye Barker Maa – owner of local businesses such as Factory Fashion and Neighborhood Music — and partners Patrick McMichael and Brandi Shigley. Its cocktail menu was designed with the Jellybone team that largely owns Yacht Club. The bar will operate from 5 to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and reservations are encouraged because of its limited space.
The drink menu includes “lounge classics” such as a Rainwater Martini, a Bloody Mary and a Manhattan, mixed in with a selection of lower-alcohol highballs and a list of high-altitude wines and regional beers. There also is a “Daring Escapes” cocktail list that includes options like the Peru (Barsol Pisco, Amontillado, passionfruit, lime, allspice and pandan), the Hawaii (Absolut Vodka, Wray + Nephew, pineapple, Creole shrub, lime and milk-clarified spirulina) and the Tokyo (Toki Whisky, Umeshu, ginger, sesame, togarashi and egg white).
Mid-May brings the opening of farmers’ markets. Here’s a look at a few of them:
A bevy of restaurants have announced new brunches and spring menus as well:
Rego Restaurant Group, owner of Denver-based Quiznos and Taco Del Mar, signed a franchise agreement to grow the Colorado-born sub chain and the relocated Mexican chain in this area. The move comes as Rego looks to restart a growth phase through franchising and menu expansion after Quiznos has shrunk consistently and significantly since the Great Recession.
CF Lifestyles Investment, a franchisee that owns the Quiznos in Hobbs, New Mexico, and has grown sales there, has inked the franchise deal and has acquired six additional Quiznos restaurants across the Denver area. It will build out the new prototype for both chains.
Mici Italian announced that it will open its sixth Denver-area location this summer at The Streets at SouthGlenn, located at 2330 E. Arapahoe Road in Centennial. Going into a space formerly occupied by Smashburger, the restaurant will feature 75 seats inside and 45 outside.
The addition, which will be corporate-owned, is part of a burst of growth for the Denver chain that is growing through franchising into the Phoenix, Dallas and Detroit areas as well. It will be the first Mici location to debut the concept’s new look, complete with new brand assets and logo and a completely revamped interior décor, according to a news release.
Greenwood Village Sushi Co., the newest restaurant in Grange Hall, opened on May 3, offering hand rolls and creative sashimi. It joins a lineup at the Greenwood Village food hall that also includes Bubu, Crack Shack, Uptown & Humboldt, Xatrucho, Eiskaffee and the recent World Beer Cup-winning Little Dry Creek Brewery.
Sushi Co. owner Bradford Kim already has restaurants in the Cherry Hills and Park Hill neighborhoods, and Grange Hall operator Troy Guard said he wanted an “established and revered brand” to add to his eight-month-old food hall. Kim said he wanted to add the handroll bar to Grange Hall particularly to serve clients who live south of Denver.
Several restaurant options previously announced in Full Plate have indeed opened:
The Colorado Restaurant Association has scheduled Drink Red Wear Red, a fundraiser for the Mile High Chapter’s Hardship Fund and the Colorado Restaurant Foundation. It will be held on June 9 at 7:30 p.m. at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. The event will feature food from more than 20 Denver-area restaurants, wines from Republic National Distributing Company, a live auction, DJs and access to some of the museum’s displays.
Participating restaurants include Ace Eat Serve, Esters, Hooters, Kona Grill, Los Dos Potrillos, Monarch Casino Resort & Spa, The Post Chicken & Beer, STK Steakhouse, Sullivan Scrap Kitchen, Tacos Tequila Whiskey, Chook Charcoal Chicken and more.
Eateries that will be dishing in the VIP section include Barolo Grill, The Bindery, Cantina Loca, the DMNS grill and Ultreia. Early-bird tickets start at $45.