Door closes, windows open
Folklore shutters and Wobbly Olive set to replace Kelley's Spiedie Shop, The Springs gets a cat cafe + more food & drink news
Folklore Irish Pub ceased operations this past week after just a little over six months in business. The attached Tipperary Cocktail Parlor, operated by Sean and Inez Fitzgerald (in the former Triple Nickel Tavern space) remains open, as does Brother Luck’s The Studio upstairs — though it has closed for regular restaurant service and shifted to private events. It’s unknown at this time what entity will move into Folklore’s space that it’s vacating.
The Fitzgeralds, who operate Wobbly Olive and Allusion Speakeasy — and who I co-present a monthly Bar Battle series at Tipperary (as a transparency note) — partnered on Folklore with Luck, who operates IV by Brother Luck. Folklore had taken over the space that was formerly Lucky Dumpling, which Luck opted to close at the beginning of 2023.
Speaking to Side Dish on this most recent closure, Luck says “It’s simply a volume number, where we were spending more money than we were bringing in… we had to be realistic about the situation. We didn’t want to let this go any further into the cold season, to where employees wouldn’t have the opportunity to find another position.”
Fitzgerald, who I spoke to in a later call, said they were reaching out to all their contacts to help re-home employees, and he noted he would be able to retain some for Wobbly Olive and that Luck would try to absorb some.
“It's just unfortunate that our ambition and our hopes sometimes don't match the economy,” Luck says. “I think we were a tad bit premature on that corner. So much residential is coming into that market. It's going to be a social corner. But right now it's still a destination location.”
I ask Luck what else he’s got going on right now. He mentions:
• IV by Brother luck just launched a new menu this week.
• He spends a good deal of time these days wearing his volunteer hat and says much of his focus presently is on working with the Pikes Peak United Way to soon open its Family Success Center in a former elementary school on the Southeast side of town. He says they’re in the middle of exploring the possibility of creating a hospitality program there, especially given the success at Shovel Ready (which I reported on here recently) in helping solve a labor issue in the industry. He also cites Chef Brent Beavers’ (The Carter Payne) former work with AspenPointe Cafe as an inspiration.
Meanwhile, I ask Fitzgerald the same, and he drops another big bit of food news:
• On Nov. 9, tentatively, Kelley’s Spiedies Shop (which replaced Rooster’s House of Ramen this past March) will close and become Wobbly Olive’s new downtown location. Meaning both Wobbly Olives will now host Allusion Speakeasy locations inside of them. Kelley’s Owner/Chef Mark Henry will take charge of Wobbly Olive’s overall culinary program and hold an ownership stake in the business. “We’ve tightened our partnership up,” Says Fitzgerald.
• Wobbly Olive will release a new food menu (with lower entrée prices says Fitzgerald) on Oct. 18 at the East location, which will debut downtown when it opens and Kelley’s retires. New cocktail menus are coming at both locations also on Nov. 9. Fitzgerald says the changes will be a “big overhaul” that will give the outfit “an opportunity to start fresh.”
• Allusion on Powers Boulevard launches its The Nightmare Before Christmas theme on Oct. 18. Allusion downtown starts its new Classic Christmas theme on Nov. 15, partly in partnership with Cocktail Kingdom’s Miracle and Sippin’ Santa charitable fundraising program — which includes special, annual custom glassware and “recipes created by some of the best bartenders in the world,” says Fitzgerald. The location will also feature a community white elephant (leave-one-take-one gift).
• As for Tipperary needing to create its own food service, Fitzgerald says they’re offering a small-snack menu (crudités, charcuterie and the like) that’s partly inspired by a cocktail bar Fitzgerald visited in London, named Nightjar.
Lastly, I reached out to Mark Henry to discuss Kelley’s closure and what he has in store for Wobbly Olive. From our chat:
• Regarding Kelley’s (which again, will remain open until Nov. 9): “We’re slow and hurting,” says Henry, citing five weeks of building-facade work that had scaffolding in front of his entrance, making him appear closed. “Two days this week I had zero sales.” And in looking at the bigger picture since opening in March, Henry says it remained a challenge all along educating consumers about what a spiedie sandwich is. He aimed for affordability and good portions but he now feels he may have underpriced himself out of the market “and made ourselves less of a destination.” Plus, many consumers don’t think of sandwiches as a dinner item, he notes.
• On his new role: “This partnership has always been my goal. I’m super excited about this… It’s reinvigorated us to do the things we do well, with a fire in our bellies again… we aren’t partnering in Wobbly out of necessity, we want to deepen our relationship… my days of sole proprietorship are over in lieu of enriching my partnership with Sean and Inez… The real story behind Wobbly now is the team — we’ve put a dream team together that’s reminiscent of pre-pandemic when we had more people interested in the industry. We’ve found seasoned professionals who are passionate.”
• What’s ahead on the menus: Allusion will get its own theme-inspired, five-item menus to match the creative cocktails (though guests can still order from Wobbly’s larger menu). Wobbly Olive will see two full menu revamps annually with seasonal tweaks and plenty of special items in between. “The food is delicious and well planned out,” says Henry. “Presentations are nice, flavors are big and we have everything from Creole to French to American to Indian. We aren’t bridled by “the chastity belt of authenticity.” (He’s responding in-part to past criticisms that he feels limits local operators from placing their interpretations on classic and regional dishes — as if the food must be the exact replica of an original.)
Hey meow
The Biscuit Factory Cat Lounge & Adoption Center grand opens this Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2616 W. Colorado Ave., downstairs below Jake & Telly’s and Yellow Mountain Tea House.
In partnership with Happy Cats Haven cat rescue, all cats that guests can visit with on site are up for adoption. Reservations are recommended for 60-minute sessions. An entry fee ($13) comes with a free beverage, and snacks are available to purchase.
“We plan to expand and have local Colorado goods to purchase as well in the near future,” says owner Lauren Bogert. Her story in brief: “I wanted to open a cat cafe to give COS something that we don’t have,” she says. “We have [Denver, Boulder and a Loveland cat cafe] but no cat cafe for the cat lovers of COS. I’m a military spouse whose husband's job is here for good, so making COS my home helps with setting those roots in the community.”
I visited a cat cafe in Seoul, South Korea roughly a decade ago as my first experience with the novel concept. I was on a long trip, missing my own kitties at the time, so it was fun and comforting to go pet some other cats (and also watch locals do some serious photo shoots — I still don’t entirely know what that was about). The experience is less about what you’re eating/drinking and more about the kitty action. And for those serious about adopting, the setting’s ideal for interaction.
Schnip’s Pick-October
We’ve heard great feedback on Gather Food Studio’s Callicrate chuck roast Carbonnade (Flemish beef stew) recipe that we’re spotlighting as the October Schnip’s Pick of the month. (Of course we already knew it was superb, but that’s always nice to have confirmed.) Ranch Foods Direct house chef Nate Watts walks you through every step of making the dish in this brief video. Make sure to pick up some Pikes Peak Brewing Co. Gold Belgian-style Golden Strong Ale from your favorite local liquor store and Gather Green Dream Seasoning from RFD’s retail markets — where Side Dish subscribers get 5-percent off their retail market purchase.
Anti-Convention unpacked: a guest submission by Chef Hannah Cupples
A couple weeks ago, Chef’s Roll hosted it’s 2nd annual Anti-Convention in San Diego — an open-invite conference for chefs and service-industry professionals to network, learn, and of course … eat.
The convention is set up with an absolutely stacked agenda, filled with discussion panels, professional demonstrations, cocktail-style dining times, and booths galore of merch and kitchen goodies. Across the two days, there were a total of 15 panels spanning a wide variety of topics, from Indigenous Cuisines to Regenerative Agriculture to the Future of Business in the service industry.
One panel that stood out among the rest and was deemed the crowd favorite: “The Art of Fish Dry-Aging” with Chef Liwei Lao of Joint Seafood in Sherman Oaks, CA. The general population is familiar with dry-aged beef, but fish can also benefit from several of the same processes, including improvements to texture, flavor and preservation. The panel was incredibly informative and thought-provoking; the samples provided were perfect to demonstrate the differences in quality.
On the other hand, the “Future of Meats” discussion panel was highly anticipated but fell short of participant expectations. One of the bigger topics that was due to be discussed was the innovation of lamb-grading techniques that Australia has recently implemented. Will Barton with Gundagai Lamb is the force behind pioneering this technique, which focuses on IMF (intramuscular fat percentage), and it could have huge implications for the future of the global lamb industry — both positive and negative. Colorado ranks among the top three producers for domestic lamb. Unfortunately, the panel spent little to no time discussing bigger issues and the conversation was kept mostly surface-level.
In between panels and demos, all three meals were provided across both convention days. If you’ve ever attended a large conference or even a food and wine festival, you know the food can be very hit or miss. In this case, all expectations were far exceeded. Every bite of food was spectacular, with a great diversity of cultures and flavors represented. My only complaint was nearly every dish was dominated by steak or cured pork products. I would have killed for a vegetable by the middle of the second day, and good luck to any vegetarians.
The networking opportunities were where the Anti-Convention really shined. Participants spanned all sides of the industry and everyone was overjoyed to be there. The most valuable aspect to these sorts of events is getting like-minded people together without distraction or other commitments. Chefs are notoriously busy people, and Chef’s Roll provided the perfect environment to have in-depth conversations and make long-lasting connections.
I was both surprised and thrilled to find that many the participants were local to Colorado, including DeAndre Smith, Kamal Howard, Jamia Chenevert and our own Brother Luck. Ironically enough, most of us met for the first time at this event and were very encouraged to start building more community amongst local chefs and industry professionals. All of us are beyond excited for the future of our food scene.
Despite room to improve, the convention was a fantastic experience and provided a wealth of conversation and opportunity that you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. I would love to see an event like this have a regional chapter to showcase professionals and products local to Colorado or the Four Corners region, but until then, I’ll be waiting for next year’s Anti-Convention!
[Follow Hanna here. Thanks for contributing your experience and knowledge!]
Sips and bits
• District Elleven is imminently releasing its new fall cocktail menu. I caught a preview, which included the: Holes in my Sweater (a butterscotch toddy), Apple of My Eye (an apple-cinnamon old fashioned), Black and Tan (a banana liqueur espresso martini) and Pumpkin up the Jams (a pumpkin spiced whiskey sour). We were pleased by all, and very glad none of them cloyed, staying in balance with the spirits.
• More eateries have opened at the new Avenue 19 food hall. It currently hosts Go Fish Food Truck and Firebird Chicken sandwiches (another former food truck), and entities named Taco Trouble, Upstate Pizza, Garden & Spoon, and Midtown Grill, with The Joint Vegan Street Food (another truck heading into brick-and-mortar) set to open Oct. 18. (Transparently: I’m still behind on making a call on this one or making it by for more info on each entity; I’ll do so when I can.)
• While I’m on a self-deprecating kick, I’m also overdue on making it to FO4R North.
• Wrong Turn, a haunted maze connected to COATI, opens Friday, Oct. 20 (pushed back from an originally announced Friday the 13th). Here’s its setup: “When you first arrive, you'll be transported to a harvest-themed rooftop bar with pumpkins, corn, apple cider, and all the pumpkin patch essentials. Once it's time to enter the haunted maze, you'll make a ‘wrong turn’ and descend into the murky depths of the abandoned farmhouse as you wind your way through this terrifying fever dream.” Tickets are $25 and it takes approximately 15-30 minutes to make it through 10,000 square feet (created in partnership with Cave Productions). You can grab drinks at the Harvest Bar prior to or following your maze journey, and visit COATI’s main food hall for food needs.
• Focus on the Beer has announced its intended evolution away from its longstanding website towards its Focal Pint Substack newsletter. Ryan Hannigan gives a brief history of the endeavor’s founding in 2010 (leading up to his purchase of the brand in 2013). He also announced this week the creation of Focal Pint Prime Picks, essentially an annual best-of-breweries award — and he’s seeking your help in making nominations, here. I’d also like to thank Ryan for the kind words he shared about me (unknowingly) helping him decide to move to Substack. I admittedly got some warm fuzzies from his saying “Matt’s influence and passion for journalism has helped me become a better writer, has reignited my passion for beer writing, and has revitalized Focus on the Beer through the Focal Pint newsletter.” (Aw, shucks. Cheers buddy.)
Upcoming events
• Oct. 15: Date Night - Insect Tasting with Ephemera Chef/Owner Ian Dedrickson and Ephemera Art Director Jasmine Dillavou; co-hosted by Novis Mortem Collective at Bosky Studio. $25.
• Oct. 16: Bar Battle Round 4 at Tipperary Cocktail Parlor. Bartenders from 503W and District Elleven will compete. 6-8 p.m.; free entry and samples. I’m co-judging; it’s a blast! [*Schnip event*]
• Oct. 19: Sip with Schnip at The Carter Payne. 6-8 p.m.; free, come hang with me over dinner and drink. [*Schnip event*]
• Oct. 21: Sober Soiree in benefit of Homeward Pikes Peak. $75 tickets get you access to nine mocktail makers and 18 food vendors who’re competing for a Best Bite and Best Sip award — I’ll be co-judging with FOX 21’s Matt Meister and Stephanie Edwards of Gold Hill Mesa.
Cheers to you, fine sir