Good omens
Mazatlán-born Tótem to take over The Well; an adventurous dice roll at Dungeons & Javas; Prime Kitchen's bully burger; Doki Doki returns + more food & drink news and events
We’re past the year mark since The Well shut down — the backstory on that here — and C. Springs has been anxiously awaiting what’s coming next.
The answer: Not another food hall concept.
More specifically, and in a word: Tótem.
It’s a six-year-old contemporary Mexican Restaurant located in Mazatlán, Mexico, the coastal resort town in Southern Sinaloa. Inside Tótem, operating as a bakery for the eatery and wholesaler and caterer to outside businesses and clients, is another concept named Bake Bake.
To some extent, this Colorado Springs expansion will be a replica of the original shop. In fact what attracted co-owner (and financier) Jorge Ginther to the spot was its corner orientation on E. Pikes Peak Avenue and Weber Street downtown; it reminded him of Tótem’s placement at the corner of two bustling streets in Mazatlán’s Centro Historico.
“Downtowns of cities are the beginning of that community, the heart of the city,” says co-owner and creative director David Ferretís on a Zoom call with me, seated inside Tótem in Mazatlán alongside Alejandro Martinez, the company’s social media hand as well as its coffee bar manager. “We think Colorado Springs has a lot of potential and we want to be part of its food scene,” Ferretís continues.
But why Colorado Springs?
Long answer condensed: Ginther operates a large private security company in Mexico named Secorp. He’s also the president of pro football (actually football, not soccer) team Caudillos de Chihuahua. He befriended Ferretís in 2015, learning that he was unhappy with his corporate job and had always wanted to open his own coffee shop. The way Ferretís tells it, Ginther not only invested in his dream, but expanded upon it with the larger bakery and restaurant concept that Tótem grew into after opening in 2018. Ginther originally came to the Springs to invest in a construction company, but that didn’t work out. While here scouting, he grew fond of town, then discovered The Well space. They were already thinking of taking the Tótem concept to somewhere in the U.S., and suddenly this felt opportune.
For a place with a name which evokes spiritual and symbolic connotations, you could say the whole trajectory was guided somehow. Ferretís and Martinez explain that Tótem does hold significance, that there’s a universality between cultures as to how many totems are revered or incorporated into religious concepts. The word is identical in many languages. They feel it evokes “the beginning of a community,” which is how they inserted themselves into Mazatlán and soon C. Springs.
The way I initially make contact with the team is simply by walking through an open door at The Well as I saw construction underway and a dumpster out front. A couple readers had also tipped me off that something was afoot and I’ve kept a loose eye out whenever passing by. Inside a construction worker directs me to Ivan Gleason, who’s welcoming and gracious considering me appearing out of the blue. I learn that he was a football player for Caudillos de Chihuahua (outside linebacker if you’re curious), and later became Ginther’s assistant. He was dispatched here initially for the construction company investment, but has become project manager for Tótem here. He walks me through some details that I later reconfirm and further flesh out on my Zoom call.
What you might be dying to know by now is the “when?” of the matter — how soon can you get a taste of Tótem?
Their goal, says the team, is October. Of course that’s hopeful and tentative. And they tell me the current challenge is obtaining work visas for their leadership team. The immigration aspect to bringing staff here (in addition to local hires they’ll make) has become rather complicated as of late. (Shall we just leave it at that? Are you picking up the vibe they’re dropping down? Good. Or um, rather bad, actually. Ahem.)
If you can picture the prior layout of The Well, you’ll know a back kitchen hallway connected the four food vendor kiosks that faced the main bar opposite the dining area and patio. The Tótem crew is underway with removing the side walls that separated the kiosks, to create a single expansive culinary area that will remain visibly open to guests. The prior coffee counter adjacent to the cocktail bar has been demo’d already, and there’s an overall reshaping of the dining room taking place which I’m told will include pretty plants, hand-painted murals and more. Gleason describes it to me as “wanting you to feel outside while being inside.”
Crucial to understand, Ferretís emphasizes, is “we are principally a restaurant.” So while guests will be able to approach a counter to place to-go orders and buy coffee and Bake Bake pastries, he says don’t think of that component as like a Starbucks. It won’t be set up for grab-and-go (as Gift Horse Cafe somewhat was). Tótem will be full table service for all three meals, initially launching with daily 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. hours.
The menu will largely mirror home base, with bestselling dishes fully anchored in place. But it will be adapted as needed and updated every six months, they say. Ferretís describes it as “elevated international comfort food with Latin American and authentic Mexican” influences. He says Mazatlán has a somewhat experimental scene, which often utilizes local seafood, and they aim to use seasonal ingredients and keep up with trends and “keep us in the top of peoples’ minds.”
Flagship dishes include a Benedictinos MX (Eggs Benedict, Mexican style, which incorporates chorizo) and Tres Leches French Toast at brunch. The fairly expansive lunch and dinner menus range from tacos, tostadas and mole chicken by way of the Mexican aspects, but also include pastas, burgers, sandwiches, salads, shawarma and fusion plates like a risotto with camarones (shrimp). Bake Bake will make everything from sourdough loaves and croissants to Mexican conchas, cakes, cookies and more.
“We’re not pretentious,” Ferretís says, explaining that the diverse approach comes from their own international travels and enjoyment of global comfort foods. That also influences the expansive beverage menu, ranging from classic cocktails to mezcal drinks, mocktails, digestivos, cervezas, juices, smoothies, shakes and the aforementioned coffee drinks.
So even though it’s arriving from afar, there’s something familiar already about Tótem in that it captures the common-to-America, something-for-everyone, catch-all-ness of eclectic food and drink service.
How that will play at the beloved but beleaguered Well space — that many people felt was given up on too soon by the operating philanthropy foundations — we will of course find out as it takes shape and gets open later this year (as cold months approach). At least Tótem has a track record and blueprint, and ostensibly a unique flavor of its own from Mazatlán that it’s bringing with it. Ferretís’ humble dream of a small coffee shop for himself may just grow into an empire, conquering even a tough location in little old Colorado Springs.
Catch Ranch Foods Direct’s Customer Appreciation Day, Saturday, July 26 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its Town Center Location (4635 Town Center Drive). Get a free burger, fries and samples of new meats and brats, plus goodies from local vendors.
Join us for our July 24 Sip with Schnip Grazing Goat Pizza Party at Goat Patch Northgate from 6-9 p.m. It kicks off Goat Patch’s 8th Anniversary Weekend festivities. First beer free for paid-level Side Dish subscribers. $2 off all additional beers for paid subscribers. $2 off beers for all free-level subscribers. Special pizza release: spent-grain dough with bacon and a ricotta spread made with garlic, Calabrian peppers, Goat Patch Hazy IPA and lemon oil; garnished with arugula and hot honey.
Sugar and dice
Dungeons & Javas celebrated five years in business in May, located off Austin Bluffs Parkway near the Barnes Road intersection. I have not been in until now, though I’ve been periodically driving to the spot over the past couple years helping shuttle Lauren’s game-playing son to Saturday open-play sessions.
I grew up around comic book shops as a kid, thanks to my older brother’s influence, though we never got into Dungeons & Dragons or other RPG’s (role-playing games). So there’s a touch of familiarity to general nerd culture (which is now cool, compared to how it was judged by cohorts in our generation) when I enter D&J and walk past the front Magic: The Gathering card counter, where nearly a dozen people hover over the display cases buying and trading cards.
I’m being guided by Lauren’s daughter, along for the ride, who shows me around D&J’s retail area that splits the front gaming space from the rear play area and cafe. We peruse board games, D&D campaign and Pathfinder RPG books, paintable fantasy figurines, jewelry, dice bags and more. Then we hit the cafe’s ordering counter to nab some drinks to-go (leaving her brother behind to play for the day).
The staff is super friendly and patient with me as I ask clarifying menu questions. “Potions” are made with Red Bull or Sprite with syrup enhancements; she gets an iced Strength Potion, flavored with raspberry and blackberry. Several specialty drinks are D&D themed as well, for example the Owl Bear Latte or Dire Wolf Breve. There are also cocktails (yes, they have a liquor licenses) named for spells, she explains to me. Example: The Hellish Rebuke, with bourbon, mezcal, jalapeños, bitters and simple syrup.
I decide on an Adventure Latte (also available as a potion), which means I grab a die and place it through the eyeball socket of a skull (actually a dice tower) and it pops out below in the gaping jaw cavity. My number corresponds with one of 20 syrup combinations listed on a handwritten sheet behind the register. I receive “Paladin’s Blessing” (a World of Warcraft spell, I later learn), which is a mix of Irish cream and white chocolate. I ask for it half sweet and my barista obliges, also showing me a bag of locally roasted Colorado Coffee Merchants beans when I ask about the sourcing.
Though it’s out of my wheelhouse as something I’d normally order, I’m glad to have elected for an adventure, and it’s pleasantly balanced (thank you!) between the sugary elements and the roasty dark espresso body. It’s a quality latte for $5.75, proving that the libations aren’t just an afterthought for gamers whose minds are half in other worlds as they linger and battle all day. Hell, I’d walk in and get a coffee to-go any day as an alternative to hitting one of the nearby chain drive-thrus.
I notice that D&J has been serving a mindfully selected (i.e. perfectly paired to the dungeon-y decor) lineup of Denver’s Trve Brewing Co. beers, with their awesome and haunting metal music-inspired labels. Bummer that brewery just ceased operations earlier this month, so they’ll have to curate something else fitting. And I’ll have to return later to try their boozy sips and food menu, which includes locally baked pastries, Bonfire burritos, breakfast sandwiches, personal pizzas, grilled cheeses and other sandwiches and simple stuff like a hot dog, chips and soda for $4.99.
As much as it would be fun to shrug off life’s responsibilities and disappear into a game with strangers (new friends) for an afternoon here, I just don’t have the time in my life now. But I leave feeling glad anyway that this inclusive place exists for those people who do. The diverse cast of characters I observe during my short time inside reminds me that amongst Springs subcultures there’s a plethora of gathering spaces that are their own microcosm of community energy, fantastical in their own right.
I try Prime Kitchen’s award-winning burgers at CSPM’s Food Truck Tuesdays
I stopped by the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum last week to catch Food Truck Tuesday. The annual summertime offering continues through Aug. 19, running 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. weekly.
I was familiar with most all of the attendees, except I hadn’t yet dined from Prime Kitchen. You might recall from our recent reporting that they finished in second place (out of around 40 vendors) at June’s 719 Battle of the Food Trucks. And the Gazette recently (and a little superlatively) rated them “culinary works of art.” So I opted to hit them up for my lunch and chatted with Owner/Chef Michael Swartz afterward.
The truck launched only six months ago, as Swartz’s first mobile venture, but he has many years of brick-and-mortar experience in the industry, ranging from time spent between Raleigh, N.C., Chicago and Florida before Hurricane Irma uprooted his family. They also lived in Colorado for a stint, so it’s where they opted to return for their most recent move. Not yet fully heartened by his earned accolades, Swartz tells me that Prime Kitchen “is a work in progress,” and that’s installing charcoal ovens in August as an equipment upgrade to his modest trailer.
Meanwhile, he’s sourcing locally produced beef from Apishapa Ranch (near Fowler) for his burgers, Red Bird Farms chicken for seasoned nugget options, and cooking some pretty kick-ass, browned-crispy tallow fries (that I dine on from my friend’s order). She ordered the mushroom fries, which come with whole cloves of roasted garlic, fried mushroom slivers, Grana Padano shavings and truffle aioli. If you aren’t already imagining what that tastes like, then know that it’s a lot of deep earthiness and garlic essence infused into the salty spuds for an overall intoxicating bite.
I get the Millionaire burger, topped with triple crème Brie, balsamic onion jam, roasted tomatoes, arugula and garlic aioli. It’s certainly one example of his “protein-forward” approach that he describes to me, saying “I want to hit classic steakhouse flavors.” This burger’s rich, tangy and lightly sweet, a grill-charred, half-pound beast that edges out just past its sesame bun’s perimeter. I’m perfectly satisfied by it.
If you can’t catch them at the CSPM soon, check out their online calendar for many upcoming engagements that include Sundays at Fossil Craft Beer Co.
Bites & Bits
• After an 11-month hiatus, Doki Doki Food Truck has returned to the culinary scene, anchoring itself permanently at Urban Animal Beer Co.’s downtown location. It will serve Wednesdays through Saturdays weekly, currently from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with expanded hours coming soon.
• Red Leg Brewing Co. was recognized by the Southern Colorado Impact Group at their Prism Awards last week as the 2025 Social Impact Business of the Year. According to the SCIG’s award descriptions, “They were celebrated for their deep commitment to community-building, veteran support, and creating a thriving hub for local events.” ICONS was a finalist in the category for “redefining nightlife as a platform for LGBTQ+ visibility, advocacy, celebration, and inclusion in downtown Colorado Springs.” And Chef Brother Luck was also a finalist, but in the Social Entrepreneur of the Year category, for “elevating the culinary scene through restaurants but also championing mental health and mentorship.”
I dropped by Red Leg’s taproom earlier this week to meet with their marketing manager (for company updates, etc.) and sample some of the current seasonal beers on tap. Red Leg just celebrated 12 years in business on July 4, and I’m told they continue to grow, gaining nearly 40 new accounts locally in the past three months, by way of just one metric. Another is their distribution at Rocky Mountain Vibes and Switchbacks FC games, plus the Black Sheep and Ford Amphitheater, plus they just recently began hitting shelves inside Safeway and King Soopers stores. As for my quite enjoyable sampling, from 20 available taps, I focused my selections on light, crisp and fruity brews outside of their flagship lineup. The Czech Pils is textbook for the style and the Lloronas Mexican Lager sips crisp, clean and lime-spiked by way of aromatic garnish. The Summer Punch Fruit Punch Sour Ale includes more than a handful of different fruit inputs for a mild pucker and tart, dry finish, despite evoking SweeTARTS faintly. My favorite for complexity and nuanced elegance is the barrel-aged Bretty McFlowerface Ale, a mild Brett beer also aged with lavender and elderflower, resulting in floral undertones and a faintly vanilla-y, almost Belgian-y whisper of banana. (Don’t listen to me; their description says leather and pipe tobacco.) If you go to check these out before the kegs tap on them, remember Red Leg’s array of Conex containers out front, that host Oliver’s Deli, The Public House Burger Bunker, Chef Bob’s Lobstah Trap, High Rise Pizza and Sasquatch Cookies.
• Just a quick shoutout here to acknowledge my visit this past week to Carnelian Coffee, which always reminds me how much I like the place and that I should go more often. I was catching up with longtime good friends visiting town, so tried not to work (taking my usual notes and such). I had last caught up with Carnelian’s owner Kate Firoved in Sept., 2023, at Taste of OCC. My friends (first timers here) thoroughly enjoyed the honey-lavender latte and Inverso latte, while I felt compelled to revisit their outstanding Old Fashioned Latte modeled after the cocktail, with cherry and orange elements plus garnishing lemon and bitters aromatics. I also made a second breakfast (good Hobbit) out of Carnelian’s vegan sweet potato biscuit, already poppin’ bright and biting with roasted garlic purée, arugula and chimichurri on the house-baked biscuit. But Kate brings out some samples of her husband (the roaster and house chef) Colton Klauss’ newly created hot sauces (named for their dogs), available in bottles to-go. I add them liberally to my bites and relish the complex earthy elements amidst the respectable spice. My favorite is a carrot-based one with habanero heat and flavor plus a restrained dose of ghost pepper amplification. Another treat, still cooling from the oven, is a double chocolate chip scone. Lastly, she details a new small-batch roasting series (available retail in 9 oz. bags for $19) which tends to feature beans from women-owned farms. She drops off a sample of a pretty spectacular Colombian roast, texturally smooth and somewhat typically milk chocolate-y, but bright with citrusy notes and dynamic from the first sip.
• Among news briefs last week, I told you about Downtown Partnership’s new Clean & Safe pilot program that will operate over the next 19 months. Lumen8 Rooftop Social has been and will continue through month’s end to donate $1 from each specialty cocktail or mocktail sold to the effort.
• Friends and fans of The Bakery Depot in the Middle Shooks Run Neighborhood (which I last reported on here) can still donate to owner/baker Susan Schenk’s GoFundMe campaign, related to emergency spinal surgery that’s required extensive physical and occupational therapy.
Side Dish Dozen happenings
Goat Patch Brewing: Let the 8th Anniversary Weekend Party festivities begin! Sip with Schnip Grazing Goat Pizza Party at Goat Patch Northgate, July 24, 6-9 p.m. Tie-Dye Party, July 25, 4-6 p.m. at the Lincoln Center, followed by a performance by Joe Johnson & Friends, 6-9 p.m. More live music shows July 26, 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m., and July 27, 6-8 p.m. Plus food trucks all weekend, and more.
Edelweiss: Join us for live acoustic music on the patio (’90s hits) in the evening over the next several weeks. Mondays bring half-off wine bottles weekly, and happy hours in the Ratskeller are 4:30-6:30 p.m., Tuesdays-Saturdays.
Stellina Pizza Cafe: Join us for our Stellina + PikeRide Community Group Ride on July 22. All day happy hour for riders, 3-9 p.m.
Odyssey Gastropub: From our fresh summer menu, start with our Burrata, plated with strawberries, balsamic blueberries, baby kale, toasted sunflower seeds and house-made rosemary-garlic focaccia. At our sister eatery Nacho Matrix come for $30 Carafe Margaritas all day and Industry Night with happy hour discounts. We also do Thursday drink specials that include $10 margaritas and select beers plus a well shot.
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar: Did you know that we offer a military discount? Enjoy 15 percent off of food at Jax. (Excludes happy hour and beverages.) Join us for weekday lunch (11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday–Friday), weekend brunch (10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays-Sundays) and daily dinner (until 9 p.m.; 10 p.m. on weekends).
Wobbly Olive: Every weekday happy hour at both locations is 4-6 p.m.; all cocktails and beers are half off, plus $5 house wines. Come check out our new summer dishes:
Kangaroo Coffee: We’re proud to be the official coffee for the Pikes Peak Marathon & Ascent in September! See you at Weidner Field this weekend for the Switchbacks FC game; come see us for a Roofresher or ice coffee beverage. Order online for in-store pickup around town at our many locations. Or get a drink delivered through Uber Eats or DoorDash. Check out our staff-created, weekly specials.
Upcoming events
July 24: Sip with Schnip Grazing Goat Pizza Party at Goat Patch Northgate. 6-9 p.m.
July 24: Dine Out for Ukraine at all Big Red F locations, including Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar Colorado Springs. A portion of proceeds from sales all day support Sunflower Seeds Ukraine. The funds are used to provide medical aid, protective gear and humanitarian assistance.
July 26: Small Brew Saturday with Local Relic at The Carter Payne. Noon to 4 p.m.; free to attend, beers and light snacks available for purchase.
July 26: Tag-Ulan (rainy season) dinner with Baon Supper Club at Good Neighbors Meeting House. 6 p.m; five Filipino courses, $85.
July 26: Hillside Neighborhood Brunch and Fundraiser at the Hillside Community Center. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Brunch, vendors, games, music, prizes and more.
July 26: Fiddles, Vittles & Vino fundraising concert at Rock Ledge Ranch. 6 p.m.; $39 includes apps and N/A drinks, with adult bevs by donation. Western musicians Mark Gardner, Rex Rideout and friends will perform in the barn, 6:30-8 p.m.
July 26: Bronc Day at Black Bear Distillery. 2-8 p.m.
July 31: Weenies & Tinis Kick Off Party at ICONS. 4-6 p.m.; free entry, custom sticker and other giveaways, live performances. Plus hotdogs and cocktails (obviously)! Sign up for your free mobile passport ahead of the event. Weenies & Tinis runs Aug. 1-17.
July 31: Top Chef Dinner with Jamie Lynch at Four by Brother Luck, 6 p.m., six wine-paired courses, $165.
Aug. 2: 3rd Annual Indian Food Festival at Lewis-Palmer High School. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free; VIP Experience tickets available.
Aug. 2: Vino and Notes in Woodland Park’s Memorial Park. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $25-$50.
Parting shot(s)
Last Thursday night’s Taste of Pikes Peak was a blast, despite some stormy weather. (Ah the joys of outdoor summer events in Colorado.) According to organizers, roughly $30,000 was raised in benefit of the Pikes Peak Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, who in-turn supports the Colorado Restaurant Foundation and ProStart culinary programs.
Our Side Dish Dozen members took over the VIP lounge, serving exclusive bites and sips to a couple hundred supportive attendees. It was awesome for me to shirk wider judging responsibilities this year — getting an assist from SideDishSideKick in my stead — and get to say hello to many familiar faces and meet some new people who’ve been reading Side Dish for the past couple years.
Here’s my more-complete photo dump — with a big assist from Ryan Hannigan — and I look forward to partying on the streets again with ya’ll next year. Cheers!
Ok, I'm cautiously excited about Tótem.