Goodnight, Ramen
Ultra stylish noodle bar the latest concept to open by Dos Santos/White Pie founders; Urban Animal opens downtown; TAVA House breaks ground in Woodland Park + more food & drink news
Night Ramen is gorgeous. Design award worthy. Hip AF. Cool AF. Delicious AF. Colorful. Moody. Creative. Unparalleled. Ambitious. I could go on.
Or I could just tell you it’s open as of Sept. 20, that you should go and experience the atmosphere for yourself. I’m including a lot more photos than usual in this post (including some shot by my tap&table cohost Ryan Hannigan) to try and capture just how impressive the space is. It’s brought to us from the folks behind Dos Santos, Dos Dos, White Pie and Sushi Row. Namely co-owners Jason, Riley and Kris Wallenta. (Jason and Kris are brothers; Riley’s married to Jason; you might already know this if you’ve read my reporting on all these spots over the years.) Dating back to the first Dos Santos opening in Denver in 2015 to its Springs expansion in 2018 and growth into Castle Rock and now Nashville since, the restaurant group will soon operate 11 total spaces between the concepts, with more projects on the way for 2025-2027 the family tells me. (The brothers also own a couple spots in Cozumel, Mexico.) In other words, they aren’t even close to settling down.
I sit down with the trio just hours before Sept. 19’s friends-and-family soft opening, as workers buzz about still making last-minute preparations and adjustments. Everyone’s remarkably … calm. Wow. Yeah, they’ve done this before. Chaos as it is, it’s old hat. Jason says they’ve been collectively working on Night Ramen for almost two years. He calls opening restaurants “more of a passion than a job” at this point.
The brothers credit Riley for the extensive and inspired design work, citing Sushi Row’s chic dining room as a prior achievement that’s caught deserved attention. There’s no consulting design firm. Here, Jason says they’re going for an “escape, something so cool and different — this is one of the coolest we’ve done. We like to have fun. This is Riley letting it out.” I haven’t yet mentioned the 200ish waving kitties affixed the walls in long, tidy rows, only some set to dip their happy paws over and over again in diagonal patterns that mesmerize. Or the 150ish red paper lanterns that pretty much compose the entirety of the visible ceiling. It’s crazy, over-the-top, strength in numbers, and just right. Damn perfect, even. This is Riley having fun.
I love the unfinished walls with paint layers from past building inhabitants that range from modern era thrift/antique shops to an auto garage in the 1940s and ’50s as the earliest history the Wallentas know about. “We love old buildings,” they say, “and we don’t want to change this one. We love the juxtaposition between leaving the bones and adding another layer to contrast that. We want to keep it raw and original. Unfinished but polished.”
They note wanting to consciously touch all five senses, and that what we’re seeing in Night Ramen is an interpretation of their own experiences in culinary exploration and travel and past work and years now as restaurateurs. It’s not just the food and drink, but the decor and music and careful lighting they’re attuning to. Again with the contrasting, they mention wanting Night Ramen to be soothing and relaxing but also energizing. (I find the words “intimate buzzing glow” in my shorthand notes-to-self typed hastily onto my phone as my laptop had briefly shit out; I’m not entirely sure the meaning now but I like the turn of words anyway.) Jason says there’s more speakers and subwoofers installed here than anywhere else they operate, with better sound quality thanks in-part to the lanterns which filter and absorb some of the noise bouncing up off the concrete floors.
“We want that late-night vibe, as a neighborhood joint,” Jason says, adding “we’re really excited about this place.” Lastly on the matter of the atmosphere, they say they want guests to feel transported somewhere, not necessarily Tokyo, as they aren’t trying to be traditional, but definitely somewhere other than Colorado Springs. At the very least, I think to myself when I return that evening, seated at the bar during the preview, they’ve taken us to a cool corner of Denver. The open view out onto the newly opened, shiny-fresh Fiona apartment complex across the street aids in that illusion.
Chatting with Kris next, who acts in the creating chef role beyond co-owner capacity at the company, I ask the obvious “why ramen” question. He takes me back to sometime around 2010 when he says he and Jason were both in San Francisco at the same time seeing friends, and they met up somewhere downtown at a hole-in-the-wall. It was an Asian noodle place of some sort with only 10 counter seats facing a tiny kitchen, and they ate some small plates and pho and were profoundly affected by the meal, which at first was “unassuming and unexpected.” He says it somehow “left a mark on us over the past decade.” When going over lists in their heads years later for the types of restaurants they want to create, they always go back to that place in their minds as a reflection and inspiration point. Their own ramen shop, in that way, was inevitable.
“The genesis of Night Ramen was that meal,” Kris says. “But we aren’t trying to replicate it. We know where we are. Japanese ramen is just our guide point, but we wanted to make it fun and modern, and innovate.” The brothers briefly pause to reflect on another spot, this time from their childhood in New Haven, Connecticut (the inspiration for White Pie’s style). They laugh, and mention dipping crispy wonton chips into sweet ‘n sour sauce at the House of Chao. It was another cultural touchpoint.
Kris says he cooks a lot at home since moving to Denver in 2016 and would make ramen for guests, refining his recipes. But he tells me he read a bunch of books and watched tons of YouTube videos as well as he studied the craft of ramen making. (To be clear, they make everything in house shy of wonton and gyoza wrappers and the noodles, which they source through Wismettac Asian Foods in Denver.) “I’ve also eaten a lot of ramen over the past year, and done a lot of R&D this past month,” he says. “We aren’t taking any shortcuts here.” Later at my dinner, I’m told by other staff that soup bases will go for six to 12 hours, and tares (enhancing sauces for umami, etc.) around four hours. Relatedly, I’m also told Jason worked at celebrated ramen spot Uncle in Denver years ago, and is pals with its Michelin-award-winning chef/owner Tommy Lee.
When we’re back for dinner, Ryan and I order a yuzu lemonade and lime yuzu soda as two highly drinkable N/A options. I also check out a tequila, aloe liqueur, matcha, coconut and lime cocktail that I want more matcha out of (but I said the same with a drink at Sushi Row, and it’s literally day one so any grievances should be tempered and ideally retested later).
Cucumbers pickled with Korean gochugaru and garnished with sesame, Fresno peppers and scallions are only outdone by the miso marinated deviled eggs with togarashi seasoning and masago garnish; they’re a must-order. I get the vegetarian mushroom miso, which is vegan flexible I’m told, but comes standard with Microvora oyster mushrooms, soft tofu, bok choy egg and charred corn that lends the broth a delightful finishing sweetness. Ryan destroys a bowl of the Spicy Chicken Paitan which notably comes with a “chili bomb” that's also called a “spice bomb” on the menu of extras that can be added to your ramen. Otherwise the milky shio (clear) broth contains confit chicken, mushrooms, black garlic oil (mayu), egg and cilantro. It’s a great bite and sip overall, at a decently high spice level if you’re anyone but Ryan (who’s a freak who eats reaper-hot items like candy, no joke).
That’s it for our early samplings, but I’ve obviously seen more than enough to say Nigh Ramen’s something pretty special out of the gate. Just in posting some early teaser photos on social media, friends made comments citing playful disbelief that what they were seeing was in Colorado Springs. As a parting shot, here’s more of the story through Ryan’s lens:
I want to give you the tongue (a lengua recipe … what did you think I meant? … That’s totally on you. I’m a perfect gentleman, always. Ahem.)
Our collaboration recipe between Side Dish and its lead sponsor Ranch Foods Direct is with Chef Fernando Trancoso of Inefable and Tepex this month. Trancoso, who enjoyed deep lines at his food truck, inspiring him to get into brick-and-mortar, has shared this fabulous recipe for beef tongue, which features a pipian sauce made with pumpkin seeds, tomatillos and Serrano peppers. All you adventurous eaters who’ve ordered lengua tacos off a food truck somewhere know just how rich and satisfying tongue is; so don’t be squeamish, give it a try. You’ll find many of the ingredients this dish requires at Ranch Foods Direct, where they extend a five percent discount on your whole grocery basket when you mention you’re a Side Dish subscriber. Enjoy!
Sweet to the street
The drive-thru coffee kiosk at 1802 Dominion Way (near Dublin and Academy boulevards) has hosted a number of outfits in recent years, from D’lish sips n sweets to The Pop and most recently Pine to Peak Espresso. But that’s now turned over to become KB Coffee & Bakery. KB was formerly called KB Sweet Treats, and was a commissary-based online venture started by owner Kelly Bauman in fall, 2021 after she moved here from Texas.
Bauman tells me she’s been baking since she was a kid, for more than 12 years, and turned her early hobby and passion into a job. Sweet Treats specialized in custom cakes but also sold cupcakes, cake pops, cookies, macarons and more sweets, which are available at KB’s new drive-thru/walk-up. It will also now sell scones, cinnamon rolls and muffins. Bauman says she plans to continue with coffee service where Pine to Peak left off, keeping most of the same espresso drinks and the locally roasted Spanish Peaks Coffee beans.
She officially soft opened Sept. 19 and calls this location a hopeful “stepping stone” on the way toward eventually settling in a brick-and-mortar spot. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday.
Side Dish reappears on the COS Business Podcast for milestone 250th episode
Big thanks to my pals Marcus Alvarado and Andrew Halsey over at the COS Business Podcast! They invited me back on their show for their impressive 250th episode. Seriously, congrats guys for hitting that milestone; I recognize how many small, independent businesses you’ve impacted by sharing their stories and spotlighting their founders. You’ve truly done a great community service and you guys ask insightful questions that create engaging dialogues. (As a fellow, fledgling podcast, tap&table salutes you!) Anyway, if you missed my first appearance on the COS Business Podcast in November, 2023, tune in here; I assure you it’s all still relevant content. Side Dish was only about six months old as a business back then, still working to find its early footing and format. So it was especially fun and gratifying for me to return now, in year 1.5 in business, to reflect on my rapid growth in the past year (thank you Side Dish Dozen, subscribers and all supporters). It’s safe to say I survived my startup and Side Dish is thriving in its own, unique way, proving that there’s a wide community appetite for this style of food and drink journalism. So, tune into this latest episode, please subscribe to and follow COS Business Podcast to support their fine work and learn about other cool businesses around the Springs.
Urban Animal opens its new downtown satellite location
Thursday, Sept. 19 was an unexpectedly wild evening of triple soft openings across town. Nacho Matrix, Night Ramen and the new Urban Animal Beer Co. taproom downtown hosted special invitees for preview services ahead of public opening days. And I could only make it to Nacho Matrix and Night Ramen, so I took my good friend and former Indy collaborator (my publisher, actually) Carrie Simison up on her offer to write me a blurb and snag some pics at Urban Animal. (I had told you here back in May that Urban Animal was expanding from its original Star Ranch Road location.) In old newsroom speak, that’s called deputizing, and I trust Carrie’s tastes and sensibilities, even if she has kept me as a friend all these years. (Zing! That’s called self-deprecation, even if it actually borders on being an entirely lame-ass dad joke.) Without further ado …
Guest reporting by Carrie Simison
The new Downtown location of Urban Animal in the former Red Swing space at 531 S. Tejon St. is having a "quiet opening" this weekend, with a grand opening announcement coming next week. Immediately when you walk in it feels like the South location, but with a Downtown neighborhood vibe. You'll recognize the staff, the same great beer and the familiar artwork in the main mural and posters. A vinyl record and mini-tape wall add to the cool atmosphere. You might think there's not a lot you can change in a small, narrow space, but these guys truly made it feel like it has been, and belongs here. Raise a glass to the peddling bear's expansion!
TAVA House breaks ground in Woodland Park
Consider this the first tease of something you’ll hear much more about later, especially into mid 2025. I was recently catching up with Doctor-Reverend-Chef Victor Matthews of Paragon Culinary School — and yes all those titles are real, which is to say nothing of the distiller title he also claims via Black Bear Distillery. Anyway, Matthews, who's the next guest on our tap&table podcast (with that episode dropping soon), told me about the next grand, ambitious project he’s working on — something announced pre-pandemic that had stalled for a stint, but is back on course. With a group of investors/partners, he’s co-creating an enormous, dynamic space in downtown Woodland Park. I’m planning to write much more about it in-detail as it takes shape in the coming months, but for now, I asked Matthews to shoot me a short description of TAVA for folks to chew on in the interim. Here’s what he said:
TAVA house, named after the original Native American name of the Mountain [Pike’s Peak], will be a two story multi-use restaurant facility that maximizes the view and culture of Woodland Park. A Crown Jewel of Woodland Park if you will. This facility, sitting right in the heart of town off Highway 24, will have pour-your-own drafts and a wonderful bar-food taproom downstairs, complete with a massive patio and uninterrupted view of the mountain. While upstairs will be a fine dining steakhouse called Firebrand which (much like a Black Bear 2.0) will contain many different levels of steak experiences, as well as an elite chef table option. There's also a wonderful banquet facility to host events year-round, including weddings, corporate functions and company parties. That space will have a big glass wall and nothing but views of the mountain (very very sexy). And finally, it'll serve as a culinary hub of the community, interweaving farms, ranches, high schools and a variety of culinary programs like Paragon into one central hub.
For those unfamiliar with the Black Bear reference, today’s Distillery (now in its 10th year) was preceded by a high-end fine dining restaurant in the same space. As you’ll hear detailed in our upcoming tap&table podcast, the Black Bear operated in the late 90s and early aughts and served extensive nightly chefs tables, pushing the culinary needle forward for its time and place. Paragon Culinary School is about to graduate its 20th class and Matthews never slows down. He’s the proverbial Energizer Bunny of Ute Pass and beyond. (Someone please put that on his tombstone some day. You’re welcome, chef.)
Bites & Bits
• Teri “Momma T” Senior, a staff contributor to 719 Magazine, a local music publication, offers this Exclusive: Inside the Closing of Royal Tavern. “The Royal Tavern was far from just a neighborhood bar; it was a cornerstone of the Manitou Springs community,” she writes.
• As per last week’s newsletter, Nacho Matrix did open Sept. 20 in the Lincoln Center. I attended the soft preview on Sept. 19, as I noted earlier in this newsletter. In three words: it was dope! Here’s a couple of my favorite images from the evening.
• The Gazette earlier this week detailed the opening of the fourth Monica’s Taco Shop in town. I had mentioned in a recent newsletter that the operation would be taking over the former Arby’s spot at 331 S. Nevada Ave. Gazette writer Rich Laden spoke to a family member inside the nearly quarter-century-old business who detailed the breakdown of family members between the different locations. Founders Raul Rodriguez and Guillermina Lopez continue to work at the original Fillmore Street location. The hours at the new spot, which has a drive-through, are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• As noted in the most recent Downtown Colorado Springs newsletter, a new spot named Corner Cafe and Catering has opened at 2 N. Cascade Ave. inside the First Bank Building. You’ll find the grab-and-go cafe on parking level P1, with breakfast items from 8-10 a.m. and lunch items from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. There’s daily hot breakfast specials like cinnamon rolls and waffles plus bagels and daily pastries among morning menu items. Lunch offers salads, sandwiches and daily soup rotations as well as hot lunch specials like taco Tuesday and Cubano sandwiches on Wednesdays.
Side Dish Dozen happenings
• Goat Patch Brewing: Summer Music Series, Webster’s Wheel, 6-8 p.m., Sept. 22. Bleating Heart Night, 5-9 p.m., Sept. 24, The Bike Clinic Too is our beneficiary. Sip with Schnip, 5-9 p.m., Sept. 26 with Chuckwagon 719, Solsage and Roma Ransom.
• Allusion Speakeasy: Nobody else in town can say they have Cocktails For the Living and The Dead. (It’s a Beetlejuice theme reference, ahem.)
• Ascent Beverage: We are excited to announce our newest addition to the Ascent Family: 1874 Distilling out of Del Norte, Colorado. (Good pals of Schniper’s, FWIW.) The first product we will distribute is their superb Orange Clove liqueur.
• Red Gravy: Our Sunday Supper Club returns Oct. 6; tickets for sale soon on our website.
• Odyssey Gastropub: Join us for Thirsty Thursdays and get $4 beers, $5 shots and a $6 cocktail. We pick different specials weekly.
• Bristol Brewing Company: Movie Under the Stars, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21; BYO chair. Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Sept. 25; enjoy brews, win prizes. Have you tried our 30th Anniversary Dark American Wheat and RyePA beers, currently pouring in the pub?
• Edelweiss: It’s Oktoberfest’s official start! We’re tapping a ceremonial keg of Weinenstephaner Bier at 4:30 p.m., Sept. 21. All guests 21-and-up who dine with us will receive free beer until it’s out!
• The French Kitchen: Oktoberfest Beer Tasting with Chef Jason Miller (includes German food treats), Sept. 28. Shop our Taste of September featured items, including a blood orange caramel Queenet, before October’s goodies arrive. Military: get 10% in-store off breads, pastries, drinks, desserts and fresh savory items.
• The Carter Payne: Harvest Celebration Dinner, 6 p.m., Sept. 21. Local Relic Monthly Bottle Release Party, 1-5 p.m., Sept. 28. Second Chance Comedy: Standup about Addiction. 5:30 and 8 p.m., Sept. 28.
• Eleven18 Latin Tapas Bar: Visit us for our happy hours, 4-5:30 p.m., Tuesdays-Saturdays. Or come for a seafood tower or charcuterie board with friends. Save room for dulce de leche cheesecake or white chocolate churros.
• Blue Star Group: Try the Principal's Office Spirit of the month: Hayman's Old Tom Gin. Order an Army and Navy for $14 or a Gin Rickey for $12, all September. Also through month’s end, 3-5:30 p.m., Monday-Thursdays at Decent Pizza get a free kid's half-pan cheese pizza with the purchase of a full-pan pizza.
• Kangaroo Coffee: Where's Roo this weekend? Fueling the Care and Share Food Bank Community Partners Conference; supporting the volunteers and family members at the International Association of Fallen Fighters Memorial Service; keeping the volunteers hopping at the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon; and providing coffee for Comeback Yoga at Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center.
• T-Byrd’s Tacos & Tequila: We’ve added a second date, Sept. 25, to our monthly Tequila Tasting Series. Join us for three 1-ounce pours of Tequila Fortaleza varietals for $25, which includes snack bites from Chef Dustin Archuleta. In District Elleven on Oct. 2, catch a similar tasting with WhistlePig Whiskey.
• Rasta Pasta: Come see us on 2 for Tuesdays and get two draft pints for the price of one.
Upcoming events
• Sept. 20-21: UpaDowna’s Folk ‘n’ Flannel Festival at the Meanwhile Block.
• Sept. 21: Bines & Brews beer fest in Monument’s Limbach Park. 1-5 p.m., $25. Catch a variety of boozy drink samplings, live music and food and craft vendors.
• Sept. 21: Dead Man’s Brewfest at Weidner Field. 5-9 p.m. $69-$139.
• Sept. 22: Paella on the Patio at Tapateria. Three seatings between noon and 5 p.m. $39 includes a first wine, beer or sangria. September’s paella style: Seafood.
• Sept. 24: Wine Dinner Benefiting Ukraine Power at Pizzeria Rustica. 6 p.m.; five courses, $79++. Ukraine Power is a C. Springs-based nonprofit that sends energy aid.
• Sept. 26: Sip with Schnip at Goat Patch Brewing. 5-9 p.m. Paid Side Dish subscribers can enjoy their first pint on us, and all subscribers can enjoy $2 off pints during the event. Solsage & Chuckwagon 719 will serve food, and cornhole, ladder golf and bucket pong will be set up in the garden. Roma Ransom will play at 7 p.m.
• Sept. 26: Tails, Tunes & Tastes at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. 6-9:30 p.m.; $64.75-$74.75 includes two drinks and unlimited food samples; adults only.
• Sept. 26: Martiki & Massages with MX Spa at Blk Mgk coffee shop in the Mining Exchange Hotel. 10 a.m. to noon; get the drink and claim a free mini massage.
• Sept. 27: 20th annual Winemaker’s Dinner at The Royal Gorge Bridge & Park’s Café 1230. $150 includes nine Winery at Holy Cross Abbey wine-paired courses by Chef John Kuespert. The dinner kicks off Harvest Festival weekend.
• Oct. 2: Sazerac Whiskey Dinner at The Broadmoor's La Taverne Restaurant. Taste rare and unique Sazerac Brand Whiskies, guided by Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace resident Master Distiller. 6 p.m.; four, whiskey-paired courses to include Blanton’s, Sazerac 18 and Van Winkle 15 and 23. $450.
• Oct. 5: Thrive’s Ribbon Cutting Rally with Tapas Flight at United Way’s Family Success Center. 5-8 p.m.; $40-$45.
• Oct. 5: Harvest Festival at Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site at Garden of the Gods. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; $4-$8 entry, $5 pumpkins, food vendors will be on site.
Parting shot(s)
Huge thanks this week to my good friends and Side Dish supporters at Downtown Colorado Springs! At Sept. 20’s annual Downtown Partnership Breakfast at Colorado College (my alma mater), the organization gave me a 2024 Downtown Star Award "for outstanding contributions to the vibrancy of Downtown Colorado Springs." I’m tremendously grateful, and honored to be recognized. Here’s a description of the award followed by the kind remarks made by Downtown Partnership’s CEO and President Susan Edmondson:
Downtown Star awards spotlight some of the champions, innovators, visionaries, and problem solvers who make our city center the best it can be.
For two decades, award-winning journalist Matthew Schniper has been not just a food writer and restaurant critic, but an impassioned voice for an increasingly beleaguered industry. His coverage of our community’s restaurant scene began during his long tenure at The Independent and deepened during the pandemic when he and partner Lauren Hug launched the Facebook group now called Culinary Colorado Springs to celebrate and highlight local food and drink businesses. In fact, a study by the Colorado Institute for Social Impact found that the site contributed over $1 million toward strengthening the restaurant scene in just the first year of covid.
He soon followed up with his five-part State of Plate podcast, talking with chefs, restaurateurs and industry insiders about the promise of the Springs culinary scene and at times challenging it to stretch to fulfill its potential.
These days Matthew’s coverage of the scene is foremost through Side Dish with Schniper, found on Facebook, Instagram and Substack. There folks learn about not just new menus, new chefs or new concepts but also about the farmers and growers who are the backbone of the industry as well as the continual economic challenges forcing restaurant owners to constantly innovate.
Edmondson also took care to mention that I don’t just write about businesses in downtown, but the whole of the city and wider region. That due to downtown holding the highest concentration of independent food and drink establishments in all of Southern Colorado, downtown naturally draws much of my reporting focus.
Congratulations 🌟
Congrats on the award. Well deserved!
A question… did I somehow miss the location of Night Ramen? I can’t find it in the article. Thanks!