Swank week
Ambli's restaurant group opens Latin Social downtown; Ryze Skyline Lounge becomes second hotel-top bar in city center; 707 Pizza Co. calls for help + more food & drink news and events
To say that the newly opened Latin Social — across the patio from Sushi Row in the Southwestern-style former YMCA corporate office building — comes to us from the operators of Ambli Kitchen & Bar offers both context and reassurance.
Ambli upholds culinary standards of excellence, yes, at a price, and so too does Latin Social. I can say this after a single visit, effortlessly dropping around $200 for two, and not regretting any penny of it.
Let’s get it out of the way now that the name does confound a bit, likely making people think of another salsa dancing spot or perhaps a fusion Latin American-driven restaurant with Caribbean and Mexican touches. That’s where my mind went.
But instead, co-owner Pariza Mehta tells us it’s inspired by Latin-language-speaking countries, specifically those cradling the Mediterranean: from Spain and Italy to Turkey. A note in the menu elaborates, saying they chose the name to reflect the spirit they hope guests feel in the space, one of cultures built around family, food and great wine. In fairness, I can see how if they did call it “Mediterranean food” that would likely imply more of a Med Cafe or Jake & Telly’s vibe — which Latin Social isn’t.
What it is on the opening menu, that will gradually expand we’re told, is a diverse mix ranging from paellas for two (just in time for Eleven18 to yield the floor as it turned into an event space) to starters like oysters, hamachi sashimi ceviche (surprising given the sushi joint across the way), patatas bravas and carpaccio salad. As well as dishes like braised short ribs, Portuguese garlic shrimp and tortellini carbonara.
We go directly for the mezze platter for two ($95), featuring half a piri piri chicken, baked then grilled; a long, succulent chimichurri filet mignon kebab; a pair of pomegranate seed-garnished lamb lollies; turmeric-masala basmati rice; Spanish-spun smoked paprika hummus; tomato-cucumber-onion salad; toum (a fabulous Lebanese raw garlic, olive oil and lemon purée meant to accentuate the meats); olives and cornichons; a pile of mini thick-cut French fries; and a pair of naan puffs.
It’s a feast, plated on ornate, round (food-grade) copper trays that Mehta brought back from Turkey this summer. All elements are wonderful in concert with one another. The toum in particular has me vowing to find the best online recipe and batch-make it for home use regularly. I want to eat it with everything. Chef/Co-owner Ricardo Morffin treats each protein with unique care, such that each one feels like the star of the plate.
Mehta recommends a glass of Chateau Lescalle, a big and fruity Bordeaux blend as a pairing, and we’re better for it. The recommended wine and the acidic accouterments to the dish cut the fattier meat components and counter the chicken’s spice pop beautifully.
We’d whet our appetites with two potent aperitifs before the mezze arrived: a Cardamom Negroni and Spanish Gin & Tonic. Each literally made us salivate. The Negroni is a White Negroni variant, made with Cocchi Americano (a quinine-flavored aperitif wine) in place of Campari (or Suze in the case of typical White Negronis). The cardamom plays surprisingly dynamic throughout a sip, biting the sides of the tongue up front and transitioning to a smooth middle where you most taste the spice essence, then fading to an almost cinnamon-like note, ending dry and herbaceously bitter.
The Spanish G&T leads with an Italian blood orange gin spiked with four citrus components — lemon, lime, orange and grapefruit — plus tarragon, whose leaves act as garnish with citrus segments. It’s hugely aromatic, juicy and bitter in a botanical gin way and grapefruit pith way. If you like Aperol Spritzes, this one’s for you.
We decide to box some leftovers for lunch the next day, saving room for one of a couple dessert specials for the evening. À la Ambli’s strong suit, we pick a fusion item described to us as a hybrid strawberry cheesecake topped with a crème brûlée layer and plated on top of a chocolate base. Mehta will later tell us that plantains are planned in place of the strawberries, that this was a momentary placeholder as the fruit component.
When it arrives, it appears more like a bread pudding to the eye, and even texturally. The caramelized aspect holds a satisfying crunch to the tooth, fitting a Basque cheesecake treatment. The chocolate puddle to dredge bites through tastes like a high-quality baking chocolate, somewhere in the Valrhona realm.
With dinner behind us, I reintroduce myself properly to Mehta (as it’s been some years since I first reported at Ambli) and she graciously gives us a tour of the upstairs space that has yet to open. It has a redundant open kitchen to save significant steps for servers up the staircase and skip the need for a dumbwaiter, and there’s also an upstairs bar and lounge, with two-tops spanning the iron railing overlooking the downstairs bar. All the sightlines are scenic in their own way to appreciate the dapper design work.
Mehta takes a moment to explain the vision for Latin Social’s Tea Time service from 2:30-4:30 p.m., Mondays-Thursdays (beginning mid October). Preceding a happy hour-like “Social Hour” from 4:30-5:45, Mondays-Saturdays, Tea Time is by contrast designed around lightly- and non-alcoholic drinks, ranging from fresh juices to low-alcohol wines and tiny martini pours.
An insert in the menu describes Tea Time as partly for communal work space, be that finishing emails for the afternoon or journaling or sketching creatively. “A beautiful environment where you can be alone without feeling lonely.” It will offer small bites with the drinks, and could easily lead into Social Hour downstairs once whatever work is done. “We don’t get enough time to daydream,” Mehta says to us, sounding personally afflicted by that constraint — she’s clearly busy operating three restaurants now (including an Ambli in Denver’s Belleview Station) with her fellow co-owner Kelly Morrison and Chef Morffin.
I can relate to the sentiment, imagining how nice it would be to retreat upstairs some afternoon with a book. (Dream on, dude.) But I’m likely to go back sooner to taste through more of the eclectic menu. It’s a welcome fine dining addition to North Tejon Street, and we’ve but had a small sample of it.
Ryze to the occasion
Lumen8 Rooftop Social was the first hotel-top bar and eatery to open downtown (a few years ago), but it now has company. Earlier this week, Ryze Skyline Lounge launched in the Hilton Garden Inn at Cascade Avenue and Bijou Street.
It’s similarly swanky with an incredible West-facing panorama to be enjoyed from its balcony and dining room, though it’s more compact by way of menu offerings and elbow room (hosting around 50 each inside and out). I stopped by pre-opening and on the night they threw doors open, meeting the staff and taking in a limited sampling.
“Our vision for this project is to create a destination for Colorado Springs travelers and locals to enjoy an elevated, intimate bar experience that is hyper-focused on the quality of the cocktail program and accompanied with unmatched views,” Hilton Garden GM Vin Sud tells Side Dish. “We have a goal to offer a timeless space where Colorado ingredients and spirits really shine, serving as a hub for local food and beverage that supports Colorado producers.”
F&B Director Joe Valentino, who I spend the most time touring and talking with, echoes much of that sentiment in his own words, describing the food menu as refined but approachable. Property Chef Erik Kirby has created a tight list of 10 savory items and three desserts, intended to be refreshed seasonally. That’s balanced on the drink side by a dozen cocktails, couple of mocktails and just over a dozen wines by the glass. Beer selections are more limited, but include craft Colorado brands like Eddyline.
Bar Lead Jason Downs, a Manitou Springs native with a decade of local bartending experience ranging from Tejon Street nightclubs to Cerberus Brewing and 503W, says he too has thought seasonally with his opening creations. He makes us his Little White Lye as an example. It cuts butterfly pea-infused vodka with lychee sake, peach liqueur and lemon bitters and sips remarkably well balanced and deceptively boozy, fresh, clean and not cloying. I later try his Faux-Liage mocktail, made with sparkling white cranberry, lime and N/A Amaro Lucano; it’s nicely aromatic, bitter-herbal and light with an easy citrus finish.
Valentino emphasizes they’re capable of most classic cocktails by request too, saying it’s a place where “we hold The Last Word in high regard.” And yes, they’ll do you a proper espresso martini or Carajillo. I asked.
For bites, I sample Kirby’s compressed melon salad and Colorado bison sliders. The first sports a mild grapefruit vinaigrette with garnishes of pickled Fresno chile slivers, lightly salty Cotija crumbles and micro greens. It captures a late summer sunset as an edible expression of the view. The brioche bun sliders start with well-seasoned and juicy medium rare bison patties topped with a slice of smoked, aged cheddar just threatening to melt, sweet caramelized shallots and a juniper aioli that I would like to see a little more of in quantity and juniper potency, as it’s an alluring component.
I ask Valentino if Ryze is the type place they imagine people will come for a full meal, versus pre- or post-meal indulgences. He says folks could certainly fill up on a round of shared plates if they wished to solely dine and drink here, but the atmosphere certainly lends itself to a first-drink-of-the-night stop as well as a post-dinner destination for dessert and a nightcap. Those desserts by the way are Colorado honey panna cotta with Palisade peaches and Marcona almonds; a cherry-hazelnut chocolate pot de creme; and a poached pear with honey-lavender tulip, granola crust and brown butter ice cream. (These I especially need to return to try.)
What is missing from the menu that no-one will miss are the “brand standard baseline items” notes Sud. That’s where name-brand hotels must serve certain items that are uniform across all properties (for boring people who don’t like to try new things, if I’m editorializing about it). Ryze is able to skip those because the guest eatery on the second floor ticks off all those boxes, “so we can offer whatever we want on the rooftop.”
Sit outside at fire pits or choose longer lounge seats meant for crowding your party around (like facing couches or booth seats) and enjoy views that also extend north and south via open sides, taking in the whole mountain range. There’s no bad view from inside either, as all the dining room lounge seats and two tops face west too.
While the exterior has a beige/gray character popped by the green of living plants, the eclectic interior decor mixes warm tones mostly with gold and copper colored accents. Overhead string lights add a festive, celebratory touch, ensuring a soft glow throughout the expanse. It’s all very tasteful and doesn’t scream hotel bar. If at any point you think it’s all too serious, head back towards a rear private dining nook (with beautiful African print wallpaper) and find small metal sculptures of men rappelling down braided ropes atop angular lined tiles. It’s a random art installation that surprises, evoking the mountain theme in a subtle way.
To visit: reservations recommended; open 4-10 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
Bites & Bits
• 707 Pizza Co., whose opening I wrote about here in mid July, has put out a community call for help via a GoFundMe campaign. The eatery, located next to Ed Robson Arena on Colorado College’s campus, faces an early financial challenge due to a number of factors, including a protracted construction period, defective kitchen equipment and a software conundrum related to their hi-tech, interactive tabletop displays. Take a moment to read their very transparent account of it all, and consider dropping in for a pizza and drink to show some support, short of making a donation.
• Colorado Springs Utilities is tackling peak-hours demand in a variety of new ways. Energy Wise Rates begin Oct. 1 for new business customers and Jan. 1, 2026 for existing ones, “to better reflect the true cost of providing electricity,” according to CSU. That means that electricity used between 5-9 p.m., weekdays (especially during June-September when demand is higher due to cooling) will be billed at a higher rate. I spoke with one restaurant owner who’s already feeling trepidatious, unsure how exactly her eatery will be affected. An informational brochure being distributed to restaurants by CSU recommends upgrading to Energy Star appliances, using smart timers and “shift[ing] dishwashers and batch prep outside of peak hours.”
Unlike homeowners, who can run laundry in off-peak hours for example, restaurants can’t switch off their fridges and coolers by way of incentivized behavior change. The restaurateur I spoke with pointed out that her West-facing windows force her to run more AC during late-day summer hours to keep guests comfortable. CSU tackles concerns in the brochure’s Q&A section, asking “Won’t this hurt restaurants since we’re busiest during dinner hours?” They answer: “Not necessarily … all other hours are priced lower than your current rate.” CSU, from sample business analysis they’ve run, believes around 50 percent of businesses will see a bill decrease without changing any behavior, while the other 50 percent “may see an increase depending on their usage patterns.” They note that most full-service kitchens cook with natural gas ranges, so food preparation itself shouldn’t be significantly impacted by the change.
• A project between the Colorado Department of Agriculture, New Belgium Brewing, Root Shoot Malting, Olander Farms and Downforce Technologies demonstrated a removal of atmospheric greenhouse gases via regeneratively farmed barley. "Having this project’s data indicates we can make sustainable, low-emissions beer from grain to glass,” a New Belgium rep is quoted saying in a press release. The project “indicates a replicable model that is designed to not only build sustainability credentials, but also establish supply chain resilience and a premium product for the consumer.” New Belgium is now exploring how to scale the model across its supplier network. The takeaway: “Better soil, better barley, better beer.”
• I don’t do a quote-of-the-week in this newsletter, but it’s worth making space for one here, because a friend cracked me up by sending me a text earlier this week that read: “They tried to bring me out some Impossible meat Asian tacos at HH and I sent that shit packing. No thank you. I ordered salmon, yo.” Followed by “That text was NOT meant for you. But somehow it works.” Relatedly, she was quite bothered by the word “shrimps” on Ryze Skyline Lounge’s menu, for the Fire Kissed Shrimps dish. “🦐shrimp” and “🦐🦐shrimpSS” she later texted me. She’s still not over it.
Side Dish Dozen happenings
Kangaroo Coffee: Show support and vote for our owner Doug Hammond in the Operator of the Year category in the HOSPYS! We love being out in the community and hope to see you at the: Legacy Race Battling Breast Cancer, Oct. 4; the Manitou 5k, Oct. 11; and at upcoming Switchbacks FC matches on Sept. 27, Oct. 4, and Oct. 18!
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar: The countdown has begun… October is National Seafood Month and no one does seafood like Jax. Dive into an ocean of flavor with a Japanese-inspired menu crafted by the one and only Chef Sheila Lucero and beverage specials all month long. Make your reservation now.
Edelweiss: We’re running weekly Oktoberfest specials throughout the next month. Come in before Sept. 28 for our Kassler Rippchen, smoked pork chops with caramelized onions in pork gravy, with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. And Sept. 29-Oct. 5 catch Wiesnhendl, half an oven-roasted chicken with potato salad and a pretzel. Add an Oktoberfest beer to either dish for just $5.
Goat Patch Brewing: 4th annual Oktoberfest at Goat Patch–Lincoln Center, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sept. 27. CC Tigers Coaches Show, 5-8 p.m.; $1 off Tigers Tail Blonde Ale pints. Wednesday Trivia Night at Northgate, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Oct. 1. Oktoberfest at Pikes Peak Brewing, Oct. 4.
Allusion Speakeasy: T-Swift Speak Now Easy theme is in full swing at our Powers location. Make your resos swiftly if you know what’s good for you.
Nacho Matrix: Join us for brunch, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays. And for Oaxaca Wednesdays with $12 Oaxaca Old Fashions all day. Odyssey Gastropub: Daily happy hours 3-6 p.m. Whiskey & Wings Wednesdays feature a shot of rotating whiskey and nine wings for $17.
Upcoming events
Sept. 27: Blues on the Mesa at Gold Hill Mesa. A full day of music supported by a number of local food and drink outfits.
Sept. 27: Itlog After Dark Baon Supper Club dinner at Good Neighbors Meeting House. 6 p.m.; $90, five courses plus welcome cocktail.
Sept. 27-28: Harvest Festival at The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey.
Sept. 27-28: Black Forest Brewing Company’s 8th Annual Oktoberfest.
Sept. 30: Pikes Peak Oktoberfest at Hillside Gardens. 5-9 p.m.; $12.51-$28.52.
Oct. 1: Wednesday Wine School: What’s that note? Reds! at The Carter Payne. $60 includes a guided tasting plus small bites.
Oct. 3: Dead Man’s Brewfest at Weidner Field. 6-9 p.m.; $10-$99.
Oct. 3: One Year Anniversary Party at Urban Animal Beer Co. Downtown.
Oct. 4: Manitou Springs Heritage Brewfest. 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. $10-$70.
Oct. 4: Free drink day at Loyal Coffee. Celebrating nine years in biz.
Oct. 6: Neon Night Ride with the Colorado Springs Bike Party at Cocktails After Dusk. 7 p.m. Let your soul glow.
Oct. 7: Bristol Brewing’s Benefit Beers Release Party. 6-8 p.m. Tapping Venetucci Pumpkin Ale, Smokebrush Smoked Porter and Cheyenne Cañon Piñon Nut Brown Ale. Free samples, live music and more.
Oct. 9-11: Great American Beer Festival in Denver. New this year: The Distilling Experience.
Oct. 10: Pumpkin Fest at Venetucci Farm. 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hayrides, makers market, games and much more.
Parting shot(s)
Last Friday evening we attended the Angelo Cellars Winemaker Dinner with Chad Angelo and Chef Brent Beavers at The Carter Payne. It was an excellent, six-course feast designed around various Napa Valley Cabernet blends produced between 2013 and 2018. Click into the photos to see full wine and food descriptions, positioned next to each course. Visit The Carter Payne’s events page to check out upcoming programming, which includes Small Brew Saturdays with Local Relic, Member Dinners, Whiskey Church and wine school sessions.
