Bite Me

This ain't your abuelita's Mexican food.

It ain't your abuelita's dining room, either. With the help of Marco Colantonio, owners Curt Sims and Pam Savage have cut the old Denver Buffalo Company space in half and turned the corner into a cool, trendy room with both intimate and open dining spaces, along with a fabulous enclosed patio outside. (The future of the remaining space has yet to be determined.) This summer, that patio should be just the spot for sipping an azul margarita -- which is, of course, Tarantula azul, blue Curaçao, agave nectar and fresh lime juice, served on the rocks or not.

Sad news:After the Cielo party, a few revelers headed over to Dazzle (930 Lincoln Street), where they were lucky enough to see Doug Fleischmann, co-owner of Mizuna (225 East Seventh Avenue) and the four-month-old Luca D'Italia (711 Grant Street), who'd dropped by Dazzle after work and was bubbling over about what a good night his nearby restaurants had enjoyed.

Less than an hour later, Fleischmann was dead. As he drove along 17th Avenue, a car coming south on Lafayette Street ran a stop sign; Fleischmann's Jeep Cherokee broadsided the other car, then rolled. Fleischmann died at the scene; the other driver, a 22-year-old woman, was arrested for investigation of vehicular homicide and driving under the influence, and is currently out on a $50,000 bond.

Fleischmann is survived by his business partner and best friend Frank Bonanno, a big family (whose members request that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to his three favorite nonprofits: Project Angelheart, the Art Students League of Denver and the Colorado AIDS Project), his crews at both Mizuna and Luca, and many, many friends and fans. I didn't know Fleischmann well, but to know him at all was to be bowled over by his charming demeanor, overcharged dedication to his profession and caring attitude. The restaurant scene in this town is poorer for the loss.

Mizuna and Luca closed on June 25 and will remain closed on June 26. That's when a service commemorating Fleischmann's life will be held at the Pinnacle Club, 555 17th Street, at 10 a.m. For the restaurants' schedules after that, call 303-832-4778.