Bite Me

Over in Larimer Square, the twenty-year-old Market (1422 Larimer) has just signed another long-term lease, so you can count on a place to sip latte while keeping an eye on your Harley. A few feet away, at 1433 Larimer, the space that once held (part of) Josephina's will soon become Corridor 44, where chef Eric Laslow will preside over a 44-foot-deep cocktail lounge-slash-small-plates restaurant. Laslow (late of Portland, Oregon, a food town where he made quite a name for himself and which, like Denver, is constantly on the edge of greatness) saw Josephina's through its final hours, and now is looking to get Corridor 44 up and running sometime in October.

Also scheduled for October is the opening of Duo, chef John Broening's new venture at 2413 West 32nd Avenue. Broening was the chef at the late, great Brasserie Rouge -- the man responsible for that wonderful confit, all that nice charcuterie. After that restaurant closed, Broening did a brief turn at Udi's, then went quiet for a while as this deal was put together. Meanwhile, Via is up and running in Brasserie Rouge's former home in the Icehouse (1801 Wynkoop Street), and its patio is already a LoDo must-stop. Other parts of town also boast new patios. At 3230 East Colfax Avenue, Mezcal introduced its streetside corral last week; in Cherry Creek, Brix (3000 East Third Avenue) now has an outdoor patio. And up in Boulder, Frasca (1738 Pearl Street) has a new patio, too -- one reserved exclusively for the walk-in trade.

Props to Pete Meersman, president and CEO of the 4,500-member Colorado Restaurant Association, who was just elevated to chairman of the board of directors of the Colorado Tourism Office. Meersman has been involved with the CRA since 1982, became its president in '89, and has been a longtime friend to the Colorado restaurant community, seeing his members through good times and bad. He'll be leading the charge as the CRA works with numerous restaurants on Dine Out to Help Out, which will raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina. On Wednesday, October 5, restaurants across Colorado -- already an astonishingly generous bunch of businesses -- will donate a portion of their proceeds. And as an added twist, bars and clubs will be involved in the effort, too, through Get Out to Help Out that same night. For more information, go to www.coloradorestaurant.com.

Finally, my review of Nine75 ("Magic Time," August 25), has resulted in an unexpected honor: a framed plaque above booth 22, noting that it's "the worst table in the house" -- according to me, at least. Parties seated there get their picture taken, and also a complimentary order of meatloaf, says Nine75's Leigh Sullivan. I stand by my assessment of the meatloaf, but Leigh's right about two other things: I got Ian Kleinman's job wrong (he cooks at Nine75, but the sous chef is Toby Shimizu), and the portrait of Mao is still in residence at the sibling restaurant of the same name. It's the statue that's been replaced -- by one of Buddha. My apologies on both counts.