This was a short week, thanks to Independence Day, and a time to look back on the first six months of 2016. So far, this year has been a great one for bar and restaurant openings, so we picked fourteen new eateries and ten new bars that have impressed us with food, service, design and drinks. The next six months promise more good things to come, so we'll see which of these make it onto our list of the year-end best.
One new bakery had the good fortune of opening twice this year. Gretchen Kurtz talked to pastry chef and cake decorator Sam Slade, whose Valhalla Cakes first saw life when it opened inside Temple Bakery in January and then moved to its own spot on Tennyson Street at the end of April.
Mark Antonation visited a bakery, too, learning the difference between Mexican and Guatemalan quesadillas at La Guatemalteca — and enjoying a Central American breakfast along the way.
In other news:
RESTAURANTS/BARS OPENING THIS WEEK:
801 Chophouse (inside Cherry Creek Mall), 3000 East First Avenue
Blueprint Bar, 450 East 17th Avenue
RESTAURANTS/BARS CLOSING THIS WEEK*:
Chloe Mezze Lounge & Discotheque, 1445 Market Street
GoBistro, 1111 Broadway
*Or earlier, and not included in a previous Second Helping.