Every Opening and Closing This Week: Three Fires Temporarily Close Two Restaurants

In what proved to be a roller-coaster of a week for the metro restaurant scene, a trio of fires temporarily closed two restaurants. Berkeley’s Parisi is hard at work cleaning up after an electrical fire left smoke and infrastructure damage throughout the space. The eatery spent Friday selling off much of the produce and other food salvaged from the fire to members of the local restaurant industry and consumers alike.

In Castle Rock, not one but two fires on successive days shuttered the Hideaway Bar & Grill, while authorities investigate suspicious behavior surrounding the events and the owners contemplate repairs.

In more permanent news, Under the Umbrella, a 20-year-old Congress Park staple, is gone for good. Owner/operator Jyll Tuggle pointed to ongoing economic and health challenges as the primary reasons, and hinted at a possible farewell party in the near future.

Also gone: The Harry Potter-themed Underground School of Magic at Church & Union, which closed within days of opening. According to reports, the experience was a little too close to Warner Bros IP for comfort, and the studio cast an “evanesco” spell on the concept in short order. 

Balancing the closings were several openings, including The Flaming Grill across from the Colorado Convention Center, the Wellness Counter in Boulder and CV Proper Kitchen in Castle Rock.

And tipping the scales in favor of good news, there’s Milpero. Already flush with two Michelin stars and numerous awards and accolades accumulated by the five restaurants that made up the Fonda Fina Hospitality group, this week owners Johnny and Kasie Curiel started welcoming guests to their sixth concept: an 18-course tasting-menu restaurant. 

Seating only two groups of eight a night, the Milpero experience is more intimate by design, with reservations released only once a month to score what’s sure to be a highly competitive spot.

Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened or closed this week*:

Openings

CV Proper Kitchen, 2355 Mercantile Street, Castle Rock
East & Co., 2100 Central Avenue, Boulder
The Flaming Grill, 891 14th Street
Fusion by Tino’s, 1519 Wynkoop Street
Hip Hop Ice Cream, 4430 West 29th Avenue
Milpero, 3455 Ringsby Court, Unit 105A
Tonic Zero Proof Bar, 5767 South Rapp Street, Littleton

Closures

Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii, 2990 Speer Boulevard
Underground School of Magic at Church & Union, 1433 17th Street #150
Under the Umbrella Cafe and Bakery, 3507 East 12th Avenue

Temporarily Closed

Parisi, 4401 Tennyson Street
Hideaway Bar & Grill, 600 Jerry Street, Castle Rock

*Or earlier and not previously reported.

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