Vinny and Marie’s
Audio By Carbonatix
Last week, Johnny Bechamel’s made its debut in the Wash Park neighborhood, and this week, three more Italian spots opened.
James “Jimmy the Wolf” Pino launched his food truck, Vinny & Marie’s Italian Street Food, in 2021 and quickly gained a following for his sandwiches, including a Philly cheesesteak, chicken parm and the Mosco, which combines Italian sausage and Pueblo green chiles. Why? Not that anyone needs an excuse to add green chiles to whatever they want, but it’s particularly fitting for Pino, whose family created a green chile dynasty — his uncle, Harry Mosco, for whom Mosco chiles are named, was the first person in Pueblo to recognize that the humble crop could become a hot item.
December 20 marks the official debut of Pino’s first brick-and-mortar location of Vinny & Maries, which will open at 11 a.m. in Arvada. If you’re planning to go, expect a crowd: Fans have been hungry for a taste of this menu, which includes the truck’s signature sandwiches as well as pasta and sides like onion rings.
Anyone from the Chicago area is likely familiar with Rosati’s, a popular Midwest chain. It already had an outpost in Broomfield that opened in 2018; on December 18 a different franchise owner, Jim DiSanto, opened Rosati’s Pizza in Centennial. In addition to the tavern-style pies the brand is known for, it also offers deep dish, Italian beefs, wings, pasta and more.
Florence Supper Club
Several blocks from Johnny Bechamel’s, chef Miles Odell and Paul Lysek have opened Florence Supper Club in the former Finley’s Pub next to Candlelight Tavern. Odell is best known for his Highland bagel shop, Odell’s Bagels, and its impressive evening kaiseki service, the Counter at Odell’s. An East Coast-style red sauce joint, this new spot was inspired by Lysek’s grandmother, Florence.
This week’s other two openings are an outpost of national chain Taziki’s Mediterranean Café in Highlands Ranch, and a new location of local chain Qué Rico inside the recently revamped Junction food hall near I-25 and Colorado Boulevard.
Two of this week’s closures were due to tax seizures: Your Mom’s House, the beleaguered venue on East 13th Avenue, and Maggie & Molly’s, a bakery on East Sixth Avenue that alleges the City of Denver “made a complete dick move to renege on a tax payment plan they offered that provided a January 20 due date,” according to a statement on its website.
Colfax & Cream, which started on East Colfax Avenue in May 2024, had grown to three locations before shuttering its original outpost earlier this year. Now, its Broadway shop has closed as well, leaving only the location at 712 1/2 South Pearl Street. Boba shop Might Tea Samurai is set to celebrate its grand opening in the Broadway space on January 3.
The year in beer brought some big brewery closures, and 2025 is ending with more notable losses. This week marked the end for Boulder-based Sanitas Brewing and its three locations; Sanitas had announced its plans to close with this statement on its website: “It is no secret that the craft beer industry is currently facing significant challenges that impact business viability, and Sanitas is not immune to these realities. One of Sanitas’ primary values is ‘Do The Right Thing x 4’ — that is 4 for: our community, our customers, ourselves and our company. Please trust that closing is the right, albeit bittersweet, decision today.”
Also set to close on December 23: Call to Arms. Stop by this weekend to bid farewell during its final Big Holiday Energy pop-up.
In other openings and closings news:
- Mr. Lucky’s is closing both of its sandwich shops after December 31.
- Pickleball venue Moodswing is set to debut on January 3 near I-70 and Colorado Boulevard.
- Discover the most anticipated winter openings, featuring seven restaurants and one brewery.
- A Y2K-themed bar is coming to South Broadway.
- A new restaurant is moving into the former Fruition space next year.
Rosati’s
Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars that opened and closed this week*:
Openings
Florence Supper Club, 375 South Pearl Street
Que Rico at Junction Food and Drink, 2000 South Colorado Boulevard
Rosati’s, 5616 South Gibraltar Way, Centennial
Taziki’s Mediterranean Café, 1601 Mayberry Drive, Highlands Ranch
Vinny & Marie’s Italian Street Food, 6408 Wadsworth Boulevard, Arvada
Closures
Colfax and Cream, 1100 Broadway
Maggie and Molly’s, 2908 East Sixth Avenue
Sanitas Brewing, three locations:
- 3550 Frontier Avenue, Boulder
- 200 West Belleview Avenue, Englewood
- 400 West South Boulder Road, Lafayette
Your Mom’s House, 608 East 13th Avenue
*Or earlier and not previously reported.
Know of something we missed? Email cafe@westword.com.
