The pair got married two decades ago, and Pam pretty much quit performing live (she still does studio work) after she had two kids. The kitchen became her stage, and many of the recipes she developed -- including a great chicken green chile - wound up featured at Lime. The concept was such a hit that they soon added Lime XS on Sixth Avenue, then a third Lime in Winter Park and a fourth Lime in Greenwood Village.
While all three of those are still going strong, Larimer Square "wasn't a good fit for us anymore," Pam says. "It was time to cut our losses." The subterranean location required major plumbing work, and they couldn't afford to be closed while those repairs were made.
And then they found a spot that was a perfect fit for a new Lime: previously unleased space above the Hard Rock Café in the Denver Pavilions, close to Yard House and right across the street from Earls. "There's a lot more energy then when we were there with Beyond," Pam says of the couple's earlier club in the Pavilions.
They're working on plans for building out that space right now. Pam's thinking about a counter where people can get grab-and-go food at lunch, as well as an expansive patio where they can linger over happy hour. And they're making more than physical changes to their concept. "I've been doing a lot of research," Pam says. "The big Mexican plate is over. We're going to make the menu much more user-friendly." She plans to focus on small plates, including four or five kinds of tamales every day and other dishes that can be shared. "I like interacting with my food," she explains. The flour chips that have been a hallmark at every Lime will still be offered, of course, but she's looking at more ways to use them, and new kinds of salsa to
With plenty of space in the new place, she's also planning to make Lime "more tequila-centric," with many more kinds of tequila and tequila events. "We'll still be a bar and still have Taco Tuesday," she promises, "but we can grow out of that dungeon feeling."
Look for the new Lime to open by November. And in the meantime, you've got a chance to hear the voice that was once a major draw on Larimer Square: Pam Savage-Sims will be singing at Dazzle on August 11.
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