Low Country Kitchen Flies the LoHi Coop

For almost two years, Low Country Kitchen was part of a lively restaurant triangle on LoHi's Boulder Street that started with Lola Coastal Mexican, then gained Mizu (in the former home of Churchill's Public House, as well as many others), then Low Country (in the space at 1575 Boulder that started out as Vita, which shares a building with Lola).

Low Country quickly won fans with its great rooftop patio and fried chicken. But after serving brunch on February 3, that bird flew the coop.

In a statement explaining the sudden closing, owners Brian and Katy Vaughn said they'd decided to focus on their original restaurant in Steamboat, which just moved into a bigger space after five years.

“While we’ve had a great two years in Denver, the weekly commute to and from Steamboat was proving to be too taxing on our family,” Brian Vaughn said. “Low Steamboat has been incredibly busy, especially since moving to its new home. Managing it, as well as a second restaurant several hours away, was not providing much of a work/life balance. Moving forward, we want to ensure we have more time with our daughter, Neilly, which is what is most important to us.”

The end of LoHi's Low Country came as a surprise. Although there was no note on Low Country's website or Facebook page about the closing, and no note on the door, early on February 5 the space was almost completely cleared out (alert: and the door unlocked).

There's a "For Lease" sign touting a kitchen in the upper window of the building, which got its start as part of the Olinger Mortuary complex that now houses Linger, Lola and Maci Cafe. Several restaurants are reportedly alreadu interested in taking over the high-visibility spot that Low Country vacated so quickly.