A Tale of Two Ophelia's: A Second Helping of Westword Food & Drink, August 3-7

This week, Gretchen Kurtz told us which dishes at the hot, hot Ophelia's Electric Soapbox left her cold, but she definitely warmed up to the brothel burger — made with ground yak. Across town in Arvada, Mark Antonation happened across a much older Ophelia's, one that, although hardly as sexy as the Ballpark beauty inspired by a vintage photo of a naked lady, has been serving diner fare and Mexican plates since 1977.

Sarah Harvey gave us a peek into men's clothier/coffeehouse/bourbon bar/barbershop Bellwether, which opened on East Colfax Avenue on Monday. Another shop with a similar, multi-pronged business model also opened this week in River North: MetroBoom already had the clothing and grooming aspects covered in it previous location on Platte Street, which closed in 2014, but after setting up shop in a series of temporary locations over the past year, founder Jung Park finally unveiled MetroBoom 2.0, complete with coffee and cocktails. Bellwether and MetroBoom both offer workspace for gentlemen on the go, and although MetroBoom is not following Bellwether's monthly membership model, it does feature personal branding services — which sounds a little painful for us.

RESTAURANTS/BARS OPENING THIS WEEK*
Bar Fausto, 3126 Larimer Street
Bellwether, 5126 East Colfax Avenue
The Bluegrass Coffee & Bourbon Lounge, Arvada
Modmarket, C Concourse, Denver International Airport

REOPENING THIS WEEK*
MetroBoom, 1231 35th Street

RESTAURANTS/BARS CLOSING THIS WEEK*
Braun Taphaus & Grille, Arvada
The BSide, 17th Avenue

*Or earlier, and not reported in a previous Second Helping.

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