The long story of La Loma opened another chapter this week, when a new location opened August 21 in the Denver Tech Center. There are now five La Lomas in the metro area, but thanks to a controversial divorce hotter than La Loma's green chile, they're split between two branches of the Brinkerhoff family.
The owner of the new La Loma at 8000 East Belleview Avenue is Renée Brinkerhoff, who's running it with son William Brinkerhoff Jr. They also have a location in Parker that opened in May, as well as a La Loma in McGregor Square that was originally Caldero, then rebranded.
Another son, Mark Brinkerhoff, and father William, Renée Brinkerhoff's ex, own the La Loma at 1801 Broadway, in the former home of the Trinity Grille (it's really on Tremont Place across from the Brown Palace). That's as close as you come to the original La Loma, which started in 1973 on West 26th Avenue in Jefferson Park under the Mendoza family and moved to a 7,500 square-foot space down the street when William and his father, Sonny Binkerhoff, got involved in 1981.
In 2016, that location closed (the property has since been redeveloped into apartments) and the originalish La Loma moved into that choice downtown space opposite the Brown Palace. At the time, the family had its eye on building another La Loma in the Platte Valley, too, but it never materialized. One in Castle Rock did.
Then came the Brinkerhoff split, and a nasty divorce (BusinessDen has a thorough account). William and Mark kept the downtown location and the restaurant in Castle Rock. In addition to the La Loma DTC, Renée and William Jr. have a location in Parker that opened in May, as well as a La Loma in McGregor Square that was originally Caldero, then rebranded this spring.
While most of the recipes are shared by the two branches, they have different websites...and very different versions of the split.
There as some drama to the opening of the fourth Aloy Thai, too: A ribbon-cutting ceremony initially set for August 15 had to be postponed because of permitting issues; the eatery finally opened at 1400 East Hampden a week late.
By comparison, the opening of Rougarou — the Southern-inspired bar/restaurant at 2844 Welton Street brought to us by the creators of the award-winning Yacht Club — was relatively calm. So was the August 22 debut of the highly anticipated Pig & Tiger, which got its start at Avanti and then took over its own brick-and-mortar at 2200 California Street.
Coming August 24: a second Bao Brewhouse, this one on Tennyson Street, followed by a new Cherry Cricket in Westminster that opens on Monday, August 25.
While more closings are coming — starting with Wu's Garden on August 24 — Denver only registered one last week: Ritual Social House.
In other restaurant news:
- If Malört is the drink you love to hate, don't miss the Malört x Mover and Shaker Bar Crawl that starts Friday, August 29, and runs through September 7; you'll be able to try the liqueur in a multitude of snacks, entrees and desserts served across metro Denver.
- Jacob Bickelhaupt's restaurant in Palm Beach, Konro, lost its Michelin star, and now the chef could lose his freedom, too: He's locked up in a Florida jail on attempted second-degree murder charges while his Denver eatery, Thirteen20 by Jacob & Nadia, is locked up tight.
Openings
Aloy Thai Eatery, 1400 East HampdenLa Loma DTC, 8000 East Belleview Avenue
Pig & Tiger, 2200 California Street
Rougarou, 2844 Welton Street
Closings
Ritual Social House, 1209 East 13th Avenue*or earlier, and not included in a previous list.
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