Colorado natives Jamie Elward and her husband, Jordan Blaydes, have been working on opening a restaurant for the past two and a half years. But the day has finally come, and the two are unveiling something a little different for downtown Englewood: a ritzy new eatery called One Barrel American Bistro & Wine Bar.

"We're trying to bring more of an upscale destination to Englewood, but in a homey environment," Elward explains. One Barrel will serve as a wine bar as well as a full lunch and dinner restaurant. "We've both been studying to get our sommelier certification," the co-owner adds. "We want to represent as much of the world as possible in our wines."

To that end, One Barrel will carry more than 100 wine labels, with 25 or so by the glass as well as other fun presentations like kegged and canned wines.

Joining the owners is chef David Polakoff, whose menu will cover familiar ground from filet mignon to short ribs to pork chops, but also more creative presentations that Elward describes as "seasonal American." So don't be surprised to see the likes of duck breast and duck confit agnolotti with porcini mushrooms and butternut squash on the opening menu.

One Barrel hosted a social-media soft opening on Monday night to acknowledge the restaurant's growing online fan base, and will open to the public tonight at 4 p.m. Through the end of 2018, the dining room will be open from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, but beginning in January the team will add lunch beginning at 11 a.m. Monday through Friday. Elward also notes that the restaurant will host food and wine-pairing dinners next spring to give Englewood residents a new way to approach wine.

One Barrel American Bistro & Wine Bar is located at 3401 South Broadway, on the ground floor of a new apartment building at the corner of Broadway and Girard Avenue. Call 303-829-0249 or visit the One Barrel website for reservations and other information.