Sunnyside Favorite Odie B's Is Launching Boombots Pasta Shop

"Opening three restaurants in three years is fairly idiotic in my opinion," admits Cliff Blauvelt, who opened his first solo venture under the name Bodega in the summer of 2022. The restaurant, which serves sandwiches and more for breakfast and lunch, quickly gained a lot of fans — and the attention of a Kansas City restaurant called La Bodega Tapas & Lounge, which, it turns out, has had a trademark on "bodega" for 25 years.

So in July, Blauvelt rebranded his restaurant as Odie B's — in the midst of working to open a second location, which is coming soon to the Novel RiNo building.

Now he's adding a new concept to the mix. Boombots Pasta Shop will be located in the space next door to the original Odie B's, at 2647 West 38th Avenue. Diners can get a first taste at an evening pop-up in the Odie B's space on November 15.

When the art gallery that had been operating next door moved out, "the building owners asked if I was interested in the space for expansion," Blauvelt recalls. "I didn't want new neighbors, and I knew I needed the space to continue to grow what we started. The issue with the current space is size."

The initial idea was to use the new spot to support Odie B's, and maybe even add an office. "It allows us to continue to create and expand on our original plan, like processing our own cured meats, producing some deli meats and bread-baking," Blauvelt notes. "But we need to be able to pay for the space. That’s when the creative side came in, and I started thinking about a whole new concept and how that could work."
Boombots will operate in the evening using the Odie B's kitchen. The name is "old-school Italian slang for 'idiots'  — which seems fitting for what we're doing," Blauvelt jokes, and the concept is still being developed. "We're starting this with a small menu," he adds. "We really want to get the food into people's hands, get feedback and get Denver stoked on it." Guests at the first pop-up will have their choice of an appetizer, entree and dessert.

"Pasta is across all cultures, and nothing is off the table," Blauvelt says of developing the menu. "I anticipate the same sort of playful, fun creativity as Odie B’s." The Boombots team also includes executive chef Connor Gushenm, whose résumé lists Vesta, Mondo Market and Cart-Driver; and culinary director Jesse Moore, who has worked at Gado Gado in Portland and the much-missed Beast + Bottle.

All of the pasta will be made in-house. The menu for the pop-up includes a smoked cabbage Caesar, smoked duck green chile mac and cheese and Dirty Martini Bucatini.

"To me, Odie B’s is more Lil Wayne and Supreme and the pasta shop is more Pharell and Louis Vuitton," Blauvelt explains. "Boombots is Odie B’s bougie older brother. A little more mature and subdued than the sandwich shop vibe." Kevin Nguyen and Bri Somma from Regular Architecture are designing the space, which will include a mural by Jolt, a local artist who, like Blauvelt, grew up in the Northside and also created the mural at Odie B's.

With a lot of plans in motion, Blauvelt and his team are keeping busy and "we ain't stopping," he concludes. "We just want to keep having fun with good people and feeding Denver."

For more information, including details about the November 15 pop-up, follow @boombots_pastashop on Instagram.