Whit's End Opens in Former Scott's Market Space

Whit's End, a new concept from the team that owns Red Square Bistro, is opening its doors on Wednesday, December 4. The cleverly named restaurant is at the end of the Whittier neighborhood, in the former Scott's Market building at 1736 East 31st Avenue. The restaurant will be open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday and for brunch on Sundays.

The menu will feature Western European fare and highlight executive chef Maxsim Ionikh's training in classic French cuisine. The opening menu includes appetizers like deviled eggs three ways, patatas bravas and shrimp scampi. There is French onion soup as well as a chilled tomato soup, plus main dishes such as beef bourguignon ragout, vegetable lasagna Provençal with Parmesan toast, chicken schnitzel, and the Whit's Burger with truffle mayo and fries on the side.

"We're opening with this menu because it's our vision, but we'll see what the neighbors respond to," says Ionikh. He notes that, as the name suggests, this is ultimately a neighborhood restaurant, and input from customers will help steer the vision.

Eventually, he adds, the kitchen will create some surprise specials, but for now, Whit's End is launching daily dinner specials: Venetian shrimp and polenta on Tuesdays; fish and chips on Wednesdays; trout amandine on Thursdays; roasted duck on Fridays; and roasted beef coulotte on Saturdays.

Appetizers range from $5 for warmed bread and olive oil to $14 for mushroom and ricotta ravioli. All entrees are under $30, though some specials will be $30. Cocktails are $13 to $15, and the wine list includes house wine at $8 a glass. Canned, bottled and draft beer are on offer, too. Whit's End will host happy hour from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, with 20 percent off everything on the menu.
Sunday brunch entrees range from $13 to $18 and include a ham and cheese crepe, beignets, an arugula and beet salad, and several egg dishes. Mimosas, bellinis and Bloody Marys are $13, and a French 75 is $14.

Ionikh and longtime business partner Irina Storm had hoped to open Whit's End in September, a date that has already been pushed back because of supply chain and permitting delays. They've been ready to open for months, but delays in the city approval process kept pushing back the opening date. "The neighbors are so excited, which is good, because we want people to be excited, but bad because we feel like we've been stringing them along," Ionikh says.

The restaurant is opening in the former Scott's Market, a small grocery store that served the community on and off since 1897. Ownership has transitioned through the years, but the name stayed the same for over a century until it closed a decade ago.
To honor that history, Ionikh and Storm intend to hang the old Scott's Market sign, or what's left of it, in the garage, which will be renovated into a secondary dining area that opens onto the patio. They also saved a large safe they found and originally planned to use it as a host stand. But the safe, which has the Scott Market's name and an old photo of the mountains on it, is huge. "It might just be a conversation piece rather than a host stand," Ionikh notes.

While the main dining area, kitchen and bar are open, guests can expect an expansion in the spring with the opening of the renovated garage and patio seating. "We're just looking forward to being open, to show the people that have been waiting so long what we've created," Ionikh concludes.

Whit's End is located at 1736 East 31st Avenue and is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, follow the restaurant on Instagram @whitsenddenver.