May 5, 2021, 6:00 am 0 Shares
As vaccines continue to roll out across the state, Coloradans are ready to get back out there and travel. But the prospect of planning a road trip even a short staycation can be overwhelming as we enter our second summer of the coronavirus pandemic. Where do you go when you haven’t been anywhere in a year, maybe longer?
If you’re craving comfort and familiarity, consider revisiting your favorite, tried-and-true destinations. Or, if it’s novelty you’re after, plan a trip around one of these brand new Colorado hotels, which run the gamut from cute, budget-friendly hostels to luxurious lodges you can have all to yourself.
There s an exclusive new spot in Cherry Creek called the Clayton Members Club & Hotel, and frankly, it s a little extra for most of us regular Denver folks. But if you don t want to drop two or three grand to gain access to private dining, a rooftop pool and lounge and other event spaces, there are a couple of street-level options now open to the public. Of a Kind is a wood-fired restaurant that debuted on Thursday, April 29, and its grab-and-go sibling, OAK Market, is also now open, offering coffee, upscale deli foods and ice cream.
All of the food at the Clayton comes from the mind of executive chef Brandon Duley, who recently moved to Denver from Los Angeles, where his focus at the Gjelina restaurant group (and at other hotel restaurants) was on produce-driven cuisine sourced from the many farmers markets in the L.A. area. He plans to continue that mission at Of a Kind and OAK Market, adjusting to Colorado s shorter growing season and unique purveyors.
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The owners of Dio Mio are opening a new pizza shop on Larimer Street in 2021. Redeemer will sell naturally leavened sourdough pizzas, hoagies, shared plates and more. (Nikki A. Rae Photography, provided by Redeemer)
Can’t possibly imagine what surprises 2021 has in store for Denver and Front Range restaurants? Frankly, neither can we. But the future still feels hopeful at least for these 18 spots slated to open throughout the year.
Most are located around Denver, but we’ve also unearthed a few coming to Fort Collins, Boulder and Colorado Springs. And we’ve spotted some trends already.
Pizza seems to be a strong bet moving forward. The pandemic has shown Denver restaurants what people really want in times of distress. The answer: cheese and bread, of course. (See also ice cream in that same category. And throw in tacos and tequila, too.)