Chef Max MacKissock Returns With Bar Dough in LoHi

Talented chef Max MacKissock will open Bar Dough this summer at 2227 W. 32nd Avenue next to Highland Tap & Burger. His partners in this new business are Juan and Katie Padro, along with associated of Highland & Tap Concepts.

Bar Dough is a bar-driven venture with elevated food, mainly wood-fired pizzas, but also house-made pastas, great salads, and roasted meats and vegetables. The chef's secret weapon is a Mario Acunto oven, a woodfire-only beast imported from Italy by local Wood Fired Oven Baker. "Pizza is my favorite food in the world," says MacKissock who is currently testing dough recipes. The chef anticipates featuring some signature items that will turn guests into regulars. Tortellini in brodo and bucatini all'amatriciana are examples MacKissock gives when he talks about his predominantly seasonal ingredient-focused menu.

With 70 seats inside and about 25 on the patio, the new restaurant is designed by Venture Architecture. The elements are contemporary yet assembled with the comfort of the guest in mind. There are washed concrete floors, dark woods, marble table tops, and ceiling plates that have a pleasant effect on the acoustics of the room. A chef's counter in the kitchen that showcase the wood-fired oven will give four lucky guests a front row seat to the action.

Why was Bar Dough chosen as the name? "My whole name philosophy is that it should tell people what it is about," Juan Padro shares. "At Highland Tap & Burger, it is clear where we are and that we are a beer and burger spot. Bar Dough is a bar-driven spot with great pizza and pasta."

MacKissock last helmed the kitchen at the Squeaky Bean; he left the LoDo restaurant in August 2012. Under his direction, the Squeaky Bean received a perfect four-star review from the Denver Post, a nomination in Bon Appetit's 50 best new restaurants, and a James Beard semi-finalist nod in the Best Chef Southwest category. In 2011, the Squeaky Bean was named Eater Restaurant of the Year and MacKissock was named Eater Chef of the Year.

Bar Dough plans to open its doors in July. It will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week with brunch and other specials being discussed as possibilities.