Bistro C.V. Shutters After Nine Years in Steamboat; Owners Plan Denver Concept

Steamboat will lose one of its original fine dining restaurants at the end of the month as Brian and Katy Vaughn close their beloved bistro c.v. with plans to expand their second concept, LOW Country Kitchen, to Denver.

Bistro c.v. will conclude its nine-year dinner service on Friday, July 29, at 345 Lincoln Ave. in Steamboat.

"Bistro c.v. is actually still profitable, and we wanted to move on while it was kind of on top," Katy Vaughn explained of the closing. "We have a three-and-a-half-year-old daughter and Brian works the line full-time still. We're moving in a direction that allows more time with our family."

The Vaughns opened their bistro in 2007, serving "Rocky Mountain contemporary cuisine" at a time when Steamboat Springs needed such a concept, according to Katy.

"When we first opened Bistro c.v., we probably had three competitors," she said. "Now the dining scene is awesome, but we feel like it’s a good time to move to the Front Range."

In 2014, the couple opened their second concept, the more casual and family-oriented LOW Country Kitchen, which taps into their Southern roots.

Low Country Kitchen [official photo]

Both restaurants are serving a town of 10,000 residents with "extreme seasonality," Katy added. She sees the big Denver market as a good next move for the lower price-point concept that specializes in fried chicken, shrimp and grits, and fried green tomatoes, among other Southern specialties.

The Vaughns would not yet disclose their potential new location, saying only that they are expecting the process to move quickly and that it will be located in Denver proper. They hope to expand LOW to more locations along the Front Range in the future.

In May chef Brian and his team traveled to New York to cook at the James Beard House. Brian studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, Calif., and spent his career prior to opening Bistro c.v. working at Harwig's/ L'Apogee, and under chef Norman Van Aken in Coral Gables, Fla.

"We wanted that to be the culmination of our experience and devotion with Bistro c.v.," Katy said of the appearance at the James Beard House.