A taste of France makes its way to Denver today, with the opening of Bistro Georgette, located on the first floor of Avanti Food & Beverage in LoHi. Diners can fill up on tastes of nouvelle French cuisine at this food stall led by powerhouse team and Mizuna alumni chef Ty Leon, beverage guru Austin Carson, and service star Heather Morrison. After years spent in fine dining, the team is striving to bring the same elevated food quality and dynamic flavor profiles to a more relaxed and friendly atmosphere while also testing the grounds for a brick-and-mortar space.
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Diners can get a taste of Parisian fare at an affordable cost, with all plates clocking in under $16. Dishes include items such as braised chicken and potato croquettes, a refreshing Lyonnaise salad, a jambon-beurre sandwich, and some of Leon’s famous pastries including apple hand pies and an indulgent chocolate-glazed éclair. While the menu may be inspired from overseas, several of its standard ingredients are sourced from Colorado-based food purveyors including salad greens from Rebel Farm and the brioche bread backbone of the savory croque-madame from City Bakery.
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The bistro was inspired by Carson’s late grandmother, Georgia Buntyn. “[She was] the most graceful and compassionate host you could imagine, and best cook I’ve ever known,” Carson describes of her. The concept hopes to emulate the same warmth and hospitality of Buntyn while serving its exceptional French fare — on china from Buntyn herself — in an approachable atmosphere.
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The Bistro Georgette team strives to offer guests the same dynamic food and beverage-paired dining experience that is served in fine-dining facilities but in the laidback European-inspired food-hall of Avanti Food & Beverage. Carson notes that his process curating this program with Leon as being inspired by the age-old saying of “what grows together stays together.” Pairings arose from this include a French-American Carboy ‘Cotes du Rhone’ red wine married with the rich and savory taste of wild mushrooms and beef bourguignon wrapped in a buttery, puff-pastry shell; the dryness and bubbles of a Charles Armand ‘Blac de Blac’ Brut balancing and cutting through the rich, fatty, umami of a fried-egg-topped croque-madame.
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Another dish that reaches this equilibrium with a salty-savory combo is the moules-frites (mussels and fries) paired with the light and sour flavor of a New Belgium Sour Saison. And on the sweeter side, a peach tarte tatin balanced with an “off-dry” C Squared Alma cider or one of Leon’s famous pastries, an éclair paired with a white Russian.
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The bistro has also been finalizing a gluten-free menu to offer guests allergy-friendly versions of its baked items such as hand pies and apple turnovers. They hope to be serving guests these options in the next few weeks.
Status: Bistro Georgette is located inside Avanti Food & Beverage at 3200 N. Pecos Street. The restaurant will operate Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m, and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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