Illegal Pete’s Is Bringing Its Chipotle-But-Better-Style Burritos to Park Hill

Park Hill is getting an Illegal Pete’s

Oneida Park, a shopping area located in the 2200 block of Oneida Street in Park Hill that is in the midst of being redeveloped with new retailers and restaurants, will soon get its own Illegal Pete’s. 303 Magazine reports the casual burrito chain is planning to open a new restaurant at 2230 Oneida Street in early 2020. Illegal Pete’s currently has nine restaurants in Colorado. [303 Magazine]

Cidery to open in Sunnyside

Westword reports that Waldschänke Ciders is slated to open on Wednesday at 4100 Jason Street. The 2,400-square-foot facility, which will include a taproom, will produce unfiltered Swiss-style ciders.

Though the first batches of Waldschänke cider won’t be available for a month or two, the taproom will serve ciders from other Colorado ciders in the meantime. Some ciders from other cideries will also be also remain available after the operation transitions to selling its own product. Coffee from Mad Loon Coffee Roasters will also be sold in the taproom. [Westword]

A new executive chef for Chow Morso

A year after opening its doors, the Union Station neighborhood pasta spot Chow Morso Osteria has added a new executive chef.

Last September, restaurateur Ryan Fletter, who also owns the longstanding Sixth Avenue Italian restaurant Barolo Grill, opened Chow Morso Osteria inside former home of the Squeaky Bean at 1500 Wynkoop Street. Since opening, the restaurant has grown steadily and gone from eleven employees to more than 33. In that time, the restaurant’s kitchen has been overseen by executive chef Darrel Truett, who also oversees the kitchen at Barolo Grill.

But with a year now under the restaurant’s belt, Truett and Fletter have decided to turn over the Chow Morso Osteria executive chef responsibility to chef John Willis, who previously worked at Barolo Grill for five years and participated in several of the staff culinary excursions to Italy sponsored by the restaurant. But while Willis is now taking the reigns, Truett will still be involved, according to a press release put out by Chow Morso Osteria announcing the move.

Dining room at AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q Reopens

The dining room at AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q has reopened, according to Westword. Last winter, chef/restaurateur Jared Leonard opened AJ’s inside a space at 2180 South Delaware Street where he had formally operated BBQ Supply Co., which focused mostly on catering but also offered Texas barbecue on Saturdays. AJ’s, in contrast, would operate as a restaurant serving smoked meats, fried chicken, and cocktails seven days a week.

However, Leonard told Westword the city later determined that AJ’s constituted a change of focus for the space because it was going from being focused on catering to operating as a restaurant.

Leonard said the city also determined the right city departments had not been involved in the inspections the space underwent before reopening as AJ’s and determined the space needed to comply with additional fire and safety requirements, such as adding another door to the back of the building. AJ’s offered only outdoor seating while it went through the process of making the changes necessary to reopen.

However, the city has now given him the green light to open the dining room, which offers picnic table seating. AJ’s is open at 11 a.m. and remains open until all the meat sells out. [Westword]

• Fresh From the Barolo Grill Team, an All-Day Downtown Pasta Spot [EDEN]
• Overland Gets a Daily Texas Barbecue Destination [EDEN]