Bistro Vendome is reopening in Park Hill this weekend, but don’t expect to get a reservation.
The French bistro moved out of its longtime home in Larimer Square after 20 years at the beginning of the year. The move was necessary because its landlord, Asana Partners, is beginning much-needed repairs to the infrastructure of the 143-year-old Sussex Building in which Bistro Vendome was previously located.
But Bistro Vendome’s dinner service is back on, starting Feb. 11, in the former home of Tables, another long-lived restaurant that closed in August last year at 2267 Kearney St.
Co-owner Beth Gruitch said the restaurant is almost fully booked out for the opening night with 110 reservations, but she did add they’re keeping some seats open for neighborhood walk-ins.
“The neighborhood has been wanting us,” Gruitch said. “Tables was such a neighborhood spot for so long, and we want to be that restaurant where people can stop by regularly, and we know everyone’s names.”
This is the first restaurant that Gruitch and co-owner Jen Jasinski, a James Beard award-winning chef, have opened outside of downtown Denver. The partners’ restaurant group, Crafted Concepts, also owns Rioja in Larimer Square, which Gruitch said still has 18 months left on its lease, as well as Ultreia and Stoic and Genuine, both in Union Station.
And although they will dearly miss the courtyard that their old space boasted, the new Park Hill move has given the owners and Bistro Vendome head chef Jeremy Wolgamott an opportunity to revamp the business and the restaurant’s menu.
Diners will still be able to get French classics like steak frites and duck à l’orange. And they’ve added even more, like French allium soup, bourride and Pot-au-Feu for two. There’s also a new kids menu, called Oui Chefs. And starting next week, the restaurant will resume brunch service on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a variety of pastry selections, omelets and dishes like a Croque Madame and Monte Cristo sandwich combined.
Bistro Vendome’s new space has 65 seats inside, plus an 18-seat private dining room and a patio that sits in the sun with an additional 40 seats. The French bistro’s classic yellow paint is no longer; instead, it’s decorated with tones of cool blues and magenta. There’s plenty of room for large parties, as well as two-tops for date nights.
Gruitch and Jasinski have also made sure to save space for the restaurant’s popular movie nights. On Monday nights, Bistro Vendome will host up to 25 guests in a separate room for dinner and a movie and, depending on the flick, the menu is centered around the storyline.
“This is a new chapter for Bistro Vendome, but we’re looking forward to continuing the legacy,” Gruitch said. “We’re grateful to have made it to nearly 20 years in one location, and to have this revitalization and opportunity to breathe some new life into it is even better.”
2267 Kearney St., Denver; Open Sun.-Thurs. for dinner from 4 to 9 p.m. and until 10 p.m. on the weekends; Reservations can be made by visiting bistrovendome.com or by calling 303-825-3232.
