Kiva's new theme: Urban Blight

So I shared that I had heard that Kiva would be re-opening at some point. Not much visible activity on that front until recently when I saw that there was a notice of zoning change on the building--Basically being re-zoned to allow for mixed residential and commercial I think. Makes sense, given how cavernous the building is. I just hope something opens up there again relatively soon.

But the big thing is the new paint job--Anyone notice that they tore down the cheery yellow awnings and re-painted the building...Uggh... Primer gray?

Nothing screams "Urban Blight" more than a huge building painted industrial, primer gray. Especially with an equally dismal gray building right across the street. Every time I pass by now I have to remind myself I'm not living in Flint, Michigan.

Maybe that's his new theme for the restaurant space--Urban blight. Maybe they'll hire some yuppy white artists to replicate some local graffiti on the building, park some extra dumpsters outside, and chain a few cannibalized old bike frames to the light poles. Hang some sneakers from the power lines and hire some actors to portray homeless people and sleep out front during the grand opening. Stick some of those fake-bullet-hole stickers on the front door to complete the look.

Maybe a soup kitchen theme? Tuesdays ladies drink (soup) free. That could become hip and trendy with the incoming Starbucks posse.

Perhaps it is in fact just a primer? I'm afraid it isn't, so I'm left wondering what Marty, the owner was thinking? Of all the colors in the rainbow, why did he choose battleship, primer gray?

Newsflash: Blackberries and Club Dynasty Out, Kiva Coming Back

Just got word from a friend involved in the leadership of one of the neighborhood associations and it sounds like Blackberries and Club Dynasty are out at the old Tosh's building on Downing Street. Can't say I didn't expect this. My best guess was that they would go out of business before February.

More interesting, is it sounds like Kiva is coming back... with some scaled back hours, but with pretty much the same concept, menu, etc.

I know I've been a bit hard on Kiva previously, but I think this is great news. Especially after seeing what other enterprises could occupy that building, I am pretty thrilled that Kiva will be back, and wish them the best.

I also hope that they learned from some of their shortcomings so that they will be here to stay with some better menu items, and a sustainable business plan.

Welcome back Kiva Restaurant!

Not just Blackberries, "Club Dynasty"?

Just found an article by Westword on the business(es) going in at the "old" Kiva and Tosh's building on Downing Street:

http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2008/10/from_toshs_hacienda_to_kiva_to.php

Interesting doesn't do it justice...

Also a good history of the building...

Kiva Restaurant is now Blackberries Bar and Grill

A friend stopped by our house today mentioning that he thought he saw some new "happy hour 4-7" signs on Kiva's building.

Wondering what the heck was going on, I headed over there tonight--To find the parking lot packed (at least Kiva packed). Bass rattled the windows of the normally serene Kiva dining room--And it was only 6PM. Yup, something had changed.

Still Kiva signs outside, but when you walk into their foyer, you see a "Blackberies Bar and Grill" menu where there used to be a Kiva one. Walk up the stairs, and you're greeted with a strobe light and a dance floor where the Kiva dining room once was. I bore right (as usual at Kiva) and headed for the bar.

Again, pretty crowded (at least Kiva crowded) and really, really loud (just like Kiva, turn the freakin' music down a little bit!!!) Sat at the bar and after a couple minutes began chatting with Deidre, the bartender.

Turns out Marty, the owner of Kiva (and Exdo), as I had heard he hoped to, had sold the building. Voila! No more Kiva, but something (potentially) better (we'll wait and see). Had no idea things would move this fast. Turns out tonight was their first night open.

Interesting menu--Bar food: Chicken fingers, Shrimp Tempura, Wings, etc., etc. A couple salads. Burgers. Fajitas. We'll wait and see what the final menu is like and how the food quality is.

I ordered tempura shrimp, but then learned they hadn't prepped any. So, Deidre offered me a free order of calamari. Though, OK, I guess...

It was a bit of a wait, but heck--First night, of course they're figuring things out--the calamari came out piping hot, of adequate quality (especially for their first try) and the marinara sauce on the side tasted above grade for what you typically get at bars, with a nice garlicky bite.

I left after that point, around 6:30 PM. Wondered how dead the place was going to get once the cheap drinks expired at 7PM.

Interesting to see what happens with this place. They're affiliated with Blackberries Coffee over on Welton. Have heard lukewarm things about that place, but never went there myself so don't know if that place was any good.

They're clearly ambitious, like Kiva--Open 10:30 AM every morning, and it appears they're going to try to attract a late night crowd with the dance floor. In Cole? Good luck...

Happy hour is decent. $2 domestics; $3 wine and wells, $5 Long Islands. Will have to see how the food quality stacks up, the service is, and of course, how deep the owners' pockets are to weather the storm necessary to get some momentum and profitability here.

Will I go back? Heck yes. We need businesses like this here. I'll give them my business and loyalty just like I did Kiva. Here's hoping their vision, and their sustainability eclipses that of their predecessors.

Please--Give 'em a try, and tell your friends of our newest local restaurant.

Kiva Restaurant Closes down

Well, what has at times seemed the inevitable for over two years, Kiva Restaurant has closed. I rode my bike by the other Monday--Usually their busiest day of the week other than Drunk Kiva Sundays due to their quite inventive "parents night out" (where they provided free child care for parents dining out)--and was shocked to see no cars on the street or in the parking lot. On the front door, a brief note awaited: "Kiva has closed. Please see website for more information."

So, of course I headed home to learn more about what finally did them in. Here is the eloquently written notice I found:


"KIVA HAS CLOSED

Dear Guests,We would like to thank you for your ongoing support, unfortunatly we have made the decision to close the restaurant. If you have any questions regarding the buisness, tetentitive events, or are a vendor, please use the information page on this site or leave a message at the restaurant directly at 303-832-5482 and we will get back to you as soon as possible."

This message is so "Kiva." Just not right, like the way they terribly mis-managed their business the entire time their doors were open.

Don't get me wrong--I went there frequently and supported them in any way I could, as that building is such a blessing to the neighborhood, and we need an "anchor" business. And they were friendly enough; I truly wanted them to succeed--But they just never seemed to get it.

The food was uneven, largely unremarkable and occasionally substandard. The service even worse--the only consistent thing about their tenure in Cole Whittier. Again, friendly service, but it took forever to get service pretty much any time you were there.

They were running a new promotion every week it seemed--Free breakfast, fliering local bars, partnering with local organizations--But never seemed to understand that it didn't matter how many people you put in the restaurant for their first visit--You needed them to come back. And their service, consistently frustrating and slow, didn't do them any favors in this regard.

And their limitless discounting to put people in the door--$2 Kivaritas and free taco bar? $2 drinks on Sundays? How do you expect to stay in business when the only times you have a busy restaurant are during happy hour when you have cheap parasites sucking down drinks you don't make a dime on?

It always amused me when I'd walk in and see the "Best of Denver" signs claiming someone nominated them for "best happy hour" or "best tacos" in Denver, asking you to vote to help them win. I understand trying to promote your business to get some traction, but come on--No one but an employee would ever vote for Kiva for best anything.

We all went there because we wanted to love it, we wanted to love it so damned much, and wanted to help them become to be the neighborhood hangout they thought they were, and we wanted them to be. But if they weren't close, and weren't cheap, we wouldn't have gone as much as we did. Heck, even that wasn't often enough to get us to brave the imminent horrid, inattentive service and uneven food quality.

I need to let it go. No use worrying about why Kiva seems hell bent on shooting themselves in the foot now. So my last meal at Kiva will have been lunch on Tuesday of last week--When my wife and I waited 25 minutes for a couple of sandwiches, and then had to chase down our server to pay our bill in order to complete our dining experience in a timely manner. Farewell, Kiva.

What will happen to the building? Who knows. I can't imagine it will remain vacant, with how much potential it possesses, and how far the neighborhood has come in even the two years Kiva occupied it. I'm sorry to see them go, but hopefully someone that actually understands how to run a successful restaurant will replace Kiva as our neighborhood gathering place.

Signs Of Change in Cole Neighborhood

I'm typing away from my front porch on a beautiful summer night in Cole. There is a sliver of a moon in the sky punctuated by but one visible star. Most nights, we don't see any stars due to the city's ambient glow--So this is an ironic glimpse of nature in our urban environment. The air is perfectly clear and quiet; I haven't noticed one episode of police sirens, nor have heard the police helicopter anywhere near the downtown area tonight. The most unpleasant thing tonight is the pungent smell of the alanthus trees that have gone into bloom this week. Not a bad night at all, and quite a contrast to many nights we experienced a few months ago. Critics can say what they want, but Broken Windows policing has produced a noticeable change on our block.

I owe my readers two apologies: One, for being so lax in updating the site. And two, for only having political fare on the menu in recent times.

It's hard not falling into that trap, as so many of the issues we face in Cole today are tough ones. Crime, gangs, health issues, poverty, racial profiling and discrimination, illegal immigration, redevelopment, gentrification and displacement--These are all topics on the minds of Cole residents, and as such are part of the "experience" of living here. But I hate to neglect the simple, basic day-to-day occurrences and observations that I started this blog to share.

What's been happening lately in Cole? Lots of good things, actually. We had a neighborhood cleanup several weeks ago that resulted in something like 60 city blocks being picked up and graffiti being painted over. More importantly, I think, it attracted something like 50 volunteers from the Cole and Whittier neighborhoods, which was very encouraging.

The folks at the DPD and Cole-Whittier Against Crime are putting the finishing touches on their community safety and crime survey, which is part of their community policing initiative. As mentioned above, we've certainly seen the benefits of the increased police presence in cleaning up the criminal activity up the street at Bruce Randolph and elsewhere. I'm also excited to see the continued progress of their project as hopefully more and more residents become involved in doing their part to ensure the neighborhood continues its progress towards better safety and quality of life. I know I'll be doing my part.

Carla Madison won the district 8 runoff election versus favored candidate Sharon Bailey. I'm still shocked that a white candidate won--While color didn't play a part in whom I voted for, I think the fact that the first white councilperson was elected in our traditionally black and hispanic district in something like 50 years signifies that we're at some sort of cultural tipping point. Supposedly our district is 30% white, 30% black, and 30% hispanic, so I guess at this point the white people are as much of a majority as anyone else. I think that Ms. Madison clearly ran the most professional campaign and has "her eye on the ball" relative to the key issues for our district. But hey, I'm just one voter, and I voted for Carla Madison because she supported what was important to me: Crime and safety, and wise redevelopment. Time will tell whether we (the voters) made the right choice, but I think we did.

I spent all day yesterday at the Curtis Park Memorial Criteriums (bike races). Some of you might remember my original post about this event, that was originally scheduled to happen on Memorial Day. All things considered, I think the event was a phenomenal success. It seems like the organizers got a good turnout from the racing community; the racers all sounded like they loved the flat, fast, wide, smooth course, and I was happy to see that the event went off safely given the density of the residences surrounding the park--And that for most residents, this was their first exposure to competitive cycling--I had nightmares of someone sauntering out in front of a 35+ MPH pro field, but fortunately this turned out to be just a dream.

Oh, and in contrast to our outgoing councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth, not only did Carla Madison reply to organizers' contacts about the event, she even came out in support of the event and started a couple of the races. Hopefully a sign of things to come. Thanks, Carla.

What else is happening around these parts? Good stuff. Kiva Restaurant is still in business, and at least their Sunday brunch (including $10 bottomless margaritas, bloody marys, or mimosas) is gaining some traction. Another "problem house" on Lafayette just sold, and obviously we are keeping our fingers crossed for another responsible neighbor to move in.

So things are good in Cole. Still not ideal, but they're definitely maintaining the positive trajectory we'd hoped for when we rolled the dice and purchased here. Going on two years in the neighborhood, how do I feel about our decision?

Great. Would I do it again if I had the chance? Certainly. Would I recommend it to my friends? Yes, with an asterisk*--This isn't the suburbs, so don't expect it to be. Good and bad, this isn't the suburbs. Thank God, this isn't the suburbs.

Kiva Denver Restaurant Update

Folks,

After a couple of cynical posts about our new neighborhood partner, Kiva Restaurant, I thought it prudent for me to provide an update, considering Ashleigh and I have become big fans, as evidenced by our frequent meals there.

It's clear to me now that the restaurant is simply finding their way, or even their identity. They're creating their menu, their processes, their culture in fact, and determining how they will carve out their niche in Denver--Especially in a neighborhood that still has some room to grow into the ideal setting for such an ambitious project.

Bottom line is that the food is fantastic, the general manager (Rodrigo Steliaev) is extremely friendly, and they seem committed, and financially able to give the business some time to grow.

In particular, all you carnivores out there must try their steak. Whether it's their skirt steak ($8.95 at last check, amazing!), steak burrito or fajitas, the steak is perfectly marinated, and clearly of higher quality than most southwestern restaurants. Or, give the Kiva Burger a try for $5.95--And be sure to add a couple strips of their phenomenal bacon to finish it off.

The menu is pleasantly eclectic, and contains enough variety already to keep me coming back--And they have big changes still to come, including a variety of smoked meats.

They have some fantastic grand-opening coupons on their website, making it even easier to give them a try.

After spending some time with Rodrigo, it's clear Kiva is going to continue to grow and evolve into a cornerstone for the neighborhood. It's up to us, the residents, to do our part to support them, by voting for their presence in our neighborhood with our pocketbooks.

Give 'em a try, I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. And tell 'em Ashleigh and Paul sent you.

Thanks for reading.

Kiva Fusion Restaurant is now open!

Just an update on an earlier post:

Kiva Fusion Restaurant (http://kivadenver.com), after a week-long "soft opening" is open for lunch and dinner in the old Tosh's building at 31st and Downing.

We ate there several times during their soft opening, when entrees were $5. Today as I understand it is the first day they're open for both lunch and dinner, and, I think, at regular menu prices.

While they haven't had time to decorate, the quality of the food was encouraging (try the skirt steak!), and they seem very ambitious in what they want to do with the space.

A successful Kiva would be an important step forward for the neighborhood, so be sure and check them out! And come back here and record your comments on your experience.