Passion projects
A first look at Suki's Cantina, the deets on Brunch Fest + more food & drink news
Suki’s Cantina hopes to be open sometime in August at 106 Pueblo Avenue, the former location of Lanier’s Speed Shop. That’s diagonally across from the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.
Owners Ian and Sharon Perez walk me outside of their building to the tip of Pueblo Avenue — at the opposite end as Green Line Grill, where the street spills into Vermijo Avenue — and they point to a wide, open West-facing view of the mountains. We look back at Suki’s entrance, set back far from the street and sidewalk, and Ian tells me they’ll be able to host huge events (400-plus people) given the space’s enormity. Concerts, wedding parties, whatever.
Suki’s won’t be a restaurant, but a giant drink spot with two electricity-supplied concrete pads built into the exterior space to allow for steady food truck guests. Two interior bars will feature 40 total beer taps. And one of those bars will feature cocktails made exclusively with local Blackhat Distillery spirits. That’s partly because Blackhat Distillery President/Founder Joe Koscove is not only a friend of Ian’s, but also Suki’s landlord. He initially floated the idea of Ian opening a bar at the location.
Ian says he and Sharon arrived in town in 2015 and fell in love with the area. They both work on Fort Carson full-time, still. He’s a transportation supervisor, overseeing all the unit movements on base. She’s the TMP Production Control Clerk, looking after all the government-issued vehicles.
But in their spare time (read: just about every waking moment outside of work) they’ve been laboring to convert the old automotive shop. Ian says that over the past year and a half they’ve personally busted out 32 dumpster loads of bricks and concrete blocks, by hand. “Eighty percent of the labor done on this building has been me, my wife and my son,” he says, noting they knocked down seven walls and also took out an extensive drop ceiling to reveal what’s now 16-foot tall overhead space.
“Our life savings are in this,” he says, emphasizing the desire to be open as soon as possible. (Of course there were a number of costly surprises along the way, which caused delays and altered the original design plans a bit — that’s not uncommon on building rehabs like this.)
I ask where the name Suki’s came from, and Ian shares that it’s the pet name he’s been calling his wife for more than 20 years; her kids even call her “Suki Mama.” So when it came time to think up a name for the business, it popped into mind. The amusing part: Ian didn’t know what it translated to in Japanese. He’d never bothered to look it up. “I truly didn’t know and I’d been calling her that all those years.”
Man, did he dodge a bullet. It means “beloved,” he tells me. “It was the perfect name.”
Stay tuned to Side Dish for updates closer to the project’s launch.
Brunch Fest
Via Side Dish Partner Focus on the Beer, Ryan Hannigan has all the deets on Lost Friend Brewing Company’s upcoming Brunch Fest on Sunday, July 30:
Lost Friend Brewing is teaming up with some standouts from the local food truck community to host a breakfast-themed food truck competition that you don’t want to miss. Lost Friend will be serving up plenty of brunch-themed drink specials like micheladas and beermosas/seltzer-mosas to pair with their food truck friends’ fare. (Say that five times fast!)
For the special beer releases, owner Andy France tells FOTB that his crew is planning two special releases: a lemonade hazy IPA and a Maple Brown — both perfect for brunch! It's free to the public but you need a ticket for the food samples. The current slate of food trucks who will be participating in Brunch Fest are:
More TBA
Tickets include 10 food samples and a chance to vote for your favorite. Kids tickets are also available (5 food samples) for kids under 12. Buy your tickets today, as they will go up in price on the day of the event!
Tails, Tunes & Tastes
Last week, I reported on the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Tails, Tunes & Tastes fundraiser with a special menu preview. The July 27 event draws near, so now would be a good time to nab a ticket. Or plan to attend on August 31 for another TT&T event with a unique food menu. Either way, I placed two tickets for July 27 up for grabs last week. We have a winner: Congrats to Jennifer E. Enjoy the night out with the animals!
Seeing Red (Gravy)
“I have bought out my partners and solely own my restaurant.” Those are the words of Red Gravy chef (and now full owner!) Eric Brenner, posted to his Facebook page this past weekend. Quoting elegantly from The Bear, season two, Brenner related to the sentiment about always waiting for another shoe to drop in this industry:
I’m not certain why this or any industry is populated by such talented, hard-working and driven people many of whom live in fear of failure, of some unseen force that can come take it all away (the pandemic proved we are more resilient than we believe), who mask their fear with bravado and abrasiveness at times and who always feel somewhat absent when others are having fun and celebrating. There’s always SOMETHING to do, some way to improve, some angle to uncover out there, maybe a new technique or system; a completed task just leaves bandwidth for the next, no reason to cheer, just keep moving.
I am reminding myself to breathe, smile, feel the love of my new management team, my staff, family, friends, acquaintances and the thousands of people who come through our doors each week and sustain us through difficult days, weeks, months and even years.
He concluded by quoting the sage advice of his wife: “Fuck that other shoe!”
Well said. Congrats, chef!
Random bites, in brief
• Insomnia Cookies opens its first Colorado Springs location on Saturday, July 22, from noon to 1 a.m, at 4239 N. Nevada Ave. The chain now has 245 locations, this one being the seventh in Colorado. Catch giveaways, delivery discounts, free samples, a DJ and games like milk pong throughout the grand opening celebration. The company’s also donating 15 percent of in-store sales that day to Pikes Peak United Way. Also, know that there’s vegan and gluten-free cookie options.
• Last month I noted the arrival of a Rock N Roll Sushi location at 7875 Silicon Heights. As of July 17’s grand opening you can now get that Sweet Home Alabama Roll you’ve patiently been waiting for.
• Taste of Pikes Peak approaches: Thursday, July 27 is the day. Remember, all Side Dish subscribers can get $10 off their entry by using the promo code SIDEDISH10 on this tickets page.
Some things I ate/drank around town this past week
A new-to-me Barraquito at R&R Coffee Cafe in Black Forest. Owner/roaster Ryan Wanner makes his version a little differently. Most notably, he replaces the traditional alcohol (Licor 43 from Spain) with Seedlip non-alcoholic spirit. He layers that between sweetened condensed milk, espresso and frothed milk. The drink sips fairly sweet and expectedly creamy with an interesting complexity coming through the botanical element.
I decided to roll the dice (literally) and order the Trust Me, I’m a Bartender cocktail at district elleven. That equates to a random drink concocted just for you based on your dice display. Mine was “agave, herbal, sweet” and I was brought a pleasing blend of reposado tequila, Chartreuse, lime and bitters. Others in my party rolled as well and enjoyed drinks like a gin mix with blood orange, Aperol and Drambuie (if my notes aren’t lying to me all these days later). We also did a round of superstar guest bartender Montana Horsfall’s drinks, including a fun Change My Mind: brandy, banana liqueur, Orgeat, lime and brown sugar.
The chilled noodles at Formosa Bites inside The Well. An ideal summer dish, light and refreshing from cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts and cilantro. I added shredded chicken, which picked up the sesame sauce beautifully.
Parting shot(s)
Our first Bar Battle at Tipperary Cocktail Lounge inside Folklore Irish Pub on July 17 proved to be a lively event. To kickstart the monthly series (and work out the kinks, if we’re honest), in-company bartenders from Tipperary, Folklore Wobbly Olive and Allusion Speakeasy competed. Justin Lucas eventually prevailed over Sean Fitzgerald, Aaliyah Fitzgerald, Kyle McNerney, Zach Long and George Dillon. But truly, speaking as a judge, all the drinks made were brilliant. Our job wasn’t easy. (But it was fun!)
The challenge spirits (sponsored by Diageo) were a lineup of Ketel One Botanical labels: Grapefruit & Rose, Cucumber & Mint and Peach & Orange Blossom. It would be tedious to go through all the drinks prepared, so let’s just leave it at “you should have been there.” Because you would have received your own samples for free.
I’ll announce the August date and details for the next battle soon. Tipperary will host again, and in the following months, the winners will challenge bartenders from other area outfits like 503W and district elleven. Join us next time and get in the mix.
