Jessie’s Smokin’ NOLA/Facebook
Audio By Carbonatix
Fans of New Orleans-style food lost one of the town’s best options when Jessie’s Smokin’ NOLA shut its doors on July 9. Jessie Rayford started the business as a food truck serving Cajun and Creole cuisine, then opened a brick-and-mortar spot in Centennial in 2019. What are Rayford’s future plans? “Retire,” he told us.
Two new places (one with multiple dining options) joined the scene this week. We went to the grand opening of Freedom Street Social in Arvada on July 13 — check out our First Look on this kid-friendly take on the food-hall trend.
Cheese Meat Board, a charcuterie delivery service founded in 2019, landed its first permanent location. It’s now offering same-day and walk-in options for individual charcuterie boxes and a selection of beverages, as well as order-ahead options like charcuterie boards, charcuterie cones, s’mores charcuterie — and even charcuterie for dogs.
And the historic El Rancho is back open in Evergreen — sort of. After abruptly closing in April, owner Paul Vincent is trying to sell through 20,000 pints of beer as he sorts through a messy financial and staffing situation. Check out our latest story for more details.
In other openings-and-closings news:
- The nonprofit Osage Cafe will host a grand-opening celebration for its new, bigger location on July 19.
- Chaffee County’s oldest continuously owned and operated restaurant, the Patio Pancake Place in Salida, may be closing soon. Take a road trip now and try its excellent chicken-fried steak.
- Since Van Leeuwan scoop shops are coming to Denver and Boulder this summer, we taste-tested some of its flavors, including the limited-edition Grey Poupon.
Here’s the complete list of restaurants and bars opening and closing this week:
El Rancho is back open, but in a very limited capacity.
Brandon Marshall
Restaurants and bars opening this week:*
Cheese Meat Board, 2054 Broadway
Freedom Street Social, 15177 Candelas Parkway, Arvada
Restaurants and bars reopening this week:*
El Rancho Brewing Company, 29260 U.S. 40, Evergreen
Restaurants and bars closing this week:*
Jessie’s Smokin’ NOLA, 7422 South University Boulevard, Centennial
*Or earlier and not previously reported.
Know of something we missed? Email cafe@westword.com.
Will you step up to support Westword this year?
We’re aiming to raise $50,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to this community. If Westword matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.