Mike Sanguinetti is riding into Wash Park.
The chef, who’s been in Denver since late 2018, is preparing to open Neon Cowboy in the former home of The Molecule Effect at 300 S. Logan St. in Denver. He signed a 10-year lease for the 1,700-square-foot space last week.
“I joke it’s like Willie Nelson meets John Denver — that old cowtown vibe of Denver mixed with that modern city slicker,” Sanguinetti said of his upcoming cafe and coffee shop. “It’s not going to be rustic, but frontier Southwest vibes just with really good food.”
He hopes to be slinging Novo coffee, pastries, breakfast sandwiches and other light bites by the time the holidays roll around.
“I know a lot of places do these things, but I’ll make ’em in-house and make ’em a little bit better,” Sanguinetti said.
Before opening, he plans to run outdoor pop-ups intermittently at the building to see how the neighborhood responds to his planned menu, which currently also includes salads, brunch plates and various tartines, a French-styled open-faced sandwich.
“I don’t want to get the cart in front of the horse before I know what the neighborhood wants and sees,” he said.
Sanguinetti also plans to sell booze and keep Neon Cowboy open through happy hour and the early evening. In that regard, it will emulate Molecule Effect, which closed at the end of its lease last month after a five-year run.
The New Orleans-born, Texas-raised restaurateur said he opened up concepts across the United States and Bahamas before working for the past several years for the firm that manages food operations for major local venues including Empower Field and Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Sanguinetti said the build-out in Wash Park is mostly aesthetic and will cost him and his wife between $50,000 and $100,000. He said the community feel and higher-end neighborhood makes Wash Park a good fit for him versus somewhere like downtown.
Brian Frank of Axio Commercial Real Estate represented Sanguinetti and Montana Rae of Henry Group represented the landlord in the deal.
“I just want to have really good coffee and really good food … where you’re just able to grab something substantial and that’s priced correctly,” he said.
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