Avelina, a rustic, New American restaurant with Mediterranean influences, has opened its doors in the heart of LoDo.
Located at 17th and Wazee streets, Avelina is the creation of the husband-and-wife team John Broening and Yasmin Lozada-Hissom.
Broening and Lozada-Hissom are collaborating on the 4,900-square-foot restaurant with North Carolina-based
Urban Food Group, headed by another husband-and-wife team Kevin and Stacey Jennings. The Jennings own dozens of restaurants in Raleigh and Durham, including Chow, a gastropub and pizzeria; Coquette, a French brasserie; Motto, a regional American eatery; and Vivace, a contemporary Italian trattoria.
Avelina's menu features seasonal flavors with dishes derived from Italy, Spain and Greece. It focuses on local sustainable ingredients in dishes ranging from a wood oven-roasted eggplant with Tahini dressing, braised carrots, pickled vegetables and za'atar flatbread to a lamb and mango salad with Vietnamese dressing, cucumbers and peanuts.
Heading up the wine and spirits program is Aubrey Baker, whose history in the restaurant industry includes serving as pastry chef at the Brown Palace Hotel, director of wine at Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, sommelier at the Golf Club at Castle Pines and manager of several Denver restaurants, including Papillon and Le Chantecler.
Avelina serves dinner from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 1 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Lunch and brunch will be added at a later date.
Contact Confluence Denver Development News Editor Margaret Jackson with tips and leads for future stories at margaret@confluence-denver.com.
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