Denver Blog

The rumors were rampant over the weekend that Alto, Greg Goldfogel's northern Italian restaurant at 1320 15th Street, had shuttered. Turns out it wasn't a rumor: Alto's web site, which was still accepting reservations yesterday, is now entirely devoid of content, except for a mere seven words that admit defeat and offer an apology: "Alto is closed. Sorry for any inconvenience."

The timing couldn't have been worse for the folks at the Colorado Chapter of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, whose Summer Solstice Appetizer Challenge and Cocktail Party, featuring Top Chef Season 5 contestant (and sous at Boulder's Happy Noodle House) Melissa Harrison, local food writer Stacey Brugeman and Colorado Avalanche defenseman John-Michael Liles judging small plates from Bistro One, Brasserie Felix, Encore and Root Down, was scheduled to take place at Alto this Wednesday night. "My last 24 hours have been crazy, to say the least," said event organizer Kathryn Murray.

But an e-mail this morning from Murray announced that the party had been picked up by the Jet Hotel, 1612 Wazee Street, which will have to bring in burners for the chefs, but hey, at least they've got somewhere to cook.

In the meantime, there's a restaurant on the market for anyone who's on the prowl.