Ali Baba Grill is making magic in Landmark

Ali Baba Grill,109 North Rubey Drive in Golden, already serves the best hummus and most addictive baklava in the area, and owner Fiyahd Aoutabachi has already shared the wealth beyond Golden, expanding his Lebanese and Mediterranean offerings out to Highlands Ranch with a second location at 8800 South Colorado Boulevard. He and his partner are already planning an expansion into retail by selling their hummus and baba ghanouj in grocery stores under the Ali Baba brand and logo.

But that, apparently, wasn't enough for Aoutabachi. I just talked with one of the managers at the original Ali Baba Grill, and he confirmed that Ali Baba has snagged a space in the Landmark development in Greenwood Village. "Same owner," he insisted. "Same menu. Same everything."

Which is very good news for all the Landmark locals and anyone else in the area who (like me) would occasionally find themselves making the long drive all the way to Golden just for a hit of the house hummus and ten or twelve pieces of baklava.

The way things are looking right now, the new Ali Baba (which is just waiting on permits, according to the manager) might manage to get open before the end of December. Failing that, though, the fallback date is January 1.