City O'City nabs ex-Jonesy's chef Brendon Doyle and paves the way for a big expansion

Lori Midson

Doyle, for his part, made it clear that he was looking for "some good opportunities," which he soon found at City O'City, Dan Landes's vegetarian restaurant (he also runs WaterCourse Foods) at 206 East Thirteenth Avenue. Doyle became executive chef of the herbivore hut on October 15.

"He brought exactly what we needed; he sees the vision of advancing vegetarian food," says Landess. "Brendon's food is just phenomenal, and he's copacetic with our management style, which is very communicative," he adds.

And, says Landess, Doyle is the ideal fit to sail through City O' City's expansion, which, if all goes according to plan, will break ground in mid-January, when Landess, who is also trying to purchase the building, will knock down the walls between City O' City and Moxie, the vacant hair salon next door, granting him the space to pitch an additional sixty to seventy seats. "We're hoping to start construction on January 12 and we're shooting for a May 1 opening, but that's just me talking and has nothing to do with reality," he warns.

Still, the space, once it's unmasked, will have expanded breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, all commanded by Doyle, along with a state-of-the-art barista setup. "We're really going to blow out our barista station, investing in really interesting equipment and offering a drip-to-order program, French press coffee and a fantastic espresso program using different roasters from across the country," explains Landes, adding that the beverage program will also continue to be "cocktail- and beer-centric."

In addition, Landes is reconstructing the kitchen, turning it into an exhibition-style layout, adding a patio and garage doors that will open to the street and bedecking the space with upcycled and repurposed materials, including living walls, which are essentially virtual gardens, or biowalls that parade full or partial ecosystems.

Landes also plans to cull from his farm, a one-acre parcel of land in Lakewood. "At night, we're going to do sashimi vegetables, which we'll get from the farm and use to supply both City O' City and WaterCourse," says Landes, adding that about 10 percent of his farm's produce will be devoted to the restaurants. "We're really excited about that component," says Landes.

For more info on City O' City's future plans, call 303-831-6443.