Ale House at Amato's should start pouring this month

Under the agreement, the two companies will keep their identities and their individuality, but they will share their brewing and restaurant resources. The Wynkoop's restaurants include the flagship Wynkoop Brewing Co. (the only brewpub in the bunch), the Cherry Cricket, Wazee Supper Club and Gaetano's (which Laura Shunk reviewed last week); Breckenridge has two brewpubs and two restaurants, with a fifth on the way.

At the end of the month, Ale House at Amato's should be up and pouring. (Amato's Facebook page targets March 28 as opening day.)

Breckenridge bought the old statuary store at 2401 16th Street last March; while the family-owned institution (since 1947) is moving up the block, Breckenridge -- now with the help of the Wynkoop -- is expanding the original building, keeping some of the fountains as a nod to the past and adding a rooftop deck to take advantage of the stunning view of downtown (unfortunately, it comes with a lot of highway noise).

The Ale House will have about 400 seats when it opens -- but only two parking spots, two more than the city required under current zoning laws, even though it's smack-dab in the middle of the city's hottest restaurant neighborhood.

Amato's owners are working out parking deals with nearby lots and also looking at a valet service. And in the meantime, the city is rolling out a new parking plan for the LoHi area this week, with forty new on-street parking places added (most on Tejon and Central streets -- the latter very handy for the Ale House). But several blocks with two-hour parking limits have had those hours extended to 10 p.m., other formerly all-day spots have become two hours, and some are now residential parking only.

Best solution? B-cycle, when that service returns in a week. There's a handy station right by Lola.