Populus hotel in Denver opening two new restaurants

If you’ve driven past Denver’s Civic Center in the last few months, it would have been hard to miss the newly erected Populus hotel with its funky, eye-shaped windows from top to bottom.

Designed to evoke Colorado’s aspen trees, the 265-room hotel, at 240 14th St., was developed by Urban Villages, which calls it the nation’s first “carbon-positive” hotel. Although it hasn’t opened yet, it is not taking reservations for dates starting in September.

And this week, hotel operator Aparium revealed the names and concepts behind two restaurants inside the hotel that will follow suit with Urban Villages’ environmental vision.

Pasque, named after a wildflower native to Colorado, will anchor the ground floor, and Stellar Jay, named after a common Colorado bird that is fond of pasque flowers, is set to open on the rooftop. Executive chef Ian Wortham, who previously worked for Michelin-starred Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder, will lead both kitchens.

“Through a collaborative effort we ended up on this idea of two concepts with nature-based cuisine,” Wortham told The Denver Post. “We want to show a reverence for nature through our food since it’s truly a symbol of human’s first interaction with nature.”

Urban Villages used recycled material, low-carbon concrete mixes and fewer finish materials to reduce its environmental footprint. The local real estate developer also planted 72,000 trees in Gunnison County last summer as a way to offset carbon emissions from hotel construction.

At Pasque and Stellar Jay, Wortham will use a biodigester to convert food waste into an array of compost and fertilizer products, instead of adding it to the landfill, “which drives greenhouse gas production,” he said. He plans to distribute the compost to local Colorado farmers. For Wortham, sourcing from local farmers and ranchers, some of which have become friends over his time in Colorado, is another key factor in “making a positive impact,” he said.

Pasque will serve a vegetable-forward menu with regionally sourced meat and seafood for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “We don’t want to overmanipulate the ingredients,” Wortham said. “You’ll remember that bite of a carrot, not because we’ve done so much to change it, but because it’s simply the best carrot you’ve ever eaten.”

The 110-seat restaurant, like the lobby, looks as if carved out of a large aspen tree trunk with earthy tones and distressed wood slats lining the ceiling. There’s also a 38-seat outdoor patio.

“We want people to provide value at every spectrum, whether you come into Pasque and celebrate a special occasion, or hop off an airplane and just want a delicious plate of food and glass of wine without spending an arm and a leg,” said Populus’ director of food and beverage Curtis Landrum, who previously worked with Wortham at Denver’s acclaimed Tavernetta under the Frasca Hospitality Group.

Stellar Jay sits atop the 13-story, triangular-shaped building, greeting guests with mountain views and the smell of woodfire. The kitchen boasts a six-foot hearth oven, which will permeate the shareable plates menu. “Like Pasque, it’s about the ingredients and how fire can highlight them,” Wortham said.