One of the most anticipated bars in America made its home in RiNo this past April. Led by Sean Kenyon, Justin Anthony, Lisa Vedovelli and Kevin Burke — the unassuming space opened and is slowing becoming a Larimer mainstay.
With well priced and well-made drinks, American Bonded has managed to do the seemingly impossible by providing craft quality to a city that’s clamoring for it while also managing to keep prices approachable. Unlike many Denver brunch hot spots with wait lines and delayed service, you may be able to snag a seat sooner here — being that this bar is out of the hustle and bustle of LoDo. And while a bar may not be the first place that comes to mind when you envision kick-ass brunch food, J Street Kitchen in the back of American Bonded is vying to become your next favorite brunch spot.
Led by the husband and wife team behind J Street Kitchen, a Colorado food truck serving up classic Americana low country food with a twist, American Bonded’s kitchen is producing unassumingly exquisite food to match their unassumingly exquisite drinks. From house-cured pork belly to adult tater tots and green chili-infused mac and cheese, their bar bites have gained a mouth-watering reputation in a short period of time. And now, they’re rolling out a brunch menu.
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READ: American Bonded Is Ready To Introduce Denver To a New Type of Cocktail Bar
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“This place was slated to open last year and it just kept getting pushed and pushed and pushed,” explained Amy Crowfoot, manager of J Street and wife partner to executive chef Jason Bray. “We always had a brunch menu in mind. We have the same focus to match the whiskey focus of the bar, low country bar food, barbecue. We do everything from scratch here — our biscuits, ice-cream, meats, pickled vegetables etc. What we’re aiming for is affordable and approachable but looking gorgeous and tasting amazing. Our goal with the truck was to do elevated foods. And that’s why when we partnered with American bonded it was a good match.”
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American Bonded is the first brick and mortar gig for this husband and wife team. And as natives of Colorado, they understand the local desire for seasonal ingredients and homemade quality. On the menu, you’ll find a dish called the “Hangover,” ($14) with french fries, a short rib beef patty, green chili gravy, shredded cheddar and cotija cheese all topped off with a fried egg to house-cured bacon ($4). There’s even a chicken and waffles ($15) dish that won second place in the Judge’s Choice at the fried chicken festival, Chicken Fight.
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“We do a lot of stuff in the house,” explained executive chef Jason Bray. “It’s a low country kind of Americana and I always add a little bit of a southwest spin just because I’m from Colorado. So the green chili on the biscuits and gravy makes it not just regular biscuits and gravy. I mean I love the biscuits and gravy and the chicken and waffles, you can’t go wrong with those, but also the Salmon toast is just awesome. We do our homemade farmer’s cheese on there and some smoked salmon, heirloom tomatoes, fried shallots.”
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In addition to the new brunch menu, the bar team at American Bonded will serve daytime drinks like the AB Spritz, a play on the classic Aperol spritz with cider, Aperol and the Corpse Reviver — a morning cocktail with Plymouth gin, Cointreau, Cocchi Americano and lemon. Essentially, making one of Denver’s newest bars your next brunch bucket list destination.
American Bonded will serve brunch Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can find it at 2706 Larimer Street, Denver, from 4 p.m. to close and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sundays. The kitchen closes at 1 a.m. every night.
All photos by Emma Pion-Berlin.
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