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Colterra owner to take over Tom’s Tavern location
Developer Stephen Tebo closes deal with Eldridge family
Photo by Sammy Dallal
Bradford Heap prepares a dish of crispy, pan seared duck breast with caramelized Colorado Peaches at his restaurant Full Moon in Boulder August 11, 2004
The corner of 11th and Pearl streets in downtown Boulder will soon be home to a restaurant again. On Wednesday, Boulder developer Stephen Tebo finalized his purchase of the site of the former Tom’s Tavern at 1047 Pearl St.
Bradford Heap, who runs the Colterra restaurant in Niwot, will take over the Tom’s Tavern location. He said he’ll focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients, as he does at Colterra, but he also wants to make sure his restaurant stays true to the tavern’s laid-back, accessible feel.
“I want to create a restaurant that is very inclusive, much like Tom’s was,” he said. “I’m not looking to do something that will price most of the people out of the experience.”
He said the building will be restored to reflect its origins at the turn of the century.
“People will probably recognize it, because we’re going back to when it was built, when it was just born,” he said. “A lot of what we want to do is bring it back to a historically authentic look, which I think will be very, very nice.”
Heap said he hasn’t yet decided on a name for the new restaurant, which he hopes to open next spring. Colterra will continue operating in Niwot.
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to further the spirit of what was Tom’s Tavern,” he said. “Tom’s was a cultural incubator, a place where people and ideas came together and culture came together because of what it meant to the community for so many years.”
Mike Eldridge, son of former Boulder City Councilman Tom Eldridge, who ran the tavern for four decades until his death in May 2007 at age 69 from brain cancer, said the family has closed on the sale with Tebo.
“It’s bittersweet for the family. It was bittersweet when we had to close the tavern last year as well,” he said. “The family wasn’t interested in being landlords or in being part of a redevelopment project. We wanted to find the most capable person who would be able to do that, and Stephen Tebo has a great reputation in town.”
Eldridge said Tebo plans to preserve the building.
“We wanted to deal with someone who would do a good job and do something that our family would be proud of and that my dad would be proud of,” Eldridge said.
Tebo has said he was buying the property for $2.1 million. He didn’t return a call seeking comment Wednesday.
Posted by joeg on August 28, 2008 at 6:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Say hello to the $18.00 cheeseburger!
Posted by thecondoguy1 on August 28, 2008 at 6:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hello $18.00 cheeseburger............
Posted by juliabulia on August 28, 2008 at 6:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
let's just hope the food/service is better than Colterra!
Posted by positraction on August 28, 2008 at 7:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Curried bicycle innertube in phlegm with diced cilantro and a dash of arrogance, spritzed with crushed hot air balloon and served with a side of adverse possession, $75.00.
Posted by david on August 28, 2008 at 8:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Please, please, please - have normal food like Tom's did. There is almost no place left on the mall where you can get real food.
Posted by nuggethillrd on August 28, 2008 at 8:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mike there was one thing you did wrong near the end! You put rap crap on the junk box that had the f word yelling while our kids were eating burgers. I never went back after that.
Posted by JakPott on August 28, 2008 at 8:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Can we have maybe 5 more front page articles on Toms Tavern, who bought it, and whats going there ? I think three so far isnt enough ...
Posted by xyz on August 28, 2008 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So, the family isn't interested in being landlords or working a redevelopment project. Unless it's two blocks west? Okay, whatever.
The West End really changed with fancy chef ownership, but the food is darn good. "Eggs and Liquor make you feel better quicker" or some such nonsense....
At least it isn't another prominent empty building. Too bad Frasca didn't take that big place on the creek behind the gas station.
Posted by Rise_Against on August 28, 2008 at 9:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
xyz, I don’t understand why those places can not stay in business! Maybe the McDonalds Kiddy land style benches? Parking? Between The Hill & Pearl St?
That patio has SO much potential!
Posted by PhilFR on August 28, 2008 at 9:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Excellent news. Colterra is a gem, and I look forward to seeing (and eating) what they do with the new place.
Posted by jbird on August 28, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Positraction, truly funny !
Posted by backrange on August 28, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
posi - fabulous LOL funny stuff. I can almost smell the smugness that fills the room when this dish is served.
Posted by glocke on August 28, 2008 at 10:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Heap wants to restore the building to its original feel.....well, that building was the city morgue 100 years ago! Is he planning to serve human?
Posted by sfld1 on August 28, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Shucks, I was really hoping for a Long John Silver's
Posted by Viper1963 on August 28, 2008 at 10:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey August,
Have you ever tried Juanita's? Real food, good prices and a layed back atmosphere, and right next door to Tom's.
Have a great day!
Posted by potbelliechef on August 28, 2008 at 11:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
xyz and Rise_Against - I can tell you exactly why the failure rate is so high - no parking.
And I'm excited about Brad Heap being back in town. I missed Full Moon for those special occasions and was sad to see he wasn't involved with the Chautauqua Dining Hall. I've never had a bad meal, and in fact, I've had several memorable ones at all of his restaurants.
As for Juanita's, Praise the Lard it's still there.
Posted by sfld1 on August 28, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Shucks, I was hoping for a Juanita's Express
Posted by 3rdGenBldr on August 28, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ColTerra or Full Moon, Brad does a great job. The food is as good as it gets. This will be a great addition.
He gets customer satisfaction and if you want something, you won't be told - as the Kitchen has told me - come back tomorrow, when asking for granola 10 minutes after breakfast has stopped being served.
And I also think Boulder's punishing parking nonsense does more to drive away business than anything short of a biological contamination of weaponized smallpox. Boulder is so car unfriendly from parking to the timing of lights that it can be faster & cheaper to drive to Denver than go from SE Boulder to NW Boulder.
But it will be great to have a real restaurant again in Tom's. I'm excited to see - and taste - what happens.
Posted by sfld1 on August 28, 2008 at 1:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Boulder is sooooo car unfriendly"
So what? stop driving and try walking fatty
Posted by Bizzers on August 28, 2008 at 1:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
yuck
Posted by antiboulderite on August 28, 2008 at 2:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Um The reason its hard to drive is because there are ten times more cars than room for them downtown. Like most cities built in the 1800s, they had horses and a few coaches, not SUVs and Buses!!!
Posted by jadam12 on August 28, 2008 at 3:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Colterrra, just another overpriced fru fru restaurant to hit the Boulder culinary scene. How do all these overpriced yuppie places stay in business? Most people can't afford to eat at them. Just like the SoBo cafe in South Boulder. I rarely see people eating there.
It's really strange that a restaurant owner could make a killing serving real food that is affordable to most of the people who live here, yet everyone thinks that they will make more money charging higher prices to attract far fewer people. I guess it is really more about image than it is about providing good eats in Boulder anymore.
As for the former Library Pub/La Estralita location, it's the whole image thing. It is not far from parking, no more than anyplace on the Pearl Street Mall. Though it is not on the Mall either. It's all about image and the fact that the building is or was in serious need of repair that was glaringly obvious to anyone who went there.
The Library was truly the best possible Cruiser hangout on a Thursday night. Maybe one day again, that is if it doesn't become an overpriced yuppie fru fru place too.
Posted by sojourner on August 28, 2008 at 5:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Colterra is a wonderful restaurant, but even with their "small plates" with smaller prices, it is not the everyday event kind of place Tom's was. Colterra is fine dining. Full Moon, a little less fancy, but same.
I hope the new restaurant is not a repeat of Colterra or Full Moon Grill. It would be nice to see Heap do something more down to earth, something so needed in Boulder, midpoint between the Mountain Sun and Frasca. The new culinary challenge: Affordable, friendly, fresh with its feet on the ground. I'd brave the parking for that. Might even walk.
Posted by flywheeljh on August 28, 2008 at 8:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Speaking of Mt.Sun, what's up with that place not takeing plastic? Some kind of "hippie-dippy" PC thing.
Posted by oryoki on August 28, 2008 at 11:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The projected opening is spring? That's like six months away.
Why don't all you complainers or those with desires for whatever write a business plan and submit it to Bradford?
Create a menu, develop a wine list, project purchase prices for kitchen equipment, design a floor plan, watch Craigslist and try to summarize what kind of service help is available, and then think where you'll get the money to make your dream come true.
You just might find out exactly what it takes to open and run a restaurant in this town.
Posted by dhutton on August 29, 2008 at 8:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Go Bradford! I have enjoyed many a good meal or more at the last two places you have worked your magic. When you were at Full Moon Grill, I could take my team out for a wonderful meal that was within the same price ballpark as Red Robins ( or within $2); however, they felt it was way more special!
I have enjoyed Colterra on many occasions. The food is typically very good and sure a little more pricey. I will agree the service can be spotty for what I expect at a place of that calibur; however,David,at lunch, has been consistently very good! I for one am glad to see you are venturing back into town. I wish you the best of luck!
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