The Wolf’s Tailor, located in the Sunnyside neighborhood, already has 500 reservations, said Kelly Whitaker, whose Id Est Hospitality Group owns both restaurants.<\/p>\n
Id Est nearly swept the competition at Michelin\u2019s highly anticipated award ceremony on Sept. 12, winning seven recognitions. In addition to their Michelin stars, Brut\u00f8 and The Wolf\u2019s Tailor also received a sustainability award for the team\u2019s practices, including managing food waste through fermentation, sourcing local ingredients and milling flour in-house.<\/p>\n
Caroline Clark, Id Est’s wine and hospitality director received the exceptional cocktails award for The Wolf\u2019s Tailor, while Whitaker\u2019s newest restaurant, Hey Kiddo, and his first, Basta, were added to Michelin’s list of recommended Colorado restaurants.<\/p>\n
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Beckon in Denver, Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder and Bosq in Aspen also received one star, meaning that there are now five Michelin-starred restaurants in Colorado. This was the first time that the esteemed restaurant guide has visited or awarded stars in the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe expected to be in the conversation, but we didn\u2019t expect to get seven recognitions from Michelin, so we know how rare and special that is,\u201d Whitaker said.<\/p>\n
Both Brut\u00f8 and The Wolf\u2019s Tailor only release reservations a month in advance, but Whitaker said he plans to open up reservations through the holiday season in November, so there will be more chances for diners to come in. But not at the expense of service or quality.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to stay true to ourselves and continue to do 55 to 60 covers a night to the best of our ability. This isn\u2019t a moment to grab a bunch of revenue,” he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur team is ready for this; we\u2019re built for this, and we\u2019ve already prepared in so many ways,\u201d Whitaker added. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to set the standard of a Michelin restaurant and hold us to that level of execution, cooking and technique. Our goal has always been to show up and create excellence, and we\u2019ve done all of that without thinking about stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
But if his team decides to aim for a second star (Michelin can award up to three), Whitaker would work with them. For now, he plans to send staff to other Michelin-star restaurants around the world where they will work briefly (known as staging) so they can bring back fresh ideas.<\/p>\n
Brut\u00f8’s Diaz de Leon said he is as proud of the sustainability award as he is of the star. \u201cWe\u2019re one of 16 restaurants in the country that have both a green star and a Michelin star,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cThe only people who have both are the big boys, like French Laundry, Atelier Crenn and SingleThread Farms. We\u2019re there now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diaz de Leon, Whitaker and their team returned to Brut\u00f8 after the awards ceremony to celebrate with the rest of the staff. But the next day, they were right back to work and in the kitchen, ready to prove themselves worthy of their awards. Diaz de Leon said he\u2019s hardly slept, showing up to Brut\u00f8 at 11 a.m. Wednesday and clocking out around 1 a.m. \u201cThere\u2019s no place I\u2019d rather be,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For his day off on Sunday, he plans to cook himself a big wagyu tomahawk and have some wine to celebrate. He’ll also rest, but then it will be back to work.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife is going to kill me, but I want those two stars,\u201d Diaz de Leon said.<\/p>\n