“Chop Shop” Refines Fast Casual Concept

By: Andrew Hammerlund

There’s a line in Jack Kerouac’s classic, On the Road, in which Marylou, Ed, and Dean left Denver and “roared east along Colfax and out to the Kansas’ plains”. Had these misfits hung around and survived Colfax for 60 plus years who knows what they would have thought of the east Colfax of today. A roller-coaster of revival has been happening along the eastside of what Playboy magazine once called, “The longest, wickedest, street in America”.

This revival, oddly enough, is motivated towards families. One does not usually, correct that never thinks of the infamous Colfax and family values in the same breathe. But here we are, years and years after the completion of I-70 (an act that redirected incoming tourists from the eastside of Colfax to downtown) a neighborhood reclaiming its identity is on the rise.

Chop Shop casual urban eatery is steaking its claim at the front of this ride, A new concept from red-hot chef Clint Wangsnes and beverage extraordinaire Christian Anderson. A concept that will push the status-quo of fast casual, in a market saturated with get-in get out inconsistent food/ service.

Located on the corner of east Colfax and Elm St. stands a building perfectly constructed to its environment. Complete with a front sign that the cruisers of Colfax past would be proud of. On the Elm St. side things start to blossom, literally, a twenty-person outdoor patio complete with a garden, where fresh ingredients are grown and masterfully infused with their exciting menu. Inside is an open kitchen and forty-person open dining area, complete with garage doors to let in the cool breeze of the summer nights.

When you walk in the front large words appear on the right side of the dining room that read, “Skillfully crafted, quickly served”. Four words that encompass everything Clint and Co. want to get across. Or as the chef himself put it, “Approachable, healthy, well-balanced food, served with families on the go in mind”. Their fast casual concept is not designed to complete with the Chipotles or Noodles of the world, Chop Shop was designed with the intention of setting the gauntlet and seeing who will catch up.

The gauntlet in question is their game-changing menu. The menu a refine quality to it, complete with a peach-wood smoked pork chop, grilled sirloin, salads, and one of the best American style hamburgers you’ll find on Colfax. Brace yourself, the next menu items are mind blowing for a fast casual eatery, but remember the rules have shifted. They serve up a 48-hour slow cooked short rib, seriously! A process that when Chef Wangsnes describes it, it is as if you have already had the entrée placed in front of you. Next up on our journey of disbelief is a 72-hour slow cooked onion bliss, what! Do yourself a flavor and get a bowl of the best French onion soup I’ve ever had. Walla Walla onions and toasted gruyere cheese have never been happier swimming in a savory broth, bliss is an understatement.

The menu is complete with a kid’s menu the hippest moms and dads would approve of, salads that feature their fresh grown kale and arugula, and a tap menu with Moscow Mules, Wine and beer, all on draft! With all this and much, much more, it is my opinion that had the characters of Colfax past set up shop and planted themselves here on the eastside of this historic road, they would approve of the astonishing and exciting ventures Clint and Christian are conducting at the Chop Shop Urban Eatery, and heck Sal might even try the Crispy Fried Tofu with summer squash on the side.