Japanese Eatery Kumoya Debuts October 12
It aims to marry the precision of fine dining with the fun, vibrant feel of an izakaya, complete with a late-night bar and lounge.
By Molly Martin
"We incubate artists, and Corey is as good as it gets in this area," says Juan Padró, founder and CEO of the Culinary Creative Group (CCG), which will debut its latest project, Kumoya, on October 12.
Corey Baker has over two decades of experience in renowned sushi restaurants, including Sushi Den, Sushi Sasa, Sushi Hai and more. While he's opened many restaurants throughout his career, "I've never had this much support before," he says of working with CCG.
The opportunity came about organically. The group's chief culinary officer, Max MacKissock, has been friends with Baker for years. "I've been eating Corey's food for a long time, following him around the city," MacKissock says. "We've always admired each other and wanted to work with each other."
In addition, Baker's wife, Jana, has worked with MacKissock since his days at the Squeaky Bean. "Having the chance to work with Max at Kumoya is a dream," Baker says.
When Tony Pasquini, the owner of Tony P's, connected with Padró about wanting to move out of 2400 West 32nd Avenue, the Highland space that his business had occupied since 2007, it was an opportunity Culinary Creative couldn't pass up. "Tony's business changed a lot during COVID," Padró says of the pizzeria's move to a smaller space at 3000 Zuni Street, where it can focus on takeout business. But for his growing restaurant group, he adds, "this is a premium location." It's also just a block from three other CCG restaurants: Fox and the Hen, Bar Dough and the Highland location of Tap & Burger.
It's a space MacKissock drove by daily, and one he spent a lot of time in — especially the area that was Zio Romolo's Alley Bar. "I made a lot of poor decisions there late-night," MacKissock jokes.
Now the CCG team is ready to introduce the revamped space, which is smartly divided into several sections and was designed by local agency Maximalist. There's a room at the front that's ideal for private parties, along with a main dining area with several comfy booths and a sushi counter. Past that is the lounge, where cloud-like lights hang from the ceiling, a nod to the restaurant's name, which "combines two Japanese characters: 'kumo,' representing 'cloud,' and 'ya,' signifying 'house' or 'shop,'" according to a press release.
The lounge will function as an extension of the dining room from 5 to 10 p.m. After that, it will transform into a late-night party complete with DJs, live music and a separate menu of what Baker calls "craveable" items like curries, udon noodles and egg salad sandwiches.
It also connects to the former Zio's, now called Bar Kumo, a narrow space decked out with floral accents that will be stocked with plenty of Japanese sake and whisky. "They're all unique and cool and fun, and they'll each have different energy, for sure," MacKissock says of the various spaces.
"The cuisine is going to be a little different than a normal sushi restaurant," Baker explains. "We're going in different directions and making our own style." That includes an ever-changing sushi menu based on the seasonality of fish, as well as a kitchen menu that aims to push diners' boundaries. "People are used to staples like edamame and black cod and tempura-style dishes. We don't have any of those things on the menu."
Instead, he says, expect to see different versions of chawanmushi (Japanese steamed egg custard) along with "new takes on collar and steak dishes," like the Wagyu Zabuton ($48), a miso-marinated Denver cut steak that is grilled over binchotan charcoal and served with pickled mustard greens.
Other early standouts from the restaurant's soft openings include Nasu Misoyaki ($18), miso eggplant that is broiled, creating a super creamy texture that's contrasted by a sprinkling of bubu arare, crunchy pearls made from glutinous rice. There's also a katsu sandwich ($19) made with Berkshire pork on housemade milk bread; rich, fatty tuna tartare ($38); and Yakimeshi ($32), fried rice with buttery crab.
Kumoya also has a dry-aged fish program, something that's been done for decades but has grown in popularity in the U.S. in recent years. "It really changes the texture and the flavor of the fish; it's really cool," MacKissock says.
"The idea is the same as what people do with beef," Baker explains. "Everyone thinks fish is best fresh, but not always."
While diners can get an omakase experience at the sushi counter, led by Baker's team of chefs — who, he notes, have been given "a lot of freedom in making new dishes every day," the menu for the rest of the space is à la carte.
However, the front-of-house staff has also been given "a lot of freedom to do their style of omakase, to where they can take care of customers and take care of things personally," he adds.
In order to do that, education has been key to the training process, notes general manager Wes Zelio. "We want really precision service when it comes to the steps of service," he explains. "But we want that vibe that you get in an izakaya pub — to be able to marry those things together is something that's really important to us."
"We're trying to have the best service in Colorado," Baker says.
Nicole Lebedevitch, CCG's beverage director, has designed a drink program to complement both the food and the service. "I want to bring the 'Come for dinner, stay for the show' mentality," she says. "You can have both things in one place, plus thoughtful cocktails, elegant wines and sakes, an evolving spirits selection and entertainment. We can create a space in which you can have a first date, celebrate a special occasion, mingle in a bar, or maybe dance the night away."
Music will play a big role in creating the right vibes, the team says. Baker notes that he's into "a lot of soul music, jazz music, house music," and the playlist will evolve as the evening does.
Whether you stop in for fifty pieces of nigiri or a late-night sando and a glass of whisky in Bar Kumo, "we want people to feel comfortable and impressed," Zelio concludes.