Avanti Food & Beverage debuted three new concepts and a coffee shop Friday, along with a redesigned ground floor ahead of the Denver food hall’s and restaurant incubator’s tenth anniversary. Located at 3200 N. Pecos St. in Lower Highland, Avanti opened July of 2015 as one of the earliest ups cale food halls in the city. Restaurants rotate in and out of the kitchens framed inside of shipping containers every few years. Earlier this year, Avanti’s management said Pho King Rapidos, Gorlami Pizza and 22 Provisions would close in coordination with a remodeling of the downstairs seating area and bar. The newest class of concepts are Farang Thai Kitchen, led by chef Ben Whelan; The Pizza Bandit, the husband-and-wife partnership of Melina and Federico Felix; and Eloise, the revamped concept of former 22 Provisions owner and chef Quincy Cherrett. Farang Thai Kitchen The term “farang” means “foreigner” in Thai, and it’s a cheeky reference by Whelan who, despite professing enough knowledge and love of Thai cooking to put on TED Talks on the subject, is Irish, Jewish, and from Boston. “My experience is coming as an outsider to the culture, to the cuisine,” Whelan said. “I think of it as less autobiography and more love story.” His career began with internships in kitchens around the world, including a year at Marmalade, a fine-dining restaurant with a tasting menu in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In Denver, he worked for the Culinary Creative Group, helping open A5 Steakhouse and leading crews at Ay Papi and, most recently, Ash’Kara. But it was an episode of “Chef’s Table” that focused on Michelin-starred Bo.Lan in Bangkok that inspired his journey into Thai food. After watching the show, Whelen cold-called the restaurant and found out about an opening; in 2019, he flew to Bangkok to work there. When the COVID-19 pandemic began the next year, he holed up at a beach-front villa with a dozen tourists from other countries and practiced making the same classic recipes over and over, he said. With plenty of experience in “classic, technical Thai” cooking, Whelan returned to Denver and experimented with his own recipes at pop-up events. In January, he signed a lease with Avanti to take over Pho King Rapido’s stall and open Farang Thai Kitchen. The cooking at Farang is philosophically similar to Bo. Lan, where everything was made by hand without electric appliances, he said. The curries ($17) are made from a hand-pounded curry paste and seasoned separately in a saucepan with every order. Creamy panang curry is plated with thick cuts of flank steak, swirls of coconut cream, a bunch of lime leaves and crisp green beans. The hat yai chicken nuggets ($9) are marinated and served with a sweet & sour dip made of fish sauce, white peppercorn and cilantro stems. On the sweet end, Farang has a Thai iced tea ($4.50) made with condensed milk and a tea mix sourced from Thailand, and a Thai ice cream sandwich ($6) made with coconut or pandan ice cream. Pizza bandit One of the special pizza creations by Melina and Federico Felix of The Pizza Bandit, the newest pizza stall at Avanti in Denver. (Photo by Amber Boutwell) Next door, The Pizza Bandit has slapped its skull-and-slice logo on the oven of the former Gorlami Pizza. Melina and Federico Felix of Littleton began their pizza business as a food truck, drawing followers through Instagram and branding that Melina, a former graphic designer, created. Baking is so ingrained in her family — her grandparents own a bakery in Italy — she would make and roll dough for pizza before and after her work shift, she said. “I heard this amazing piece of advice on a podcast, and it said, ‘Grow your audience before your product,'” she said. “So I just opened up an Instagram [account] and I just started making pizza.” There are eight Neapolitan pizzas on the menu using dough fermented over 72 days with a small amount of yeast, Melina said. The most popular is the Sweet Heat ($18) with pepperoni, jalapeño, cream cheese, hibiscus-pickled red onions, cheddar and house-made hot honey. There is also a peach cobbler dessert pizza ($17.50). But the special pies are the most creative, such as the shepherd’s pie variation they served for St. Patrick’s Day weekend. This coming weekend, Farangs’ Whelan is partnering with the pair on a pizza that mixes their marinara sauce with his red curry. A bowl of mussels at Eloise, the new concept by chef Quincy Cherrett replacing his former 22 Provisions sandwich stall at Avanti in Denver. (Photo by Amber Boutwell) 22 Provisions Cherrett of 22 Provisions, the former sandwich shop, has changed the focus of his stall at Avanti with Eloise, named after one of his sister’s favorite books. The tale of a young girl who lived in hotels was similar to their upbringing following around their father, a hotel owner and operator. Related Articles Restaurants, Food and Drink | California chicken chain picks Denver for first location in region Restaurants, Food and Drink | Wash Park Grille property for sale after tax seizures, co-owner squabbles Restaurants, Food and Drink | Former Brasserie Brixton chefs taking Osaka Ramen space in RiNo Restaurants, Food and Drink | New Cheesecake Factory opening this spring in Colorado Restaurants, Food and Drink | Michelin-star chef’s latest opens Monday with slow-roasted meats and a cookout-style vibe Eloise is subtitled “An American Bistro”, though France is a clear influence on the menu. An exquisite chicken liver pate ($17) is served with beet-pickled shallots and crispy sourdough bread. There are variations on frites with mussels ($18) and flank steak ($22), and a steak sandwich ($19) with caramelized onions and a fiery chipotle aioli. There are two Italian pastas, as well, including a beef Bolognese ($20) with house-made tagliatelle, nutmeg and plenty of parmesan. The rest of the changes on the ground floor of Avanti are away from the food hall and by the bar, where there is new lighting and seating. In between both is a new coffee shop, Café Avanti, selling hot and iced drinks, baked goods and breakfast burritos. It opens daily at 7 a.m. as Avanti’s management seeks to add more morning options for customers. All other food vendors, including Amá Modern Mexican and Knockabout Burgers on the second floor, open at 11 a.m. Avanti has two other food halls in Boulder and Vail. Subscribe to our new food newsletter, Stuffed, to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox. ...read more read less