Last year wasn’t easy on Amos Watts. But, with a new location secured for his restaurant, he thinks 2024 is already looking better.
The Fifth String — which Watts originally opened in LoHi in 2020 — will reopen in 3,200 square feet at 1490 Eudora St., along East Colfax in the Hale neighborhood.
Watts said he closed the LoHi location in August because the space wasn’t right for the restaurant. But there was another complicating factor: doctors found benign tumors on his jaw.
Watts said he knew The Fifth String wouldn’t close for good, but he was facing seven surgeries that could potentially take away his taste.
“I didn’t know if I’d be able to be a chef,” Watts said. “That was scary. I just wasn’t able to be there as much.”
Watts had a space lined up to move The Fifth String after shuttering in LoHi, but he said that deal fell through. He was connected with Attimo Winery’s Jon Schlegel, who offered him 5,000 square feet of the winery’s space in Ballpark.
The Fifth String has been operating in Attimo with a smaller menu while Watts recovered from surgeries and continued the hunt to find a full kitchen and restaurant space with his wife Jessica.
“Jon has been so helpful through this whole process, he was really nice and gave us a place to cook,” Watts said. “We owe a lot to him.”
Watts said Jessica found the space at the corner of Eudora and Colfax in October and knew it was perfect. Now tumor-free and, critically, with his taste unaffected, he’s ready to get back in the kitchen.
“We’re just ready to cook and bring back The Fifth String to its original state,” Watts said.
The Fifth String will keep a presence at Attimo, Watts said he expects to be involved with events at the winery and possibly keep a small tasting menu there.
In the new space, Watts said customers can expect more small-plate meals, new cocktails and a larger bar. He said he and the other chefs have been busy getting creative and coming up with new food ideas, but it will still be The Fifth String his regulars love.
All of his employees from the original LoHi spot have followed them to the new location, which he plans to open in April.
“They waited and were patient and trusted us, and I give Jessica credit for that,” Watts said of his employees.
Lisa Langiewicz with Hoff & Leigh represented the property owner, Elkco Properties, in the deal. She said the space has been largely vacant for about a year. The Fifth String was represented by Zach Cytryn with Fuel & Iron Realty.
This story was reported by our partner BusinessDen.
