Page 12 - September E uide Proof

The Office Co. Bar & Kitchen
The Library Co. Bar & Kitchen
The GYM Co. Tavern
Eateries have a special niche and atmosphere
Adieu to froufrou – Trio of eateries get back to basics
A vision to reinvent the local restaurant scene by focusing on simplicity and community has turned into a reality in Douglas County – times three.
Having spent nearly two decades working in Mexican eateries, including a few fine dining spots, restaurateur Mike Hernandez took time five years ago to reconsider what it means to be a restaurant.
He realized there was an abundance of chic, upscale establishments in Douglas County – where he’s lived since 2009 – but not nearly enough neighborhood hangouts with a laid-back vibe.
“I’d go out to eat and I would find this trendy, weird stuff on menus, and I don’t even know what it is. I have to Google it to find out what I’m eating,” Hernandez said. “I really wanted to move to a simpler, easy concept.”
He opened The Office Bar & Kitchen in downtown Castle Rock in 2017, featuring a menu of tried-and-true favorites, and on the heels of its success, opened two more restaurants: The Library Co. Bar & Kitchen in Castle Rock, and, more recently, The GYM Co. Tavern in Parker.
By Chris Michlewicz
While they can all be categorized as sports bars, each eatery has its own special niche and atmosphere. The GYM, for example, serves woodfired pizzas and boasts an array of games, everything from darts, shuffleboard, pool and foosball to vintage arcade games. The place looks nothing like its former incarnation as a liquor store; it’s dimly lit and maintains an easygoing atmosphere punctuated by jovial conversations between regulars and the sounds of sports coming from the TVs that hang on every wall.
Bar and restaurant enthusiasts in Douglas County don’t have to drive far with three locally owned establishments within a 14-mile radius between Parker and Castle Rock.
Similarly, clusters of regulars congregate at The Office Co., exchanging friendly banter with a bartender whom they all seem to know and like. The space is vibrant and centers around a bartop backed by a towering wall of bottles containing fine liquors, many of them bourbons and whiskeys. Classic rock tunes emanate from overhead speakers, not
too loudly and not too softly. A patio enables guests to enjoy the busy atmosphere of the downtown corridor along Wilcox Street.
Mike painstakingly ensures that the food is top notch.
Fine liquors, bourbons and whiskeys are featured at the Office and the Library.