Lunch at Gaia Bistro

Gaia Bistro on Old South Pearl has turned out to be a much better use of the space than Lah-ti-dah, a combo yarn shop and coffeeshop that was a little too obscure and tiny and yet off-puttingly hip as a yarn shop, and too close to a very well-established coffee shop, Stella's, to be successful.

Gaia offers breakfast and lunch, and a very occasional dinner (once a month on a Tuesday, I think). Their menu is quite good: crepes, sandwiches, salads. Lovely fresh vegetables and bread, with pretty presentation. Not too pricey, either.

The vegetable sandwich looks fabulous:
I had the breakfast poblano, which is a roasted poblano chile topped with scrambled eggs with pancetta, brie and tomatoes. Some mixed greens alongside and a slice of potatoes au gratin. Very yummy.
There was also a savory crepe, but it didn't photograph well. But it was also good, I'm told.

I wish they had a better website (no hours listed, not great photos in the photo section -- where's the patio? But note the egg-beater light fixtures!). And I really wanted to get the skinny on their next venture, which I'm very excited about.

Gaia has bought the space formerly occupied by the Denver Doll Emporium, just down the street. As mentioned in the neighborhood paper, the Washington Park Profile, it will be the Pearl St. Creamery and Pajama Baking Company:

Pajama Baking – currently operating as a wholesale business – will be a “Euro-style bakery” with breads and pastries made in-house. The Pearl St. Creamery side of the operation will offer 30 flavors of shakes, malts, soft serve, banana splits, floats, etc. Also, look for a small market area offering cheeses and other specialty items that go well with great bread.

Can't wait!