Few things smell and taste as good as freshly baked baguettes. That’s why at Anise we choose to bake all our baguettes in house. We are not going to take any chances in putting together banh mi, one of the most popular sandwiches ever. Crunchy outside with beautiful crusty colors but soft white interior, our baguettes is one of many reasons why Anise has the best banh mi in the market. Virtually the very first thing we do at Anise every morning is bake fresh baguettes for that day’s banh mi line up. That’s why our banh mi are always fresh and delicious. If you don’t know what banh mi is, please check out our banh mi blog then browse our banh mi menu for the freshest, crunchiest, and tastiest banh mi you have ever tasted.
865 N Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203
info@aniseeatery.com
303-830-3934
Anise
Modern Vietnamese Eatery
Last year, Anise opened its doors on Friday, May 10th a couple days before Mother’s Day. Exactly one year later to today, it is May 10th and is Mother’s Day. Under any normal circumstances, we would have a big celebration to thank all our loyal customers for supporting us in our first year, but in this current pandemic, nothing is normal. Regardless, we’d like to thank everyone who has visited us since we were first opened and during this COVID-19 period.
Now back to the topic of this post, Mother’s Day. Anise would like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers out there. We know how hard you work and we appreciate you.
COVID-19 is the worst pandemic in our life time, but us humans have made it through some really bad pandemics with less technology and scientific know hows (Plague of Justinian in the 500’s AD, Black Plague in the 1300’s, and the 1918 Flu Pandemic in… the early 1900’s). If history is correct and if it does repeat itself, then we will prevail and we will make it through this one.
Safer at Home
Here in Denver and Colorado, to help flatten the curve, Mayor Hancock and Governor Polis instituted a strict Stay at Home order starting mid March that required Denverites and Coloradans to stay at home except for grocery shopping, exercise and necessary activities. Restaurants like Anise were considered critical businesses and were allowed to be opened but only for takeouts, deliveries, and curbside pickups. The Stay at Home phase was a success; the curve started to flatten; so Colorado has moved into her next phase to battle this pandemic, The Safer at Home phase.
Because the Safer at Home phase just started this past week (April 27), there are still a lot of unknowns. Safer at Home means exactly that, we’re still safer at home. We’re not 100% safe in public, hence Colorado is opening albeit slowly:
- April 27, 2020
- Retails can open for curbside pickups
- Real estate showings are allowed
- May 1, 2020
- Retails and personal services can be opened with safety practice in place
- May 4, 2020
- Non-essentials offices can be opened with reduced capacity and safety practice in place
Restaurants directives are still missing from the current Safer at Home orders; but due to the essential nature of our business, the Governor and the Mayor’s offices are working steadfastly to come up with a guideline for Anise and for restaurants in Colorado (especially in Denver) to open safely. Of course we are very anxious to serve our customers in a dine-in setting, but we will do that responsibly, safely, and we will adhere to all governmental guidelines and regulations. As soon as we know restaurant specific guidelines and opening dates, we will update with a blog.
Denver Face Masks Requirement
On May 1, 2020, Mayor Hancock issued an order requiring residents and employees to wear face coverings while inside of (or waiting in line to enter) businesses, facilities or locations – such as any retail or commercial business, at a bus stop or facilities offering health care services. All restaurant employees should wear face coverings — those preparing food, working in a space with food, and interacting with guests are specifically called out by the order. As part of the order, restaurants like ours must, “Take reasonable measures, such as posting signs, to remind their customers and the public of the requirement that they wear a Face Covering while inside of or waiting in line to enter the business, facility, or location. Businesses and organizations performing Critical Government Functions must take all reasonable steps to prohibit any member of the public who is not wearing a Face Covering from entering and, if those efforts are unsuccessful, must not serve that person and must seek to remove that person.” The Mayor’s order is effective May 6, 2020; that’s this coming Wednesday. We don’t want any trouble with the law, so starting Wednesday please help us serve you by wearing a face mask upon entering Anise.
Alcohol To-Go Extended
On March 20, 2020, Governor Polis temporary lifted the statewide rule that prevents Colorado restaurants and bars from serving alcohol to go. That lift expired on April 30, 2020 but was extended for another 30 days. To celebrate the extension, Anise is offering a buy 1 bottle of wine get another bottle of wine of equal value or less free. In addition, any customers ordering over $75 worth of food (pre-tax) will get a bottle of house wine free (Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio). These 2 offers are good only for customers over 21 years or older with valid IDs, until revise by Anise, until the lift expires again, until Anise is out of wines, or until restaurants in Denver are allowed to be opened for dine in, whichever happens first.
On March 20th, Governor Polis signed an executive order allowing Anise (and all liquor licensees licensed for on premises consumption) to sell alcohol for carry out, and delivery. This executive order will end on April 18th.
On March 22nd, Gov. Jared Polis ordered non-essential businesses to reduce the number of people physically present in the workplace by 50 percent, and more if possible.
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock issued an order today, March 23rd, requiring residents to stay at home in response to the spread of the coronavirus. “This isn’t a recommendation anymore. People need to stay at home,” they Mayor said. “We will enforce when and where necessary.” This order is effective at 5PM Tuesday, March 24th and will be in effect until at least April 10th. Restaurants are considered essential and are therefore EXCLUDED from this order and may continue to provide to-go, delivery, and drive-through services.
Since there are so many executive orders in such a short time, there are a lot of uncertainties and our customers have many questions. With this blog, we’d like to clear up some of those uncertainties. Please feel free to share this blog with everyone especially other restaurateurs who may benefit from this information.
First is a new CDPHE Guidance for Restaurants on offering Raw & Bulk Foods and General Consumer Goods:
In regard to the CDPHE’s Guidance to restaurants to provide Raw & Bulk foods, Anise has decided to not participate at this time, but we will continue to monitor our customer interests. If our customers express the desire for us to provide this service, then Anise may consider participating at that time. If we do participate, Anise will offer Raw & Bulk Foods along with General Consumer Goods at cost as a service to our community.
In regard to the alcohol take-out or delivery rules, as per the Colorado Restaurant Association:
- Operators must have one of the following licenses: Beer and Wine, Brew Pubs, Club Licenses, Distillery Pubs, Hotel & Restaurant, Lodging and Entertainment, Tavern, or Vintners Restaurant
- The order applies to all types of beer, wine, and spirits (cocktails and mixed drinks included).
- Beverages must be in a sealed container – sealed containers include plastic cups with plastic lids, even if there is a straw hole, as long as there isn’t a straw in it
- Restaurants can not refill growlers. Colorado’s Liquor Enforcement Division (LED) just updated its ruling and has decided that on-premises retailers may not refill and sell alcohol beverages in growlers and crowlers.
- Sale of food must be on the same receipt or transaction
- As always, sales to someone under 21 or someone who is visibly intoxicated are prohibited
- For delivery orders, individuals placing the order must be 21 years of age or over, and must provide their name, date of birth, and delivery address. This information must be verified upon delivery.
- Establishments licensed as a distillery pub or a brewery may only sell what’s made on site
- Deliveries may only be made to the address provided at the time of the order
- Persons making the delivery must be 21 years old or older and an employee of the licensee
- Licensee must retain all records regarding the delivery of alcohol beverages
We are offering our house wines at $15 a bottle (Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio).
If you are a restaurateur, please take sometimes to help make sure the Federal Government provides relief for restaurants and their employees here, and please fill out this form to help trigger a response from the Federal Government to open up relief funding in our state. Please email the form to John-Michael Hill with Denver’s Economic Development Office at john-michael.hill@denvergov.org. John will forward them on Colorado’s behalf. If your restaurant is still providing take-outs and deliveries, then make sure it’s listed on the Denver.org website by filling out this form.
Again, we’d like to thank all the front line COVID-19 First Responders – nurses, doctors, healthcare providers, and all those scientists who are working steadfastly toward a COVID-19 cure. We appreciate everything you do. We will beat this pandemic together.
Be safe and stay healthy!
Anise
With the COVID-19 closures, news are happening at warp speed. Anise is not a news source, but as a service to our community, we will try to summarize the COVID-19 news that matters.
As a switch, our blog now begins by thanking all the front line COVID-19 First Responders – nurses, doctors, healthcare providers, and all those who are working steadfastly toward a COVID-19 cure. This blog’s image is a tribute to the COVID-19 First Responders. Photo by: unsplash-logoLuis Melendez
Tax Filing Deadline
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin just announced that U.S. taxpayers will have 3 months extension to file their taxes (until July 15). Governor Polis followed by announcing that Colorado residents will also have until July 15 to file Colorado State income taxes. For Colorado, this extension is without any penalties or interest, and there are no caps or conditions on the tax filing amounts.
Eviction and Utilities
For the State of Colorado, the private sector will be encouraged to put a stop to all evictions and foreclosures during the time of COVID-19 crisis, and the State will not devote resources to evictions or foreclosures. The Governor also encouraged banks and other private sectors to align their policies with federal FHA deferment. The Governor has also called on public utilities to suspend disconnections in service due to missed payments, without interest or penalties.
Health Insurance
The Governor has extended the deadline for applications on the State Health Exchange to April 3rd in order to expand coverage to those that may have recently lost their health insurance coverage.
Restaurants approved for alcohol takeout and delivery
To celebrate Governor Polis allowing restaurants and bars to serve alcohol to go and through deliveries, Anise is offering our restaurant quality house wines for $15 a bottle for take-outs. The following is a list of our current house wine varieties:
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Pinot Grigio
- Pinot Noir
- Cabernet Sauvignon
Parking and Denver Department of Transportation Updates
To help with take-outs and to-go pickups, for the next 30 days, the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) will suspend enforcement of the following:
- Parking meters (All meters will be free and without time limits.)
- Time-limited, non-metered parking areas (e.g., 30-minute, 1-hour, 2-hour, etc.)
Residential Permit Parking areas - 72-hour parking limits (Residents and visitors can park their vehicles in one spot for more than 72 hours.)
- Large vehicle parking (People can park trucks and other vehicles more than 22’ in length on the street.)
- School bus loading zones
- Booting
- Denver’s street sweeping program will begin April 1; however, the city will not enforce parking restrictions related to street sweeping for 30 days. People who are able to move their cars on street sweeping day are asked to do so to allow street sweepers to reach the curb line and more effectively sweep.
Because these are developing news, we will constantly monitor different Internet sites and update this blog with links to substantiate our information as necessary.
Be safe and stay healthy! We will beat this together.
Anise
Anise Remains Open
On March 16, Governor Polis gave executive orders mandating the closure of all restaurant dine-in services for 30 days. In our last blog, we discussed Mayor Hancock given the same orders for the City of Denver, ending on May 11. Take-out, delivery, walk-up service, drive-up service, and drive-through service are still allowed. Despite having these options, many restaurants have opted to close altogether due to various reasons including financial viability.
At Anise, we are committed to stay open for take-outs and Anise curbside pickups. To make sure everyone is safe and healthy in the current pandemic, we have taken safety measures as recommended by the Colorado Restaurant Association and elevated them to an even higher level.
- Following Public Health Notice recommendation, we will only allow 5 members of the public in Anise at any given time
- To limit the amount of time our customers spend awaiting at Anise, we recommend that orders be placed ahead of time over the phone
- Different groups of customers waiting for their take-out orders at Anise will be spaced 6 feet apart
As is always, please keep in mind that Anise takes great pride in maintaining a clean and safe environment for all our customers. Anise already follows the strictest food safety standards, but we have taken this COVID-19 pandemic seriously since the start and have brought cleaning and sanitizing to an even higher level. We are now constantly sanitizing and wiping down all commonly used items like door knobs/handles, menus, bill clips, tables, chairs, etc.
Finally, we cannot end our blog without thanking all the front line COVID-19 First Responders – nurses, doctors, healthcare providers, and all those who are working steadfastly toward a COVID-19 cure. We appreciate everything you do. We will beat this pandemic together.
Be safe and stay healthy!
Anise
Anise COVID-19
Dear Anise Customers,
This morning, Mayor Michael Hancock just ordered for all restaurants and bars in Denver to close for 8 weeks, through May 11. Restaurants can still offer delivery, curb-side pick-up, and drive-thru. These closures will take effect at 8AM tomorrow morning, March 17.
As a service to our community, Anise is committed to continue with take-out and pick-up orders. In addition, Anise will provide Anise curb-side services. What that means is if you call in your orders and pay with credit cards over the phone, Anise will deliver your food to your cars parked along Anise curbside. Please make sure to let us know that you’d like Anise curbside service when you place your order and call us on the phone when you arrive.
As is always, please keep in mind that Anise takes great pride in maintaining a clean and safe environment for all our customers. Anise already follows the strictest food safety standards, but we have taken this COVID-19 pandemic seriously since the start and have brought cleaning and sanitizing to an even higher level. We are now constantly sanitizing and wiping down all commonly used items like door knobs/handles, menus, bill clips, tables, chairs, etc.
Tonight we will be opened for business as usual. This is the last night we are opened before we have to close until May. Anise has started and will practice 6′ social distancing. That means every group of diners will be seated 6′ away from another group. This is for your safety and the safety of others.
A shout out to all the front line COVID-19 First Responders – nurses, doctors, and healthcare providers. We thank you for what you do. We will beat this pandemic together.
Thank you to everyone for your continued support.
Anise
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PHOJITO® and PHOTINI® are Federally Registered Marks, All Rights Reserved
Anise 