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Troy Guard’s FNG restaurant reopens in Denver after labor shortage forced a closure

The concept has also hired Charles Rivera as a new chef de cuisine

Holly Petre, Assistant Digital Editor

October 7, 2021

2 Min Read
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FNG reopened on Wednesday with a new look after being forced to close due to labor shortages in the restaurant industry.Mike Campbell

Troy Guard’s restaurant FNG reopened in Denver this week with a new menu, design and chef de cuisine. The restaurant, operated by Guard’s TAG Restaurant Group, is in the heart of the Denver Highlands neighborhood.

The restaurant closed early this summer due to a nationwide labor shortage, but has now officially reopened, inviting guests back to the bistro concept.

The new FNG features a more food-focused and chef-driven menu that Guard and chef de cuisine Charles Rivera have been working on together. Rivera is new to the position.

“We took the opportunity while FNG was closed to reevaluate the brand and talk to neighbors and community members about what they wanted in their spot,” Guard said in a release. “I had been feeling for some time that the Highlands neighborhood needed something more food-forward, a bit elevated with a more upscale atmosphere.”

The menu centers around the concept’s wood-fired grill, where fresh focaccia is baked daily. Appetizers include the Bison Agnolotti (ricotta, adobo butter, onions, and cilantro) and the Bologna Sliders made with mortadella di bologna, arugula, ruffles, and 1000 island. Entrees include Barramundi, a pan-seared skin-on fish filet, with stone ground grits, and a cherry tomato reduction and handmade Papparedelle, with sweet corn broth, wood-fired broccolini and caulilini, pistou, sambal, pine nuts, and grana Padano.

“From a food perspective, I also wanted to go back to my roots a bit and create a menu that’s exciting but also familiar and comforting,” Guard said in a statement. “It’s been a hard couple of years for everyone, and I just want to bring that comfort back in the form of food.”

TAG Restaurant Group operates sixteen other concepts and locations including TAG Burger Bar, Los Chingones, Guard and Grace, Bubu, HashTAG, FNG, Big Wave Taco, Tiny Giant Sushi, and Grange Hall. The group’s namesake restaurant TAG closed earlier this year.

About the Author

Holly Petre

Assistant Digital Editor

Holly Petre is a digital editor for Nation’s Restaurant News as well as the host of NRN’s podcast, Extra Serving, and producer for Informa Restaurant and Food Group’s other three podcasts, One On One by Food Management, Off the Shelf with SN and In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn. Holly holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Sculpture, fibers and Material Studies and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A native New Yorker, Holly enjoys her place on staff as the resident pop-culture expert and millennial with a sassy attitude and great sense of style.

Holly Petre’s work on Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality often covers marketing and trends, either aimed-at or examined-through the millennial mindset. Holly is responsible for introducing TikTok and Twitch to NRN and RH readers as well as explaining terms like “Karen” to staff and readers alike. She also spends her time on staff trying not to make every headline a pun.

Holly Petre hasn’t spoken at any events or on panels, but she is readily available with a killer shoe wardrobe and several witty quips.

 

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