Tava House Taproom Officially Opens its Doors to the Public
Firebrand Steakhouse Slated to Open Soon
Trevor Phipps
Area residents and visitors who have driven through downtown Woodland Park in the past year have highly anticipated the arrival of a first-of-its-kind business, and what has become the anchor project of the town’s Woodland Station area.
As motorists have watched the building pop up during the last several months, many have wondered about what the new eatery/community hub will look like, when it is finally completed.
Well, the answer to that question has arrived.
The Tava House Taproom (located on the building’s lower level) invited the public to a week-long soft opening during the beginning of May. Now that it has officially opened up for customers, the taproom now features a dozen draft beers on their self-serve tap beer system.
The menu featured for the soft opening was smaller than it will be in the coming weeks. The meals offered featured items like burger sliders and other delicious dishes including seared Ahi tuna.
The menu changed every day during the first week so that the chef could get a good idea of what to offer on the taproom menu permanently. Once the business opens full force, the taproom will sport different hours and a new menu.
The idea is that the taproom will have more traditional foods while maintaining its primary focus as a community hub. The steakhouse upstairs will then feature upscale culinary dishes that will really showcase the chef and team’s talents.
Upon entering the finished eatery for the first time, most customers were amazed. It is very apparent that the construction process kept every detail in mind. Each window located in the building upstairs and downstairs, offers a perfectly framed view of America’s Mountain.
The hostess stand and bar, where food and cocktails get ordered, sits just past the lower level, front door. The bar contains a good selection of hard alcohols, mocktails and canned beers that can be ordered from the counter. People also order food from the bar.
One special feature that stands out is the custom coffee drip machine on the bar counter. The machine takes high-end rum made by the local Black Bear Distillery and drips it over freshly roasted coffee beans crafted from the local Solid Grounds Coffee House. The result is a smooth, coffee-flavored liquid spirit that definitely pleases the palette.
The self-serve tap machine can then be seen after moving further into the taproom.
According to the Tava House General Manager Brad Beck, the taps will feature over a dozen craft beers, mostly made in Colorado. The machine will also have two wines and two craft cocktails on draft for those who enjoy other alcoholic beverages than beer.
The way the new setup works is different than other taprooms as the system is focused on allowing customers to taste more than one type of beer. Thirsty visitors will receive a wristband from the bar. The wrist band will then activate the desired tap where the customer will be charged for each drink by the ounce.
Big Dreams Finally Come to Fruition
Tava House CEO Derek Waggoner has planned the Tava House development for six years. He is excited that he has finally been able to open the doors after maneuvering through a variety of hurdles.
Waggoner said that over the past six years, the original plan morphed slightly to have more of a focus on events. “We thought that we could just do wedding receptions,” Waggoner said. “But then people said, ‘we are already here, why can’t we just have our wedding here?’”
The facility’s River Room (banquet room) already has more than 20 weddings scheduled for the summer season. In addition, the Tava House banquet room already hosted the spring prom dance for Merit Academy. They also had a first business meeting called “Power Up with AI” sponsored by the Colorado Small Business Development Center Network.
According to Tava GM Brad Beck, putting on various events to bring people together is a major aspect of the company’s culture. “The first thing we are going to offer is a community hub, we talked about that quite a bit in our mission statement,” Beck said. “A community hub meaning that we want everyone to be lifted by our presence here.”
Beck wishes to provide a one-of-a-kind experience to local residents, as well as travelers. He said that he wants Tava House to be a prime spot for motorists to stop as they travel west from Colorado Springs.
“We have residents here in Teller County that have been begging for something like this,” Beck said. “I can’t tell you how many times I have had somebody stop me and say, ‘I’m so glad you’re open, because we have been looking for something like this for ages!’”
Beck said that for the beer offered, they will highlight some brews out of the state along with their large selection of Colorado brews. Moreover, they will have a few beers from other states and always offer Guinness Draught Stout.
Beck said that most of the food offered will be familiar dishes. “Food wise, it’s classic, it’s comfort,” Beck said. “We are not really thinking way outside the box, but we’re doing it really well! We are sourcing high quality ingredients from local ranchers.”
The Taproom will have more permanent hours starting this week. The Firebrand Chophouse upstairs will open its door in the next week or two. Stay tuned to Tavahouse.com and their Facebook Page for updates on their hours and upcoming events.
