Meet Andy Bruch | Owner of Point Easy Restaurant

@point_easy_denver

Hi Andy! Can you introduce yourself to our readers? Tell us a bit about your background and your story leading up to founding Point Easy? 

Hey! I’m Andy Bruch, and I’m one of the owners/founders of Point Easy, a newer restaurant in the Whittier neighborhood in Denver.  Without making it too long a story, I worked in tech in Chicago for a lot of years and just never really liked it much, at all.  When I moved to Denver four years ago I basically quit everything, moved into my buddy’s basement and started trying to find a job as a line cook (my friends mostly thought I was nuts).  I eventually landed at The Kitchen up in Boulder, and that’s where I met my now-partners in the restaurant.  The rest, as they say, is history.

What is the food concept behind Point Easy? What Local Farmers do you work with and why is that important to you?

The food concept behind Point Easy really boils down to simple, seasonal cooking.  Built into that concept is a goal to help guests get familiar with the unfamiliar; farmers out there are growing some pretty cool vegetables that not every home cook has access to, and our buying of some of those plants means that farmers get to keep growing them.  

Farmers – there are a lot, but two that stand out in particular are Anne Cure up at Cure Farm up in Boulder (a few of us spent a season as farmhands there), and Mark DeRespinis at Esoterra Culinary Garden; Mark packs a lot of amazing vegetables into his 1.5 acre farm, it’s truly incredible stuff.

How do you pay homage to the history of the Whittier Neighborhood?

When we took over the lease on the restaurant’s space, we were acutely aware of the building’s history as the home of M&D’s Barbecue and Soul Food for over thirty years.  We wanted to build something that in some way honored M&D’s legacy as a welcoming place to get some simple, honest food and maybe sit at the bar next to your neighbor, or make a new friend.  I hope we’re succeeding with that.

What are some of your favorite or most popular food + drink items?

We’re really enjoying the late fall vegetables that we’re getting right now.  I’d say our take on Pan Con Tomate (Spanish for “tomato bread”) is one of my seasonal favorites right now, the flavors are just so rich and bright.  We also make pasta in house, and I’d say our bolognese outsells just about everything else on that part of the menu (and that’ll never go away).  Other than that and a few other dishes, the menu changes pretty regularly depending on what we’re getting from farmers.

How can people find your restaurant? 

How has the first year of being open been for you? Why do you think it’s important for Denver Locals to dine at a locally owned restaurant like yours?

I think at this point we’re about four months old (we’ve been so busy I’ve kind of lost track honestly) and it’s been great.  When we started in on this project we committed to doing it the way we thought it ought to be done in terms of food and hospitality and the feedback from guests has been pretty positive across the board.  Possibly my favorite part about it all is that we have regulars by now; always makes me smile to see them in.

Are you from Colorado? Why did you choose to call your neighborhood your home? 

I’m not from Colorado (but got here as soon as I could, as they say) – I moved here from Chicago about four years ago.  I’ve moved around a bit since I’ve been out here (Morrison, Boulder, and now Denver) and I’m not quite sure I’ve found my neighborhood home yet (but I’m looking forward to that).

What are your favorite local Denver spots/business?  ?

I spent some time working in Frasca Hospitality Group’s restaurants before COVID, and on my off days I’m pretty much always going to find an evening to sit at the bar at Sunday Vinyl or Tavernetta.  Part of it is keeping up with old acquaintances but I’m just continually impressed with how they deliver hospitality experiences.  As someone who spends a lot of time taking care of guests it’s incredibly nice to be taken care of sometimes, and that team is just outstanding.

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