American Elm opening second restaurant, coffee shop next door

The owner and the executive chef of American Elm are teaming up to open a new, small plates restaurant and a bodega-inspired coffee shop next door.

Bob Reiter and Daniel Mangin, who have worked together since Reiter hired Mangin at American Elm in 2021, are finishing up renovations at the property at 4140 W. 38th Ave. A coffee and sandwich counter will occupy the front room, while a restaurant serving small bites and wines from Europe will open for dinner in the back, Mangin said.

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“It’s really exciting to have a space where we can do things that are a little different from what American Elm does,” Mangin said. Classified as a New American-style restaurant, American Elm serves everything from oysters, deviled eggs and steak frites to trout almondine and ribeye ragu.

The coffee shop — named M.E. Deli after Reiter’s daughter — will sell sandwiches of the bacon-egg-and-cheese variety and coffee to go for breakfast and lunch, Mangin said. He expects it to open for business in September, he said.

The restaurant, called Wednesday Ellie, is named for Reiter’s wife’s jovial attitude on a particular mid-week day, Mangin said. Its menu will feature shareable plates inspired by Reiter’s and Mangin’s love for the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and northern Italy. That includes Spanish and Portuguese delicacies like a salted cod spread, fried sardines and albondigas, or meatballs. The garlic shrimp that was once on the menu of American Elm as gambas al ajillo could make a comeback at the restaurant, he said.

Mangin isn’t sure when Wednesday Ellie will open, saying that the timing is dependent on when their licenses and permits are obtained.

American Elm will stay focused on domestic cuisine, wines and craft cocktails, he said, adding he expects Wednesday Ellie to be at a similar or lower price point than its sister restaurant.

The building next to American Elm was previously occupied by Revelry Kitchen, a brunch spot that closed in 2019.

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