Bistro Basalt closes its doors

Bistro Basalt has bid au revoir.

A sign on the window of Bistro Basalt.
Troy Hooper

The French-themed restaurant that became a mainstay on Midland Avenue shut down on Tuesday after falling behind on rent, according to business owners in Basalt knowledgeable of the closure.

Bistro Basalt
Troy Hooper

The buzz on the street is that another bar and restaurant may soon take its place.

Bistro Basalt is the second restaurant in the heart of downtown Basalt to call it quits in recent days.

Butch's Lobster Bar served its last seafood dinner on Midland Avenue over the weekend, just a year after taking its enterprise down-valley. Butch's signature Snowmass restaurant, which opened in 1992, also closed down this month, after owner Butch Darden reportedly explained he simply “ran out of money.” Butch's Lobster Shack, next to the gas station in Basalt, will remain open, Darden recently told Real Aspen.

Bistro Basalt's owners Jody Noble and Chip Alexander, who bought the operation a little over a year ago, could not be reached for immediate comment.