James Africano, executive chef and owner of The Warehouse restaurant — and the soon-to-open Warehouse Urban Grocer at 25 W. Cimarron St. — has a lot in motion these days.

As construction ramps up to convert the restaurant’s former event space into his downtown grocery concept, some diners have wondered whether the restaurant has closed. It hasn’t. The Warehouse remains open and Africano has just rolled out a striking new spring menu.

“Our business has noticeably slowed since construction on the exterior of the building became more apparent,” said Shaundy Africano, the restaurant’s general manager.

Translation: now is a good time to make reservations.

During Africano’s recent “Taste the Good Life” preview dinners, guests sampled several dishes from the seasonal lineup.

The first course, Crab Louie, offered a playful throwback to mid-century cocktail parties. Generous lumps of crab were layered over thinly sliced cucumbers and garnished with celery heart spears, asparagus tips and lemon. The dressing — essentially Thousand Island with horseradish and a dash of Thai red chile — delivered a nostalgic nod with a modern kick.

Another classic rarity followed: pan-seared veal sweetbreads, the tender thymus of young calves prized for their delicate flavor.

Creamy Spring Onion & Potato Soup came with an inventive twist. Africano freezes corn cobs during summer prep and later simmers them to release sweet corn milk, creating what he calls a deeply flavored “bone broth” base.

Entrées included rabbit loin parmesan and roasted spring lamb sirloin before a sweet finish of apple clafoutis. The spring menu is now available at the restaurant, open 4–10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Details: 719-475-8880 or facebook.com/whcos.

Aspen’s big pour

There’s still time to snag tickets to the granddaddy of all wine festivals in Colorado’s backyard: the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, set for June 19–21.

But hurry. The event sells out quickly. Tickets and details are available at classic.foodandwine.com.

The star-studded lineup includes culinary television standouts such as Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence, Stephanie Izard, Phil Rosenthal and Andrew Zimmern.

The three-day festival features more than 80 cooking demonstrations and beverage seminars along with five Grand Tastings showcasing food and drink from more than 150 winemakers, chefs, distillers and hospitality brands.

Twenty demos are planned, including one led by the yet-to-be-announced winner of “Top Chef Season 23.” For the first time, every cooking demonstration will include a tasting for attendees.

New this year is Food & Wine: The Wine Bar, a pop-up curated by Food & Wine editors highlighting favorite wines, drinks, chefs and recipes.

Running concurrently, the reimagined American Express x Resy Trade Program Powered by F&W Pro brings together restaurateurs, chefs, wine professionals and hospitality leaders for three days of conversations and networking.

The culinary star-studded Food & Wine Classic in Aspen is scheduled for June 19-21.