Austin is making a frontal culinary assault on Colorado, one taco, sushi counter and boozy brunch at a time, our Axios colleague John Frank writes in a dispatch from Denver.

Why it matters: What started as a trickle of Texas-born concepts in Denver has become a culinary raid reshaping the local food and beverage scene just as the city attempts to rebuild its identity.

The latest: Paperboy, the brunch spot with Instagram-worthy pancakes and cocktails, opened its first location outside of Austin in late March in Denver's West Highland neighborhood.

What they're saying: Paperboy founder Ryan Harms said Colorado's mountains and the city's vibe put Denver at the top of his expansion list. The markets are also similar, he added.

• "Denver's … a cool market. It's vibrant," Harms tells Axios. "We looked at Denver, we're like, 'Yeah, I think there's room for it.'"

The big picture: Denver's demographics and lifestyle — young, well-paid and outdoor-minded — make it an easy pick for Austin, an equally youthful hip city that wants to keep things weird.

• Like Paperboy, a handful of Austin brands moved to Denver as a first stop outside Texas, as a test market before a broader expansion.

Zoom in: At least a dozen Austin companies now call Denver home — often with more than one location.

• The options are varied, from Uchi and Uchiko on the high end to fast-casual options Torchy's Tacos and Hopdoddy Burger Bar. Latchkey bar also opened up in Denver.
• The trend extends to the suburbs with Summer Moon's woodfired coffee beans in Thornton and Detroit-style pizza maker Via 313 in Centennial.

Zoom out: Other Austin brands with a Colorado and national presence include Tiff's Treats, NADC Burger, Chuy's Tex-Mex, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Siete foods and Tecovas boots.

The other side: The culinary pipeline works both ways to a lesser extent.

• Denver has exported a handful of brands to Austin in recent years, including Snooze Eatery and Punch Bowl Social.

The bottom line: Call it expansion. Call it copycat urbanism. Either way, Denver's dining scene is increasingly stamped "ATX."

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Speaking of restaurants crossing state lines...

New York City-based coffee roaster Black Fox Coffee will open its first Texas location tomorrow in Austin's ATX Tower.

Why it matters: The opening comes as the city's coffee scene continues to gain national attention, with Food & Wine recently naming Austin the top coffee city in the U.S.

Catch up quick: Australian co-founders Daniel Murphy and Gary Hardwick opened their first Black Fox location in Manhattan in 2016, and have since earned national recognition.

• The duo set out to create full-service cafes, espresso bars and a roastery, and has since opened four locations in Manhattan.
• The Austin outpost will be their first outside of New York, and it's being positioned as the company's Texas flagship.

What they're saying: "Austin is a city that shares our values of quality and craftsmanship, and we're excited to bring the Black Fox experience here," Murphy said in a statement.

☕️ To order: Black Fox will offer espresso, cold brew, specialty lattes ($8), tea, matcha and pastries from Swedish Hill.

• Beyond their standard menu, the shop will offer the "Editions" program — available only in Austin — featuring a rotating selection of six rare coffees sourced from around the world and available as a single-serve pour-over experience. (Pricing currently ranges from $10-$15.)

What's next: To celebrate the opening, the first 200 flat whites (usually $6) Friday and Saturday will be free.

📍 If you go: Find Black Fox on the ground floor of ATX Tower, 321 W. Sixth St.

• Black Fox's regular hours will be weekdays 7am-5pm and weekends 8am-4pm.

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🎙️ KUT's longtime "Morning Edition" host, Jennifer Stayton, will move to a later slot on air to focus on special events and a new project. (KUT)

🍻 South Austin dive bar Giddy Ups will reopen in a new location — 10509 Old Manchaca Road, building A — and under new ownership. (Austin Business Journal 🔒)

⚖️ An Austin-based law firm says it will sue the city and county of Denver on behalf of passengers aboard the Frontier Airlines plane that fatally struck a man at Denver's airport. (KVUE)

Here's what's in store this weekend.

Friday

🤠 Don't miss the King of Country — George Strait — who returns to the Moody Center Friday and Saturday. 7:30pm, tickets starting at $150.

🎨 Catch the annual Affordable Art Fair through Sunday at the Palmer Events Center, with artworks priced between $100-$12,000. Noon-5pm Friday, $24 entry.

Saturday

🛍️ Shop at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar's May Market — every weekend this month — before it ends. 10am-8pm, free.

🎵 Groove at SIMS Foundation's Feel Good Fest, featuring Night Cap, Infinity Song, Elijah Delgado, and Cigarettes @ Sunset. 6pm, $37.

🖌️ Get crafty at Brentwood Neighborhood Park during Art in the Park, a family-friendly event with nature-inspired projects from Painting Pandas. 10-11am, free.

Sunday

🎭 Enjoy "Much Ado About Nothing" from Austin Shakespeare at Zilker Hillside Theatre. 8pm, free.

Southeast Austinites will have a refreshed place to cool off this summer now that renovations at Montopolis Park are complete.

Driving the news: The upgrades include new family changing rooms and showers, improved accessibility, expanded shade and upgraded seating and picnic areas.

• The park's playground also got a refresh with new play equipment, surfacing, pavilion, concrete walks, seating and more shade.

📍 If you go: The pool will be open June 1-Aug. 16, except Tuesdays.