When Yardbird restaurant debuted on the American dining scene in 2011, it did so in a big way, with nominations as the country’s best new restaurant from the James Beard Foundation and Bon Appétit. And when the company opens a Denver location later this year, it will somehow be even bigger – literally. According to an announcement this week, Yardbird is slated to open this fall in the River North Arts District — at 26th and Blake in the Lot Twenty-Eight development — in a space that’s a whopping 13,800 square feet inside with an additional 20,000 square feet of outdoor space.