Denver?

Hi all--

I'll be hitting a conference in Denver next week and was wondering if anyone has any good eating/drinking tips. My wife and 18-month-old will be with me so we'll be looking for casual, kid-friendly places more than high-end places, although I might be able to sneak in a fancy lunch with colleagues from the conference.

We'll be staying right downtown near the 16th St. pedestrian mall. We'll have a car but frankly I'd rather not use it much.

--Patrick

Patrick...

I lived in Denver for two years and although it will be rather hot out there this time of year, it's a great city. Can't beat the view of the front range from downtown. For casual places, I would suggest Wazee Supper Club at 1600 15th St., Rock Bottom Brewery at 1001 16th St., McCormick's Fish House and Bar at 1659 Wazee St. and Tommy Tsunami's at 1432 Market St. For your upscale lunches, my two favorite places are Tamayo (sophisticated Mexican)at 1400 Larimer and Jax at 1539 17th. Another upscale place that I would recommend although I have never been, is Vesta Dipping Grill, 1822 Blake St. I have heard raves about both the food and decor.

Given where your hotel is there is really no reason to drive anywhere unless you want to hit the Cherry Creek area some evening. It's a small Lincoln Park kind of area with some nice shops and another one of Denver's great restaurant's, Mel's.

If you have anymore questions, feel free to ask. Otherwise...enjoy!

I am heading to Denver/Boulder for a conference next week.

I plan to eat at Adega in Denver (perhaps also Vesta Dipping Grill or Tamayo) and The Kitchen, and Dushambe Teahouse and L'Atelier in Boulder.

But I'm having some difficulty in finding Chowist (ethnic, unusual) places.

Any suggestions?

I lived in Denver for three years and food is one of the reasons I moved back to Chicago. Denver's just not a food town by chowist standards. But a few places will get you through the trip. Adega is pretty hot and new since I left town. It's a big improvement over what went before, but keep your expectations in check. Vesta's good, too. Sushi in Denver is surprisingly good. I prefered Sushi Tazu on Fillmore in Cherry Creek, but Sushi Den on Pearl was also good. There's a nice strip of Vietnamese restaurants on Federal. I liked New Saigon and the Pho restaurant a few blocks away (Pho 66 maybe???). There's a Chinese restaurant wedged in there on the East side of Federal that was very good, but I'm spacing on the name. Very good Indian food at India's at Tamarac Square. I never found Italian I could eat outside my own kitchen. A Denver friend of mine swears by Luca d'Italia on Grant, but I can't vouch for it (he did like my cooking, though, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here). On second thought, the Italian restaurant in the Hotel Monaco wasn't bad and had good bread (very rare in Denver). Denver does have plenty of nice bars and decent night life. I used to go to the Wazee for beers and liked My Brother's Bar. If you're in the tech center, JD's Baitshop is a hellhole that qualifies as one of Denver's best dive bars. Denverites swear by their mid-eastern food, but I never found one that compared to Noor or Noon-o-Kabab (or even Old Jerusalem).

If you're heading out Evergreen way, stop at The Little Bear for a beer. Don't park in the Harley Parking right in front.

Enjoy the enormous physical beauty of Denver, the great weather (all four seasons are wonderful), and stick to espresso. Oh, and a burger at the Cherry Cricket won't kill you.

Choey is quite right about lack of Chowist places to visit in Denver, although there is a lot of good food to be had. Our favorite sushi place was always Osaka Sushi. It's located in a little strip center just west of Colorado Blvd on Exposition. Just down the street from the Cherry Cricket in the Cherry Creek area is Mel's at 235 Fillmore. It's a little more upscale, but the atmosphere is still relaxed and comfortable and the food is wonderful. Great wine list too.

Another one of my favorite spots is The Painted Bench which is located right downtown on 20th St. a few blocks west of Broadway. It's a very eclectic looking little place and they used to do a killer salmon nicoise salad at lunch. Speaking of eclectic, if you find yourself in that neck of the woods in search of coffee or brunch, I would highly recommend checking out Bump and Grind Cafe at 439 E. 17th. This is one of those coffee shops that would not even be found on the same page of the dictionary as Starbuck's.

Last but not least, I was also a big fan of The Hornet at 76 Broadway. The food is pretty casual stuff, but there's a real focus on using high quality ingredients. Great mix of customers that made for some terrific people watching.

As for the Chinese place on Federal, perhaps it was China Jade Seafood House?

After being back in Chicago for two and a half years, I still haven't stopped missing the climate in Denver (LOTS of sunny days) and being able to view the front range on a regular basis. Thank heavens I'm headed to Winter Park at the end of March for some skiing.

http://www.melsbarandgrill.com/

I don't think Denver is getting entirely a fair shake. Some places like Denver just never get explored. My last trip through there I was amazed by how many Mexican places there are, taquerias and otherwise. But few gringos have gotten off their culos to explore them from the research I did. I'd love to spend a three day weekend in Denver just doing a taco and chile verde tasting.

On my last trip through, I stopped at The Brickhouse BBQ and was pleased with the results. It's not great BBQ, but it's pretty good.

You might try these Chowhound posts:

http://www.chowhound.com/southwest/boar ... 16342.html
http://www.chowhound.com/southwest/boar ... 14478.html

Kwe730, I'd forgotten about Osaka Sushi and I agree it was good. As I said, Denver does a very good job with sushi and there are plenty of fine choices. I also liked the China Jade, but it wasn't the place I'm failing to recall (more of a dump, really). I also liked Sunny China on Broadway because they put the "fish heads and duck tongues" stuff right on the the regular white-guy menu.

extramsg, I didn't have your luck with Mexican food while I was there. Indeed, I always thought it odd that for a place with such a large spanish speaking population, the Mexican food was so ordinary (and that the long time residents all claimed to like the Blue Bonnet (aieee!). But I'm not aware of any place with a better climate and rugged beauty than Denver (that also has an international airport: I'm certainly not shorting Santa Fe for great climate and beauty, but Albuquerque International Sunport...no.).

Ah yes, Mexican food in Denver. From the time we moved in, I felt like I was on a pilgrimage to find some that was really good, but that just never happened. Tamayo in LoDo is very good, but that's more of the Topolo variety. I did eat at the Blue Bonnet and recall it as one of those experiences where when they set the plate in front of you and all you see it a mass of beans, cheddar cheese, tortillas and rice all congealed together. If you didn't know what you'd ordered, you certainly wouldn't be able to recognize it. I have heard good things about Jack-N-Grill, so if anyone tries it, I'd love to get their opinion.

Choey, did you try any of the Asian restaurants on W. Alameda? I know there's some great dim sum spots over there.

GAF, another place that I forgot to mention is Jax Fish House at 1539 17th. They do a terrific appetizer of fresh oysters (your pick of variety) with a gin based dipping sauce that's similar to a sauce mignonette. I believe that they also have a place in Boulder, but have never been there.

Denver gets a bad rap, but Denver proper is a little boring, no? It only makes sense, for a sprawling, flat-as-a-pancake town within sight of some of the most remarkable physical beauty in the world. Folks I know from Denver seem to see it as a place to work during the week and get away from at every opportunity. Who could blame them?

I've had a very hard time getting good advice on Denver, too. But it's obvious that the Mexican is there. The Mexican community is definitely further in the background, best I can tell, in Denver than it is in places like Chicago and LA where the community has strong political and commercial voice.

I've always been intrigued by the dumpy roadhouse-looking Silver Fox Lounge, Featuring "Mexican-Italian" foods. I see it from the expressway going from DEN downtown, nestled among the many monolithic Safeway factories (dairy, frozen foods, meats etc.). Looks like a place where you either get into a fight or get great enchiladas (or maybe both).

I wouldn't place Denver proper among the most phsically gifted cities. All of the big cities from SF to Vancouver, plus SLC, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Miami, and Honolulu actually occupy space that would look mighty pretty if there were no buildings or people. But I do very much like the general vibe in Denver. Nice people, and bright.

PS, last month I vistited what some say (eg, Zagat, AAA) is the best restaurant in the area, Alpenglow Stube in Keystone. I have to think that those publications are wrong (surprise). Not bad, mind you, but not great. Food was fine with a couple of winners (veal schnitzel) offset by a few real stinkers including a consomme that no one can convice me the chef ever tasted. Service was not good at all for a tasting menu place at this price point (harried, disappearing server with little to no backup and awful pacing; no wine service to speak of despite enthusiastic and willing drinkers). Not destination-worthy given that it's two ski-lifts away from the base and doesn't actually have a view despite the location.

choey and kwe:

I figure that if the opinion of the Mexican food is only based on the places that make the newspapers and guides, then the opinion probably isn't worthwhile. Driving around the town, there were areas where it was taqueria and restaurant and tienda one after another. I just haven't seen evidence on the food boards that people are exploring these areas in Denver. Think of how few people in a city with as active a foodie population as Chicago actually explore La Villita or Pilsen. You're lucky to have a few hardcore people leading the way. I know here in Portland I often feel like the only one doing any exploring whatsoever and the papers keep recommending the same old places in Portland proper that have been around forever and are rather mediocre.

If you're heading toward Boulder, I would heartily recommend Frasca. It's a new place, on Pearl Street a little to the east of where the pedestrian mall ends. I had dinner there about a month ago and it was fantastic. The guy who started the place used to work at The French Laundry.

The website is frascafoodandwine.com.

A fun spot is Davie's Chuck Wagon Diner on west Colfax in Lakewood. The food is standard greasy spoon, but the fun part is the building, which was shipped in its entirety by rail in the 1950s--exterior, countertops, stools and all. Look for the giant neon cowboy as well as the quarter horse statue on the roof. Not ethnic, but authentic Denver. The place is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jeff,

If you ever have the chance to get off I-70 on your trip from DIA to the mountains, you'll see that Denver itself has some very pretty neighborhoods even though you are still in those "flat as a pancake" surroundings. I've always thought the topography of Denver was pretty interesting. You have the plains out by DIA, then the mountains as you drive further west, but if you go just slightly south of the city you're in high desert. I don't think that's boring at all.

I've seen Zagat's rating of Alpenglow Stube and it gave me just another reason to stop paying attention to them. They give it the same food rating as a few of the best restaurants in Vail (including the Left Bank) and a higher rating than some of the places I've dined in Denver where I've had wonderful meals. I can't find any rhyme or reason to their conclusions.

The next time you need info on Denver I would suggest you check out the web site of a free paper called Westword. I always liked the amount, type and variety of information their restaurant section contained. I still follow the Chowhounds SW board and am amazed at how few posts regarding Denver/Boulder there are.

http://www.westword.com/issues/current/ ... index.html

KWE730--

Thanks for the heads up. I have not been to any of the nicer neighborhoods of Denver, though I've heard lots of good things from my friends who grew up there. Most of my trips are taking me downtown, for work, as opposed to the mountains. In a prior professional life, business trips took me to body shops on the industrial/railyard collar of downtown. So I ususally get off of the expressway around the Coliseum (my favorite so-ugly-its-cool stadium since the Kingdome). I can usually get solid cheap Mexican, though I haven't ever paid much attention to where I was. I just look for a good crowd.

I like Denver; I simply think that the central part of the city is not particularly attractive. I think that your points are pretty consistent with what I wrote: lots of stunning stuff nearby. I enjoy lots of cities where the center part of town is mostly sprawling and visually rather unattractive. LA, Houston, and my hometown of Tampa spring to mind. All of those places (well, maybe not Houston ) have wonderful neighborhoods and natural attractions nearby. Chicago is kind of the opposite for me: the city proper is far and away the most interesting and attractive thing about this part of the country.

PS, on this last trip I stumbled onto Apple Jack Liquors just outside town. Looks like a standard issue suburban strip mall ABC store, but it had one of the best and most reasonable wine and liquor stocks I've seen anywhere. A pal and I walked around and did a sort of "bet they don't have it" spot check for stuff you never seem to see in a retail store (only way marked up in restaurants). They had everything. Great store.

For more authentic Mexican in Denver, you need to go to the west side of the city. Out Morrison Road, towards Federal, and north on Federal (and perhaps Wadsworth, I mostly navigate by memory in Denver). Denver is highly residentially segregated, especially more recent immigrant/working class Mexicans. There you will find lots of taquerias, also carts with fruits/vegetables properly dressed for street food. A few years ago there was a big crack down on taco trucks, if I remember right.

At harvest time, I believe along Federal north of Alameda, you will also find trucks that have come in from NM with Hatch chilies roasted on the spot, also the pinon crop.

Also along Federal further south is a very large concentration of Vietnamese Markets.

Denver is by no means a great chow town. Although it has gotten better, the real ethnic stuff is still largely confined to the ethnic neighborhoods while the restaurants in more upscale locations have significantly altered the food to American tastes (somewhat frozen in the past).

Imagine my shock at being served a "chile relleno" that consisted of an egg roll skin with a canned chile and a hunk of Velveeta, then smothered in the most viscous kind of cornstarch-thickened chile verde.

On my trip out this summer, I managed to find a decent tienda near my sister's, close to downtown Littleton, made their own carnitas, decent butcher, homemade salsas, carne adovado, etc. So things are changing.

Annie, thanks. One of my favorite genres of "Mexican food" is what I might call "30's-Mex," places that have existed for years in a former part of Mexico, especially the Southwest and "Old California" type towns but have been catering to non-Mexicans for so long that the food bears only vague resemblance to anything that was ever authentic. I have been dragged to exactly such places in Colorado Springs, Phoenix, and in the Inland Empire. This food is not to be confused with Tex-Mex or New Mexican. It's more like what I imagine "Italian" was like in the USSR-- clumsy approximations based entirely on old photos.

My ideal for such places is Gay & Larry's, just west of Riverside, CA in a part of California that time has forgotten. Gay & Larry's is the kind of Mexican place that Abbott & Costello would have visited for hot tamales and chili con carne. Faux mission with bright red vinyl booths inside. Everything is covered with a brownish, meaty, gravy-like "chili sauce" that seems more like chili from a coney island dog than something from a place where most of the population is, and always has been, Mexican. And American Cheese product is the only cheese. Ground beef is the only meat, more or less. I think the name of the place really says it all.

Jeff,

In that vein, I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Satire Lounge on Colfax. It's been there forever, from back when Colfax was strip clubs and porn theatres. That is entirely their type of mexican, and their specialty is a blue margarita I could never bring myself to drink, it looked like tidee-bowl:-)

Now that part of Denver has cleaned up quite a bit, I imagine the Satire has acquired a kind of retro-chic.

I love the west side of Denver, but we predictably get dragged to LoDo to eat out.

I appreciate all the advice that I received about my trip to Denver and Boulder.

One of the places that I was looking forward to eating at was Pete's Kitchen (Race and East Colfax). Pete's is known as the all-night restaurant in Denver, a great greasy spoon and perhaps the best breakfasts in Denver. However, two days before I arrived Pete's was closed for "remodeling." As one of my Denver friends remarked, they never thought that they would ever hear Pete's and remodeling in the same sentence.

What struck me most strongly about Denver/Boulder was how almost every dish was overcooked in contrast to Chicago (and we cook our food more than in New York) and this was true of both fish and meat.

I did have one excellent meal in Colorado at the Flagstaff House outside of Boulder in the foothills. In Chicago terms the restaurant reminded me of Everest, only in part because of the beautiful view. Like Chef Joho, chef Mark Monette is not afraid of using powerful flavors. The flavors sparkle, even if because of their power, they lack the subtlety of the food at Trotters.

I ordered quail, wrapped in pancetta and grilled with black trumpet mushrooms and white truffle infused polenta. The quail was perfectly cooked and the mushrooms and truffles added a strong woodsy taste.

The main course was Cous Cous Crusted Hawaiian Big Eye Tuna with Hawaiian Big Prawns, Pineapple, Purple Thai Rice, Red Pepper Nage and Baby Bok Choy. I typically shy away from dishes with so many ingredients, but what could have been conflicting flavors really did meld together. The dish was highly marked without straining to incorporate flavors for the sake of mere experimentation. And the tuna was of sushi grade and almost raw.

Although the lengthy wine list seemed overpriced to me, we found a wonderful South African Glen Carlou '98 for $36.

In contrast, some friends and I ate in Denver at Adega, a new well-regarded restaurant and wine bar. The sommelier is Chris Farnum, formerly of MK, and the flight of wines he provided were excellent. The restaurant serves a lot of small dishes, and I had a five course dinner with three glasses of wine for $90, including tax and tip.

However, most of the dishes were overcooked. While I admire the combination of flavors - Chef Moscatello likes to cook with fruit, as do I, the staff cooked the fish to the point where it was very nearly mushy (I had two fish dishes: the skate wing with San Daniele Ham, Grapes and Pasta Pearls was particularly overcooked; the Rouget with Mustard Greens Ravioli, Braised Leeks, and Pink Lemon Juice was pretty close to being cooked to my taste). The Tangerine Braised Beef Cheek had excellent flavor but the meat was cooked the way that ribs are often cooked in Chicago, falling apart. Best was a Pear Bisque with Partridge, chestnut honey, and thyme jelly, but even here the small pieces of partridge were quite well-done.

The apple pudding with a luscious apple custard was wonderful, only marred by some rather (again) overbaked madelaines, but perhaps this is the Denver style.

The other restaurant I want to mention is the Dushanbe Teahouse in Boulder. It is a magical building, transported from Tajikistan. It is inspiring to dine in this marvelous Central Asian teahouse (Boulder and Dushanbe are sister cities and Tajik artisans created the decorative aspects of the building). The architecture is the calling card of the restaurant. However, the menu is far too ambitious if this is to be serious cuisine - dishes from around the world. I ordered Plov, which is a Tajik stew, often with lamb, but this was beef, with rice, onions and currants (I think). Despite its very reasonable price, it was again somewhat overcooked, but I was well-satisfied.

The other meals ranged in quality and price (Tamayo and Sushi Heights in Denver, The Kitchen, Zolo's, and Qs in Boulder). Although I was driven by a few promising looking Mexican restaurants on my way out of Denver near LoDo (Lower Downtown), I found nothing in my travels (I didn't have a car to explore ethnic neighborhoods) that seemed LTH-worthy, although I gather that there are some good Vietnamese restaurants and markets on South Federal Avenue in Denver. East Colfax does indeed have a retro-kick to it.

Well, that is a quick summary of the high points of my visit.

Just spent a couple of days in Denver, and was not expecting to find much chow-wise after reading these posts.

I actually came down from the mountains to see a band that I like play the Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom on Welton Street, and got a room nearby.

The area seems to be one that is in transition, so to speak. I took a walk from my room in hopes of finding some chow, and lo and behold, right across the street from the venue was a squat brick building with a sign reading "Ethel's House of Soul", with a smaller sign reading "All Are Welcome". They still had Christmas decorations up in August, complete with "Season's Greetings" painted in the window. This was looking promising.

I stuck my head in the door & saw a long, dark room filled w/ tables, with a hand painted menu on the back wall. Daily specials were written on colored pieces of construction paper & taped to the wall, to be removed when they ran out. Right away I noticed Chicken, Pork Chops, Catfish, Chitterlings, w/ sides of Black Eyed Peas, Pinto Beans, Greens and Cornbread. Bulls eye!

I walked in and ordered the smothered chicken with pinto beans, greens and cornbread on the side and banana pudding for dessert, all for a whopping $9.00. Wow. Miz Ethel, a real sweet 70-ish woman from the South Side of Chicago, sure knows how to cook. The food was awesome!

After I quickly inhaled every drop and crumb of my food, Miz Ethel herself came over and struck up a conversation. Turns out another table full of folks were originally from New Orleans, so we had a lot to talk about - a real friendly place to stop in for a bite, to be sure.

Later that evening, during the show, as I was raving about the great meal I just had at this little, unassuming spot right across the street, one of the locals overheard me and said "That's the best food in Denver, right there." Now, I don't have enough chow experience in Denver to make such a bold claim myself, but he sure didn't get any argument from me.

They open at noon, which just happened to be my check-out time the next day, so naturally I returned for another fabulous meal of Smothered Steak, Black Eyed Peas, Greens, and Cornbread. This place is a true gem - not to be missed if you are in Denver. I will definitely eat there whenver I am in Denver in the future. Highly recommended.

Ethel's House Of Soul
2622 Welton St.
Denver, CO.
Open 12-6 Daily
303-295-2125

okay, I am glad Ethel's House of Soul showed up, and yes, while Denver is no Chicago in terms of diversity of food (I lived there 5 years and never could find a Cuban joint) it does have some excellent finds and some talented chefs--you just have to look. In the Cheeseman Park neighborhood, near the Botanic Garden and Capitol Hill is Potager. Teri Ripetto cooks from the garden in the back and also supports ther local organic farmers--she used to buy heirloom veggies from my borther-in-law. One of her specialties is her souffles, I had a crab souffle once that blew my mind. Later in the summer she did a corn souffle, equally gorgeous but for totally different reasons. So if that's still around, check it out. There's a lovely garden out back where you can enjoy the smell of fresh herbs with your meal.

Nearby is Sean Kelly's latest place on 6th Ave. called This & That. Sean started with Aubergine back in the 90s which was where we used to take visiting chefs and/or food editors because you knew it would all sing, he used to make amazing fried baby artichokes and did roasting wonders in his wood burning stove. He moved to a smaller space a few years ago and now he's doing small plates. We were there in May and had a lovely duck confit, mussels a la Hopleaf and an inspired cheese course. He is really good at wine pairings and we fell in love with the Jeff Morgan vin rose at his rec. I wish I had either of these restaurants in my neighborhood.

There are 2 funky but consistent Peruvian restaurants in Denver. One is right off the 16th street mall, damn I can't remember the name arrgh but their ceviche is totally authentico and fresh tasting. They also do a solid fried rice, picking up on the Asian presence in Peru. The other one is up in the lively Highland neighborhood. Also in the highland is a teeny tiny Brazilian restaurant, the couple is from Rio and I remember having a super meal there I had a fish in coconut sauce and plantains.

Also, there is a Japanese Aikido Center, down near CU Denver campus. They have a restaurant attached and it exists solely to provide people with the experience of eating "country-style" Japanese food. So you sit family-style and hand carved wooded tables on actual stumps for chairs. It's lots of comfort foods-sobas and udon and hearty Bento boxes. This was the first place I had cold sake in the square wooden cups. I only went once but the food was amazing and I loved the fact that I was eating in a non-profit restaurant that reveres food as culture enough to provide this kind of experience.

On the west side of the city on Alameda Boulevard is the Asian restaurant area. Lots of solid Vietnamese, we often went to both New Saigon & Old Saigon, but there were lots of tiny Pho joints dotted along.

Anyhow, if anyone else is going to Denver, I suggest you pick up the Westword whne you get there. It looks like our New City but the food section is more like The Reader's. OR if you want tipws before you get there, e-mail me at my private e-mail and I'll ask my sister (who used to own a restaurant and knows her food) what her current favorites are.

Bonnie

I had a spectacular meal in Denver several nights ago, so I thought I would post about it for anyone heading out that way during ski season...
I travel to Denver fairly frequently because I have a good friend and one of my favorite relatives there. Being from Chicago, I have always snidely (and quietly) looked down on the food scene there. I've eaten some pretty good meals there, but really just pretty good.
However, this week I ate at a relatively new casual restaurant called Somethin' Else on 6th Ave which advertises itself as a Mediterranean small plates restaurant--basically tapas style dining.
Some of the highlights included: clams with Chorizo in a white wine broth, mussels in a saffron sauce, incredible fried baby artichokes with lemon aioli, macaroni and cheese with fontina and cream cheese (way better than it sounds), great duck breast, quail, and a toffee pudding dessert.
However, the acme of our dining experience were these INCREDIBLE moroccan spiced lamb ribs (made with pomegranate molasses per the server) which led my friend's husband to proclaim the place his "favorite restaurant in Denver" (he's a long time Denver resident and loves to eat). In fact, he asked our waitress to convince the owner to convert the place to a "$10.99 all-you-can-eat lamb rib restaurant" and he promised he would visit every day. We started with one order and had to order two more. So, I'm planning to hole myself up with a huge mound of lamb ribs and a bottle of lamb molasses and start experimenting. Anyone who has any suggestions on good places to buy lamb ribs or recipe ideas, I'd love to here them (though, I guess that probably belongs under shopping/cooking).
So, if you are heading to Vail or Aspen this winter, I'd recommend a stop for lamb ribs on your way in/out of Denver. Fabulous margaritas at this place as well.

I had a spectacular meal in Denver several nights ago, so I thought I would post about it for anyone heading out that way during ski season...
I travel to Denver fairly frequently because I have a good friend and one of my favorite relatives there. Being from Chicago, I have always snidely (and quietly) looked down on the food scene there. I've eaten some pretty good meals there, but really just pretty good.
However, this week I ate at a relatively new casual restaurant called Somethin' Else on 6th Ave which advertises itself as a Mediterranean small plates restaurant--basically tapas style dining.
Some of the highlights included: clams with Chorizo in a white wine broth, mussels in a saffron sauce, incredible fried baby artichokes with lemon aioli, macaroni and cheese with fontina and cream cheese (way better than it sounds), great duck confit, quail, and a toffee pudding dessert.
However, the acme of our dining experience were these INCREDIBLE moroccan spiced lamb ribs with preserved meyer lemon (made with pomegranate molasses per the server) which led my friend's husband to proclaim the place his "favorite restaurant in Denver" (he's a long time Denver resident and loves to eat). In fact, he asked our waitress to convince the owner to convert the place to a "$10.99 all-you-can-eat lamb rib restaurant" and he promised he would visit every day. We started with one order and had to order two more. So, I'm planning to hole myself up with a huge mound of lamb ribs and a bottle of lamb molasses and start experimenting. Anyone who has any suggestions on good places to buy lamb ribs or recipe ideas, I'd love to here them (though, I guess that probably belongs under shopping/cooking).
So, if you are heading to Vail or Aspen this winter, I'd recommend a stop for lamb ribs on your way in/out of Denver. Fabulous margaritas at this place as well.

[/quote]Nearby is Sean Kelly's latest place on 6th Ave. called This & That. Sean started with Aubergine back in the 90s which was where we used to take visiting chefs and/or food editors because you knew it would all sing, he used to make amazing fried baby artichokes and did roasting wonders in his wood burning stove. He moved to a smaller space a few years ago and now he's doing small plates. We were there in May and had a lovely duck confit, mussels a la Hopleaf and an inspired cheese course. He is really good at wine pairings and we fell in love with the Jeff Morgan vin rose at his rec. I wish I had either of these restaurants in my neighborhood

Somethin' else is owned by Sean Kelly and this restaurant took the place of the above mentioned restaurant (called Claire de lune, I believe). Per the waitress, the artichoke dish is the same.

oops,screwed up the quotes. Sorry--I'm better at picking restaurants than figuring out computers.

Here is the part that should be a quote.

Nearby is Sean Kelly's latest place on 6th Ave. called This & That. Sean started with Aubergine back in the 90s which was where we used to take visiting chefs and/or food editors because you knew it would all sing, he used to make amazing fried baby artichokes and did roasting wonders in his wood burning stove. He moved to a smaller space a few years ago and now he's doing small plates. We were there in May and had a lovely duck confit, mussels a la Hopleaf and an inspired cheese course. He is really good at wine pairings and we fell in love with the Jeff Morgan vin rose at his rec. I wish I had either of these restaurants in my neighborhood

Sounds like someone picked up the Avec/AOC/Antonius playbook. Nothin wrong with that.

Many in our post-modern world seem to be knocked-out by this new concept: honest, authentic, traditional food and wine from places objectively well-known and well-regarded for same.

One night. Chow will help determine where we stay on the way up to the mountains for Thanksgiving.

Have been to Jack N Grill several years ago, it was good. Right now, its the fall back.

What I can't understand is that after prowling msg boards why I can't find anything relating to the ethnic communities there. Best I can figure is that local chowists are as adventure inhibited as most of the ATL community.

Open to anything from upper mid priced to linoleum/fluorescent lights/English as a non-existent second language. Excellence sought, b'fast too.

We will probably stay in Denver West, so as to be near Costco etc in the morning before driving up to Silverthorn and turkey prep. I'm overnighting two gallons of stock on dry ice to insure success (don't laugh, I've done this before, it makes things foolproof).

Steve Drucker wrote:What I can't understand is that after prowling msg boards why I can't find anything relating to the ethnic communities there. Best I can figure is that local chowists are as adventure inhibited as most of the ATL community.

Steve, having spent plenty of time in both cities, and having good friends in both, I'd say you have hit the nail on the head. A pal from NY just moved to a neighborhood near downtown Denver and is baffled by the absolute lack of information about the obvious-to-anyone Mexican and Asian choices around town. He's stuck with random sampling. Here's my take-- they are "new" cities, with spread out populations, slim foot traffic, and fewer of the sorts of boho neighborhood pioneers (artists, bike messengers, academics) who might document and publish choices from ethnic communities with no need or want to do the same, as compared to larger and/or denser towns.

I'd stay at the Brown Palace, which is among the only places in Denver proper that I actually enjoy. Steak and sushi seem to be the higher-end strong points.

JeffB wrote:

Steve Drucker wrote:What I can't understand is that after prowling msg boards why I can't find anything relating to the ethnic communities there. Best I can figure is that local chowists are as adventure inhibited as most of the ATL community.

Steve, having spent plenty of time in both cities, and having good friends in both, I'd say you have hit the nail on the head.

My, my. Aren't we getting snippy? Denver just doesn't have the same type of cohesive, established ethnic neighborhoods as Chicago and New York. Federal Blvd has Mexican to the north and primarily Vietnamese to the south and then there are pockets in other parts of the city. There was an Indonesian place in Denver about 10 years ago but it only lasted about a year. Most of the Mexican dives are pretty cookie-cutter with no real unique stand-outs. Boulder had an Empanada "window" in a building but that's gone now, too. There's a taqueria in Longmont with great tacos al pastor but I can't remember it's name. Although there are many excellent eating choices out here in the hinterland and there definitely are serious foodies, it's just a much smaller universe. I'll go to Denver for food occasionally but not that often. I took my college student nephews to Davies Chuck Wagon for an authentic diner experience and they loved it. Does that qualify as cowboy ethnic?

Snippy? Your response seems entirely consistent with both of the prior comments. My point wasn't thaty there's nothing to eat. The opposite. It's that no one's talking about it. In print. In English. Save the ad hominems, please.

PS, upon re-reading your post with the benefit of more than ten seconds, it seems that maybe you are saying that Denver is long on passionate, literate, actively documenting culinarians, but short on subjects about which to write. That surprises me, but it is, in the abstract, as plausible an explanation as my modestly educated guess.

I was in search of a bite while passing through to Breckenridge a couple of years ago. While it has middling web reviews, I quite enjoyed my green chile plate at Las Delicias

Ethel's House Of Soul
2622 Welton St.
Denver, CO.
Open 12-6 Daily
303-295-2125

Description in This Thread. The place rocks.