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Top Chef Hosea Rosenberg Dines at Colt & Gray
When Top Chef's Season 5 winner- and Boulder resident- Hosea Rosenberg goes to Denver for a night out, he heads to new restaurant Colt & Gray. Hosea told citybuzz, "They are cooking the food that chefs, like myself, like to eat," which is always a very, very good sign.
For Hosea, the self-admitted key to his culinary heart is "all things pork," and Colt & Gray
holds that key with delicious dishes like the Long Family Crispy Pig Trotters Appetizer (a.k.a. pig's feet!) and Grilled Long Farm Pork Chop Entree. But other dishes, non pork-related, have been receiving the same sort of praise in Denver write-ups, like the Potted Peeky Toe Crab Appetizer (a crab spread) and the House Made Ricotta Ravioli Entree.
But we all know there is so much more that makes a restaurant great, and Colt & Gray has that, too. The resident mixologist mixes up a mean spin on the classic Manhattan, the New 1920's Cocktail, with absinthe as the special ingredient. And even the decor received attention for itself with a write-up in Elle Decor Magazine.
For such a young restaurant, the amount of amazing reviews is enviable, and the dessert of its meal of great press is making the top 10 of Denver Magazine's 25 Best Restaurant Lists. Sure, Top Chef 's Hosea Rosenberg and all the magazines in the world can tell you it's great, but just one meal at Colt & Gray will make you understand what everyone's talking about.
*** Hosea Rosenberg was the Season 5 winner of Bravo's top rated competition show Top Chef. Hosea is a resident of Boulder, Colorado and the Chef at Jax Fish House in Boulder. Besides his Top Chef title, Hosea has won many awards including Best Chef three years in a row at the Denver International Wine Festival, Guest Chef at the James Beard House, and his restaurant, Jax, has received the Best Seafood Restaurant in the Denver/Boulder area since opening in 1994.
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Lola’s Coastal Mexican
Named one of the top five establishments to drink tequila in America by Food and Wine Magazine, LoLa has also become one of Denver’s most acclaimed dining destinations, serving cuisine inspired by Mexico’s coastal regions. 5280 Magazine’s Chef of the Year and LoLa owner, Jamey Fader, mixes up Denver’s best regional Mexican cuisine with his ever changing, seasonally inspired menus.
LoLa now occupies what was the original home to the Ollinger Mortuary and the 1926 winter resting place of Wild Bill Cody in what is now our downstairs tequila bar, BeLoLa. With over 150 selections of tequila Lola has a sleek and sexy space that is conducive to an evening of serious study with Mixologist Jimmy Zanon. Denver’s very best brunch starts early and ends late with live music on Sundays.
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The Palm Steakhouse: Denver’s Place for Steaks
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Z Cuisine – A French Bistrot and Parisian Wine Bar in Denver
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Charlie Brown’s Bar & Grill: Where the Beat Goes On
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ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro: East-West Extravagance
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Hammond’s Candies 10th Annual Candy Cane Festival
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Authentic French Cuisine & Parisian Bar at Z Cuisine
Chef Patrick Du Pays wanted to make a "home away from home" with Z Cuisine & A Cote Bar a Absinthe- and he has succeeded. The restaurant has been awarded the Westword Best of Denver five years in a row. Using local and organic ingredients, the food is exquisitely done to perfection including classic French dishes that every palate can enjoy.
Going beyond the average bistrot restaurant, Z Cuisine has an added bonus of the A Cote Bar a Absinthe right next door. Taste real (minus the wormwood) absinthe that was illegal in the States not so long ago. If you're not interested in some sugar and green liquid, there's also an incredible selection of wines and cocktails to start, or end, your evening.
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Where Fulfilling Comfort Food Comes to Fruition
Fruition was named one of America's Top Ten New Restaurants in 2007. Chef Alex Seidel didn't create a new twist on asian fusion cuisine or use some molecular gastronomy tricks up his sleeve, he just made some seriously good comfort food. Chicken soup with homemade noodles, and even warm apple pie have never tasted so good than at Fruition. Enjoy a properly cooked meal that leaves you smiling from the stomach to the mouth.
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Fuel Café: Revving To Go
Hidden away as it is in a mixed-use complex of lofts in the emerging RiNo district, no one saw Fuel coming two years ago. But come it has. Bob Blair’s quirky café is an oasis of inventive contemporary cooking that displays a myriad of Mediterranean influences at lunch—when the sandwiches range from pan bagnats to banh mi—and dinner, where scallop gazpacho beckons alongide peach barbecued pork. It’s the housemade pasta, though, that really puts this place on the map, paired with a wine list that emphasizes boutique finds. Speaking of finds, kicking back on the patio on a sunny summer’s eve, you’ll feel as though you just made a major discovery.
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Izakaya Den: Sushi, Sake and Sexy Small Plates
Talk about the Midas Touch. Over two decades ago, Yasu and Toshi Kizaki struck gold with one of Denver’s first sushi bars, Sushi Den; in 2007, they did it again with Izakaya Den just down the street. (And in 2009, they did it yet again with Den Deli…but that’s another story.) More spacious than its sibling, with high ceilings and a rustic, woody interior, it too serves sushi—including sashimi with fresh wasabi, a revelation if you’ve only had the paste—but specializes in Asian-Mediterranean fusion small plates like crab panzanella in plum wine vinaigrette and grilled shiitake salad with avocado and tomatillo-jalapeño sauce. A high-end selection of sake—many served in the traditional wooden box—adds to the allure. So does weekend lunch service, featuring homestyle fare like “sobaghetti” with pork and fried shrimp with chili sauce.
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See Why CY Steak Sizzles
The CY stands for Cliff Young—and you’ll see why the name should resonate so deeply with Denverites the second you enter the joint. A pioneer on the city’s fledgling dining scene in the 1980s, Young recently returned here after years in France—only to make waves all over again by opening CY Steak on the premises of Diamond Cabaret, an upscale downtown “gentleman’s club,” to use the polite term.
Location (and late-night entertainment) aside, this is a classic steakhouse; handsome in red and black, it emphasizes a cellar full of big red wines and a menu laden with throwback riches—from caviar platters and Chateaubriand carved tableside to broiled lobstertail and duck-fat potatoes. What’s for dessert is up to you.
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Luxe L’Atelier
Radek Cerny has been around the culinary world, and it shows in the sophistication of his successor to local legend Papillon—Boulder’s L’Atelier. The Czech native has cooked everywhere from New York to Vail, getting to know Paul Bocuse and Mick Jagger along the way; and in this spare, subdued “studio,” to translate the name, he distills those life lessons into exquisite contemporary French fare, from Escargots with Potato Foam to Lobster Ravioli with Beurre Blanc to the Sculptured Chocolate “Bag” filled with ice cream, fruit and topped with a mint leaf.
Insider's Tip: To defray a bit of the cost, come on Tuesdays, when the entire wine list is half-off—or for lunch, a somewhat humbler but no less satisfying affair with housemade pâtés and breads for grilled panini.
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Taylor-Made Refinement at Restaurant Kevin Taylor
Luxury is Kevin Taylor’s middle name, so you can bet that his long-standing signature restaurant in the Hotel Teatro is a bastion of all the finer things in life. The elegant yet warm decor of this recipient of countless accolades (including the AAA Four Diamond and Mobil Travel Guide Four Star Awards) sets the mood for Taylor’s style of New French with Southwest and Asian flourishes: laden with traditional delicacies like foie gras, lobster, and truffles, it's also graced with fresh, food-forward accents, from lavender flowers and corn shoots to maitakes and poppy seeds. Also befitting the upscale setting, all rich upholstery and silver sparkle, is formal, white-glove service.
It all makes for a prime spot to throw private parties, with seating in the extensive wine cellar- the list here is pricey but top rated- and a customized menu. Meanwhile, anyone who wants the full Kevin Taylor experience should consider the seven-course tasting- a veritable four-hour banquet to make any occasion special.
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Livin’ la Vie Belle at Bistro Vendôme
Tucked into a downtown courtyard across Larimer Street from her celebrated flagship, Rioja, Jennifer Jasinski’s Bistro Vendôme fits the standard Parisian model—cozy yet lively, simple yet sophisticated—from the breezeway two-tops to the shady patio. The kitchen smartly concentrates on the classics: steak tartare and salade Niçoise, roast chicken and croques monsieur, crêpes du jour and crème brûlée. Likewise, beloved quaffs like kir royale and brunchtime hot chocolate round out the all-French wine list.
And then there are the weeknight specials: Monday means discounts on champagne and oysters, while wine and cheese samplers make for wonderful Wednesdays. No wonder the tiny bar is lined night after night with industry insiders.
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Domo: A Country Japanese Jewel
Domo hasn’t won Westword’s reader’s choice award for Best Japanese Restaurant fourteen years in a row for nothing. On the contrary, it’s a Denver treasure all the way around.
To open the heavy wooden door is to enter a rustic cottage in the feudal-era countryside, scattered with fascinating knickknacks like jars of viper wine and three-million-year-old chunks of rock salt; to exit out the other side is to discover a lush garden retreat, complete with a drum-bridged koi pond and a traditional shrine.
The menu is equally uncommon: chef-owner Gaku Homma’s so-called Japanese country fare comprises one-pot specialties such as donburi, nabemono, teriyaki, and the signature, chirashi-like Wanko sushi—all served with an array of sides and the fruity house sauce. Meanwhile, if there’s one thing Domo’s not known for, it’s efficient service—prepare to linger for a spell.
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Vita: Eat. Drink. Listen.
An early bloom in the blossoming East Highlands, Vita has endured in the light of its special perks. Funky and arty with the works of local painters, it boasts one of the city’s few rooftop terraces, thronged on warm evenings with couples taking in a stellar view of downtown at sunset; inside, jazz combos keep the mood cool several nights a week.
Despite the Italian name, the menu skews contemporary American, with an emphasis on entree-worthy small plates like seven-hour pork braised with cherry peppers and a mini-osso buco over blue cheese polenta, many of which go for $5 or less during happy hour. Speaking of deals, bargain-bin buffs take note: the entire selection of wines by the bottle is offered at half-price on Tuesdays.
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For Swank and Steak, It’s Always Elway’s
Although it may have owed its early fanfare to the popularity of its namesake, retired Broncos quarterback and co-owner John Elway, this Cherry Creek steakhouse has endured on its own merits: a swanky white-cloth setting, a legendary local bar scene, and a solid (if spendy) repertoire of chops, luxury seafood, and other modern American classics.
In fact, its success has spread downtown, with an even fancier, leather-swathed and wine-walled outpost in the Ritz-Carlton—where the day begins with power breakfasts and ends with sightings of sports celebs hunkered down over ribeyes and crab legs.
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Tacos, Rockies-Style at El Taco de Mexico
ut as with the Rockies, a few rise above all the rest. El Taco de Mexico is one of them. The women behind the counter are as notoriously no-nonsense as the food is simple: tacos and burritos alike serve as lessons in Mile-High Mexican 101, with their perfectly cooked meats and stellar sauces—namely the smokiest of salsas and purest of green chiles, thin and smooth. Throw in an extra-cinnamony horchata to wash it all down, and you’ll still leave with nearly as many pocket pesos as you came in with.
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Mile-High Marks for Osteria Marco
restaurateur uses his noodle quite like Frank Bonanno, who has made a go of Italian destinations and Asian hangouts alike (see Luca d’Italia and Bones, respectively). Osteria Marco is his savvy nod to the enoteca.
Occupying a dark, glittering, buzzing subterranean cave on Larimer Square, it serves up a deceptively casual menu of salumi, antipasti, panini, and pizzas—all of which are as carefully crafted as Bonanno's most elaborate $40 entree at Mizuna. While the housemade burrata is a justly ballyhooed must, there’s nary a miss on the menu, be it the whole grilled artichoke or the Sunday special—whole roast suckling pig.
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LoHi SteakBar Raises the Stakes—and the Bar
When locals heard chef-about-town Sean Kelly had turned up at this smart, sexy Lower Highlands spot, they swarmed in pronto—and they haven’t left since. Hopping nightly with the city’s hipper foodies, LoHi SteakBar features a highly likeable menu that centers on an array of steak frites and burgers, rounded out by funky snacks, sandwiches, and sides—from blue cheese fondue to rock shrimp po’boys to creamed spinach, plus retro desserts like banana splits.
The bar mixes a mean cocktail or two as well, including a fresh update of the banana daiquiri, and 3-for-1 bloodies come with weekend brunch.
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In the Swim at Sushi Den
Attention, fishheads! It may be land-locked, but Sushi Den can swim with the best of ’em. That’s because owners Yasu and Toshi Kizaki have been in the business for 25 years and counting, importing seafood from Japan to the United States and turning out some of the best nigiri, sashimi, and maki in town.
The ambiance is chic yet casual, luring dates and families alike—a lot of them: since reservations are only accepted for parties of five or more on weeknights, the crowd is constantly spilling out on to the sidewalk, day and night, enduring 90-minute waits for a taste of the action. But when you finally get in, your every fish wish will be granted, from all the usual suspects like maguro and unagi to the excellent Rocky Mountain Roll with smoked trout and the famous broiled miso cod.
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Sparkling Sushi Sasa
Pearl. The other is Sushi Sasa. Opened by former Sushi Den employee Wayne Conwell just north of downtown, it’s spare and serene, all pale hues and hushed conversations—the ideal setting for precise, pristine pieces of toro, needlefish, Spanish mackerel, and more. But then, that’s to be expected: order omakase, and you’ll be treated to all sorts of stunning surprises from the kitchen as well—think sea bass in black bean sauce and wasabi cheesecake.
It's those contemporary global influences that so distinguish Sushi Sasa and compel its clientele of sophisticates to crowd in constantly; reservations are strongly recommended.
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Get Saucy at Vesta Dipping Grill
Replete with sensual swirls of fabric amid steel sculptures and secluded circular banquettes, Vesta Dipping Grill maintains an invigoratingly sexy appeal right down to the menu.
Expect the unexpected from the kitchen, which specializes in eclectic mix-and-match dishes meant to be shared. Appetizers and entrees centering on grilled meats, fish, and vegetables come with your choice of several dipping sauces (hence the name) that range from the familiar—Carolina barbecue, peanut sauce, chimichurri—to the inventive (try bacon aioli, Asian pear chutney or rose blossom yogurt on for size). Desserts follow the same formula; order the caramel apple with hot fudge for you and your date, and you can rest assured the evening won’t end at the restaurant. Reservations are essential.
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Perennial Panzano
The hype’s as low as the loyalty is high at Panzano, a downtown fixture that’s so dependable day in and day out you could almost be forgiven for taking chef Elise Wiggins’s enormous talent for granted. But don’t. Even as it morphs from a power breakfast and lunch spot to a happy hour haunt to a pre-theater rendezvous, Wiggins’s creative energy never wanes, whether she’s popping out zeppole (doughnut holes), flipping her signature crespelle ai funghi (mushroom crepes), or whipping up ever-intriguing pastas (keep your eyes peeled for dried fruit). Meanwhile, matching her knack for contemporary Italian cookery is her passion for sustainability; going beyond organic, she launched a nose-to-tail steer program in mid-2009.
Yet another bonus: the bread basket’s one of Denver’s best.
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Rioja: LoDo’s Mediterranean Mecca
From the moment its doors opened in 2004, handsome Rioja has been on the short list of candidates for Denver’s best restaurant not only among locals but in the national press (including GQ and Details).
Though Colorado is always in the background, chef-partner Jennifer Jasinski keeps her focus admirably sharp and tight on the cuisines of Italy and Spain, and the result is a seasonal repertoire as robust and colorful in flavor as it is precise in presentation. Handmade pasta is always a must, as is the signature appetizer of spiced pork belly in fresh chickpea puree—but then, so are the remarkably rich soups and fruit-based desserts. Perhaps the ultimate must is more than one visit.
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A Taste of Whimsy at Beatrice And Woodsley
bin in the Rockies, Beatrice & Woodsley is a mesmerizing place to be.
Executive chef Pete List’s romantic seasonal menu of small plates, by turns daring and quaint, only deepens the mood: from corn pots de crème with horchata froth and sweet potato croquettes with huitlacoche honey to sherried turtle soup for brunch, the descriptions read as dreamily as the dishes themselves taste.
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Bones Gets to the Marrow
Known primarily for his simultaneously soulful and sly approach to contemporary Italian cookery at Luca d’Italia and Osteria Marco, chef-owner Frank Bonanno (who also owns the much-celebrated Mizuna) takes a no less playfully forward tack here—pulling short ribs for eggolls, ultra-refining ramen with poached lobster, and roasting the best, yes, bone marrow in town.
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Rocky Mountain Menagerie: Buckhorn Exchange
History buffs and extreme carnivores alike get a kick out of Buckhorn Exchange. Granted Colorado’s first liquor license granted over 100 years ago, it’s still got all the trappings of a rustic saloon, from the walls covered over with trophy heads to the cowboy-hatted country crooners serenading the crowd in the upstairs bar.
And the menu reflects the décor, featuring savory game dishes—slow-roasted buffalo prime rib, elk, pheasant and quail. Even yak pops up occasionally. Better still for the adventurous of palate are the appetizers: Fried Alligator Tail, Chile-Marinated Rattlesnake and yes, even Batter-Fried Rocky Mountain Oysters are available for the (gulp) asking. Food prices aren’t cheap, but the wine list compensates, with many bottles in the $20 to $40 range. Just a couple of light rail stops from downtown, this legendary joint has to be seen to be believed—even if vegetarians would rather look the other way.
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Alta Cucina at Barolo Grill
Exposed brick walls lined with vintage posters, brass urns filled with dried flowers, hand-painted porcelain, and straw baskets: Barolo Grill looks the part of a Piedmontese farmhouse—and acts it too. Not only does the seasonal menu maintain a typically Northern Italian balance between rustic and elegant cookery (think risotto with frog’s legs and homemade pasta with lamb sausage) but the 1,600 bottle, high-end wine list heavily emphasizes the celebrated wines of the region—including, of course, its namesake Barolo. As a special occasion destination, it also offers a splurgeworthy five-course tasting menu—so bring your appetite as well as your wallet.
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Beers & Steers at Denver Chophouse & Brewery
railstation complex, this link in a small national chain hearkens back to Denver’s cowtown past, when beer and beef were what was for dinner most every night.
Handsomely high-ceilinged and woody, Denver Chophouse & Brewery is a decent place to dine (tip for filet fiends: order yours one shade pinker than usual). But it’s a better place to imbibe, with a good-sized selection of wines by the glass, generous cocktails, nearly ten housebrews on tap—including an oatmeal stout conditioned in Wild Turkey barrels—and bottomless bloody marys and mimosas for weekend brunch.
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New Saigon: An Old Standby
Loyal locals have been thronging New Saigon for nearly 25 years—but even the most avid among them have yet to explore every inch of the menu: it’s that big. Denver’s first and foremost Vietnamese restaurant offers literally hundreds of options, from the obvious—pho, noodle bowls, and fresh spring rolls—to the obscure, be it frog’s legs stir-fried with grape leaves, goat cooked and served in a firepot with lotus and taro, or salad with squid, snails, chicken feet and pork ear. And if all that’s not adventurous enough for you, ask about the untranslated items (your server will try to dissuade you, so some persistence is required). Cheap and casual, it’s ever-popular, so go in the off-hours to ensure immediate seating.
Insider’s tip: For a take-home treat, buy a bag of the spicy sesame-cashew beef jerky from the large jars lining the back wall.
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Eclectic Colorado Cuisine at 1515 Restaurant
1515 Restaurant is fine dining Denver style. It's a nationally recognized, award-winning restaurant that takes contemporary American cuisine, splashes it with some European flair, and adds some one-of-a-kind "eclectic Colorado cuisine" to top off the menu.
People come for the food as well as the ambiance. The bar scene on the first floor is usually crowded with a hot crowd, with lots of people watching of those who come through the door. The upstairs dining room is a bit quieter, and focused on the fabulous food like braised lamb shank or Kobe beef with saki-glazed ahi. There are a few vegetarian options and features an award-winning wine list that's received praise from Wine Enthusiast and Wine Spectator.
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Potager: Where the Perennial Meets the Seasonal
The name means “kitchen garden,” and with good reason. Though Potager’s dining room is decidedly urban- with its high ceilings echoing cement surfaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, and exposed ducts- it leads to a positively pastoral back patio surrounded by, you guessed it, a vegetable and herb garden. Chef Teri Rippeto was espousing locavorism before it was trendy, and to this day her oft-changing menu is rife with farmer’s market finds and sustainably raised meats, be it Gnocchi with pea shoots, baby leeks, mint, bacon, and goat cheese or a Grilled Pork Chop with rhubarb sauce and pickled turnips. The wine list, too, emphasizes boutique labels. And Rippeto’s eco-consciousness doesn’t end there: Potager recycles, composts, and relies partly on solar and wind power. No wonder it’s perennially popular. On that note, be prepared for a wait at the bar: reservations aren’t accepted.
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Sushi Hai
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Can’t-Miss Mizuna
Downscale, upscale, Asian, Italian—as chef-owner of four of Denver’s best-loved eateries (including Bones and Osteria Marco), Frank Bonanno does it all. At small, elegantly low-key Mizuna, he does it with a contemporary bent that has won him acclaim for a decade and counting. With the exception of lobster mac-and-cheese—Mizuna’s neoclassic signature dish—most of the menu changes monthly, but the emphasis is always on seasonal, carefully-sourced luxuries: a three-course meal might run from crisped veal sweetbreads served with caper aioli over a garlic-potato fritter and grilled ramps, move on to rack of lamb with herbed goat cheese gnudi in a parmesan emulsion, and end every bit as lusciously with a lemongrass parfait or butterscotch soufflé. It might also run you a tab in the three-digit range—but what’s a special occasion for if not splurging?
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Give Red Square Euro Bistro a Shot—Literally
Tucked away in Writer’s Square just off Larimer, Red Square Euro Bistro is like no place else in LoDo. First and foremost is the vodka bar: rounding out a list of nearly 100 from 20 different countries (including El Salvador and Kazakhstan!), all available by the shot or the bottle, is a wild selection of house infusions—dill, horseradish, and honey being especially good choices. (If spirits aren’t your poison, check out the imported Russian and Czech beers instead.) Then there’s the contemporary European food: borscht with eggs, veal dumplings, beef stroganoff, and pavlova with champagne sabayon help absorb all that alcohol. And in warm weather, the courtyard patio beyond the sleek red-walled dining room is a locals’ hangout from happy hour onwards.