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Eat/Drink

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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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ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro: East-West Extravagance

This sleek downtowner is a treasure trove—and its crown jewel is chef-partner Lon Symensma, whose world travels are reflected in his contemporary East-West cookery. The menu is designed for grazing and sharing such artistically presented creations as green papaya salad with tamarind sorbet, egg noodles with squid and scallops, and elegant sandwiches like the pulled beef with raclette and spicy radish. But once you take a bite of the luscious kaya toast with coconut jam and an “egg cloud,” you’ll be hard pressed to let anyone else near it. As for the service, it’s as polished as everything else.

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Izakaya Den: Sushi, Sake and Sexy Small Plates

izakaya_denTalk 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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Domo: A Country Japanese Jewel

Picture 8Domo 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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Tacos, Rockies-Style at El Taco de Mexico

There are as many taquerias as there are mountain peaks around Denver, bETDMtacosut 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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In the Swim at Sushi Den

Picture 7Attention, 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

There are only two contenders for Denver’s best sushi—and they’re polar opposites. One is Sushi Den, a dark and rollicking madhouse on Old South SasaflyingfishcarpaccioPearl. 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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Rioja: LoDo’s Mediterranean Mecca

RiojagnocchiFrom 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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Bones Gets to the Marrow

The name Bones is appropriate for such a spare, sleek space. It fits the streamlined menu, too. But the flavors of the Asian-inspired small plates and noodle bowls flowing from the tiny open kitchen? They're anything but bare bones. BmarrowKnown 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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New Saigon: An Old Standby

Picture 36Loyal 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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Sushi Hai

Tucked in the Highland Area lies a restaurant that could only be described as the perfect juxtaposition between Denver's art district and the Japenese Orient. View local modern art while the masters prepare your meal. Sushi Hai uses only the freshest ingredients to deliver the top-notch sushi to satisfy your cravings. Sip on hot sake or premium saketinis with friends in the Hai Bar. The atmosphere is perfect for an intimate evening.

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Give Red Square Euro Bistro a Shot—Literally

Picture 24Tucked 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.
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