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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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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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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.