Mile High City Foodies Dish on Dining in Denver
A great restaurant scene cannot thrive on great restaurants alone; it needs dedicated diners – “foodies” – who tirelessly spread the word about up-and-coming chefs, dishes that you simply have to try, and new culinary hot spots. Denver’s got plenty of foodies, including critics, bloggers and chefs, who love the Mile High City’s eating options and want everyone to know it!
Tucker Shaw, Denver Post Food Editor
What do you love most about the Denver restaurant world?
Denver's restaurant world is fearless. Our cooks are audacious and creative, but their restaurants are very accessible – no foodier-than-thou attitude here. We have a young city which is reflected in the restaurant scene. Denverites won't let a restaurant rest on its laurels, so the cooks are energetic and smart, always changing up the game. Another thing that Denver cooks know about is throw-down pig-out food; few are the menus that don't have a solid take on meat-and-potatoes.
What's one Denver dish that's made a big impression on you recently?
My favorite dish of the past couple of months was at Shazz (4262 Lowell Blvd.), where I had a perfectly cooked ribeye (from River Ranch in Steamboat Springs) with spicy cubes of pumpkin and a parsnip and spinach gratin. Talk about a solid take on meat and potatoes. Another great dish I had recently was the pan-fried chicken thighs with peanut mole and corn relish over at Lola (1575 Boulder St.).
Elise Wiggins, Chef, Panzano
What do you love most about the Denver restaurant world?
I love the Denver restaurant world because we honestly have so many talented chefs. Denver chefs are in an exciting place as far as the country's restaurant scene. We are slowly but surely making a name for Denver. Denver and our chefs are extremely “green”-conscious. A lot of people choose to live in Denver because it’s a healthy place to live compared to other cities. So, chefs that cook with healthy “green” foods are in demand.
What's one Denver dish that's made a big impression on you recently?
The house-made charcuterie that chef/owner Jean-Phillip Failyau makes at Osteria Marco (1453 Larimer St.).
Claire Walter, Food & Travel Writer/Blogger
What do you love most about the Denver restaurant world?
This one is easy. What I like most about Denver restaurants is the general lack of pretension. Local chefs and restaurateurs certainly compete with one another, but there is also a great deal of collegiality and generosity to each other and to worthy causes whenever called upon. It is possible to enjoy truly excellent food in restaurants representing many ethnic cuisines, in all price ranges and degrees of formality. I've had great food at tables covered with everything from fine linen to Formica.
What's one Denver dish that's made a big impression on you recently?
Solera Restaurant & Wine Bar's (5410 E. Colfax Ave.) Mac & Cheese made a major impression on me because I don't really like mac and cheese. My mother never made this American classic, so the first time I had it was at in Miss McCabe's 8:00 a.m. home economics class. Dreadful then and every other time I've eaten it – usually out of politeness somewhere. I never bought the brand in the box and only ordered it at Solera because I heard it was really good. And it was. Discovering a delicious version of something I've shunned qualifies as a VERY big impression.
Jen Jasinski, Chef, Rioja
What do you love most about the Denver restaurant world?
I love that Denver’s restaurant scene is down to earth like the people here in Denver; We all know each other and share a mutual respect for each other.
What's one Denver dish that's made a big impression on you recently?
I love the Vietnamese food culture in Denver, there are quite a few good Vietnamese places like New Saigon (630 S. Federal Blvd.), [which has] a great green papaya salad.
Amanda Faison, Senior Editor/Food Writer, 5280 Magazine
What do you love most about the Denver restaurant world?
I love that you can go completely casual at the iconic Cherry Cricket (2641 E. 2nd Ave.) or go high-end at places like Fruition (1313 E. 6th Ave.) or Table 6 (609 Corona St.). But at all of these restaurants there's a sense of comfort and familiarity that is so very Denver. Our city has made huge culinary strides in the last decade, and it's exciting to see the local restaurant scene offer a little something for everyone.
What's one Denver dish that's made a big impression on you recently?
I have to say that Root Down's (1600 W. 33rd Ave.) offerings – especially the smoked portobello, leek, and mascarpone wontons and the organic carrot and red curry soup – have captivated my attention. Although Root Down is not solely a vegetarian restaurant, I appreciate that owner Justin Cucci and chef Ryan Leinonen look at vegetables as the building blocks of a dish, rather than an afterthought.
Tyler Wiard, Chef, Elway's
What do you love most about the Denver restaurant world?
Denver has a great network of chefs who talk to each other on a regular basis about new ideas, philosophies, what’s new, have you been here, etc. We also will go to each other establishments and dine. We like to hang out together, we like learning from each other. We know that there is really good food and restaurants in Denver and we are going to always let people know that Denver has a killer food scene through our food and passion.
What's one Denver dish that's made a big impression on you recently?
The dish that I would have to say has made a big impression on me in the last couple of months is the cured meat plate at Vesta Dipping Grill (1822 Blake St.). Their charcuterie skills are amazing. It is a lost art and it is nice to see them make such excellent cured meats in a tradition that is slowly dying. They have a passion.
Matt Selby, Chef/Owner, Steuben’s/Vesta Dipping Grill
What do you love most about the Denver restaurant world?
What I love the most about the Denver restaurant scene is the resurgence of a chef community. While we are all certainly in direct competition, we've found ourselves doing charitable events, special dinners, and joining community-driven organizations together. Throughout all of this we are learning from each other, and growing with each other. It's sort of this realization that we are only as good as each other gets...so while it's a competitive market, it's also a reciprocal atmosphere. Ultimately, Denver diners benefit.
What's one Denver dish that's made a big impression on you recently?
A dish that I had this summer keeps haunting me ... Alex Seidel at Fruition (1313 E. 6th Ave.) does a pasta carbonara, with cured pork belly, handmade cavatelli, soft poached egg and parmesan broth. Delicious. The dish has everything I love, and they do it with precision... the menu even describes the egg as being a "six minute egg"! I also love that it's offered as an appetizer, rather than traditionally as an entree. Too much of a good thing is excessive!