Denver Foodies:
Must-Try Dishes in the Mile High City
See what dishes Denver's in-the-know foodies are raving about, from fine dining to street food.
Amanda Faison, Dining Editor, 5280 Magazine
Solera's smoked Snake River Farms pork chop with whipped yams, grilled onions, and chipotle-pork jus. Pork chops can often be overcooked and blah, but this chop is perfectly cooked to medium. The yams are heavenly and light (even though they're packed with butter), and the sauteed greens complete a wonderfully balanced, flavorful, and slightly smoky dish.
The Gastro Cart's caramelized cabbage roll with whole grain rice, cream cheese, smoked jalapeno-aioli and duxelle. I love this street cart's fare – the menu is limited but fun and always interesting. It doesn't hurt that the cooks manning the cart came from Table 6.
Elise Wiggins, Executive Chef, Panzano
Tacos al pastor from Taco de Mexico!
Lori Midson, Cafe Society Editor, Westword
The pineapple upside-down pancake at Snooze, a saucer-size sphere bundled with squares of caramelized pineapple, fairy-dusted with powdered sugar and dolloped with a scoop of cinnamon butter that melts into rivers of sweetness, is one of those unassailable wonderments bestowed upon us by the breakfast gods.
Want more? Lori and her cohorts at Westword are counting down 100 favorite Denver dishes on the Cafe Society blog.
Tyler Wiard, Executive Chef, Elway's
The chicken wings at Marco's Coal-Fired Pizza are amazing. The large #7 Pho at Pho 79 I eat at least three times a week, I crave it. The green chile at Santiago's on Leetsdale near Holly is awesome as well, the hotter the better.
Tucker Shaw, Denver Post Dining Critic
The chocolate and fleur de sel caramel tart at Olivea. Pastry chef Yasmin Lozada-Hissom created this excellent dessert: A buttery, faintly crispy crust, filled with a soft blend of creamy, unbitter chocolate and sweet caramel and sprinkled with flaky-sharp bits of fleur du sel. Makes the best case in Denver for not skipping dessert.
Jen Jasinski, Executive Chef, Rioja
I love the boudin blanc at Olivea, it is a perfect emulsion and the sausage tastes great. I appreciate well-made charcuterie as I think it is an art.
Stacey Brugeman, Food Editor, Denver Magazine
Colt & Gray’s Long Farm Pig Trotters. In keeping with the national popularity of nose-to-tail cooking, Denver chefs are doing a great job introducing diners to some incredible animal cuts, such as braised veal cheeks, beef tongue pastrami, porchetta di testa, and chicken livers any number of ways. One of my favorite dishes in town is the pig trotters from the newly opened Colt & Gray in the Platte Street neighborhood. The bar snack, a crab cake-like patty with whole-grain mustard, is an entirely approachable version of the meat and fat from a pig’s foot.
Steuben’s Rock and Rye. Colorado, long known for its microbrews and density of Master Sommeliers, is now also making a name for itself in the world of distillation and mixology with bartenders across Denver creating their own infusions, bitters, and tonics to mix with a variety of area-produced spirits. One of my favorite cocktails is the Rock and Rye at Steuben's on 17th Avenue, where mixologist Sean Kenyon infuses Rittenhouse 100 rye whiskey with orange and lemon zest, cloves, cassia bark, horehound, and rock candy. It’s a perfect, Denver-made take on this turn-of-the-century cure-all.
My 2009 find was the taco and burrito cart on the corner of 17th and Blake. It's a mom and pop operation. Super friendly. They do maybe eight different burritos, like chicken mole, pork and green chili, chicken with rice and beans, and my personal favorite, a tinga burrito. Tinga is a Mexican chicken stew with garlic, onions, chipotle, and star anise. Also they do incredible tamales. Cool thing is, we've started trading dishes! They gave me a bowl of their first batch of tinga, and I told them my wife makes it ... next time Gina made tinga, I brought them some. Next they sent me back up the street with mole chicken, and I returned the favor with Steuben's green chili. Can't say enough about those guys ...
More Foodie Favorites from Denver Diners via Twitter & Facebook!
Erika Sauerwein, Larimer Square Marketing & PR Professional
My favorite [dish of 2009] was Troy Guard's sushi tacos at TAG. I just wish they were bigger!
Eunice Brownlee, Denver Portrait Photographer
The scallops at Il Posto – seriously [the] best thing I've ever put in my mouth.
twitter.com/hannahhandfast, Denver Culinary Student
Pecan pie salad at Vesta: arugula, bleu cheese, praline pecans, and maple bourbon vinaigrette. I crave it all the time!
twitter.com/todds_wife
Steuben's skirt steak – especially the fries underneath that soak up all that amazing chimmichurri butter. HEAVEN!
Allison Savage
The cheddar rosemary biscuits at Rioja!
Meredith Arndt Mirrington
Anything and everything at Root Down.
Karen Walker Nissen
The roast chicken at Steuben's!
Shawndra Hayes-Budgen
The Ric's Platter at Senor Ric's!
Tara Tongco Rojas
The soups at The Lobby!
twitter.com/HilaryO
Mizuna's Lobster Mac & Cheese.
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