When you’re the dining critic and your office is downtown, invariably a co-worker just happens to pass by your desk around noontime to wonder if there are any interesting new lunch options.
And, almost invariably, the answer is no.
But to my great relief, that answer has changed for the time being, because Mici recently moved in.
This casual, family-owned eatery is just off the 16th Street Mall and along the light-rail line, making it a convenient stop.
Its contemporary setup makes it quick and easy once you’re inside, too, including a large, legible menu posted so that everyone in line has access to it, counter ordering, enough staff members to take those orders and run food out to the tables, and a cozy, urban-style metal bar behind the counter where employees can serve up wine, beer and Italian liqueurs to the folks who drop in for happy hour.
It’s not hard to be reasonably happy with an experience at Mici any time of the day, though, because this is a pretty straightforward kind of place. Italian in theme and low-key in approach, it’s run by owners Adam Vela and his wife, Kim Miceli-Vela, Kim’s brothers Jeff and Michael Miceli and their parents Rosalie and Jerry Miceli. The word Mici is an abbreviation of their family name.
The family decided to eschew the caricature of Italian-style, so you’ll find no red-and-white tablecloths or Chianti bottles hanging from the rafters. Instead they went with a lemon-and-lime color scheme, offset by vibrantly red-and-orange art.
The lines are simple, and the space is easy to navigate. The same can be said of the menu, a short roster of antipasti, salads, panini, pizzas and pastas, each category with a few variations and a couple of size options.
Since the salads and the pastas came with slices of buttery garlic bread, the bruschetta pomodoro ($6) made sense mostly as a snack with a glass of wine, and then it made a lot of sense, crunchy-edged garlic bread lightly toasted and topped with freshly chopped tomatoes that had their sugars brought up by the oven, fresh basil offering extra sweetness.
The salads were large and austere, such as the insalata della casa ($7) that was mostly mixed greens, with enough gorgonzola to get a bite with about half of the salad, a smattering of walnuts, not enough grapes and a balsamic vinaigrette just on the verge of being too tangy.
The insalata di Cesare ($6.50) was better balanced, crispy, well-chilled romaine topped with shavings of real Parmigiano-Reggiano instead of a cheap imitation and a dressing made with plenty of garlic. It’s worth noting that all of the salads can be ordered in half-sizes.
The soup, minestra di famiglia ($2.50 a cup), was filled with dry chicken, although the tiny meatballs were tasty and the nearly melted escarole spoke of long, slow simmering.
A meatball panino ($6.50) would have been better on wheat bread but we had chosen ciabatta, and so it was a battle to take down the 4-inch-high monster, crusty and crested at the top so that each bite sent the meatballs, salty and juicy, squirting out the sides through their blanket of melted mozzarella.
Gorgonzola bowtie pasta ($7) wasn’t exactly overwhelmingly gorgonzola-flavored (it tasted more like an Alfredo), but the creamy sauce held up against the nicely cooked noodles, and a bowl of Cortonese ($7) brought another of those magnificent meatballs set against penne pasta awash in a chunky tomato-based meat sauce.
The pizzas, sold as personal size ($6-$8), 16-inch ($12-$16) or as calzones ($6-$8), were inconsistent. On one visit, the formaggio ($6 for personal) had too little sauce and a bottom crust so leathery it was impenetrable with a knife, while on another the Mediterraneo ($7.50 for personal) was soft and gently chewy, topped with fresh spinach and artichoke hearts.
For dessert, Mici sells the locally made Espo’s Cucina Dolce gelato ($3) in half-pint containers, along with addictive Fiorentino cookies (85 cents each), the Italian almond-lace cookies, here filled with chocolate.
This eatery doesn’t break any new ground, but the ingredients are top-notch, and the place is inviting. Downtown could use a few more like Mici.
Dining critic Kyle Wagner can be reached at 303-820-1958 or kwagner@denverpost.com.
Mici
**½
ITALIAN|1531 Stout St., 303-629-6424|** 1/2
Atmosphere: Casual, lemon-and-lime decor, with counter ordering, serve-yourself soda fountain and an urban-feel metal bar.
Service: The family that owns the place can often be found watching over things. Plenty of smiling staff to go around, which means the food comes out fast.
Wine list: A couple of Chiantis, a nice Pinot Grigio.
Dinner entrees: $6-$8
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Details: All major credit cards; street parking; medium noisy; no smoking; wheelchair accessible; no reservations.
Three visits