It takes a few minutes to adjust to the idea that the words “taco bar” and Milagro Taco Bar (1700 Vine St.) are really two very different concepts.
A taco bar conjures up a fairly casual place, almost a gritty sort of hangout, with maybe some tiki hut connotations and drinks with little umbrellas in them, paper plates and greasy tacos, with a few salsa options and a lot of cheap tequila.
But it takes barely 10 seconds inside this new orange-hued eatery, the remodeled space that was most recently Rhino Room and scores of other restaurants and lounges over the years, to adjust to the fact that this is an inviting mix of casual and upscale, with comfortable oversized booths, lighting that invites relaxing, and a giant back bar that allows for lingering.
Co-owned by general manager Mark Haber and chef Frank Bonanno, who leaves the day-to-day cooking operations to the staff he culled from area Mexican eateries, the place hums with hipness.
We worked solely off the appetizer list one night and couldn’t have been happier. Roasted poblano and cheese empanadas ($6) had just enough grease on them to make them an ideal way to go with drinks, a little lime crema adding richness, a fresh corn salsa a little zing. A chile relleno ($6) was a fat, puffy roasted poblano oozing molten goat cheese, with a silky black bean mole providing moisture, and a smoked salmon quesadilla ($9) benefited from top-notch salmon and a super-fresh pico de gallo.
Our favorite dish, though, was the cumin-scented lobster tostada ($13), a buttery snack that had us licking our fingers.
Actually, there was one thing we would have improved in our meal, and that was the house margaritas. They were weak, and I’ve heard that in the past few weeks, they’ve tweaked the recipe a bit, adding more tequila. Here’s to that…
Steaking a claim: Steak au Poivre (231 Milwaukee St.) is up and running, with a menu reminiscent of the late Brasserie Rouge. Brought to you by Jean Garrett and managing partner Marco Colantonio, the affordable French bistro-meets-steakhouse offers the appealing setup of “le boeuf” with a choice of sauce and side, such as ribeye, 12 ounces, for $22.95, with choices of, say, au poivre, shallot or béarnaisé and then pomme frites, scallion mashed potatoes or creamed spinach.
The plats du jour aren’t cheap – bouillabaisse for $27 and rotisserie-roasted prime rib for $25 – but the rest of the menu is priced to sell. Check out the assiette de fromage, cheeses from The Truffle with a glass of port for $18.50.
Out to lunch: Owner Tomas Stibral says, “Oops,” he forgot to mention that he had been planning to close his Cafe Prague (209 Bear Creek Ave.) in Morrison for lunch just as I was reviewing the place a couple of weeks ago, so two days after the review came out, with a box listing the lunch hours, they stopped doing lunch. My apologies to anyone who decided to drive out there to enjoy a mid-day repast.
I had been there just the week before the review and had a great lunch, but it was indeed not well-attended, and that’s the reason Stibral gives for making the decision. So it’s dinner only at the Czech and German eatery from here on out.
Out of town news: L&J at Texas Creek (27077 U.S. 50) is at Texas Creek down near Cotopaxi no more; the little eatery has made the move to the big city in Florence, at 221 Main St. Owners Lila and John McClellan are still doing the great green chile, the homemade soups, and Lila’s homemade baked goods and John’s Italian specialties, with a more expanded menu than at their Texas Creek spot.
Free advertising: This is one I never mind giving up space for, and not just because I have to mortgage the house every year to buy school supplies for my kids. From now until Aug. 8, anyone who drops off a new backpack with a few basic school supplies at McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant in the Denver Tech Center (8100 E. Union Ave.) or McCormick’s Fish House & Bar downtown (1659 Wazee St.) Denver gets a $20 gift certificate for either place. The supply list can be found at the eateries.
Dining critic Kyle Wagner can be reached at 303-820-1958 or kwagner@denverpost.com.
