AMERICAN
Del Mar Crab House
1453 Larimer St., 303-825-4747 |* 1/2 (Good/Very Good)
Appetizers, $4-12. Entrees $18-26 and up
|So what if Denver doesn’t have a bona-fide waterfront? Dining at the dark, cavernous Del Mar Crab House is like a visit to the docks. Seafood anchors the menu here. You get oysters, mussels, halibut, lobster and, of course, crab in many forms: salad, bisque, stew, cake. Best dish on the menu is the evocative cioppino, a savory fish stew in a tomato-based broth. A massive, beautiful bar plays host to a busy happy hour. Last reviewed November 2006.
Deli Tech
8101 E. Belleview Ave., 303-721-6768|**(Very Good)
Small plates, $3.95-$7.95; sandwiches, $6.95-$10.50; entrees $10.95-$13.95|You should never trust a non-New Yorker with your pastrami-on-rye, which is why Deli Tech should be on your short list for pastrami, corned beef, brisket and cheesecake. Also on the menu, old-
school favorites like chopped liver and kasha varnishkes. Come early to avoid the major lunchtime crowds, and plan to take home leftovers. Open every day of the year.
Last reviewed November 2006.
Morton’s: The Steakhouse
1710 Wynkoop St., 303-825-3353
|** (Very Good)
Appetizers, $11-$19; steaks, $39-$43; other entrees, $24-$51|Textbook steakhouse décor and menu make Morton’s a solid bet for a classic steakhouse dinner: Think wood-paneled walls, bone-in ribeyes, oversized shrimp cocktails and cold martinis. Suits dominate the room on business-dinner weeknights, while weekends attract a more family-oriented crowd. Like most steakhouses, Morton’s is not a spot for budget diners.
Last reviewed September 2006.
Ocean
201 Columbine St., 303-377-5350
|** 1/2 (Very Good/Great)
Appetizers, $2-$22; entrees, $18-$38
|Denver’s most decadent seafood house, located at the bustling corner of East Second Avenue and Columbine Street in Cherry Creek North, serves up plenty of glitz and glamour along with its fresh fish dishes. Menu standouts include the miso-glazed cod and the grilled lobster tacos. Stretch out your neck before you come, because there’s lots to look at, from the sprawling bar to the luscious decor to the assemblage of beautiful Cherry Creekers. Lovely, if pricey, wine list. And here’s a happy surprise for red-meat freaks: The steaks are fantastic. Last reviewed August 2006.
Sketch Food & Wine
250 Steele St., 303-333-1763|** 1/2 (Very Good/Great)
Appetizers, $5-$10. Entrees, $9-$23. |A square peg in the round-hole neighborhood of Cherry Creek North, Sketch is hip and staid at the same time. Stars on the menu include roast lamb and a grilled hanger steak with gorgonzola, but the best thing about Sketch is the extensive wine list. Stay late for a relaxed vibe and generous pours.
Last reviewed November 2006.
Snooze
2262 Larimer St., 303-297-0700 ** (Very Good)
Breakfast, $5-$9; lunch, $7-10|Sweet, dense, crispy-edged pancakes as big as your plate rule the menu at this downtown breakfast specialist. Choose the pineapple upside-down version, which is packed with fresh fruit and drenched in decadent cinnamon butter. Wash it down with one of several breakfast cocktails, including four variations on the Bloody Mary. And here’s good news for club kids and the people who bartend for them: Snooze is open straight through from 1:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekends. Closed for dinner. Last reviewed July 2006.
Summit
19 Lake Circle, Colorado Springs, 719-577-5896 |*** 1/2 (Great/Exceptional)
Appetizers, $6-$15; entrees, $15-$26
|Elegant but friendly service reaches new heights at Summit, the latest addition to the slate of restaurants at the venerable Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs. Gnocchi with mushrooms and impossibly fresh trout bejewel the elevated bistro menu, which also features halibut and roast quail. A smart wine list and excellent selection of house cocktails round out the experience, one of the best dining options in the state. Last reviewed November 2006.
Tables|*** (Great)
2267 Kearney St., 303-388-0299
Sandwiches, $6-$6.50,entrees, $16-$26
|Sure, it’s a neighborhood restaurant, but it’s worth driving across town to eat at Tables, a tasteful Park Hill bistro with crowd-pleasing sandwiches at lunchtime and elegant dinners in the evening. The menu changes frequently, but flavors are always fresh and satisfying. The kitchen is particularly successful with fish dishes. Small, nicely priced wine list. Great patio for fine-weather dining. Last reviewed August 2006.
EUROPEAN
Brasserie Ten Ten
1011 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-998-1010|*** (Great)
Small plates, $3.95-12.95; entrees, $9.95-
$26.95 |If you’re looking for a quiet, secluded dinner for a romantic tête-à-tête, take a pass. But if you’re up for a lively, sophisticated, urban bistro evening, make a beeline to this Boulder standby. Steak frites, coq au vin and seafood rule the menu, and the wine list is solid. Not exactly a unique or innovative restaurant, but one of the best classic French bistros in our area. Last reviewed October 2006.
Pagliacci’s
1440 W. 33rd Ave., 303-458-0530
|** (Very Good)
Small plates, $3-9; entrees, $13.50-$22
|Italian-countryside frescoes, tiled archways, spumoni-colored uplighting, and a gregarious staff help make this classic throwback one of Denver’s favorite red-sauce institutions. On the menu: Familiar and filling baked manicotti, housemade lasagne, gnocchi with mushrooms and garlic bread. Make reservations on weekends, because tables fill up fast.
Last reviewed September 2006.
Restaurant 4580
4580 Broadway, Boulder, 303-448-1500|** 1/2 (Very Good/Great)
Small plates, $4.50-$10; entrees $13-$27
|Situated at the north end of town, rather than along overcrowded Pearl Street, helps stylish-but-casual Restaurant 4580 stand out from the crowd. The pan-Mediterranean menu includes addictive lamb meatballs, a lovely antipasto plate, lightly sauced pastas and house-made sorbets. Excellent bar service and affordable wine list. Last reviewed September 2006.
Z Cuisine Bistro & Creperie
2239 W. 30th Ave, 303-477-1111
|*** (Great)
Plates $12-$19.50|Z Cuisine, an impossibly small yellow-walled bistro in the Highland neighborhood, flows seamlessly from dining area to bar to kitchen. Lively French music bounces through the air, and irresistible French delicacies occupy your plate. The menu changes daily, but the house specialty, cassoulet, is almost always on the chalkboard and always worth having. Also spectacular: the assiette campagnarde, an assembled plate of olives, pates, cured meats, and cheeses. Great wine list, too. No reservations accepted, so arrive early or late. Last reviewed April 2006.
ASIAN
Banzai Sushi
6655 Leetsdale Drive, 303-329-3366
| ** (Very Good)
A la carte sushi, $3 and up; rolls, $5 and up; appetizers, $4.25-$12.50; entrees, $10.95-
$23.95|Neighborhood standby Banzai Sushi has one of the most ebullient, friendly, competent, caring staffs in all of Denver restaurantdom. The wait crew, mostly motherly women with welcoming smiles and gracious concern for your stomach, serve up surprisingly good sushi, sashimi, soups, hibachi-
grilled steak, and 100 different rolls made with everything from fish to plum sauce to cream cheese. Come early for a seat at the bar and enjoy a cold sake. Last reviewed May 2006.
Spice China
269 McCaslin Blvd., Louisville, 720-890-0999|** (Very Good)
$2-$19.95, with most plates clocking in at around $8 or $9|Shanghainese dishes like squid with bok choy and chicken with jellyfish share menu space with more familiar sesame chicken and chow fun noodles at this Chinese-food mecca. Come with a group and order a lot; it’s all about sharing dishes here. Don’t miss the sautéed watercress with garlic. Booming happy hour. Takeout available. Last reviewed September 2006.
Jewel of India
10343 Federal Blvd., Westminster, 303-469-7779|** (Very Good)
Small plates, $1.95-$6.95, entrees $11.95-$22.95|Jewel of India, a modest but proud Punjabi eatery in a King Soopers-anchored strip mall, is a lavishly decorated eatery that features exceptional curries and tasty, hot naan (flatbread). Come early on weekends or you might have to wait a few minutes for a table. Vegetarians will find much to make them happy on the kaleidoscopic menu. Last reviewed February 2006.
Pearl of Siam
18660 E. Hampden Ave., Aurora, 303-617-7408|** (Very Good)
Appetizers, $2.50-$5.50; entrees, $7.95-
$14.95|One positive side-effect of Denver’s suburban sprawl is the proliferation of ethnic eateries, particularly Thai restaurants. One of the best is Pearl of Siam, an unassuming and unpretentious spot at the intersection of Hampden Avenue and Tower Road. Curries are especially good here, especially the green and Masoman varieties. Skip the pad Thai in favor of the drunken noodles or pineapple fried rice. Takeout available, but the dining room, with its casual atmosphere and friendly service, is a pleasant place to kill an afternoon. Last reviewed August 2006.
Yoisho
7236 E. Colfax Ave., 303-322-6265
|** (Very Good)
Nothing over $10| If yakisoba noodles (pan-fried and tossed with chicken, pork, or tofu) and yakiniku beef ribs (served on a sizzling cast-iron skillet with plenty of rice) sound like comfort foods to you, then Yoisho, a tiny Japanese restaurant on the corner of East Colfax Avenue and Quebec Street is your place. Fried gyoza dumplings stuffed with pork and hot noodle bowls round out the small, impossibly inexpensive menu. Everything is prepared fresh to order by the skeleton crew, so be patient. The wait is worth it. Last reviewed August 2006.
MEXICAN/
SOUTHWESTERN
Chama
4425 S. Teller St., Lakewood, 303-935-5170|* (Good)
Appetizers, $6-$9. Entrees, $9-$19. |High hopes surrounded the opening and first few months of Chama, Bel Mar’s entry into Denver’s ever-growing field of high-end Mexican. Service can be trying, and some dishes need attention, but the margaritas are cold and dozens of boutique tequilas are offered. Last reviewed November 2006.
Juarez
2932 W. 38th Ave., 303-433-3902| **(Very Good)
A la carte items, $1-$4.50; plates, $4-$12.50|It is worth a trip to Juarez, a small, unassuming Mexican restaurant on the corner of West 38th Avenue and Federal Boulevard, just for a plate of one of the house specialties: seductive, crunchy, savory tacos dorados, or hard-shelled tacos filled with marinated beef. Also good: pozole, which is served every day (not just weekends). Don’t expect white-gloved service at this modest storefront taqueria, but expect a friendly vibe. Barflies will appreciate the 3:30 a.m. closing time. Last reviewed October 2006.
Mezcal
3230 E. Colfax Ave., 303-322-5219
|*** (Great)
Appetizers, $4.95-7.95. Entrees, $6.95-$15.95.|Contemporary Denver dining wouldn’t be what it is without Mezcal, the seminal East Colfax Mexican taqueria-tequilaria-hangout, where hipsters and their admirers linger late into the night over combination plates of tamales and shots of tequila with PBR chasers. The smoking ban has transformed this favorite into an entirely tolerable place to hang out. Lunch, too. Last reviewed November 2006.
Tula Modern Mexican
250 Josephine St., 303-377-3488
|** 1/2 Very Good/Great)
Small plates, $6.50-$12. Large plates, $16-$24|Start your meal at Tula with a Paloma margarita, then work your way through the crab terrine and the ancho-seared tuna. Or take the duck confit tamale-pork chop with cinnamon route. Either way, end on house-made sorbets. This is intelligent, inventive, refreshing cuisine that makes perfect sense for Denver. Do your best to be patient with the service, which is still finding its feet. And this is huge: There’s a great big free parking lot right next to the door.
Last reviewed April 2006.
LATIN
Samba Room
1460 Larimer St., 720-956-1701
Appetizers, $6.95-$10.95; entrees $15.95-$26.95|* * (Very Good)|The Samba Room is more Lauderdale than Little Havana, more Floribbean than Caribbean. It doesn’t offer the most authentic Latin cuisine you’ve ever had. But it’s got great service, relaxing tropical music, delicious mojitos and a very tasty Caesar salad. Also good: paella and the sandwiches. This is a good bet for a downtown lunch, especially a long one on a Friday. Last reviewed February 2006.
