J’Shabu: Think sukiyaki died with the ’70s? Think again: D.I.Y. dining is on the rebound. Saddle up to the shabu-shabu bar at J’Shabu, where you’ll get your own pot of steaming broth and a pile of fresh vegetables and meat to cook in it.| 2680 S. Havana St., Aurora; 303-750-5797|Tucker Shaw
The 9th Door: This jewel box of a Spanish restaurant/bar serves the closest thing to the tapas my husband’s family in Spain eats. We started with a so-so mojito and an excellent capirinha and the classic tortilla a la Española, and the 9th Door’s version was perfect: thin slices of potato and mushroom nestled between layers of egg. Next: rosé with goat-cheese- stuffed dates wrapped in crisp jackets of serrano ham. We finished with a generous serving of mussels in a saffron-spiked tomato broth and three baskets of bread to soak it all up. Bravo!| 1808 Blake St.; 303-292-2229; 9thdoor.com|Kristen Browning-Blas
Bistro Vendôme: You might almost think you’re in France in this sunny yellow room, except that the waiter is much friendlier than his French counterpart. This Larimer Square gem is a perfect place for brunch – 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. After a night on the town (we stayed at The Curtis, the fun, recently redone hotel on 14th and Curtis streets) we recovered with Volgas (spicy Bloody Marys), a croque-madame, a sloppily prepared but tasty Dungeness crab Benedict (except they’d run out of crab) and those peculiar sweet frites with the addictive garlic aoli.|1420 Larimer St.; 303-825-3232, bistrovendome.com
|Kristen Browning-Blas
