It’s 9:30 on a Monday night, and people are still coming in for dinner at Il Posto, a charming new trattoria on East 17th Avenue.
At first glance, this wouldn’t be interesting. But this is Denver, and those of us who eat out a lot know that Monday night, particularly after 9 o’clock, is a restaurant dead zone. You’re lucky to find a kitchen still serving, let alone a bustling dining room filled with enthusiastic diners passing plates and clinking glasses.
But Il Posto bucks the status quo, bringing a stylish, sophisticated sensibility to its Uptown strip, even on Monday nights.
The room, wedged between The Thin Man bar and Chada Thai restaurant, is a clean, contemporary space that would be equally at home in Seattle, San Francisco or Torino.
A dozen-plus tables, nearly always full, are scattered about the airy room, anchored along one side by a wide, busy open kitchen populated with focused young men tossing sauté pans to and fro, sending aromas of garlic and pancetta through the dining room, out the glass garage doors and onto the street.
It’s a busy room. Servers flit about, delivering plates and refilling wine glasses, discussing risottos and pastas and cheeses with hungry patrons. Boys with tousled hair feed forkfuls of pasta to girls in low-cut sweaters. Young men in glasses hunch over plates of salumi at the bar. Groups of well-coiffed women compare notes on their never-ending kitchen renovations. Quiet couples squint at the chalkboard menus, straining to see, and choose, a next course.
The menu at Il Posto is a chalkboard-only affair, so bring your glasses. Servers explain that the offerings change by the day, depending on what chef Andrea Frizzi (formerly of Cucina Colore and Via, among others) has on hand and feels like serving.
In my three visits to Il Posto, though, very few of the dishes have changed. In the case of the dishes I liked, this is a good thing.
Tops in my book was the gnocchi, tossed with a verdant, grass-green arugula pesto and crunchy pistachios. Rich, soft and carefully cooked, this was a must-share dish, a hit every time I’ve ordered it.
Standout starters have included the tomato and burrata appetizer. Burrata, a super-fresh mozzarella-and-cream cheese, is one of my favorite things in the world to eat, soft and milky and subtle. I was disappointed on my last visit that they were substituting straight mozzarella for the burrata in this dish; here’s hoping that’s not a trend.
Another worthwhile starter recently: a dish of head-on shrimp served with tangy pickled endive. Less successful: stuffed calamari, which lacked seasoning.
In contrast to many area Italian restaurants, the kitchen pays attention to the pastas at Il Posto; every plate of noodles – especially the garganelli (rolled tubes of pasta) with shallots and pancetta – has been well-cooked to a textbook al dente.
Some main courses are more successful than others. Robiola-stuffed chicken breast, moist and roasty, was surrounded by a succulent jumble of beech mushrooms, which had been drowned, quite perfectly, in butter. Lamb saddle with potatoes and ramps was tender and meaty. (Hurry for this dish, as ramps, a wild leek that tastes of woodland garlic and onion, are only around for a few weeks in springtime.)
Falling flat recently: a dish of John Dory, a fish usually known for its delicate flesh, which was tough and chewy. Steak was less-than-stellar, stringy and overcooked.
Also disappointing were both risottos, particularly the risotto nero (black) with squid ink and fava beans, which was a gummy, underseasoned, unappetizing mess.
Wine service at Il Posto is attentive and smart, and while I wish there were more affordable wines by the glass and a wider selection of bottles in the $30-or-less range, the staff is knowledgeable and helpful. (And not for nothing; all diners get a complimentary quaff of prosecco when they sit down, a perfectly lovely way to begin the meal.)
Servers are helpful and swift at Il Posto, and are clear fans of the place. No “I hate my job” airs here; this is a crew of dedicated professionals who know what they’re doing and do it well.
Il Posto is not cheap. Main dishes run about $20, pastas in the low teens.
And while most of the food is quite good, most of it wants further refinement. Frizzi is clearly a crackerjack chef who knows buckets about food and ingredients, but most dishes at Il Posto could be improved upon.
As tasty as the gnocchi were, I didn’t wake up the next morning craving them. The lamb saddle was a pleasure to eat, but I didn’t have an irrepressible urge to return for another serving. Pastas were well-cooked as mentioned, but across the board they lacked a layer of seasoning or accent of flavor that would have taken them over the top.
Bottom line, I will return to Il Posto as a regular mostly because I love the vibe of the place. I like being in the room, I like watching the choreography of the servers and the cooks, and I like the friendly, neighborhoody, urban and urbane conceit of the restaurant.
And I will keep hope alive that as the menu develops and grows, the quality and consistency of the food will continue to rise to meet the winning room it’s served in.
Il Posto
Italian
2011 E. 17th Ave., 303-394-0100,
** | Very good
Atmosphere: Modern, airy dining room busy with trendily dressed customers. Coming soon: outdoor seating in front.
Service: Smart, affable, and knowledgeable.
Wine: Almost exclusively Italian wine list. Few bargains, but very helpful wine service.
Plates: Starters about $8-10. Pastas about $11-15. Entrees about $18-22
Hours: 5:30-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5:30-midnight Friday-Saturday.
Details: Credit cards accepted. Street parking. Great for dates. Bar seating available.
Three visits.
Our star system:
****: Exceptional
***: Great
**: Very good
*: Good
