Not every father is a domestic klutz. In keeping with the spirit of celebrating all things dad, we went looking for the most fatherly restaurants around the state. These winners prove that Daddy really does know best when it comes to creating a 6-inch burger big enough for a professional athlete, charring a piece of meat or making homemade pastas and sauces that really satisfy customers. – Desiree Belmarez, Denver Post staff writer
BIG DADDY’S
41 County Road 27, Brighton 303-654-0532
A hearty helping of onion, pickles, lettuce and tomato fits nicely on the 6-inch bun that houses the gigantic slab of hamburger famously named the Big Daddy Burger.
The restaurant is owned and operated by Horst Ditz, who acquired the shop 18 years ago. Although he says he had nothing to do with naming the restaurant, Ditz couldn’t bear to part with the Big Daddy Burger tradition started by the previous owner.
But, if you’re looking for a spot to take Dad today, don’t make any special trips for the famous burger – Big Daddy’s is open only Monday through Friday.
The Big Daddy Burger rings up at $3.90.
PAPA J’S RESTAURANT
7850 Sheridan Blvd. 303-427-1391
Julius Giraldi opened the restaurant 31 years ago with nothing more than family recipes and lots of help from his wife and kids. Even at 91, Giraldi occasionally finds himself entertaining customers by singing and playing the violin. With its famous red sauce anchoring the menu and celebrity sketches drawn by Giraldi himself (some are autographed) anchoring the walls, Papa J’s is an Italian institution.
The down-home food doesn’t come at a steep price, either, with a spaghetti dinner, soup or salad and bread at about $8.50.
BIG DADDY’S BAGELS
4800 Baseline Road, Boulder 303-554-0193
A family-friendly eatery owned and operated by Rebecca and Reed Beaupre, this place features toddler tables supplied with crayons and paper, along with plenty of indoor and patio seating.
The 11-year-old shop, located in the Meadows Shopping Center, specializes in traditional New York-style bagels, which are prepared over three days. The shop offers a variety of bagels. The cranberry bagel, generously sprinkled with granola, cranberries, cinnamon sugar, oats, sunflower and poppy seeds, is among the most popular.
With more than 17 flavors of cream cheese to choose from, and fruit and vegetable toppings, Big Daddy’s Bagels has something to satisfy even the most picky eater.
A solo bagel without cream cheese will set you back 75 cents, or pay $7.50 for a baker’s dozen. Big Daddy also has shops off Colorado 93 on the north side of Golden and at U.S. 287 and Baseline Road in Lafayette.
DAD’S SMOKEWAGON, PIT BARBEQUE AND CATERING
On U.S. 85 and U.S. 87, Fountain 719-229-3965
Fire. Meat. Grill.
Those are the only things a man needs to barbecue, said Larry Neuhalfen, owner of the roadside trailer in Fountain.
And that’s just about all you’ll find in the trailer operated by the former Monfort’s truck driver who refuses to decorate with any linen, silver or fine china. He says that would dilute the rough-and-rugged cowboy spirit of his stand.
Famous for his brisket and ribs, Neuhalfen prepares his sauces the same way his father used to by ditching the fancy ingredients and grabbing bottles of barbecue sauces and base ingredients like ketchup and teriyaki sauces, which he blends until he gets something satisfying.
Neuhalfen won’t be operating out of a trailer for long. He plans to move to an actual building in August.
PAPA FRANKS-PETES PLACE
201 Fifth Street, Frederick 303-833-2818
A pinch of this and a pinch of that.
It’s the way Tom Rizzi prefers to cook, a method he learned from his Italian grandmother.
The restaurant opened in 1989 and is named after his grandfather Frank Rizzi, who died a year later.
A former butcher, Rizzi is a stickler for freshness. He prepares everything, from the noodles and meatballs in his signature spaghetti to the sauces and sausage, from scratch.
If you visit during the right time of the month, you can catch a seafood feast filled with mussels, calamari crab legs, shrimp, salmon steaks and all the trimmings for $30 a person. On an average night, however, a dinner entree will cost you about $8.
THE PADRE
8035 South Quebec St., Centennial 303-770-1155
When the Rev. Frederick D. McCallin first opened the doors to the restaurant, which operates out of St. Thomas More Catholic Church, it was to build a relationship with the community.
And up until the 1980s, it did just that with very little effort.
But as Centennial started to grow and competition among restaurants stiffened, the church was forced to cut back its offerings, including its liquor license and the biblically themed menu that offered dishes such as the Prodigal Son for a hamburger and Satan’s Temptation for dessert.
The catered buffet-style restaurant is open to the public and hungry parishioners for breakfast from 8 a.m.-10:30 a.m. every Sunday.
The Padre will host a Father’s Day brunch.
Staff writer Desiree Belmarez can be reached at 303-954-1211 or at dbelmarez@denverpost.com.
