Dining Out
Restaurants are listed alphabetically.
AMERICAN
VCherry Creek Grill
184 Steele St., 303-322-3524
(Very Good) Plates $12-$32. In a city where Monday nights see most restaurants underattended, if not shuttered outright, Cherry Creek Grill maintains a lively, populated atmosphere. Burgers, chicken and fish in satisfying portions. Cocktails are cold and ample. Last reviewed April 2008.
Cherry Crest Market & Restaurant
5909 S. University Blvd., Centennial 303-798-2600
(Very Good) Starters $3.25-$8.95; entrees $8.95-$18.95. This small, ramshackle strip-mall seafood shack serves some of Denver’s simplest fish dishes: lemon-baked cod, broiled walleye with dill, boiled whole Maine lobster with drawn butter. A steady stream of regulars keeps the dining room busy even in off hours. Doubles as one of the area’s better fish markets; take home a pound of cockles to steam later in the week. Last reviewed March 2007.
Crown Burger Plus
2387 S. Downing St., 303-722-2226
(Very Good) Nothing over $10. One of Denver’s top hamburger joints, Crown Burger Plus serves big burgers and hot fries to a lucky South Downing Street neighborhood. University of Denver students jockey with longtime regulars for booths and counter seats. House specialty is the Crown Burger Plus, a great big burger topped with pastrami and “secret sauce.” Also worth the trip to south Denver: breakfast, when big bacon-and-egg sandwiches rule the griddle. Last reviewed January 2007.
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House
8100 E. Orchard Road, Greenwood Village, 303-796-0100
V(Very Good/Great) Appetizers, $9.95-$15.95. Entrees $29.95 and up. Del Frisco’s excels on two key counts: exquisitely selected, cut, aged, and cooked steaks and good old fashioned Greenwood Village people-watching. Expect to break the bank here, but the sublime meat is well worth it (and you’ll go home with leftovers). High-rollers and wannabes can both find wines in their budget. Last reviewed May 2008.
Duffeyroll Cafe
Two Locations: 1290 S. Pearl St. (at Louisiana), 4994 E. Hampden Ave. (at Happy Canyon). Both locations share one phone number: 303-753-9177.
(Very Good) Nothing over $10. An object lesson in the nobility of executing a narrow mission exquisitely, the Duffeyroll Cafe excels in the art of grown-up, but naughty, cinnamon rolls. Light, flaky and not too gooey — a great commuter’s breakfast. Good thing it’s located next to the light rail. Last reviewed March 2008.
VMaxwell’s American Brasserie
7340 S. Clinton St., Englewood, 303-858-0111
(Very Good) Appetizers, $6-$10; entrees, $16-$39. Straightforward food for straightforward appetites in the Tech Center. Designed to comfort CEOs and cubicle rats alike, this contemporary bar-and-grill serves steaks, pastas, salads and other familiar stuff. Nothing will surprise you, but sometimes that’s just fine. A few good wine deals, too. Last reviewed April 2008.
VEUROPEAN
French 250
250 Steele St., 303-331-0250
V(Very Good/Great) Small plates, $12-$21. Main courses, $21-$38. The Belle Epoque meets 2008 in Cherry Creek North at French 250, where the all-French menu features classics like coquilles St. Jacques and escargots. Indulge your francophilic fetishes. Last reviewed March 2008.
Locanda del Borgo
5575 E. Third Ave., 303-388-0282
V(Very Good/Great) Small plates, $7-$13. Main dishes $16-$27. This Italian trattoria is a smart option on a chilly winter evening, serving big bowls of pasta, wood-oven- roasted chicken and savory thin- crust pizzas. Last reviewed January 2008.
ASIAN
VIzakaya Den
1518 S. Pearl St., 303-777-0691
(Great) Small plates, all under $20 but you’ll order a few. Settle into a seat at the bar for an evening of sake and Japanese-Mediterranean small plates from sashimi with fresh wasabi to beef medallions with watermelon to hoisin duck crostini. Last reviewed April 2008.
Namaste
3355 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, 720-963-4005
(Very Good) Lunch buffet, $6.95. Dinner entrees $8.95-$15.95. It’s a happy surprise when an Indian restaurant, like Namaste Cuisine of India and Nepal in Lakewood, stands out. Not because it has a unique blueprint (it follows the prevailing dal- pakora-vindaloo format), but because there’s an underlying energy, albeit a mellow and peaceful one, to the place. Last reviewed April 2008.
VMEXICAN/ SOUTHWESTERN
El Tejado2651 S. Broadway, 303-722-3987 (Very Good) Small plates $4.50-$9.25; entrees $7.70-$18.95. Regulars rule at this popular spot, where seafood dishes like huachinango (whole fried red snapper) and trucha (trout) share the menu with cowboy- Mexican fare like carne asada (grilled rib-eye) and chiles rellenos. Three meals a day. Last reviewed May 2007.
Table Mesa
7301 S. Santa Fe Drive, 303-962-8888 V(Good/Very Good) Small plates, $5.95-$9.95; main dishes $12.95-$23.95 Mexican cuisine with a Francophilic flair. Grab a seat at the ceviche bar and mix-and-match your own toss of raw fish and citrus juice. Potent margaritas. Last reviewed January 2008.
MIDDLE EASTERN
Damascus Grill
1399 W. Littleton Blvd., 303-797-6666
(Very Good) Appetizers $1.95- $5.95; entrees $10.95-$15.95. The greatest-hits menu of Near Eastern delights shines through despite the rough-edged quarters. Think falafels, kebabs, pita and baba ghannouj. Hungry diners should try the chicken kebab on the bone. served with rice and hummus. Service is affable and knowledgeable. Lunch is the time to come; great sandwiches start at just $3.95. Kids do well here too. Last reviewed March 2006.
PIZZA
Big Bill’s New York Pizza
8243 S. Holly St., Centennial, 303-741-9245
(Very Good) Large pizzas $12.75 and up; entrees $5.75-$9.25. Big Bill Ficke, former assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets, oversees this bustling pizza-and-red-sauce joint, which features New York-style thin-crust pizza, dozens of dinners from chicken parmesan to baked rigatoni and East Coast imports like Wise potato chips. Great for families with extra-hungry kids. Last reviewed March 2007.
Our star system:
: Exceptional: Great: Very good: Good
