Over the past few months, I’ve revisited several Denver restaurants that, even though I’ve already reviewed them, still beckoned me back for more.
For example, I recently visited the Palace Arms at the Brown Palace, where they’ve just begun to serve lunch. And what a lovely lunch it is. Particularly the whimsical, sophisticated salmon BLT — which, in the trademark style of chef Thanawat Bates, at first glance looks nothing like a BLT. At all. “Where’s the tomato?” you’ll wonder before sinking your fork into the succulent fillet of salmon that floats atop a pool of rich, slow-stewed tomatoes. “Where’s the bacon?” you’ll ask as tongue meets the sprinkle of crisp smoked bacon. “Where’s the bread?” you’ll muse as the homey crumbs crunch between your teeth. “Lettuce?” you’ll question, dazed, as the peppery arugula completes the sweet-savory-sophisticated morsel in your mouth. By the second bite, you’ll stop asking questions. If you’re looking for a diner-style BLT, look elsewhere, but for an elegant (albeit pricey), lingering lunch, you’d have a devil of a time finding one more urbane than this. Plus you get the indulgent pleasure of eating lunch at the stately Palace Arms.
I also returned to Shazz, on Lowell Boulevard just south of West 44th Avenue, where cook Benny Kaplan has proven, over the past year and a half or so, that Shazz has been open, that he is one of Denver’s most determined and dedicated cooks. What’s more, he’s one of just a few who offer vegetarian dishes that are anything but afterthoughts. Far from the “substitute tofu for chicken” policy that informs so many vegetable entrees in Denver, Kaplan offers a varied, and changing, selection of vegetarian options, including, recently, grilled tempeh with fiddlehead ferns, wild rice and fennel. The dish was at once substantial and light, and whereas at another restaurant I’d pine for the pork chop across the table, I jealously guarded this for myself. The next day, my jeans fit a little bit better.
Panzano went through a well-publicized revamp a few months ago, stripping away the lingering dowdiness of the old room and replacing it with a peppy, energetic new interior — vibrant red carpeting, sophisticated light-gray upholstery with red accents (molto Prada), a much airier and more free-flowing feel. But I’m happy to report that they didn’t screw around much with the already first- rate menu, which Elise Wiggins and her excellent team execute with consistency and precision. Come for what is certainly one of Denver’s very best steak suppers (start with the succulent prosciutto-wrapped shrimp), or come at lunch for the fish of the day (lucky you if it’s halibut), perched over a soft tomato nage and crowned with a handful of baby lettuces and herbs including, brilliantly, mint.
Slow-moving traffic on construction-blighted South Broadway near Louisiana Avenue nudged me into GB Fish & Chips, a concern which has not only held its own in this original location, but has expanded into Edgewater. Not too many restaurants are brave enough or capable enough to pull off a convincing basket of fried cod and chips, but GB’s cooks have the touch. Pair your half-dinner (plenty for normal appetites) with a Newkie Brown and you’ll sup for not much more than 10 bucks. Watch for this anglophilic place to catch serious fire during the World Cup. (And keep this in mind: While construction on South Broadway keeps traffic snarled, businesses along the impacted strip — including Divino Wine & Spirits, Bistro One and Pasquini’s are open and hungry for customers.)
Afternoon cravings led me back to Red Trolley ice cream, which, even with an expansion into hot dogs (about which I was emphatically suspicious) still makes some of the best ice cream in town — creamy, deeply flavored, refreshing, seasonal when applicable (I already can’t wait for the cantaloupe sorbet later this summer). Snag a cone for your snack (perhaps after a plate of nopales at La Lonchería across the street), but take a pint home for later, too.
Where are you eager to return to? Share: .
PALACE ARMS AT THE BROWN PALACE
Continental 321 17th St., 303-297-3111,
SHAZZ
American 4262 Lowell Blvd., 303-477-1407,
PANZANO
Italian 909 17th St., 303-296-3525,
GB FISH & CHIPS
Fish and chips 1311 S. Broadway 720-570-5103,
RED ROLLEY
Ice cream and hot dogs 2639 W. 32nd Ave., 303-433-7200,
la loncheria
Mexican 2642 W. 32nd Ave. 303-477-7709
