Restaurant Week returns to Denver on Feb. 26. But Drew Cortese is on a clock. He leaves town Feb. 21.
“So I’ve been having my own Restaurant Week every day for six months,” said Cortese, a visiting actor and self-described “chowhound” who came to Denver in August to perform in three successive plays for the Denver Center Theatre Company.
Cortese has thrown himself into Denver’s eating culture so enthusiastically that he may leave town without a dime. On an actor’s salary, he figures he’s dined out four times a week — or about 150 times. It’s given him a great appreciation for the city’s restaurant personality.
“The focus here is definitely on the food,” said Cortese, who was born in New Jersey, raised in London, and schooled in North Carolina and New York, where he’s been based since 1997.
“The restaurants I have been to repeatedly in Denver create a comfortable atmosphere, and they provide a quality of food that maybe you wouldn’t expect to have when you are that comfortable,” said Cortese.
“There’s an absolute lack of pretension here. The charm of being in Denver is, it’s not New York. And yet, you can do the exact same thing with the remarkable menus you have here, without that New York attitude. In Denver, restaurants show off with their food.”
Cortese traces his foodie roots to a seventh-grade family trip to Bruges, Belgium.
“We were at a restaurant called Chez Olivier, along one of the canals,” he said. “I was obsessed with shrimp cocktail at the time, and they had raspberry shrimp on the menu.
“The first thing that struck me was the presentation. I remember looking down at the plate going, ‘Wow, this isn’t just something that you can enjoy the taste of. All of your senses are being overloaded by what is on the plate. It was the first great meal I ever had.”
The opportunity to perform for the Denver Center Theatre Company — as a military torturer in “The House of the Spirits,” as a man who takes out a contract on his wife in “Reckless,” and now . . . whew! . . . as the young lover Demetrius in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — was a chance to combine two favorite aspects of his adopted city: Its regional theater company and its restaurants.
Cortese calls any opportunity to work in Denver “a slam dunk.”
“The level of production at the Denver Center is as good as anything you will find anywhere in the country,” said Cortese, who first came here in 2007 to perform in the premiere staging of “1001.” “(Artistic director) Kent Thompson’s No. 1 priority is to be at the forefront of the new American play,” he said. “And if we’re not pushing stories forward, then what are we doing?”
Whenever Cortese is on the road, he makes it a point to really get to know the city he’s in. “I think it’s important that the artists who work in a city they are visiting have an understanding of who they are telling stories to.”
So Cortese, a teacher in New York, happily visits schools in Denver. He attends other theater when he can … and he eats.
He’s a voracious Twitterer (@corteseatwork) about his culinary observations, which reveal that he’s kind of a Frank Bonnano fanboy. Bonnano is the chef at Luca, Mizuna, Osteria Marco and Bones.
Cortese sets the bar at Fruition, where he had his favorite meal here. But he can tell you all about the red- wine elk stew at Bistro Vendome. How the boudin noir hand-cranked sausage at Euclid Hall melts in your mouth with the surprise addition of curry. Of his night at Frasca in Boulder: “You go there to be transported somewhere else. And you will be.”
His tastes aren’t all expensive: He raves about the $5 Vietnamese noodle bowls at Pho 95. The Cherry Cricket burger. The pizza at Bonnie Brae Tavern. The roasted-cauliflower salad with smoked roast trout at The Squeaky Bean.
He’s just getting started: The burritos at Illegal Pete’s (strategically open a half-hour after the bars close). The banana cream pie at the new Green Russell speakeasy. The chicharrones (deep-fried pork rind) at D’Corazon (“It’s the worst thing in the world to put into your body, but man, it is so hard to say no to that.”)
On the run? Try the elk jalapeño hot dog from Biker Jim’s food cart on the 16th Street Mall at Arapahoe Street. “He grills them, splits them down the middle, fills them with cream cheese and fried onions,” Cortese said.
His favorite discovery: the Bloody Berry at Lou’s. It’s a variation on the Bloody Mary, but made from strawberries, not tomatoes. His favorite brunch was at Root Down, where the cooks pull fresh vegetables from the garden, and you see them go straight into your food.
But his favorite tale, hands down, was at The Squeaky Bean.
“Their wait staff is playfully surly,” he said. Their brunch menu lists “olive oil poached eggs with whiskey.”
Ever curious, Cortese had to know how they prep the eggs in the whiskey. So he ordered it.
It was a joke.
“They said, ‘We put it on the menu just to see what kind of person would order it,’ ” Cortese said. Turns out, it’s two poached eggs and a shot of whiskey.
“It’s for people who have a problem,” he said with a laugh.
For a guy who eats out as much as he does, you’d expect Cortese to be a . . . larger . . . guy. But Cortese pays for his habit both with his wallet . . . and at the gym.
“At one point in the play, my ‘Midsummer’ costume consists of a pair of pants. . . . and that’s it,” he said. “When I realized that . . . that was all the motivation I needed.”
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
Drew Cortese’s top Denver restaurant recommendations
1. Fruition: “This is the best meal I’ve had in Denver. It’s one of those places where you walk in and it feels like you’re in someone’s living room.”
Favorite: “The pork chop. They’re easy to screw up, but they prep it the right way. They take the chop and brine it for 24 hours. Then they grill it, and then drizzle smoked lentil barbecue sauce over the top. The way they got the juices flowing really and truly blew my mind.” Note: Fruition changes its menu every six weeks, so that’s a rotational item.
313 E. Sixth Ave., 303-831-1992 or
2. Izakaya Den: “This is the kind of sushi you’d never expect to get in Denver because it’s landlocked, but they fly all their fish in from Tokyo every day. And it rivals any sushi I have ever had in New York, San Francisco, L.A. or London. They save your bottle of sake on the wall with your name on it for your next visit.”
Order: “They mix their Japanese ingredients with Italian, Mexican and French, so I say order whatever the chef wants to make you. The sashimi appetizer with ginger is off the hook.”
1518 S. Pearl St., 303-777-0691,
3: Rioja*: “It has a Mediterranean menu that focuses on fresh ingredients, presentation and great service.”
Order: “The artichoke tortellini. It’s made with goat cheese and artichoke mousse-stuffed pasta.”
1431 Larimer St., 303-820-2282,
4. Root Down*: “This is a place that really focuses on fresh ingredients. Brunch or dinner, it’s a mind-blowing experience.”
Order: “Whatever gnocchi they have. During Restaurant Week, that will be the sauteed sweet potato. The flavor just jumps right out at you without overpowering the rest of the dish.”
1600 W. 33rd Ave., 303-993-4200 or rootdowndenver.com
5. Osteria Marco*
“The suckling pig (available Sunday nights only) is absolutely out of this world. The meat drips off the bone. And they serve it in a bed of polenta and tomato sauce with arugula on top and shaved Parmesan cheese.”
1453 Larimer St., 303-534-5855,
*Participating in Denver Restaurant Week
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Romance. Presented by the Denver Center Theatre Company at the Stage Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex. Directed by Kent Thompson. Opens Thursday, through Feb. 26. 6:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays. $10-$67. 303-893-4100 or
This week’s theater openings
Opening Monday, Jan. 31, through April 16: Arvada Center’s “Flat Stanley” (children’s)
Opening Wednesday, Feb. 2, through March 6: 73rd Avenue Theatre Company’s “Pygmalion” Westminster
Opening Thursday, Feb. 3, through Feb. 26: Denver Center Theatre Company’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” at the Stage Theatre
Opening Friday, Feb. 4, through March 27: Union Colony Dinner Theatre’s The Fantasticks” Greeley
Opening Friday, Feb. 4, through April 17: Jesters Dinner Theatre’s “Camelot” Longmont
Opening Friday, Feb. 4, through March 13: Dangerous Theatre’s “An Evening With Mr. Johnson”
Friday, Feb. 4, and Saturday, Feb. 5 only: Gemma Wilcox Productions’ “Red Bastard,” at Naropa University Boulder
This week’s theater closings
Today, Jan. 30: Town Hall Arts Center’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” Littleton
Today, Jan. 30: PHAMALy’s “The Diviners,” at the Aurora Fox
Today, Jan. 30: ARCH’s “Medal of Honor Rag” at Denver Civic Theatre
Today, Jan. 30: Evergreen Players’ “Story Theatre”
Sunday, Feb. 6: Vintage Theatre’s “Bedroom Farce”
Best bet: Buntport Theater’s “Kafka on Ice”
Theater . . . on ice? Buntport Theater brings back “Kafka on Ice,” its popular dark comedy from 2004 that is performed on, yes, synthetic ice. The story weaves a semi-fictionalized biography of the Czech author together with the plot of his famously buggy short story, “Metamorphosis.” As the details of Kafka’s life spin into increasingly ice-scapade-esque madness, he desperately tries to rein the plotline in. Josh Hartwell joins the regular Buntport ensemble to play Kafka. $13-$20. 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 19 at 717 Lipan St., 720-946-1388 or .
Best bet: ARCH’s “Medal of Honor” Rag
“Medal of Honor Rag” is Tom Cole’s fact-based one-act play, showing the 1971 confrontation between a troubled black Vietnam War hero and the white psychiatrist who tries to help him after he returns. The two performances by the Association for the Retention of Cultural Heritages are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30, and benefit Veterans Green Jobs. Sunday’s staging will be followed by a panel discussion on veterans’ affairs. $15-$20. At Su Teatro’s Denver Civic Theater, 721 Santa Fe Drive, 303-296-0219 or .
This week’s video podcast
John Moore of The Denver Post takes you to the opening of the new Edge Theatre’s first production, “Extremities.” Guests include Rick Yaconis, Jessica Clare, Sonia Justl and director Laura Lounge. Running time: 3 minutes, 42 seconds.
This weekend’s most recent theater openings
“The Catch” In this world premiere staging, a failed dot-commer schemes to regain his lost fortune by catching a baseball star’s record-breaking home-run ball. Through Feb. 26. Presented by the Denver Center Theatre Company at the Space Theatre, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or
“Cuentame un Cuentito”This bilingual collection of Latin-American tales (“Tell Me a Story”) will be told through words and music. No knowledge of Spanish is necessary, appropriate for the whole family. Saturday only. Presented by Stories on Stage and Modern Muse at the Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive, 303-494-0523 or
“The Good Body” Eve Ensler (“The Vagina Monologues”) has shifted her fixation on the female body to the north in this seriocomic exploration of the estrogen-fueled abdomen. Through Feb. 26. The Avenue Theater, 417 E. 17th Ave., 303-321-5925 or
“Looking for Normal” Jane Anderson’s drama explores the impact a working-class father’s search for identity has on the greater community around him when he expresses his belief that he is a woman trapped in a man’s body. Through March 6. Bas Bleu Theatre, 401 Pine St., Fort Collins, 970-498-8949 or
“Love” This series of original short stories by local playwrights marks the debut of the Byers-Evans Theatre Company. Through Feb. 19. Byers-Evans House Museum, 1310 Bannock St., 303-620-4933.
“Loud: This Is It” The Heritage Square Music Hall brings back the last chapter in its popular series of “Loud” pop-music revues spanning the 1950s-90s. Total silly fun. Through Feb. 27. 18301 W. Colfax Ave., Golden, 303-279-7800 or
“Lucky Stiff” This screwball musical by the team that also wrote “Ragtime” is a murder-mystery farce about a British shoe salesman who is forced to take a corpse on a week-long vacation to Monte Carlo. Through Feb. 12. Longmont Theatre Company, 513 Main St., 303-772-5200 or
“The Producers” Mel Brooks’ Broadway blockbuster about, ironically, two theatrical producers who develop a get-rich scheme to produce the world’s worst musical. Through Feb. 20. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., 719-634-5583 or
“Reasons to Be Pretty” Four working-class friends are forced to confront the reality of their relationships when one makes an off- handed remark about his girlfriend’s appearance. It’s Neil LaBute’s dark commentary on insecurity, cruelty and vanity. Through Feb. 26. Paragon Theatre, 1387 S. Santa Fe Drive, 303-300-2210 or
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of theater news and dialogue.
