Tocabe has so many things going for it, it’s hard to know where to start.
The fast-casual eatery at West 44th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard in the Berkeley ‘hood serves American Indian fare, which is not exactly being produced on every corner — in fact, good luck finding it anywhere else in town.
But there’s no need to go anywhere else, because at Tocabe (toe-KAH-bay; it means “blue”), the food is not only freshly made, it features fresh flavors. Things such as an Osage-recipe hominy-based salsa and pinto beans laced with chiles. The fry bread is flash-fried in trans-fat- free oil and forms the basis for many of the meals, so it’s less greasy than most versions, lighter but still sporting a crispy shell with a soft center, the ideal foil for Indian tacos piled or stuffed with tender beef or bison, or maybe grill-charred chicken or vegetables. Get your sweet on with wojapi, a cross between syrup and pudding made from fresh berries.
The concept is Chipotle-like in setup and execution. You order at the counter, you proceed down the line pointing and choosing, but many items are in the kitchen and reassembled before you, which gives you a lot of control over the final product.
Which brings us back to those pluses: a family-friendly dining room, a patio set back enough from the street to keep car exhaust at bay, beer and wine, reasonable prices. The entrees cost $7.50 to $9.50, with kids tacos around $6, including a drink.
The minuses? Only the usual good-help-is-hard-to-find issues, including staffers who can sometimes seem a bit detached. The wrong ingredients might appear on a taco, or you might be left standing there waiting to order while they chat.
That was a bit of a surprise, because co-owner Benjamin Jacobs — whose parents, Jan and Tom Jacobs, once ran Grayhorse, a little food-court eatery at 16th and California that also served native fare — and his partner, Matthew Chandra, will get their 15 minutes Sept. 12 when the Food Network talks them up on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
Kyle Wagner: 303-954-1599, travel@denverpost.com,
