State of the Plate

First annual dining report serves up winners and losers

John Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 16, 2005 at midnight

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A little over 12 months ago Adega was the hottest restaurant in Denver and chef Bryan Moscatello was the city's culinary star. Troy Guard was earning praise for his Asian-Latino fusion fare at Zengo and Ian Kleinman was working magic at Indigo.

Just 52 weeks later, Adega is closed and Moscatello has moved on to New York. Chef Guard is freshly successful at Nine75 and looking to open two more upscale comfort fare emporia. He has been joined by Kleinman after Indigo and its successor, Go Fish Grille, failed to catch on.

Welcome to the mercurial world of Denver dining, which we chronicle today in our first State of the Plate, an annual look back and ahead at dining out.

As 2005 turns into 2006, Rioja is the restaurant celebrating a banner year, with sheaves of national press attention for Jennifer Jasinski's super-flavorful fare and a pack of hot new restaurants capturing foodies' attention.

From all appearances, dining out in Denver has never been better. The numbers bear out a cautiously optimistic impression, said Pete Meersman, president of the Colorado Restaurant Association.

"Colorado restaurants are just getting back to pre-recession and pre-9/11 levels. We've seen a lot of growth since the beginning of summer and it's definitely better than it was a year ago," he said.

Meersman also said the caliber of eateries in the state has undergone a major upgrade in recent years.

"The restaurants are on par now with anywhere in the country, but we don't get the press like New York does. I won't tell you that Colorado dining always deserved that praise, but it does now. People are bringing in chefs from around the country to cook here," he said, pointing to Lachlan McKinnon-Patterson at Boulder's Frasca and Rolland Wesen at the Broadmoor's eagerly anticipated Summit.

The best new chef-driven eateries, including Rioja and Duo Restaurant (where chef John Broening plies his trade now), and last year's stars, such as Elway's, Table 6, Café Star and The Kitchen in Boulder, have raised the local bar of excellence.

One sign of a rebounding dining economy is the sight of formerly gun-shy restaurateurs investing, borrowing and boldly expanding their empires.

• Frank Bonnano of Mizuna and Luca d'Italia fame, opened Milagro Taco Bar and, shortly thereafter, Harry's Chop House.

• Kevin Taylor replaced his Jou Jou at the Hotel Teatro with Prima, and then launched Kevin Taylor at the Opera House in the sparkling new Ellie Caulkins facility.

• Other locals opening new outlets ranged from Lucile's Creole Café and Bara Sushi and Grill, to such Denver-based quick casual chains as Brothers BBQ and the Spicy Pickle.

The growth in Denver's dining scene has not been limited to LoDo and Cherry Creek North. The Lower Highlands area, on the West side of I-25 across from LoDo, has seen the opening of Duo and the Gallop Café. In the new year, LoLa, Dave Query's busy coastal Mexican eatery, will move from the South Pearl Street district to a location near Duo. (Black Pearl recently took up residence on South Pearl Street.)

Just a few blocks from the Lower Highlands, the Upper 15th Street area is moving upscale with the highly touted Sushi Sasa, plus the relatively new Mona's, Jay's Patio Cafe, Forest Room 5 and Proto's Pizzeria.

In Lakewood, the acclaimed Belmar development has evolved from a ghost town to a bustling retail and dining mecca, boasting Mark Tarbell's The Oven, chef Sean Yontz' Chama, and Emogene Cafe (from Jim Sullivan, owner of Mao and Nine75). Aurora continues to be a strip-mall incubator for ethnic cuisines and subcuisines such as Southern Indian vegetarian and Ethiopian.

One sure sign that the industry is robust, said Denver restaurant consultant John Imbergamo, is that closed restaurant spaces are almost immediately filled by new eateries. Brasserie Rouge turned into Via, Josephina's became Corridor 44 and the Tom Tom Club evolved into Bara Sushi and Grill.

The owners of Venice Restaurant and Chianti in south Denver grabbed the vacant Adega space to open a second Venice. Charlie Master and his partners were so successful with their Cherry Creek anti-bistro Brix, that they expanded into the Nectar space downstairs from Brix and will be opening a second outlet soon in LoDo. The proprietors of the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse launched Aji, a large Latin-American eatery, just east of the Downtown Mall.

"The national perception of Denver restaurants has been enhanced in the past year," Imbergamo said, pointing to repeated mentions of Denver area restaurants and chefs in national publications.

"The Denver scene is only a couple of years away from being a major dining city. The amount of growth in restaurants has been amazing," said Guard.

February's inaugural Denver Dining Week - a multicourse meal for $52.80 per couple at 83 participating restaurants - achieved a different but equally important goal, Imbergamo said.

"It helped to convince Denverites that the caliber of dining in the city is at a very high level and that there are great chef-driven restaurants here."

One such local diner is Kim Long, who predicts business trends through his Denver-based American Forecaster.

"I've seen great improvement in the quality of dining here. It's much less cow town and more chow town. It's true in the bistros as well as the regular restaurants," he said.

For Denver restaurateurs, the newly raised bar and the accompanying higher expectations are a huge challenge in the coming year.

"When Adega closed I talked to my staff at our pre-dinner meeting," said Nine75's Guard.

"I said: 'Look! Even the best restaurants in town can close. We have to work hard every day and stick to what we're good at.' "

Who's cooking?

New toque in town; well known eateries branch out

• Award-winning Arizona chef Mark Tarbell will open his second Belmar eatery, Home.

• The owners of the consistently busy Vesta Dipping Grill will open Steubens, an American eatery, in a former garage on 17th Avenue.

• Other coming attractions: Victory American Bar & Grill, from the Sam's No. 3 folks, in the space that was the original home to the legendary Bauer's Restaurant; VII, a small-plates eatery in Boulder from gifted chef Michel Wahaltere; Tula, a modern Mexican bistro in Cherry Creek North; and Kevin Taylor will reopen Palettes in the refurbished Denver Art Museum.

Notable openings

• Rioja

1431 Larimer St.

Opening date: Nov. '04

Top-selling dishes: artichoke tortelloni; Rioja house salad; fig and goat cheese beignets

Details: A welcoming ambience, genial service and must-taste Mediterranean dishes from chef Jennifer Jasinski made this Larimer Square restaurant Denver's hottest in 2005, with an average of 141 dinners served nightly. The cozy bar area has become an extension of the dining room. "About 95 percent of the food ordered in the bar is from the regular menu," said general manager Beth Gruitch.

• Duo Restaurant

2413 W. 32nd Ave.

Opening date: Oct. '05

Top-selling dishes: grilled pork chops; housemade mushroom ravioli in porcini broth

Details: Co-owning married couple Stephanie Bonin with Keith Arnold opened an intimate bistro in Lower Highlands that served a small, seasonal menu. A buzz was created when they brought on former Brasserie Rouge chef John Broening and his girlfriend, talented pastry chef Yasmin Lozada-Hissom. "The business has been beyond our expectations," Bonin said. She estimates Duo serves an average of 65 dinners a night, seven days a week, plus brunch Saturday and Sunday.

• Nine75

975 Lincoln St.

Opening date: May '05

Top-selling dishes: Kobe beef sliders; lobster tacos; macaroni and cheese

Details: It took a few months for former Zengo kitchen whiz Troy Guard to fine-tune his upscale comfort-food menu, but the numerical name of his eatery is now on everyone's lips. Regulars love the something-for-everyone shareable dishes enjoyed in a hip, modern space, including a bar with a great mountain view.

• The Oven

Belmar, 7167 W. Alaska Drive, Lakewood

Opening date: Nov. '04

Top-selling dishes: House-made baked fresh mozzarella; roasted vegetable salad; Marczyk sausage pizza

Details: Pizzerias usually don't generate a huge buzz, but The Oven is something truly special. Nationally acclaimed, Phoenix-based chef Mark Tarbell insists on pristine ingredients, making everything from scratch and baking the irresistible pies in a wood-burning oven. "Our first year has gone amazingly well. We were really lucky to locate at Belmar and find people who like to eat here four or five times a week," said manager Ryan Boughton.

• North

190 Clayton Lane

Opening date: Feb. '05

Top-selling dishes: Corn risotto with seared scallops; short rib osso bucco; pepperoni pizza

Details: There seemed no demand for yet another Italian eatery in Cherry Creek, yet North had a gathering-spot buzz from the moment it opened. "We're just trying to do moderately priced, good Italian cuisine and be part of the community, said manager Patrick Chiappetta. He noted that after approximately 250 days in operation, some 40,000 meals had been served.

• Other openings: Z Cuisine, 2929 W. 32nd Ave.; Sushi Sasa, 2401 15th St.; Milagro Taco Bar, 1700 Vine St.; Prima, 1100 14th St.; Kevin Taylor's at the Opera House, 950 13th St.; Ninth Door, 1808 Blake St.; Black Pearl, 1529 S. Pearl St.; Bob's Steak and Chop House, 121 Clayton Lane; Udi's Bread Bistro, 7357 E. 29th St.; Chama Cocina Mexicana, 425 S. Teller St., Lakewood; Via Trattoria, 1801 Wynkoop St.; Harry's Chop House, 2115 E. 17th Ave.; Cork House, 4900 E. Colfax Ave.; Aji, 1601 Pearl St., Boulder; and Corridor 44, 1433 Larimer St.

Notable closings

• Adega Restaurant and Wine Bar

1700 Wynkoop St.

Details: Despite national acclaim, including a best new chef designation by Food & Wine for innovative chef Bryan Moscatello, this expensively decorated, wine-centered eatery shut its doors in August when Moscatello and the owners couldn't make a deal. The chef wanted to be an owner. He is now working in New York City.

New occupant: Venice Ristorante and Wine Bar

• Brasserie Rouge

1801 Wynkoop St.

Details: Diners and critics alike raved about chef John Broening's retro-French fare, including his reputable charcuterie, but that didn't stop the restaurant from closing in November 2004. John Broening is now executive chef at Duo.

New occupant: Via Trattoria and Wine Bar

• Restaurant Kody

1552 Bergen Parkway, Evergreen

Details: Despite serving some of the finest New American cuisine in the state, chef Adam Mali couldn't overcome the Evergreen location. The site attracted flocks on warm summer nights, but was empty on cold winter evenings. After closing Restaurant Kody in June, Mali dished his fare at New York's James Beard House and took a job cooking at the Ajax Tavern in Aspen.

New occupant: Tanglewoods

• Tante Louise

4900 E. Colfax Ave.

Details: In its 33-year run, Corky Douglass' eatery was regarded as the most romantic special-occasion restaurant in Denver. That claim to fame had become a burden by the time the bistro closed in June, because it was unable to attract casual diners. At the time Douglass said: "After all those years it just wasn't possible to change our stripes. You don't fill a restaurant with anniversary dinners every night."

New occupant: The Cork House

• Josephina's

1433 Larimer St.

Details: When this venerable Italian restaurant opened 31 years ago, there was no LoDo and few notable Italian eateries in Denver. By the time it closed in August, after being downsized by the opening of Rioja next door, it was no longer a draw for Larimer Square's sophisticated diners.

New occupant: Corridor 44

• Other closings: Intrigue, 275 S. Logan St.; Go Fish Grille, 250 Josephine St.; Aveen Exotic Cuisine, 3890 Kipling St., Wheat Ridge; El Trapiche, 15355 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora; Le Delice, 250 Steele St.; Tom Tom Room, 1432 Market St.; Wolfgang Puck Grand Café, 500 16th St; Nectar, 3000 E. Third Ave.; Lucca Lucca, 1601 Pearl St., Boulder.

lehndorffj@rockymountainnews.com or 303-892-5103.

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