Cafes serve notice of Denver's maturity

John Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 19, 2006 at midnight

Text size

More Dining

Breakfast is the new dinner. Cafes are the new bistros. Not only that, 9 a.m. is the new 9 p.m. and pancakes are the new bouillabaisse.

There are myriad reasons for this dining paradigm shift, including the aging of the baby boom. Members of that generation are finding they don't want to digest a multi-course meal late at night. Besides, they go to bed earlier now.

That's why these devoted diners have switched their loyalties to breakfast, brunch and lunch. Two lively, relatively new eateries - Snooze and Mona's Restaurant - have opened to serve the need at opposite ends of the booming, loft-condo neighborhood near downtown.

Unlike the classic greasy spoons, both of these restaurants serve high-quality fare and espresso drinks, and have liquor licenses.

Snooze is the new kid on a rapidly changing block a few streets away from Coors Field. The sunny cafe is charmingly retro-modern with half crescent booths, comfy banquettes, a barista bar, brightly painted walls and blond wood floors.

Snooze's savvy owner is Jon Schlegel, whose resume includes management stints at Mao, Sushi Den and the Denver Chophouse. Acclaimed consulting chef Brenda Buenviaje had devised a quite small menu of upgraded a.m. favorites.

Instead of usual gray, gluey glop, you get creamy vanilla almond oatmeal brulee ($5) with a brown sugar coating made crackly with a torch. Housemade flour tortillas wrap the breakfast burrito ($9) crammed with soft scrambled eggs, spuds, cheese, zesty salsa and bacon or sausage.

Superior, freshly grated hash browns are a must at any serious a.m. joint. Here, they are griddled and layered in the lovable Snooze Spuds Deluxe ($6; $7 with bacon/sausage). Served in a white metal casserole, the spuds are mingled with green onions and melted cheeses. I recommend a couple of over-easies over the top.

Snooze's claim to fame is gussied-up, scratch pancakes including one hall-of-fame entry: caramelized pineapple upside-down pancakes ($7) with vanilla crème and cinnamon butter. The lovely, dessert-like chocolate and PB pancakes ($7) is topped with dark chocolate sauce and peanut butter crème.

I had to grin at the pancake "flight" ($8), a nifty sampler of one chocolate-peanut butter, one pineapple and one pancake of the day.

To wash it all down, we chose between good Guatemalan coffee ($1.75), Magnet Pinot Noir ($39) and the amusing Captain A.M. ($6), a rum-spiked fruit juice drink with a side espresso shot.

Noontime adds a supremely juicy, grilled-to-order burger ($7) with an excellent side salad, and a turkey club wrap ($7.25) rolled around smoked turkey and bacon. We loved the grilled three-cheese sandwich with cut-off crusts, but the accompanying tomato soup ($7) was thick, chunky and unappealing.

Finally, we recommend Snooze because the friendly, grown-up waiters seem to understand the nuances of great daytime service.

Mona's is a more established destination with a much broader menu and bohemian appeal. A Mona Lisa mural adorns the side of the building a few blocks from the under-construction Museum of Contemporary Art near Riverfront Park.

Devoted regulars flock to this warren of odd dining spaces lined with a wavy blackboard that attracts messages and temporary chalk masterpieces. Mona's ownership connection to the very cozy Emma's Restaurant shows in the attentive, semi-motherly service.

We've developed a passion for a slew of items ranging from the berry-full blueberry pancakes ($5.98) with lemon whipped cream to the fine, scratch-made corned beef hash ($7.98), soft orange brioche French toast ($5.98) and huevos rancheros ($6.98) with decent tomato-y pork green chile.

Mona's delivers one of the city's top eggs Benedict ($9.98), with perfect poached eggs and a gentle twist on tradition: orange-chipotle hollandaise sauce. Brunch-goers rave about its cousin, the crab cake Benedict ($10.98) with sauteed spinach.

This cafe focuses on the culinary cornerstones: Good dark coffee, reputable home-fries with onion and green pepper, genuinely fresh eggs and high-quality meats. However, we could live without the little plastic jelly packets.

Weekday noon-time, the eatery buzzes with folks craving Mona's wonderful chicken Caesar ($7.98), French onion soup ($5.98) and Maverick Ranch burger ($6.98) with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers and pepper jack.

I was seriously impressed with the beef brisket sandwich ($7.98), a mess of house-smoked shredded meat with melted cheese on a soft white roll. I tucked in crunchy, creamy slaw because that's the way I like it.

Mona also earns kudos for always having a great dessert, such as the recent chocolate cake with multiple layers of dark and milk chocolate frosting.

The appearance of these noteworthy cafes is a clear sign that Denver is maturing as an urban residential area. Both are already so successful that they will expand their hours. Look for Mona's to start serving dinner this summer and for Snooze to open soon at 1 a.m. on weekends.

Who knows? Maybe those boomers are still spunky enough to stay up late for great pancakes.

Snooze

• Grade: B

• Address: 2262 Larimer St, Denver

• Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

• Food: Breakfast-lunch

• How much: $5-$9 breakfast; $7-$10 lunch

• Information: 303-297-0700; www.snooze denver.com

Mona's Restaurant

• Grade: B+

• Address: 2364 15th St., Denver

• Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday; until 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday