Lehndorff: A fusion of flavors

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Assembling our sixth annual Dining Guide, I was reminded of how much dining in Denver is like our mercurial weather: Wait a few minutes and there will be another restaurant opening . . . or closing.

The following eateries in the 2006 Dining Guide have since been shuttered: Somethin’ Else, Rhumba, Piscos, Emma’s Hacienda, Istanbul Grill, Boulder’s Mataam Fez and Karma Cuisine, Emma’s Restaurant and Wholly Tomato. Mel’s Bar and Grill in Cherry Creek North is not in this edition of the guide because it has announced plans to close in the coming months. Others have undergone significant ownership and chef changes.

Happily, there are new additions this year: Black Cat, Fruition, Limon, Montecito, Steuben’s, Café Mondo, Piggin’ Out Bar-B-Que, Toast, Jaya Asian Grill, Lao Wang Noodle House, Superstar Asian, Crepes & Crepes, Sushi Yoshi, Trattoria on Pearl, Venice, Virgilio’s Pizzeria, Tula Latin Bistro, Ocean, Tables, Leaf and Sketch.

Some longtime Denver favorites finally made their debut because we had the pleasure of finally dining at Palettes, Tamales by La Casita, Sabor Latino, Arada Ethiopian Restaurant, Queen of Sheba, DuffeyRoll Café, Breakfast King, Cherry Crest Seafood and Bastien’s.

In part because of discoveries I’ve made in reporting the Flavor section’s World Plate feature, a slew of wonderful ethnic eateries has made the grade, ranging from US Thai and Ha Noi Pho to Buenos Aires Grill and Dolce Sicilia.

The sad reality is that I couldn’t add that many new restaurants without bumping out others, so a few of your favorites may be missing. It’s less that those previously ranked eateries suddenly became yucky — although there are a few of those. They just got beat out by better places.

Dining Guide 2007 is designed to be the most up-to-date guide to the metro area’s dining experiences, divided by cuisine or type of meal. A few more details about the process:

• Reviews: You may notice that some restaurants have a letter review grade and some do not. The ones with the A’s, B’s and C’s have been formally reviewed in the Rocky. I have eaten at all of the restaurants, whether or not they have been reviewed. I go to great lengths to be anonymous so that my dining experiences are similar to what you would have.

• The order: Within each category (i.e., Barbecue), eateries are listed alphabetically and not in order of importance.

• Decisions: The choices were made by me, the Rocky’s Dining critic. If you don’t like the restaurants or think others should have been included, let me know.

• Reminder: Here is our traditional warning: Always call any of the restaurants listed in these pages before going to be sure they are open and that they haven’t moved or changed their menus.

I hope this guide prompts you to dine in a new restaurant and sample an unfamiliar cuisine.

Let’s eat.

John Lehndorff is the Dining Critic for the Rocky Mountain News and author of Denver Dines (Johnson Books), a guide to more than 200 Denver area restaurants. To read reviews and and stories, visit RockyMountainNews.com/drmn/dining . Contact: lehndorffj@RockyMountain News.com or 303-954-5103