My new Simply KC ‘A Man’s Perspective’ column is out today: Man on Location: Dining in Denver. It was born out of a love for the city and the generosity of a few very tasteful locals. Even if you have to tuck it under your arm and burrow through a snowbank as I did, you’ll be eating well.

Man On Location: Denver

I’m in Denver, writing to you from under a couple feet of snow. Rather than try to tunnel out and head for the slopes, I think I’ll stick around town. This is the perfect opportunity to explore the best of Denver and pass it along to you, dear reader. Before you hit the road for your annual Spring Break ski week, allow me a moment to persuade you to explore more of Denver than the travel plaza along I-70. There’s a lot you’re missing.

Highland
Highland is Denver’s newest hip spot and, as a result, plays host to some of the most exciting new bars and restaurants. I was introduced to the neighborhood through weekend brunch at LoLa (loladenver.com). It’s a sleek, modern space whose cuisine draws inspiration from coastal Mexican regions. The dinner menu and downstairs tequila bar looked great, but it was my brunch dish that won me over: Green Chili Hash. Paired with strong coffee and guacamole prepared tableside, it’s a hell of a start to the day.
For dinner in Highland, you can’t do better than Chef Nelson Perkins’ fantastic Colt & Gray (coltandgray.com). Their stated goal is to redefine the neighborhood restaurant. If this is the direction we’re headed, the future is bright indeed. Colt & Gray has a great bar tended by serious barmen who know their stuff. We had several rounds of custom-created cocktails, all of which were excellent. The menu is right up my alley, with dedicated sections for house-made Charcuterie and Offal. We ordered a smattering of items for the table, my favorites of which were the Roasted Marrow Bones, Grilled Beef Hearts – thinly sliced with roasted beets and horseradish vinaigrette over grilled bread – and a charcuterie item mysteriously titled “Forest Moon of Endor”. That’s right Star Wars nerds, Ewok sausage. More accurately, the chef’s interpretation of how a sausage of Wicket might look and taste. Amusing and delicious.

Capitol Hill
NOVO Coffee (novocoffee.com) is my drink of choice while in town. It’s available at any of the Denver Whole Foods Markets (wholefoodsmarket.com), but visiting their roasting facility at 3008 Larimer St. allows you to see them work their magic and is the only venue in town where I can safely recommend attending a “Friday cupping”.
Start your Capitol Hill evening at Bones (bonesdenver.com) which occupies the corner spot in Chef Frank Bonanno‘s complex of deliciousness at 7th & Grant (all 3 of his restaurants there are worthy of your attention). Bones is primarily a noodle bar, but they do many things well. Our entire meal was delicious, starting with the Pork Belly Steamed Buns and ending with Frank’s Soft Serve Ice Cream. I got the Udon noodles with slow cooked pork shoulder, plum-soy broth and poached egg. Dynamite.
After dinner, walk a few blocks up the hill to Dazzle Jazz (dazzlejazz.com) for cocktails and live music. The night I was there, David Amram was on stage rocking his double penny whistles.

City Park
Honestly, who doesn’t love a taco truck? Pinche Tacos (pinchetacos.com) has gained wide acclaim around Denver for its fantastic Mexican street food. On the back of that success, owner Kevin Morrison was able to open Pinche Taqueria as a stationary outpost last fall. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, but my favorites were the carnitas, the lengua – crispy Colorado beef tongue – and the queso a la plancha (griddled cotija cheese, avocado, and roasted tomatillo salsa).
Pinche Taqueria’s storyline is strikingly similar to KC’s Port Fonda (@portfondakc), Chef Patrick Ryan’s beloved taco-producing Airstream trailer. They too will be parlaying their food truck success into a brick-and-mortar restaurant. Port Fonda is slated to open in Westport in May.

Federal Blvd
Chances are unless you’re seeking a dispensary, you’re headed to Federal Boulevard in search of some delicious Asian cuisine. You can scarcely throw a rock without hitting one or the other, but I’ve weeded out the distractions and found the phrase you need to remember: Xiao Long Bao.
Xiao Long Bao – Shanghai soup dumplings – are steamed dumplings that contain a small amount of gelatinized meat aspic along with the filling. As the dumplings steam, the aspic melts into a liquid filling the dumpling with a warm meaty broth. Lao Wang Noodle House (303.975.2497) on Federal is where I was introduced to this culinary wonder and is still my favorite place to get them.

Congress Park
Don’t leave town without grabbing breakfast at Snooze (snoozeeatery.com) in Congress Park. They’re justifiably famous for their pancakes, particularly the Pineapple Upside Down Pancake. It’s actually not as sweet as it sounds and I found it quite good, even as a savory breakfast man. Conveniently, Snooze offers a pancake flight which allows you to try three smaller portions of their wide selection of creations. More my speed though is the Breakfast Pot Pie – egg, puff pastry and rosemary sausage gravy. Yeah. The wait can get long on the weekends, but I’ve never been disappointed by a meal at Snooze.

“A Man’s Perspective” appears monthly in Simply KC Magazine. You can view my archived columns here. If you have any ideas you’d like me to explore, let me know. I’d love to investigate and include them in an upcoming column.