Must Eat Denver

Parisi’s “Gnocchi Gorgonzola e Noci”

Location: Highlands

Rating: 6.2

The Skinny: Parisi is a pleasant little restaurant, and I really thought their gnocchi gorgonzola e noci dish was good. Not to die for, but good.  The gnocchi were soft and light, the cream was tasty and the walnuts gave it a welcome crunch.  I found it to be a little under seasoned, but nothing a salt shaker couldn’t fix.  I can’t anticipate getting a craving for this dish, but it was certainly more than adequate.

Squeaky Bean’s “Arnold Ziffle (Pig Platter)”

Location: Highlands

Rating: 5 *(read review)

The Skinny: Up front I should say it’s probably unfair to critique a plate of cold cuts.  And I’m pretty sure it wasn’t on the list for its amazing flavor.  After having the dish, I can see the appeal: the “Pig Platter” is served on a great big wooden serving dish in the shape of a pig.  Unique.  The meat (3 kinds all from pig) was just fine, and the bread served with it was as well.  Something to share over happy hour drinks or on a lazy Sunday.

Proto’s Pizza’s “Clam Pizza”

Location: Riverfront Park

Rating: 8

The Skinny: Proto’s only offers the Clam Pizza on Fridays, which contributes to a certain attraction about it being special and a little out of the ordinary.  It is both.  The clams gave the pizza a fresh, salty bend that was just right.  Very easily the best pizza on Proto’s menu, and close to the best in all of Denver.

(PS – In the picture, half is plain clam pizza, the other half is clam pizza with bacon and tomato – excellent suggestion from the waitress)

Fuel Cafe’s “Lamb Wrap”

Location: Close to Coors Field

Rating (1-10): 5

The Skinny: I really love a well cooked lamb dish.  Whether on its own, over a salad, or wrapped in a pita, I just love the flavor of the meat.  You almost can’t screw up lamb for me, I thought.

Proving me wrong was Fuel Café, whose lamb wrap came with everything in it except flavor.  Like a bad movie with a favorite actor, deep down I really wanted to like it – I found myself waiting for it to get better, holding out hope that I just hadn’t gotten to the good part.  The pita was decent, but the lamb meatballs were bland, the hummus and sauce were nothing special, and the lettuce was out of place.  By the last bite, I had resigned to the disappointment, blaming the director for not utilizing the lamb’s true talent.

Tacos Jalisco “Tongue Tacos”

Rating: 6.5

The Skinny: Tongue?  My first thought was that maybe this was on the list because of the novelty, like Rocky Mountain Oysters (which, surprisingly is not on the list).  A couple of bites in, I knew that wasn’t the case.  The tongue was extremely tender, well seasoned, well cooked, and delicious.  The rest of the taco complimented it just fine.  Double layer soft corn outside was what you’d expect, which is why this didn’t get rated higher.

Big Fat Cupcake’s “The Tiffany”

Rating: 7

The Skinny: I’m not the biggest cupcake guy – I’ll admit it.  But I’m a big fan of cookies, and the lower half of this cupcake honestly tasted like the inside of a soft sugar cookie.  Delicious.  Little artistic flourish with the silver pearls on top (hence the “Tiffany”).  Frosting was above average.  Fun and tasty.

Cherry Cricket “White Cheddar Green Chili Burger”

Rating: 6

The Skinny: I’ve often said that The Cherry Cricket is the Honda Civic of the Denver burger scene.  It’s never gonna wow you, but it also won’t let you down either.  Exhibit A: The white cheddar and green chili burger.  Toppings were fairly flavorless, but once again, the excellent meat redeems it.  You always leave thinking, “that was good… not great, but pretty good”

Osteria Marco’s “Shaved Lamb Salad”

Rating: 6.3

The Skinny: if you can get all of the components together in one bite, it really is delicious. Especially the lamb. My issue with the salad is that there just isn’t enough of everything to go around. Once you run out of lamb and goat cheese, the rest is pretty tart – and it’s a big salad, so it’s tart for a loooong time.

My Brothers Bar “JCB”

Rating: 7

The Skinny: A few months ago, I posted that I thought the Johnny Burger from My Brothers Bar was the best burger in town. After having the JCB, I still stand by that opinion. The JCB is a very good burger, mind you, but just not as grand as the Johnny Burger. Missing are the layers of cheese, the grilled onions, and the love. Getting the JCB is a bit like dating the less successful and slightly worse looking sibling: the genes are there, but you can see in comparison they’re not reaching their full potential.

Root Down “Croissant Bread Pudding”

Rating: 6

The Skinny: First bite was great. Outside was very decent. Ice cream and sauce were tasty. The inside however, was pretty dense and doughy, which made each bite a little less enjoyable than the last. You get the feeling after all of that dough that its just a carb disaster. At the end, I was slightly relieved to be done. Overall ok, but with regrets.

Brown Palace “French Onion Soup”

Rating: 4

The Skinny: When I read that this was at the Brown Palace, I kinda feared it was going to be more about environment than the food. That turned out to be 100% correct. Skip this one. Average at best, and the $8 price tag is a slap in the face.

Bonefish “Bang Bang Shrimp”

Rating: 9

The skinny: Simply delicious. I wasn’t expecting to be so blown away being that Bonefish is a chain (and I had never heard anyone talk about it), but I genuinely was. The sauce is awesome and creamy, and the shrimp crispy and light. Melt in your mouth. It’s the kind of thing I would go out of my way to have again.

Corner Office – “Hummus”

Rating: 7

The Skinny: As far as hummus goes, this was very good. Full of flavor and well seasoned. The “chips” for dipping were triangles of fry bread (crispy doughnuts without sugar), and were so good they might have been the best part of the dish. I wish the hummus was a little more creamy and soft as opposed to slightly chunky and thick, but flavor-wise, it was on target.

Masterpiece Deli “Wild Ahi Tuna Sandwich”

Rating (1-10): 7

The skinny: Sushi grade tuna with seared mustard edges. Very good little sandwich for $10.50. High quality ingredients. Bread was nothing special, and the slaw on the inside was decent. Overall – pretty solid sandwich with great flavor.

Rating(1-10): 5.9

The skinny: It was decent and flavorful. I didn’t care a ton for the salad in the wrap mixing with the bbq pork, but overall it was fine. Forgettable but fine.

Denver Magazine did a recent article on the top 100 things to eat in Denver. I’ve made it my mission to try every one on this list, snap a photo, rate it and give some thoughts – Here is the link to the article: 100 Must Eats