Restaurant reviews

Written by Andrew Bisset, Jamie Moore
Photos by Andrew Bisset, Jamie Moore
(abisset1@mscd.edu, moorjami@mscd.edu)

The 9th Door
The 9th door is known as a local hot spot for tapas, small Spanish dishes usually enjoyed with drinks. The restaurant’s dark interior and tables made from 275-year-old Spanish doors give off an air of understated elegance, and The 9th Door’s menu for Denver Restaurant Week is no exception. Chef Kevin Marquet crafted a variety of dishes for the four course meal, including a plate of cheeses that, with their sweet accompaniments, work equally well as an appetizer or a dessert. Also on the menu are the Albondigas de Cadero, lamb meatballs served with a sauce that is more subtle than expected. The 9th Door does not do fusion cuisine, instead opting to focus on Spanish dishes to the extent that they import many of their ingredients directly from Spain. Paired with a glass of wine and a date, The 9th Door could be the choice date restaurant for Denver Restaurant Week.

Le Central
Chef Bertrand Gesbert speaks to his kitchen staff in a thick French accent. Gesbert hails from Paris, a world culinary capital. Appropriate, considering his restaurant, Le Central, has been serving French cuisine to the people of Denver for 27 years. Le Central’s menu for Denver Restaurant Week is French to its core, featuring dishes like the Paupiette de Veau, a veal course which the restaurant takes very seriously. “We get a whole calf in, and butcher it in house,” said General Manager Michael Levine, “That way, there’s no waste.” Le Central aims to bring a little slice of France to their corner of North Lincoln, and with these dishes, France just doesn’t seem so far away.


Chop House
Sous Chef Celeste Varra is still practicing the preparation of the Salmon Encrout, part of the Denver Chop House’s Denver Restaurant Week menu. She pulls the from the massive wood-fired oven on the kitchen line and lays the salmon gently on a bed of wild rice and asparagus. Varra then finishes the dish with a slice of lemon, giving a more traditional touch to a dish which, if it tastes as good as it looks, should not disappoint. Rounding out the menu for DRW are a tomato fennel bisque as an appetizer, and an espresso walnut tart for dessert.

Prima
Prima restaurant specializes in elegant Italian, northern Spanish dishes. They’re main dish is a Tuna steak with French vegetables and roasted tomatoes. Management has decided to add on two extra weeks to they’re 5280 special, due to being booked for several weeks in advance.