Where do you turn when you’re looking for a new restaurant recommendation? Yelp? TikTok? An in-the-know friend?
All good options. But have you ever thought about tapping some of your favorite chefs to find out where they love to eat when they get out of their own kitchens?
We asked some heads of Denver kitchens about the places they’re regulars at, the dishes they crave, and the local spots they’d want to collaborate with should opportunities arise.
And just to keep things interesting, we did so in a hot-potato-style format, starting with Chef Scott Schaden of Terra Restaurant, an organic farm-to-table restaurant. From there, we let the chefs guide us to the next restaurant to hit up for recommendations.
They’ve dished to us their favorite spots to slurp ramen, devour pizza, savor barbecue and reveal where to find some of the region’s best Latin American dishes.
Chef Scott Schaden of Terra
Terra, 891 14th St. #100, Denver
Schaden is excited about Denver’s current dining landscape, saying lots of high-quality spots have been popping up and filling the void left by the pandemic closures. Among them: La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal and Pirate Alley Boucherie, a season-driven deli where you might find green chili lamb sammies alongside soft-shell crab po’ boys. But one of his go-to spots is Glo Noodle House in the Highland neighborhood.
“Glo reminds me of places I loved when I lived in Chicago, a city that’s absolutely teeming with small, high-quality restaurants that are distinctly unique and creative,” Schaden said. “It’s casual without sacrificing elegance and the vibe is aggressively playful and fun.” A well-executed menu, impressive sake list, warm hospitality and creative decor (have you seen the arcade-themed bathroom?) round out the experience.
Schaden said he’s a sucker for vegetable-forward apps and is always open to what Chef Chris Teigland is making with bok choy.
“For noodles, I almost always mix it up but the Lemon Chicken Shio is definitely a favorite of mine,” Schaden said.
Chef Chris Teigland of Glo Noodle House
Glo Noodle House, 4450 W. 38th Ave. #130, Denver
Glo Chef Chris Teigland and his wife, Ariana, co-owner of the Highland noodle house, are regulars at oyster and pizza spot Cart-Driver in RiNo.
“We love that everything is done so well and even though it seems simple at times, it is very hard to do what they do as well as they do it,” Teigland said.
The couple’s go-to order is “as many oysters as we can eat,” plus the chicken liver mousse and the clam pie.
“The clam pie with roasted garlic and lemon is easily the best pizza I have ever had,” Teigland said. “I crave this pizza all the time, and when we moved to Chicago for awhile we drove to Denver one weekend just to get it.”
Chef Dave Hollies of Cart-Driver RiNo
Cart-Driver, 2500 Larimer St. #100, Denver
Dave Hollies, a chef at Cart-Driver RiNo, is a fan of Pit Fiend Barbecue, a nearby wood-fired barbecue joint that not only has all kinds of meats (chicken, pork belly, ribs, pulled lamb, beef brisket) on the menu but also vegan options like barbecue jackfruit or mushrooms.
“I love the consistency,” Hollies said. “It’s my comfort food before a busy weekend night working the oven at Cart. And the sides and specials are always bangers.”
His go-to order is a pork belly sandwich, potato salad and pit beans. “And you have to get lots of sauce,” Hollies said. “The sauce they made with Hop Alley was a dream.”
Could there be another collaboration between Pit Fiend and Cart-Driver in the works?
“Attention Pit Fiend: we are ready for a meatza!” Hollies proclaimed.
Michael Graunke, Juan Pablo “Paul” Llano and Esteban Gallardo of Pit Fiend Barbecue
Pit Fiend, 2826 Larimer St., Denver
The atmosphere and menu at Lucina Eatery and Bar are perfect for a family-style dinner with a close group, says Pit Fiend Barbecue co-owner Michael Graunke. “Both the large and small plates are ideal for sharing, and the paella, when available, is some of the best in Denver. It’s easy to tell from the excellent service and delicious food that the team at Lucina both know and love what they do.”
Pit Fiend co-owner Juan Pablo “Paul” Llano loves the “tropical vacation” feel of Lucina and said that the menu “takes us on a culinary tour of some of the best that Latin America has to offer.” And, Esteban Gallardo, Pit Fiend co-owner, says, “Every time I have been to Lucina, I feel like I’m treated as family.”
Here are the Pit Fiend co-owners favorite dishes:
Graunke: “The pato con mole with multiple orders of the croquetas — in fact, they should just keep sending those out until I can no longer move from my table.”
Llano: “Pato con mole features the best mole I’ve ever had. The duck is cooked slowly in fat and then broiled to have both tender meat and a crispy outer skin. Perfect execution. The mussels are fresh and tender and changed my perception about how good mussels are meant to be.”
Gallardo: “My favorite is the patatas bravas. They are always perfectly done. The tlacoyo cochinita is one of the most delicious dishes I have ever had in Denver and will always be part of my order at Lucina.”
Potential for a collab cookout?
The guys at Pit Fiend say they’d love to try cooking beef or lamb on an Argentine iron cross with Lucina’s team and make a day of it.
Chef Erasmo (Ras) Casiano of Lucina Eatery & Bar
Lucina Eatery, 2245 Kearney St. #101, Denver
Chef Erasmo “Ras” Casiano says his go-to dinner spot is Annette, The Stanley Marketplace restaurant led by James Beard Award-winning Chef Caroline Glover. The dishes are perfectly executed and the service and ambiance are top-notch, said Casiano.
“As a Mexican-American, I love seeing beef tongue on the menu,” he said of his go-to order. “It’s prepared in a way that I’ve not seen before: simmered until tender, then sliced and grilled over their wood fire and elegantly placed on the plate with dollops of creme fraiche and Mostarda. It’s the perfect bite complemented with the marrow butter toast.”
Casiano says he learned a lot from conversations with Glover over the years when it comes to dish ideas and restaurant models.
“I’m not sure if she knows how greatly her advice and conversations have helped us get through our first year of business, but she should,” Casiano said.
Chef Caroline Glover of Annette
Annette, 2501 Dallas St., Suite 108, Aurora
Stowaway Kitchen, a daytime eatery with recipes collected from around the world, is an oasis, said Annette Chef Caroline Glover.
“It’s open and airy with good music,” she said. “The menu is small and simple, so you know whatever you order, it is going to be good. And don’t sleep on the coffee and hot drinks — best in town.”
The Stowaway menu has breakfast and lunch options like a freshly milled sourdough waffle with black sesame panna cotta, blueberry, honey ginger pepita clusters and raspberry. or kara-age chicken sando with sriracha mayo, pickles and carrot ginger slaw on a brioche bun. You can also order Asa Gohan, a Japanese-style breakfast with grilled salted Verlasso salmon, avocado, carrot and ginger slaw, toasted nori, a poached egg and rice with black sesame seeds.
“I always try to switch it up … but I never can because I am totally obsessed with fruit toast and Asa Gohan,” Glover said. “It doesn’t matter what time of the day it is, it’s perfect!”
Chef Amy Cohen of Stowaway Kitchen
Stowaway Kitchen, 2528 Walnut St., #104, Denver
The menu at Q House, a modern Chinese restaurant on Colfax Avenue, is loaded with good, shareable eats from the sweet and sour pork spare ribs to the confit duck lo mein and fried Chinese eggplant.
But there’s one Q House dish that Stowaway Chef Amy Cohen can’t get enough of: The wok-fried cheung fun, with Chinese chives, egg, and bean sprouts. “I’m a big fan of pillowy, saucy noodles,” Cohen said. “I want to learn more about these dang noodles.”
The bok choy with fermented tofu and chiles as well as the fried chicken wings doused in tomatillo-ginger sauce round out her order.
As far as teaming up with Q House, “I think a Yum Cha brunch service would be fun,” Cohen said.
