Denver dining gets more worldly as an all-American bastion of porcine cuisine complements an octet of ethnic eateriers. 

 

The Berkshire

7352 E. 29th Ave., 303-321-4010; 

www.theberkshirerestaurant.com 

Chef Nickolas Wrona, who once cooked anonymously at Theorie and Table 6, has created the quintessential gathering place in the up-and-coming Stapleton neighborhood with The Berkshire. Undaunted by the swarms of crowds that descend upon his easygoing comfort-food emporium, the boyish, soft-spoken chef, often donning a baseball cap, turns out a playful menu that defies pomp and circumstance. He extols the virtues of familiar foodstuffs, especially swine and anything with bacon. 

I love the feel-good energy of the unabashedly American, but stylish and smart menu: purely pig-headed dishes such as the pork belly sauced with a sweet onion marmalade; bacon-n-egg salad festooned with fatty lardoons, frisée and a perfectly yolky poached egg; the double-bacon cheeseburger crowned with bacon strips, Canadian bacon, a fried egg and horseradish Havarti; plus desserts like the bacon-specked truffles. Wrona also does one of my favorite Elvis-inspired sandwiches in the city—a mountain of caramelized bananas, peanut butter and bacon slapped between two buttered and grilled slices of Hawaiian bread, aptly named the “The King.” 

Belly up to the bar…if you want to hang with the neighborhood locals and banter with the conversational, wine-savvy bartenders who are never too busy to make recommendations from the formidable, well-priced list. The beer selection is good, too.

BEHOLD…the pig-centric ambiance, which includes a charcuterie setup, complete with a cherry-red, hand-cranked, old-fashioned meat slicer, snouted knickknacks strategically placed throughout the dining room and plastic-wrapped prosciutto di Parma dangling from the ceiling. 

Grab a Table …near the window to take in the Stapleton street scene—families pushing strollers, dating couples and cool cats from the ‘hood on their skateboards and scooters. 

Pig out…on the Kobe beef sliders blanketed with caramelized onions, white cheddar and, of course, bacon.   

Go whole hog…for Porky’s Inferno, a messy (in the best way) sandwich steepled with pulled pork, coleslaw, a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce, and bread and butter pickles.

ELVIS SAYS…“I like pork chops and country ham, creamed potatoes, stuff like that. Re deye gravy. It comes with ham, bacon too, stuff like that.” This quote from The King himself is prominently stenciled on the wall near the bathrooms. 

Wise men say …don’t miss the stuffed fresh jalapeños, seeds still in tact, smeared with cream cheese and wrapped in pancetta. They’re spicy, wholly addictive and worthy of a second order.

Only Fools…would forego the peanut butter truffles pelted with bacon and ashed with the metallic shimmer of luster dust.   

Wordsmiths…will love the term Hamthropologists, which is how managing partner Andy Ganick describes the foremost authorities on everything pig

Proving…that customers come first, the joint serves Sunday brunch at 10 a.m. and doesn’t close until the last person leaves, which means the doors often stay open long after the rest of us have hit the pillow. 

 

Going Global in May

 

U.S. Thai

For those who lament the lack of great Thai restaurants in Denver, this no-frills temple of Thai is a cannonball of fire, a tribute to sass and tongue-scorching seduction that lingers long after you’ve inhaled your panang curry. The kitchen worships peppers, the hotter the better, which means that if you order your curry, stir-fry or soup “Thai hot,” be prepared to suffer speechless consequences. The remedy? Thai iced tea laced with cream. You’ll likely need to gulp more than one to squash the heat, but at least your lips won’t feel like they’ve just set off the fire alarm. 5228 25th Ave., Edgewater; 303-233-3345 or usthaicafe.com 

 

Jack-N-Grill 

It doesn’t seem too long ago that this shrine to New Mexican foodstuffs was a free-standing shack with a smattering of tables, a scant wait staff and a menu the size of a postage stamp. It didn’t take long, however, for word to spread about owner Jack Martinez’s piquant green chile studded with cubes of pork, flavor-bombed red chile, and fresh cobs of corn shucked into a cup and doused with lime, chile powder, butter and hot sauce. An expansion ensued, the crowds clamored, and eight years later, this terrific restaurant—now with a bar and a patio—continues to turn out some of the best New Mexican eats between here and Santa Fe. 12524 Federal Blvd.; 303-964-9544 or jackngrill.com

 

New Saigon

The menu is voluminous, the lighting occasionally harsh (usually on the day of a hangover), service is often gruff and harried, and during peak times, the dining room is more chaotic than the first day of school. Yet this sprawling Vietnamese restaurant packs in the masses for a reason: the indelible food, which is vibrant, confident and undisputedly transcendent. The spring rolls, stuffed with rice noodles, shredded carro ts, bean sprouts, cilantro, pork and shrimp, are sprightly and tightly wrapped, and the Vietnamese noodle bowls, a hodgepodge of marinated meats and vegetables sided with Nuoc Cham, a sweet and tangy dressing, are uniformly excellent. 630 S. Federal Blvd.; 303-936-4954 or newsaigon.com

 

Café Brazil 

The fourth-largest nation in the world, Brazil is about more than carnaval. This intimate and colorful Berkeley Park institution is as stylish as an Antonio Carlos Jobim bossa nova: Dim lighting, white linens and scented wafts of coconut milk, cilantro, garlic and Brazilian peppers sail through the dining room brimming with cosmopolitan crowds. The seafood dishes are stellar, especially if you consider the wiggly, jiggly scallops, tender as a kiss and roughly the size of tennis balls. Reservations are essential. 4408 Lowell Blvd.; 303-480-1877 or cafebrazildenver.com

 

Chopsticks China Bistro

Why settle for one of the Americanized Chinese imitations that litter Denver’s trendy neighborhoods when you can feast like a king and pay like a pauper at this exotic, authentic Chinese emporium on the corner of Federal and Mississippi, smack dab in the middle of Silk Row. The dining room, while not imperial, is handsomely adorned with oversized chairs, fiberglass fish mounted to the walls and marble tables embossed with leaves. The hot and sour soup is worth the price of admission, but everything here, including the soupy pork dumplings, seafood hot pots and fried string beans, elevates the ordinary to the extraordinary. 2990 W. Mississippi Ave.; 303-936-1506

 

Sae Jong Kwan 

I’ve always found that some of the best ethnic restaurants are found in the most unseemly places, like tucked into the back of a dilapidated small mall mingling with menacing, muscled men threaded in low-slung denim. At Sae Jong Kwan, otherwise known as the House of Korean BBQ, the daunting exterior belies a perpetually crowded den of kimchi, bipimbop, pork belly, BBQ, beef tripe and all sorts of other wacky, weird and wonderful foods. Around blond-wooded tables illuminated by bright lights, Americans and Koreans sit shoulder-to-shoulder feasting in a convivial atmosphere that’s great for a group or an adventurous American undaunted by oxtail soup. 2680 S. Havana St., Aurora; 303-752-1338

 

India’s Castle 

Snug, serene and embellished with billowy fabrics, tapestry curtains and old-world elegance, this nirvana of Indian cuisine beckons with its assertively spiced and intricately flavored curries, attentive service and surprisingly exhaustive wine roster that delves far beyond chardonnay and cabernet. The equally impressive beer list parades a slew of bottled brews from India and beyond. While the vast and varied menu includes the usual suspects–chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, samosas, lamb vindaloo, hot naan studded with garlic and cilantro, and vegetable korma–the kitchen prepares each dish with exquisite passion, which makes this the most satisfying Indian food emporium in Denver. 9555 E. Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village; 303-782-9700 or indiascastle.com 

 

El Paraiso

Those who bemoan the lack of real, honest-to-masa Mexican restaurants in Denver haven’t been to El Paraiso, an always-crowded, supersized space that parades an eight-page menu, much of it in Spanish, that proffers everything from shrimp cocktail and oyster ceviche to molcajetes and parrilladas, charcoal–fired metal trays that tumble with grilled meats, seafood and fish, spring onions with bulbs bigger than a ping-pong ball, queso blanco, white onions and peppers. An order for one feeds an orchestra; an order for two satiates a symphony. The house-made corn tortillas are superb, the salsa, fiery and fresh, and the aguas frescas (Mexican fruit water) might even make you swear off Corona. Weekends command long waits, and there are swarms of kids practicing their dance steps to the mariachi band—which, by the way, is excellent. 4690 Harlan St.; 303-480-0479 

 

Lori Midson is CAG’s Dining Out editor.