33 Best Restaurants in Denver

"Because Fruition’s reputation as a capital-D destination has long preceded it, you may be surprised to set foot in a dining room that’s as unassuming as it is snug. Bare wooden tables and floorboards glow in warm light; hues of cream and beige are subdued; artwork amounts to a few black-and-white illustrations depicting, for instance, cookware hanging in a kitchen—and all in all, it feels more homey than haute. Could this be the place that helped earn chef/owner Alex Seidel a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2018? It could and it is. Just like Seidel before him, exec chef Jarred Russell is a talent to watch. Whether he’s spooning luscious lamb tartare onto crostini with horseradish and celery leaf, topping soft-scrambled eggs with snappy asparagus and crisped prosciutto, or draping fettuccine alla chitarra in a robust sauce of tomato-braised octopus and ’nduja, his style is clear and direct. To hear everything they have to say, consider the five-course tasting menu (whose $90.90 price reflects the fact that 1 percent of every sale is donated to Zero Foodprint, a nonprofit that provides grants to farmers aiming to convert to regenerative farming practices. All the more reason to indulge.)" - Ruth Tobias