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Sourced from a popular restaurant in Portland, Ore., this second location of Departure treats Denver to sleek, even futuristic Asian cuisine served in design-minded environs to match.
Website: departuredenver.com
Address: 249 Columbine St., Denver, Colo.
Phone number: 720-772-5020
Number of seats: 162
Entrée price range: $10-$42
Popular dishes: Vietnamese Duck Curry with ginger, lemon grass, coconut milk and red chile; Bibimbop with koshihikari, wagyu beef, egg, kimchi, and gochujang; Grilled pork bánh mì with pickles, Thai basil and jalapeño.
What others say: “Already a big hit in Portland, Oregon, thanks to culinary director Gregory Gourdet, the runner-up in season twelve of Bravo's Top Chef, Departure puts a Pan-Asian menu in a sleek, ultra-futuristic setting.” –Mark Antonation, Westword
An interior view
Vietnamese Duck Curry
The chef behind the eponymous Restaurant Kelly Liken, which closed after a pleasing run in the ski town of Vail, Colo., opened this seasonal eatery with a warm, welcoming vibe at a club with golf and swimming in a town about 20 minutes away.
Website: harvestvail.com
Address: 1265 Berry Creek Rd., Edwards, Colo.
Phone number: 970-477-5353
Number of seats: 65 inside, 22 at the bar, 32 in the lounge and 100 on the outside terrace
Entrée price range: $14-$30
Popular dishes: Lamb ragoût with slow-braised Colorado lamb, hand made pasta, fresh ricotta, shaved grana padano and herbs; smoked Rocky Mountain trout with frisée, crisp potatoes, Kalamata olives, haricots verts, hard-cooked egg, sherry-balsamic vinaigrette and horseradish crème; Colorado elk chili with white cheddar, green onions, crème fraîche and house-made tortillas.
What others say: “Harvest features comfortable spaces and a menu of mix-and-match plates of veggies, meats, and grains to feed diverse dietary and gustatory desires. Like the view from her new restaurant’s terrace, a photogenic panorama of mountains, greens, and Spanish-tiled rooftops, Liken’s perspective is sunny.” –John Lehndorff, Vail-Beaver Creek magazine
Interior view
Roasted Wild Mushrooms
To the luxury shopping environs of the Bal Harbour Shops in Miami, Stephen Starr brought this stylish brasserie with French accents that split the difference between Paris and St. Tropez.
Website: lezoo.com
Address: 9700 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour, Fla.
Phone number: 305-602-9663
Number of seats: 200
Entrée price range: $17-$42
Popular dishes: Mushroom tart with pioppini mushrooms and truffled pecorino; lobster tartine with avocado, lemon and herbs; bistro chicken with pan-roasted breast, pommes purées, sherry vinegar and black pepper jus.
What others say: “I’m happy to report that Le Zoo, new at Bal Harbour Shops from Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr, is a good brasserie. A very good one.” –Evan S. Benn, Miami Herald
Interior view
Trout
In Descano Gardens, a 160-acre public garden complex outside Los Angeles, Maple specializes in brunch — with gusto and in a high-flying fashion imagined by the Patina Restaurant Group.
Website: mapleatdescanso.com
Address: 1418 Descanso Dr., La Cañada Flintridge, Calif.
Phone number: 818-790-3663
Number of seats: 60 inside, 30 outside
Entrée price range: $9-$16
Popular dishes: Fried chicken ’n’ beignets with buttermilk fried chicken, powdered sugar beignets and Vermont maple syrup; huevos rancheros with guajillo-braised short rib, fried eggs, potato fennel hash, cilantro, Cotija cheese, pickled red onion and crispy corn tortilla; brioche French toast with Chantilly cream, Vermont maple syrup and powdered sugar.
What others say: “While the setting is certainly lovely — grapevines play peekaboo over the central patio’s brick wall, and minimalist furnishings allow the Craftsman architecture of the venue to shine — executive chef Mark Salazar is betting big on the fare.” –Chelsee Lowe, L.A. Weekly
Fried Chicken N' Beignets served at brunch
Interior view
This fast-casual concept by chef Gerard Craft (of the late Niche and now Sardella) focuses on pastas with bountiful options and pizzas presented in Detroit-style squares.
Website: poranopasta.com
Address: 634 Washington Ave., St. Louis
Phone number: 314-833-6414
Number of seats: 90
Entrée price range: $8.95-$12.95
Popular dishes: Nduja pizza with red sauce, spicy nduja, mozzarella, pineapple, red onion and cilantro; Neapolitan pasta with smoky Sunday sugo, slow roasted pork, mozzarella and herbs; Mediterranean pasta with red pepper sauce, spicy tofu, green olives and sweet peppers.
What others say: “The James Beard Award winner has created a concept both widely appealing and intensely personal. The build-a-meal template — base; sauce; meat, tofu or vegetable; and two toppings — yields tens of thousands of potential combinations.” –Ian Froeb, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A classic choice is Porano's organic semolina pasta topped with meatballs, spicy Sunday Sugo sauce, fresh herbs, and housemade giardiniera.
Margarita pizza
Taking after an original Sugarbacon in McKinney, Tex., a second location about a 40-minute drive to Dallas doles out imaginative downhome comfort-food with a mindful, refined edge.
Website: sugarbacon.com
Address: 6400 Gaston Ave., Dallas
Phone number: 972-290-0731
Number of seats: 202
Entrée price range: $16-$28
Popular dishes: House-smoked pork belly with ancho barbecue sauce and spicy bread-and-butter pickles; grilled salmon BLT with tomato, bacon, Nelson's Arugula and lemon tarragon spread on sourdough; smoked Berkshire pork chop with green chile hominy and ancho-apple salad.
What others say: “This upscale-casual spot outside of Dallas offers New American eats with Texan influences via a meat-centric menu with items like the ancho chile barbecue pork belly appetizer or Berkshire pork chop.” –Michelle No, Thrillist
Lakewood interior
Pulled borkshire pork
A historc old carriage house in Washington, D.C. was reconstituted to play home to the second location (the first is in nearby Arlington, Va.) of this expansive, ambitious eatery with much more than just baked goods by celebrated chef David Guas.
Website: bayoubakerydc.com
Address: 901 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C.
Phone number: 202-664-5307
Number of seats: 50 inside and 40 outside
Entrée price range: $7.50-$14
Popular dishes: The Muff-a-Lotta with salami, mortadella, smoked ham, provolone and olive salad on a toasted sesame seed Italian roll; Smoked Douille dog with andouille sausage, Creole mustard and sweet onion marmalade on a potato roll; Creole cream cheese & pepper jelly on warm buttermilk biscuits.
What others say: “True, owner David Guas is a pastry chef, among the best in the region, if not the country — one bite of his dark, chewy pralines will convince you of that. But there’s so much more to rejoice in here than just great cookies, tarts, and pies.” –Washingtonian
Biscuits and Pepper Cream Cheese
This Catahoula Hot Dog is a beer-boiled all beef hot dog with creole mustard and vidalia onion marmalade.
Tapas in the Spanish style predominate at this small but lively spot in San Antonio, where chef Jason Dady (of Shuck Shack, B&D Ice House, The Duk Truk and other ventures) has further expanded his local empire.
Website: facebook.com/thebintapasbar
Address: 511 E. Grayson St., San Antonio
Phone number: 210-994-8099
Number of seats: 30 inside, 100 outside
Entrée price range: $1-$22
Popular dishes: Serrano-wrapped blue cheese dates; parsnip hummus with dill yogurt; gilda olives with piparras & anchovies.
What others say: “The tapas all-stars kick in at $5: luscious dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped with jamón serrano, sweet piquillo peppers stuffed with firm and tangy paella rice and a petite baguette sandwich called a montadito with pork terrine.” –Mike Sutter, San Antonio Express-News
Tapas
The front of the restaurant
Some of the hottest restaurants in the country aren’t the stereotypical one-offs you night expect. Many of them are the second or third location of a successful concept or the latest brainchild of an established organization.
