118 MARCH 27-APRIL 2, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS & RECREATION | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | chorizo butter for $2 each, a cup of buffalo gumbo for $10, a hefty warm soft pretzel topped with blue crab, Old Bay and cheese for $10, and a $13 fried chicken sandwich. Revival is located just two blocks from the Fillmore, so it’s easy to fi ll up before a show at this neighborhood favorite. Best New Digs Welton Street Cafe 2883 Welton Street 303-296-6602 weltonstreetcafe.com After two years of construction woes and funding fears, Welton Street Cafe reopened in November at a new address on Welton Street. To call the new digs an improve- ment is an understatement. The restaurant used to produce its delicious Southern food menu out of a small, low-ceilinged kitchen with persistent HVAC issues. The new space refl ects the quality of the food that has been coming out of the kitchen for over twenty years, with double the seating, a full bar and a larger kitchen. The decor is color- ful and vibrant, and the Dickerson family has easily re-created the same community- family feel despite its larger size. Best Pop-Up Turned Brick- and-Mortar Little Arthur’s 205 East 7th Avenue littlearthurs.com AJ Shreffler started slinging hoagies inspired by the sandwiches he grew up loving in Philly as a side gig, eventually leaving his full-time chef job to go full hog — er, cheesesteak. After years of hustling, he moved Little Arthur’s into the kitchen at Out of the Barrel Taproom in August 2024, where he’s been able to expand the menu, much to our delight. Now, in addition to hoagies, we’ve found ourselves regularly craving his giant East Coast-style pizzas, salads piled high with cheese, playful specials and indulgent desserts like cookie platters and deca- dent chocolate cake. Little Arthur’s has really grown up, and that’s a very good thing for hungry diners. Best Comeback Vine Street Pub & Brewery 1700 Vine Street 303-388-2337 mountainsunpub.com/location/vine- street-pub-brewery When restaurants were ordered to close dining rooms in 2020, some were slower than others to come back, and Vine Street was the slowest of them all. But the wait paid off. After four long years, the Up- town favorite reopened in June 2024, just in time for peak patio season. All of our favorites are as tasty as we remember, from the beer to the burgers to the wings, which, yes, are now being made the OG way with breading. Plus, there are some new things to love at Vine Street, includ- ing a new food offering — pizza — and the fact that you can now pay your bill with a credit card. Best Restaurant That’s Worth the Drive Marigold 405 Main Street, Lyons 303-823-2333 marigoldlyons.com Located about an hour outside of Denver, this charming restaurant helmed by 2024 James Beard semifi nalist Theo Adley is a forty-seat stunner, and as it approaches its three-year anniversary in July, there’s no better time to visit. Nestled on Main Street, Marigold offers a warm, inviting atmosphere that complements the simplic- ity of its dishes. Inspired by the fl avors of northern Italy and southern France, Ad- ley’s menu showcases skillful techniques and lets locally sourced vegetables and pro- teins shine. With a fun cocktail list and an award- winning vino selection that’s heavy on natural wines, one visit will have you planning your return. Best New Chef’s Counter Mezcaleria Alma 2550 15th Street 303-484-1471 mezcaleriaalma.com Towering back bar shelves loaded with over a hundred mezcal bottles are fl anked by a stainless-steel refrigerator displaying a few hulking fi sh hung by their tail fi ns for all to see as they dry-age. Leather-bound uphol- stery and raw wood accents fi ll out the decor at Mezcaleria Alma, the latest concept from chef Johnny Curiel and wife Kasie, who earned a Michelin star for their fi rst eatery next door, Alma Fonda Fina. The space is rustic and chic, ancestral and modern — the visual equivalent of the menu, which draws on the boundless breadth of Mexico City and the bounty of the sea. Here, Johnny’s grand vision of sharing Mexico’s beauty through its food comes to life by bringing the cuisine into a quaint LoHi space, funneling it into a tight twelve-item menu and serving it to you directly over the chef’s counter. Great things do indeed come in small packages. Best New Restaurant Xiquita Restaurante y Bar 500 East 19th Avenue 720-287-2701 xiquita.co Since its opening last summer, Xiquita has injected both the national and local culinary scenes with a profound passion for Mexíco’s food, culture and unrivaled creativity. Chefs Erasmo “Ras” Casiano and Rene Gonzalez Mendez dove deep into the techniques and traditions of ancestral Mexícan fl avors, resulting in innovative yet old-world dishes that shine brightly in the light of modern times. Classic nixtamalized maíz is the cornerstone of Xiquita’s masa- based menu, exemplifi ed in dishes such as the braised duck taco served over mole negro, or the blue corn masa tlacoyo with bean salsa and goat cheese. The same care and passion extend to the cocktails and desserts — notably, the tezcalate chocolate ice cream dish that poses as grilled elote. Xiquita’s menu rotates with the shifting seasons and itinerant inspirations of the team, and it is their consistent excellence that truly makes this spot shine. ■ Food & Drink continued from page 116
