115 APRIL 4-10, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | CONTENTS | SHOPPING & SERVICES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | process. While Danny Ray’s is shiny and new, the friendly feeling when you walk inside remains the same, and the food is as comforting as ever. Best Comeback King of Wings 7741 West 44th Avenue, Wheat Ridge 1100 Arapahoe Street, Golden kingofwingstaphouse.com Nearly a decade ago, Eddie Renshaw and his childhood best friend, Evan Pierce, left their careers in sales and engineer- ing, respectively, to launch a food truck. Despite the pandemic challenges, they debuted their first brick-and-mortar in Wheat Ridge in the summer of 2020, only to have to shut it down after a kitchen fi re in December 2021. It was over a year be- fore King of Wings was able to fully reopen last March, and the two friends didn’t stop there: They recently added a second out- post in Golden. Now we’re just waiting for its popular Snipeburger pop-up to fi nd a permanent home. Long live the King! Best Move From Food Truck to Brick-and-Mortar Kiké’s Red Tacos 1200 West 38th Avenue 720-397-0591 kikesredtacos.com Enrique Silva Figueroa (aka Kiké) and his family launched their birria-focused food truck in 2021 as the combination of slow- cooked meat and consomé became a social media infatuation. But even as the birria hype online slowed down, people lined up for Kiké’s signature tacos. In 2023, the busi- ness made the move to a brick-and-mortar, expanding the menu in smart ways, with more meat options plus a full bar menu. Sometimes taking the leap from mobile food to a stationary spot backfi res, but in this case, Kiké’s has continued to satisfy its original fans while winning over even more. Best New Bakery GetRight’s 6985 West 38th Avenue, Wheat Ridge 303-345-0758 goodygetright.com It’s been a hell of a journey for Matt Dulin and his wife, Lindsey Judd, who started this business as a cottage bakery during the pandemic. Long permitting delays pushed the opening of the brick-and-mortar Get- Right’s back nearly a year, but it finally debuted in May 2023 and has only got- ten better since. Dulin is constantly test- ing new creations, and part of the fun is showing up to fi nd out what’s on offer that day. Whether it’s the completely dreamy jambon beurre that’s become a staple sandwich, pastries like the maritozzi (a brioche bun fi lled with cloud-like vanilla cream), or an indulgent croissant loaded with scrambled eggs and truffl e, everything here is 100 percent right. Best New Fine-Casual Restaurant MAKfam 39 West 1st Avenue makfam.co From Hong Kong-style French toast pop- ups in New York City to debuting Meta Asian Kitchen at the Avanti food hall in 2019, Kenneth Wan and Doris Yuen have contin- ued to evolve their culinary adventures. At MAKfam, their fi rst brick-and-mortar, they opted for an order-at-the-counter model. The Cantonese-inspired food comes out fast, but “casual” doesn’t quite capture the quality coming out of this kitchen, where MSG is an unapologetic star and there’s no skimping on spice in guest favorites like the Sizzling Spicy Noodles with housemade chili oil and málà seasoning. Best New Chef’s Counter Alma Fonda Fina 2556 15th Street 303-455-9463 almalohidenver.com Chef Johnny Curiel has worked under some of the local dining scene’s most no- table names, including Richard Sandoval, Dave Query and Troy Guard. His fi rst solo venture, Alma Fonda Fina, is an intimate spot in LoHi that he co-owns with wife Kasie Curiel, decked out with thought- ful design details, just a few tables and an eight-seat chef’s counter. There, diners can order à la carte from a menu that’s inspired by Curiel’s Mexican heritage and travels, all while getting insight from the team of skilled chefs who create magic — even without a range in the tight workspace. We’ll raise an avocado margarita to that. Best Move From Pop-Up to Brick-and-Mortar Sap Sua 2550 East Colfax Avenue 303-736-2303 sapsua.com Usually when a new restaurant opens, there’s a question of it living up to the hype — and the hype around Sap Sua was big; it even landed on Bon Appétit’s radar. But this opening was different, because owners Ni and Anna Nguyen spent time developing their take on Vietnamese fare through the lens of Ni’s experience as a fi rst-generation Asian American and sharing it with guests long before the doors actually opened — fi rst from a food cart in Longmont, and later in a series of pop-ups in the Denver area. Dishes like the now-staple charred cabbage anchored the opening menu, which has continued to evolve in exciting and delicious ways. Best New Restaurant Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails 3333 East Colfax Avenue 303-316-3333 molotovdenver.com Bo Porytko has built a reputation for do- ing things differently, and his eatery that debuted at the very start of 2023 is differ- ent in a lot of ways. It’s tiny, and the best seats surround the equally tiny kitchen just inside the front entrance, under a wall cov- ered in cuckoo clocks. The crew has been known to enjoy shots of horilka — vodka infused with fl avors like honey black cur- rant or horseradish — with guests. But it’s the food that really brings something spe- cial to the scene: playful odes to Porytko’s Ukrainian heritage that make us reconsider what we know about Eastern European fare on every visit. Denver’s Best Ciao BEST Italian Restaurant 2017 & 2018 BEST Old School Italian Restaurant 2017-2019, 2021 & 2023
