94 APRIL 6-12, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | back in Park Hill and better than ever. With fresh and modern decor and an up- dated menu from chef Jeremy Wolgamot, this is the place to go for classic French, including steak frites and coq au vin along- side dishes like allium soup and bourride (fi sh stew). Best Mediterranean Restaurant Bosphorus 3493 South Downing Street, Englewood 303-942-1267 Some of the best Turkish food around can be found at a strip mall in Englewood. The family-owned and -operated Bosphorus serves huge portions at extremely reason- able prices. Dig into tender lamb shish ke- babs, juicy stuffed grape leaves and freshly sliced lamb and beef gyros on puffy pitas, and pair it all with strong Turkish coffee. There’s limited seating for dine-in, so take- out is the safest bet, but if you do manage to snag one of the few tables, you’ll get to enjoy the best feature of Bosphorus: its attentive and hospitable staff, which is willing to go to any lengths to make you feel like family. Best Soup for a Hangover Chef Zorba’s 2626 East 12th Avenue 303-321-0091 chefzorbas.com Chef Zorba’s resides on a calm and tree- shaded block of Congress Park. Locals have been dining here since 1979, and when Karen LuKanic bought the spot in 2018, she kept many of Zorba’s traditional dishes, while also making some modern updates to the space. One tried-and-true staple is the chicken-lemon-rice soup, also known as avgolemono, which has a refreshing light- ness from the citrus while still being fi lling and hearty enough to battle even the most stubborn hangover. Best Hotel Restaurant Apple Blossom 822 18th Street 303-301-8999 appleblossomdenver.com Denver diners mourned the loss of the eight- year-old Beast + Bottle when it shuttered in Uptown after its building was sold in 2021. But the loss stung a lot less when Paul and Aileen Reilly — the brother-and-sister duo behind the now-closed eatery — moved a new concept with a similar mission into the Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver. Unlike their former space, this eatery is open all day, serving breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner, but like Beast, Apple Blossom focuses on responsible sourc- ing. It takes inspiration from regions all over the country, serving dishes like housemade spam, Paul’s Southern-style fried chicken, a French dip made with confi t duck leg, and grilled swordfi sh from Santa Barbara. Best Farm-to-Table Fare Potager 1109 Ogden Street 303-246-7073 potagerrestaurant.com Capitol Hill neighbors who’d frequented Po- tager since it opened in 1997 were worried when founder Teri Rippeto sold it in early 2019. But their fears have been allayed by the restaurant’s continued dedication to locally sourced, seasonally driven ingredients under current owners Paul and Eileen Warthen and Nik Brand. Potager was a bellwether for a style of cuisine that’s become almost cliché, but few new restaurants are as good or as devoted to simple, honest cooking with premium ingre- dients, and the back garden may be the most peaceful place in Denver to enjoy a meal. Best German/Eastern European Restaurant Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails 3333 East Colfax Avenue 303-316-3333 molotovdenver.com This small eatery, Food and Drink continued from page 92 continued on page 96 GETT Y IMAGES
