80 APRIL 6-12, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | accompanies Texas toast, brunch potatoes, an over-easy egg and collards. Best French Fries Gaia Masala & Burger 609 Grant Street 720-779-0762 gaiadenver.com The fast-casual Gaia Masala & Burger offers straight-up Indian dishes, a smat- tering of Mediterranean entrees like falafel and shawarma, and a handful of burgers. But dig deeper into the menu and you’ll fi nd the really exciting stuff: neon-orange tikka masala cheesesteaks; a burger topped with mint, cucumber and tikka masala sauce; and (our fave) cheesy masala fries served plain or piled with a choice of chicken, lamb or chees- esteak. The best part? You can dig into these loaded fries until 2 a.m., as Gaia is one of the few Denver eateries open ’til the wee hours. Best Hamburger Atomic Cowboy/Fat Sully’s Multiple metro locations atomiccowboy.net Atomic Cowboy, Fat Sully’s and the Denver Biscuit Company make up a three-in-one concept that has grown to seven locations and is known mainly for towering biscuit sandwiches and giant slices of pizza. It also serves up an unexpected item known as the Lights Out Burger. And it’s perfect: Two smashburger-style patties, aged Ameri- can cheese, housemade pickles, a layer of minced onions and a tangy burger sauce are all loaded onto a garlic butter-toasted brioche bun. The resulting burger is greasy in all the right ways and completely impos- sible to put down until every drippy bite is gone. It also rings in at just $8.95, and is an even better deal during happy hour, when the price drops to six bucks. Best Green Chile Cheeseburger Steuben’s 523 East 17th Avenue 303-830-1001 steubens.com The green chile cheeseburger at Steuben’s has been on the menu since Josh Wolkon opened the restaurant in 2006, and there’s no plan to ever change that. The original in- spiration came from a manager at the now- closed Vesta Dipping Grill, who tapped into his New Mexican roots to bring a taste of his childhood to the Denver spot, adding chopped Hatch green chiles and American cheese to the beef patty. The whole thing comes on a soft brioche bun, and you can add any combo of tomato, onion, mayo, lettuce and mustard. But even without the accoutrements, the balance of smoky chiles, melty cheese and fatty beef make this burger a winner. Best Vegan Restaurant Fellow Traveler 3487 South Broadway, Englewood 303-635-6621 ftbar.com An understated facade and simple “FT” signage belies Fellow Traveler’s airy, glob- ally inspired interior, decorated with vin- tage world maps and pull-down images of iconic travel vistas to enliven the backdrop of your booth. The rotating food menu hosts transcontinental vegan delights, in- cluding a coconut curry aloo gobi, green chile chilaquiles, pineapple fried rice and a mixed street taco plate fi lled with the fl avors of ingredients such as Thai curry- marinated tofu. The back bar is also an international affair, with deep dives into Mexico’s mezcals, a Malört tasting fl ight and bottles of limoncello that are made in-house by co-owner Joe Philips and available for sale to take home. Best Barbecue Restaurant Pit Fiend Barbecue 2826 Larimer Street 303-955-7810 pitfi endbbq.com After the much-loved barbecue joint Owlbear closed in January 2022, a trio of friends, two of them former employees, took it over and reopened it as Pit Fiend Barbecue. Since then, they’ve been keep- ing the fire stoked in RiNo. While the Dungeons & Dragons-themed eatery kept some old favorites around, like Owlbear’s Texas-style brisket and legendary mac and cheese, the new pitmasters excel at exper- imenting with barbecue traditions from around the world, bringing unique items such as ras el hanout lamb, vegan smoked mushrooms and a rotating sausage of the week to the menu. Best Comeback Wayne’s Smoke Shack 406 Center Drive, Superior 303-554-5319 waynessmokeshack.com On December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire swept through Boulder County, causing massive destruction. Wayne and Sam Shelnutt, the husband-and-wife own- ers of Wayne’s Smoke Shack, lost their homes; they lost a car, too. And while the building that held the business they had been running for nine years still stood, it suffered severe smoke damage. But just over a year later, Wayne’s reopened, wel- comed by its many fans who continue to line up on Fridays and Saturdays for a taste of its Texas- Food and Drink continued from page 78 continued on page 82
