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date: December 7, 2007

Baur’s restaurant in downtown Denver was gone before I got to Colorado but, like so many places from the past, its reputation lingers on. Curtis Street, back in the 30’s was Denver’s Great White Way, a shimmering oasis of theatres and restaurants that was the entertainment district of Denver. I know this, not from having been there, but from seeing pictures of that era. Pictures which are now hanging on the walls of the resurrected Baur’s Ristorante, headed up by long-time restaurateur Jimmy Lambatos who ran Footer’s restaurant for so many years.

It’s not the first time the facility has risen from its ashes. About two years ago, the space was given a much needed facelift and reopened as Victory American Grill. When it closed earlier this year, Lambatos, who had been consulting with the Victory people and saw its potential, took over the restaurant completed the facelift, and recently opened to the public.

While much of the old Baur’s remains, including the Venetian Room at the rear for private parties, and the bar area where local families once enjoyed Baur’s ice cream sodas, Lambatos has added elegant chandeliers and drapes, cloth-covered tables, and comfortable, over-sized booths, along with a tempting Italian menu.

One important thing to keep in mind--this is not the old Baur’s. Since it opened I’ve had people asking me if the restaurant offers specific dishes that Baur’s was known for. Aside from the space, the general appearance and the legendary name, this restaurant is its own entity. And I suspect that’s a good thing. Though we tend to romanticize about things from the past, most of the time they weren’t as good as we remember them. Even looking back over the thirty years I’ve been talking about restaurants in this town, the places that were considered the “best” in Denver three decades ago, probably wouldn’t last six months in today’s dining environment.

Which brings us to the food. Not the old Baur’s, but an exciting new Italian menu which can be enjoyed as a collection of small plates or as more traditional dining. Whichever way you go, you’ll be pleased. The small plates or appetizers include a tempting assortment of palate teasers that range in price from $4 for roasted peppers stuffed with herbed goat cheese, baked stuffed artichokes, or a classic pastry-wrapped mozzarella en carozza, to $8 for beef carpaccio enhanced by roasted beets and creamed horseradish. We enjoyed an order of calamari, an eye-appealing mix of both deep-fried and grilled calamari rings served with a tomato-based romesco sauce. It’s a pleasant change from the traditional fried calamari with cocktail sauce.

The entrée selection, ranging in price from $16 to $28, includes a nice variety of dishes from pasta items to a wild-mushroom risotto, Colorado lamb chops and a chicken roulade with ricotta cheese and spinach. The Pasta Gemelli brought an overflowing bowl of pasta twists in a nicely balanced sauce of pancetta, onions, smoked mozzarella and tomatoes. The highlight of the evening had to be the Parmesan-Crusted Veal, unbelievably tender twin veal tenderloins nestled on a whipped parsnip puree.

In addition to its plush atmosphere, and good food, Baur’s is just off the corner of 15th and Curtis, just a short one-block stroll from the theatre district. And, they have the capability to handle large parties in private rooms.

Baur’s Ristorante, 1512 Curtis Street, 303-534-4842