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Dated: November 2, 2007

Normally when an existing restaurant opens a second location it’s not a big deal. But the opening of the new DiCicco’s a few miles from DIA is so noteworthy that it merits all the attention it’s bound to receive.

For those of you familiar with the original DiCicco’s in Oldetown Arvada, you know that in the five or six years they’ve been around they’ve gained quite a reputation not only for their food, which is outstandingly good and always consistent, but for their warm, inviting country-Italian décor and outstanding service.

And everyone knows that the area around DIA is decidedly lacking in good places to eat, and that it was just a matter of time before that corner turned. What no one could have guessed, however, is that it would be DiCicco’s that popped up first, and that they would do it in such a grand way.

The new DiCicco’s is in a free-standing building at 67th and Tower Road, about a mile south of the Tower Road exit from Pena Boulevard. You can’t miss it because it’s so big and, for now, is surrounded mostly by open land. There are no windows, and the front door is just that--a front door. But cross that threshold and oh, my. The main part of the restaurant is an open atrium with seating on the ground level, and two more encircling rows of seating above that. At one end of the room is a stage and, on the night we had dinner, it was occupied by a guitar player gently coaxing familiar favorites from the strings. Behind the stage is a two-story high screen and, while the guitarist was playing, the image of a crackling fireplace spread across the screen. When he was on break, we got to enjoy videos of Frank Sinatra singing along with a variety of female singers from that era. DiCicco’s offers music every night, highlighted by a trio on the weekends.

The seating is absolutely amazing, consisting primarily of cozy, intimate booths, all of which offer a direct line-of-sight to the stage. The feeling of privacy is simply profound. Aside from the main dining room, there are at least four (I lost count) private rooms of various sizes, and there’s an intimate little nook just off the lounge area for a couple desiring the ultimate in privacy. For warmer days, there are two large outdoor patios, one suspended on a deck above the other.

If you’ve been to the Arvada location, you’re familiar with the color scheme and the hand-painted graphics on the walls, and the same theme has been carried through at the new DiCicco’s. But, since the walls are much larger, the graphics are also larger, and include depictions of Roman chariots and charging horses along with the more genteel side of the Italian lifestyle.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time on the food. DiCicco’s classic Italian fare, as I already mentioned, is well known in the area. The amazing thing is the pricing, which is identical to the Arvada location. So, you can still get a bowl of spaghetti for ten bucks if cash is tight, or a pizza for about thirteen. Most everything else on the menu is in the mid-teens except for a handful of veal and steak dishes which break through the twenty dollar barrier. Even the wines are remarkably inexpensive. So, you can have the best of both worlds—exciting atmosphere and moderately priced food, making it the perfect place to bring the family.

DiCicco’s Italian Restaurant, 6701 Tower Rd., 303-574-1956 5660
          Olde Wadsworth Blvd., Arvada 303-940-9877