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Best breads

Tasteez Market & Bakery

When the Palmetto Grille closed, chef Michael Bortz -- a noted chocolatier -- turned his talents toward making some dough. After a stint at the Corner Bakery, he hooked up with Tasteez owner Scott Wagner, who challenged Bortz to come up with artisan breads that would complement the market/deli's daily roster of gourmet takeout foods and carved-to-order eat-in items. And Bortz more than complied, assembling an impressive roster of boules, baguettes, brioche and ciabatta, each sporting the ideal texture and flavor for its type. The brioche, for example, boasts a classic brioche à tête shape, sweet and studded with golden raisins, with a thin, chewy crust and an egg-enriched interior. The hearty, thick-skinned boules come in olive, rosemary and roasted garlic flavors (on Sunday, the special is chocolate cherry); the crispy, crackly exteriors of the baguettes contain a light, smooth center that's particularly good in the sourdough model. Need an excuse for loafing? You won't do better than Tasteez's bakery.

Best bakery

Bluepoint Bakery

If you've eaten in any of the better restaurants around town, chances are you've already had Bluepoint's desserts, pastries and breads. For nearly a decade, the husband-and-wife team of Mary Clark and Fred Bramhall has been supplying Denver's finest with some of their own finery: luscious cakes, perfect pies and crusty rolls. Although the cooking couple used to have a retail operation, they closed it a few years back in order to concentrate on producing as many baked goods as possible, all distributed daily throughout the metro area. We'd call that a fair trade.

Best bakery

Bluepoint Bakery

If you've eaten in any of the better restaurants around town, chances are you've already had Bluepoint's desserts, pastries and breads. For nearly a decade, the husband-and-wife team of Mary Clark and Fred Bramhall has been supplying Denver's finest with some of their own finery: luscious cakes, perfect pies and crusty rolls. Although the cooking couple used to have a retail operation, they closed it a few years back in order to concentrate on producing as many baked goods as possible, all distributed daily throughout the metro area. We'd call that a fair trade.

Best bakery for folks who don't like desserts

Vinh Xuong Bakery

Molly Martin
In general, Asian cuisines aren't known for their desserts -- and when they do go the sweet route, most of their creations tend to avoid the usual Western trappings of chocolate and refined sugar. As a result, the toothsome tidbits at Vinh Xuong, where no one speaks much English but everyone knows the language of food, are usually more refreshing than cloying. This tiny bakery in the Far East Center, along with its sister store on West Alameda, makes cute little cookies and cupcakes, most flavored with coconut, almonds and lemon, as well as interesting Asian-style dumplings that involve bean curd and sesame seeds. Point to your selections and the staff will bag them up with a big smile -- which should be matched by your own grin after your first taste of these unusual goodies.

Best bakery for folks who don't like desserts

Vinh Xuong Bakery

In general, Asian cuisines aren't known for their desserts -- and when they do go the sweet route, most of their creations tend to avoid the usual Western trappings of chocolate and refined sugar. As a result, the toothsome tidbits at Vinh Xuong, where no one speaks much English but everyone knows the language of food, are usually more refreshing than cloying. This tiny bakery in the Far East Center, along with its sister store on West Alameda, makes cute little cookies and cupcakes, most flavored with coconut, almonds and lemon, as well as interesting Asian-style dumplings that involve bean curd and sesame seeds. Point to your selections and the staff will bag them up with a big smile -- which should be matched by your own grin after your first taste of these unusual goodies.

Best restaurant when you're sugar-bustin'

Petra's

Since gourmet meal plans were developed for the revolutionary! groundbreaking! Sugar Busters! diet by twelve of New Orleans's top restaurants, Denverites looking to "determine which glycemic levels work for them" and "discover which foods to eat at what time of the day" should head straight to the town's best New Orleans-style eatery -- where they'll immediately bust any and all dietary restrictions. At Petra's, every meal is a Mardi Gras party in the making. The decor puts whimsy on parade with cutouts of musicians and vibrant murals depicting New Orleans scenes, the cheerful service lets the good times roll, and the food is a lagniappe of luxurious flavors. The gumbo (including a killer smoked-duck-and-wild-mushroom version) has a real bite; the crawfish cakes are all about the succulent little suckers, not filler; the sweet-potato fries are as sweet a side as you'll find; the po' boys overflow with batter-dipped crawfish and oysters; and the blackened chicken would make Paul Prudhomme purple, gold and green with envy. Finish off your dinner with a slice of toothsome pecan pie -- it'll put so much sugar into your system, you'll be busted for a month.

Best restaurant when you're sugar-bustin'

Petra's

Since gourmet meal plans were developed for the revolutionary! groundbreaking! Sugar Busters! diet by twelve of New Orleans's top restaurants, Denverites looking to "determine which glycemic levels work for them" and "discover which foods to eat at what time of the day" should head straight to the town's best New Orleans-style eatery -- where they'll immediately bust any and all dietary restrictions. At Petra's, every meal is a Mardi Gras party in the making. The decor puts whimsy on parade with cutouts of musicians and vibrant murals depicting New Orleans scenes, the cheerful service lets the good times roll, and the food is a lagniappe of luxurious flavors. The gumbo (including a killer smoked-duck-and-wild-mushroom version) has a real bite; the crawfish cakes are all about the succulent little suckers, not filler; the sweet-potato fries are as sweet a side as you'll find; the po' boys overflow with batter-dipped crawfish and oysters; and the blackened chicken would make Paul Prudhomme purple, gold and green with envy. Finish off your dinner with a slice of toothsome pecan pie -- it'll put so much sugar into your system, you'll be busted for a month.

Best pâtisserie

La Pâtisserie Française

Tired of waiting for gâteaux? Check out the display cases at La Pâtisserie Française. This little spot tucked into an Arvada shopping center does big things with butter, sugar, flour and chocolate. From tarte Tatin to langues du chat, or cat's tongues (long, narrow cookies made into little dessert sandwiches stuffed with ganache and buttercream), La Patisserie makes the most beautiful, delicate pastries around, as well as meringue pies, exquisite fruit tarts, housemade chocolates and a fabulous French baguette.

Best pâtisserie

La Pâtisserie Française

Tired of waiting for gâteaux? Check out the display cases at La Pâtisserie Française. This little spot tucked into an Arvada shopping center does big things with butter, sugar, flour and chocolate. From tarte Tatin to langues du chat, or cat's tongues (long, narrow cookies made into little dessert sandwiches stuffed with ganache and buttercream), La Patisserie makes the most beautiful, delicate pastries around, as well as meringue pies, exquisite fruit tarts, housemade chocolates and a fabulous French baguette.

Best panadería

El Alamo Bakery

Once an Italian bakery, El Alamo still features a few Italian specialties, such as cookies, rum cakes and an excellent Italian bread. But it's the Mexican baked goods that really grab us: The raspberry-filled flautas are crunchy tubes of delight, and the polvorones wedding cookies are the best in town. El Alamo also makes a wicked cheesecake, as well as bolillos, the semi-sweet Mexican bread, and conchas, horn-shaped pastries that crumble when you bite into them and then melt in your mouth. But don't be so distracted by all this sweetness that you forget the spice of life, too: El Alamo also stocks a wide variety of Mexican seasonings, most cheaper than you'll find in a grocery store.

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