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Best chicken noodle soup

The Soup Kitchen

What's in a name? For starters, this little spot just off the 16th Street Mall looks better than your average soup kitchen, although it's not exactly the Taj Mahal: Little bits of information are handwritten on scraps of paper and stuck to the display cases, pots and pans; baker's pallets are stacked everywhere; and the decor consists of dozens of bottles of hot sauce and other flavorings stacked like little soldiers on the makeshift counter along the front window. Even soup-maker/owner Richard Gamsen, a transplanted New Yorker, is usually wearing a grimy T-shirt and baseball cap. But don't let appearances fool you, because inside those covered vats in front of Gamsen are some of the town's most elaborate and tasty concoctions, including a chicken noodle whose broth is so chickeny, it's like gnawing on a thigh. Gamsen uses the untraditional fettuccine as his noodle, but the thick strips are cooked until perfectly soggy so that they soak up the intense stock that's been augmented with tender chicken chunks and soft pieces of carrot and celery. This is the soup that Gamsen runs out of most often, and we're not surprised.

Best cream of mushroom soup

Diane's Good-to-Go

Don't worry if many of the dishes at Diane's Good-to-Go seem half-baked -- that's by design, since these two gourmet-to-go outlets assume that you'll get the goods, then take them home and reheat them in the oven or microwave. So Diane's plans ahead, labeling each item with instructions for how to bring it to full flavor. The soups, though, are already there -- and then some, with Diane's wild-mushroom soup a delicious case in point. Packed with mushrooms and enriched with cream, this concoction is as earthy, rich and creamy as mushroom soup can be (Campbell's doesn't even come close). So thick it's almost like condensed, this soup really is good food.

Best cream of mushroom soup

Diane's Good-to-Go

Don't worry if many of the dishes at Diane's Good-to-Go seem half-baked -- that's by design, since these two gourmet-to-go outlets assume that you'll get the goods, then take them home and reheat them in the oven or microwave. So Diane's plans ahead, labeling each item with instructions for how to bring it to full flavor. The soups, though, are already there -- and then some, with Diane's wild-mushroom soup a delicious case in point. Packed with mushrooms and enriched with cream, this concoction is as earthy, rich and creamy as mushroom soup can be (Campbell's doesn't even come close). So thick it's almost like condensed, this soup really is good food.

Best soup kitchen

Attivo Pizza and Italian Deli

One of the last places you'd expect to get a stellar cup of soup would be a pizzeria, but last year Tony Velasquez, owner of Attivo Pizza and Italian Deli, and his kitchen manager, Jeff Carstens, decided to start experimenting with homemade soups. The result was fifteen flavor-packed soups, some impeccable versions of a classic (including an ultra-creamy cream of broccoli), others unique concoctions that have the regulars screaming for more. One soup is featured each day; if you're lucky, you'll drop by Attivo on the right day to try the lime soup with chicken and habaneros or the cream of tomato with fresh basil. Then again, you can't go wrong with the black bean, punched up with cilantro and jalapeos, or the chicken escarole, with just-cooked chicken breast in a double-cooked chicken broth. A cup costs a mere $2.50, and a bowl is $3.95; if you're lucky enough to live nearby, Attivo will deliver a quart to your door for $4.95. This soup's on, all right.

Best soup kitchen

Attivo Pizza and Italian Deli

One of the last places you'd expect to get a stellar cup of soup would be a pizzeria, but last year Tony Velasquez, owner of Attivo Pizza and Italian Deli, and his kitchen manager, Jeff Carstens, decided to start experimenting with homemade soups. The result was fifteen flavor-packed soups, some impeccable versions of a classic (including an ultra-creamy cream of broccoli), others unique concoctions that have the regulars screaming for more. One soup is featured each day; if you're lucky, you'll drop by Attivo on the right day to try the lime soup with chicken and habaneros or the cream of tomato with fresh basil. Then again, you can't go wrong with the black bean, punched up with cilantro and jalapeños, or the chicken escarole, with just-cooked chicken breast in a double-cooked chicken broth. A cup costs a mere $2.50, and a bowl is $3.95; if you're lucky enough to live nearby, Attivo will deliver a quart to your door for $4.95. This soup's on, all right.

Best burger

Bang!

While this bustling north Denver joint continues to attract new customers drawn by its downhome cooking and refreshingly simple concept, a base of regulars comes for one thing, and one thing only: Bang!'s incredible hamburger. It's hard to say which is more amazing, the roll or the meat, but both are given special treatment, resulting in a superlative burger. The kitchen bakes the soft, faintly sweet buns every day, using a Swedish oatmeal recipe that Bang! got from a Junior League cookbook; while the bun's chewy shell holds everything together, the inside is just right for soaking up a burger's juices. And what juices: The burger is a half-pound of Maverick Ranch ground sirloin that's been seasoned just enough to bring out the flavor of the meat, then perfectly sautéed to a diner's specifications. It comes with a sweet and tangy homemade ketchup, lettuce, tomato and onion, and potato chips. Get your buns to Bang!

Readers' choice: Cherry Cricket

Best burger

Bang!

While this bustling north Denver joint continues to attract new customers drawn by its downhome cooking and refreshingly simple concept, a base of regulars comes for one thing, and one thing only: Bang!'s incredible hamburger. It's hard to say which is more amazing, the roll or the meat, but both are given special treatment, resulting in a superlative burger. The kitchen bakes the soft, faintly sweet buns every day, using a Swedish oatmeal recipe that Bang! got from a Junior League cookbook; while the bun's chewy shell holds everything together, the inside is just right for soaking up a burger's juices. And what juices: The burger is a half-pound of Maverick Ranch ground sirloin that's been seasoned just enough to bring out the flavor of the meat, then perfectly sautéed to a diner's specifications. It comes with a sweet and tangy homemade ketchup, lettuce, tomato and onion, and potato chips. Get your buns to Bang!

Readers' choice: Cherry Cricket

Best late-night burger

Pint's Pub

If there's anything better than a bloody good Wimpy burger, it's a bloody good Wimpy for half the price. Monday through Thursday from 10 to 11 p.m., that's exactly what Pint's Pub, a veddy, veddy laid-back British brewpub, offers for just $2.50. To rate that price, though, you have to also shell out for one of Pint's foamy, handcrafted beers -- but you'll need one to wash this burger down, anyway. It's a half-pound of freshly ground, 80 percent lean chuck, topped with cheese and broiled until it's ready to leak juice into a fresh-baked crusty roll. Chips (that's fries to you Yanks) and a big, fat pickle round out one of the cheapest, most satisfying meals in town.

Best late-night burger

Pint's Pub

If there's anything better than a bloody good Wimpy burger, it's a bloody good Wimpy for half the price. Monday through Thursday from 10 to 11 p.m., that's exactly what Pint's Pub, a veddy, veddy laid-back British brewpub, offers for just $2.50. To rate that price, though, you have to also shell out for one of Pint's foamy, handcrafted beers -- but you'll need one to wash this burger down, anyway. It's a half-pound of freshly ground, 80 percent lean chuck, topped with cheese and broiled until it's ready to leak juice into a fresh-baked crusty roll. Chips (that's fries to you Yanks) and a big, fat pickle round out one of the cheapest, most satisfying meals in town.

Best pie

Papa Frank's

A lot of folks go to Papa Frank's religiously on Sundays for the $5.95 all-you-can-eat spaghetti-and-meatballs deal. But this casual storefront run by the Rizzi family is also the final destination on another spiritual quest: the search for the perfect homemade pie. Although the selection changes daily, there are always four or five choices -- all of them delicious, and all encased in a flaky, shortening-rich crust. The peanut butter tastes more like creamy peanut butter than peanut butter itself; the coconut cream is enough to drive you cuckoo for coconuts. And not only does Papa Frank's bake a mean apple pie, but it also turns out more exotic fruit varieties, including pear. And when the Palisades are in season, the peach is enough to make a grown man weep with joy. Ask nice, and the Rizzis might even sell you a whole pie to go.

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