Colt & Gray

Colt & Gray is an exercise in how far someone — chef/owner Nelson Perkins, in this case — can push a neighborhood restaurant without going completely over the edge. Since it opened at the foot of the 16th Street pedestrian bridge connecting Commons Park to LoHi in August 2009, this compact eatery has been an equally good spot for savoring a perfectly executed cocktail while you eat your way through one of the best and most interesting happy-hour menus in town, or sipping a specially selected glass of wine while enjoying a special night out in the small but elegant, well-staffed dining room. The dinner menu is well thought out, too, with a number of dishes built around parts of the animal that some people would consider scraps, including a roasted marrow bone that concentrates the essence of grilled meat into a buttery spread.