There were tables full of businessmen and businesswomen on the patio when we stopped by last week, holding lunchtime meetings watered down with Amato's impressive beer list. The salad caught our eye because of the fresh Colorado peaches (from Palisade) and baby spinach. It comes topped with red peppers, red onions and agave-nectar-glazed walnuts, and we paired it with a pint of Breckenridge Brewery's Peachfork Wheat. It was a good choice: The peach is very subtle in this brew, adding just a hint of sweetness to the unfiltered beer.
There's also a vegetarian-friendly pasta dish and a red-pepper hummus appetizer on the menu, but our dining companion chose the portobello ciabatta sandwich instead.
The portobello mushroom cap is served with sauteed spinach, roasted red pepper, garlic mayo and fresh mozzarella on a ciabatta bun; it's a hefty dish for lunchtime, and she ended up taking half the sandwich home, but she thoroughly enjoyed the other half on the patio.There is also ample indoor seating at Amato's, including an expansive bar downstairs for more informal diners, and with 42 beers on tap (and an array of flights), you're bound to find something that will pair just as perfectly with your meal as the salad-and-beer combo we tried.
Visit http://alehousedenver.com/index.php for information and hours; get there early on a nice day for a stab at the patio, because it fills up fast.
