In all, 44 restaurants were honored at the event, including the five that received the highest honor of the evening, one star (although the Michelin star itself actually looks more like a flower, and is reminiscent of the logo for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts):
- Beckon, Denver
- Bosq, Aspen
- Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder
- Brutø, Denver
- The Wolf's Tailor, Denver
Here are some takeaways from the event:
The Michelin Man is shorter than expected
The tire company's mascot, whose actual name is Bibendum, which comes from the Latin phrase "Nunc est. Bibendum," or "Now is the time to drink," was on hand for the event, and he's a short king, it turns out. As guests wondered whether a child might be inside the rubbery costume, they made their way toward the floor area in front of the stage, which was peppered with high-top tables, several comfy couches and cocktail-hour refreshments.
The vibe of the event was...awkward
Since this was Colorado's first Michelin ceremony, no one knew quite what to expect. Chefs who were invited were unsure of what that meant — were they getting a star? Another honor? Nothing at all? There was an awkward, nervous energy as people exchanged greetings. "This is exciting, right?" was an often repeated phrase/question as everyone sipped rose bubbly and noshed on bites that included beef tartare from Blackbelly (which landed on the recommended list) and Chinese cucumber salad from the Ginger Pig, one of the Bib Gourmand picks.
The awkwardness continued as the ceremony commenced, emceed by travel filmmaker and vlogger Juliana Broste. While she was enthusiastic, there were lots of long, silent pauses as honorees donned their Michelin chef coats in a dark corner of the stage before posing with Bibendum for photos.
Denver won big
While it's called the Michelin Guide Colorado, it actually only covers Denver, Boulder, Aspen and Snowmass Village, the Town of Vail and Beaver Creek Resort; even so, Mile High restaurants racked up more than half the honors of the night.
In his opening speech, Tim Wolfe, director of the Colorado Tourism Office, seemed to subtly address the fact that restaurants in many other parts of the state were not considered for the guide, as such consideration is limited to areas where tourism boards agree to help pay toward the Michelin marketing fees. "As we celebrate the awardees and the teams that make it all happen, let us remember the countless restaurants across our entire state that make Colorado special," he said. "Tonight, we're not just celebrating the stars, we're celebrating the entire constellation that makes up our culinary universe."
The recommended list made up — sort of — for the Bib Gourmands
Michelin whet the appetites of Denver diners when it announced its nine Bib Gourmand picks two weeks ahead of the ceremony. The Bib Gourmand designees are described as "restaurants that offer high-quality food at pocket-friendly prices." Even so, the list was a confusing mix of price points and dining styles, which ranged from Tavernetta, a fine-dining favorite that many thought would be a star contender, to AJ's Pit Bar-Q, where you order at a counter and seat yourself in a cafeteria-like dining room.
The most surprising aspect of the Bib picks, though, is how short the list is compared to those of other U.S. regions, such as Florida, whose inaugural guide last year included 29 Bibs.
In a 2017 story posted on the Michelin website, Michael Ellis, former international director of the Michelin Guide books, describes recommended restaurants as "a sign of a chef using quality ingredients that are well cooked; simply a good meal. It means that the inspectors have found the food to be above average, but not quite at star or Bib level.”
By that definition, the thirty restaurants that got recommended status in the guide are sort of the bronze medal winners of the night, but the selections made a lot of people in the room happy as names of deserving places that would otherwise have been overlooked altogether made the cut. Some standouts include Noisette, Fruition, Potager and Blackbelly.
Kelly Whitaker, owner of Id Est Hospitality (right) with the group's director of fermentation, Mara King.
Jeff Fierberg
Founded by chef Kelly Whitaker, Id Est had a huge night. Bruto and the Wolf's Tailor both got one star and a green star for excellence in sustainability; Basta got a Bib Gourmand; Hey Kiddo landed on the recommended list; and Caroline Clark from the Wolf's Tailor won the Exceptional Cocktails award. Want to learn more about what makes this group stand out? Read our previous coverage on how it's aiming to change food systems on a large scale, and on Bruto chef Michael Diaz de Leon's mission to redefine fine dining.
There were no star surprises
The five restaurants that got stars were all at the top of the heap of places that industry insiders were expecting to be honored. While the awards were all deserved, many people were hoping for at least one unexpected pick.
Still, Michelin missed a lot
While it was a thrill to see so many of the restaurants we love get global recognition, there were definitely a lot of oversights.
With a large Hispanic population, the Denver metro area has long been home to stellar Mexican eateries. While Michelin recognized Bruto's fine-dining take on the cuisine and the excellent fare being served up at newcomer La Diabla, which was a Bib Gourmand pick, we would have liked to see an old-school spot like El Taco de Mexico land somewhere.
The newest restaurant among the 44 in the guide is Stella's Cucina in Boulder, which opened in January. One glaring omission was chef Bo Porytko's Molotov, which debuted in Denver that same month. Porytko has long been cooking some of the most exciting, creative fare in the city, and Molotov is a shining ode to his Ukrainian heritage.
A lot of big-name chefs/restaurateurs were MIA, too, notably Jennifer Jasinski (Rioja, Ultreia, Bistro Vendôme, Stoic & Genuine); Frank Bonanno (Mizuna, in particular); Paul C. Reilly (Coperta and Apple Blossom); Elise Wiggins (Cattivella); Lon Symensma (ChoLon, LeRoux); and Dana Rodriguez (Work & Class, Super Mega Bien, Cantina Loca), who was the only chef we spotted in attendance at the ceremony who came away empty-handed.
Other spots on our list of snubs include Spuntino, Bar Dough (though its sister restaurants A5, Ash'Kara and Mister Oso made the cut), Brasserie Brixton, Lucina, Somebody People, the Bindery, Sushi Sasa, Uchi and Sushi Den (its sister restaurant at the Source, Temaki Den, did land on the recommended list).
The geographic limitations cut out a lot of potential picks as well. Despite the fact that Michelin said all of Boulder County would be considered, two favorites outside of the City of Boulder were left out: Farow in Niwot and Marigold in Lyons. Other restaurants that could have been contenders had their local boosters bought into the process include Poulette Bakeshop in Parker, Rootstalk and Radicato in Breckenridge, Stone Cellar Bistro in Arvada, and Annette in Aurora.
The day after the ceremony, Bruce Dalton, president and CEO of Visit Aurora, addressed the organization's decision to not be a part of the Michelin guide. "We congratulate those who received Michelin awards last night, and we are excited that Michelin chose to come to Colorado for its latest guide," he said. "This will raise the profile of the strength and diversity of our culinary offerings even for the cities that are not evaluated by Michelin. Making an investment in the guide is each city’s decision, and it is a risk because you do not know if stars will be awarded. We chose to focus on the Aurora restaurant community as a whole. Our chefs are incredibly talented and dedicated to their craft. We are proud to promote them when we market Aurora. We appreciate them and will continue to showcase their talents."
Guide aside, Colorado has plenty of unofficial stars in the dining scene across the state, and the addition of Michelin recognition should help the entire scene shine in the years to come.
