Social Sightings: Rainbow Pasta, Garden Fresh Produce and More

Plus a new option for lunch downtown.

June 21, 2021

Spuntino/Instagram

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How do you keep up with the latest news from your favorite restaurants? One of the best ways is to follow social media. But now that concerts and sports events and farmers' markets are back, who's got time to endlessly scroll? We're here to help. This is the first installment of a new weekly series, Social Sightings, in which we'll highlight news, dishes and notable recent posts from Denver restaurants.

Spuntino
2639 West 32nd Avenue
The Italian eatery, which specializes in doing the unexpected, is offering a colorful spin on aglio e olio for the next few weeks. The entire price of every dish sold will be donated to the Transgender Center of the Rockies; the restaurant has raised more than $1,000 already. Also notable: the poetic captions.

The Original
1600 20th Street
One of several restaurants to open recently in the Ballpark neighborhood's new McGregor Square complex, this retro-inspired diner will add lunch starting June 22.

The Fifth String
3316 Tejon Street
Chef Amos Watts has been busy, and not just in the kitchen. Radishes are one of the early-season veggies he and his team recently pulled from their garden. It doesn't get fresher than that.

Pirate Alley Po'Boys
3215 Zuni Street
Though we lost Julep in 2020, Kyle and Katy Foster are still serving Southern eats in the form of Po'Boys, available at Stir Cooking School (which they also own) on Thursdays and Fridays at 11 a.m. You have to pre-order online for pick-up, and you'll need to pay attention to Instagram, where they post weekly specials like the fried Pirate Pocket stuffed with gumbo and the frog cake sandwich.

Cart-Driver
2500 Larimer Street #100
Summer pizza craving: the new white pie from this RiNo spot. They had us at Castelvetrano olives.

Exile Kitchen
320 East Colfax Avenue
A post on April 5 announced that Southern brunch spot Sassafras' Capitol Hill location was being rebranded as Exile Kitchen. A call to the restaurant on June 21 confirmed the name change is now in place, but a voicemail message notes that the restaurant has "the same chef, same delicious menu as well as the same beverage program."

Did you spot something noteworthy from a Denver bar or restaurant on social? Send tips to [email protected]

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Molly Martin has been the Food & Drink editor at Westword since 2021. Prior to joining the staff, Molly reported on the Denver dining scene for more than a decade and contributed to Thrillist. At Westword, Molly monitors restaurant openings and closings, offers dining recommendations and reports on Denver-area food news and trends. She also publishes such annual lists as Top 100 Bars and Top 100 Restaurants, and contributes to the yearly Best of Denver edition. In 2023, she was recognized with the Colorado Restaurant Association's Outstanding Media Professional award.

Contact: Molly Martin

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