Molly Martio
Audio By Carbonatix
We finally know when Dear Emilia, the new eatery from the team behind Restaurant Olivia, will debut — and we got a taste of what’s to come.
Since opening in 2020, Restaurant Olivia has consistently proven itself to be one of the top eateries in the city, maintaining its Michelin-recommended status since 2023. This year, co-owner and hospitality director Heather Morrison was also recognized by Michelin as the recipient of its Outstanding Service Award.
In April 2024, Morrison and her partners, chef Ty Leon and beverage director Austin Carson, announced plans to open a second restaurant on the ground floor of the Current at 3615 Delgany Street in RiNo. It’s been on our most anticipated list ever since, but the wait is almost over. Dear Emilia, the team’s homage to the Emilia Romagna region of Italy through the lens of locally-sourced ingredients, is set to open January 29.
Last December, we took a sneak peek tour of the space and learned more details about the menu. A year later, we finally got a taste of what the team has been cooking up at a preview dinner hosted at Restaurant Emilia.
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The Drinks
Among the cocktails on offer were three versions of the classic Negroni: one made with black rice-infused rum with coconut notes, a Negroni sour with preserved peach and lemon, and our favorite, the Negroni Bianco, a tequila-based variation with a lovely, light hazelnut flavor.
Wine pairings were offered with each of the five courses, starting with a pair of Lambruscos, the region’s sparkling red wine. One staffer joked that wine director Scott Thomas has been tempted to do an all-Lambrusco wine menu — and we wouldn’t object; the varietal is not often found on menus here — but the team instead opted to include more variety. Three Lambruscos in total made an appearance at the preview, but one of the best wine selections of the night was the Albana “Santa Lusa,” a deeply-flavored dry white wine that offered a beautiful contrast to the rich pasta dishes it was served alongside.
Molly Martin
The Food
The meal began with a trio of street food-style snacks from the region, including gnocchi fritto (a small bite of light and airy fried dough) served alongside mortadella made from local bison and bite-sized erbazzone, a rustic pie filled with local greens and buffalo ricotta.
Chef Leon is well known for his pasta, so it’s no surprise that the pasta course impressed. It included a trio of options served alongside fluffy focaccia to sop up the scarpetta (the last little bites or bits of sauce left on the plate). There was hand-rolled garganelli paired with duck sausage, brown butter and black truffle; and a traditional Bolognese served with tagliolini, a thinner version of tagliatelle. The star of the night, though, was the anolini, a circular stuffed pasta filled with slow-cooked beef cheek and topped with a decadent Parmesan cream sauce.
Another staple from Emilia Romagna, tortellini in brodo, came next. Here, the pasta was filled with pork shoulder and mortadella and served in a light but flavorful consommé. It was followed by bison strip loin over a celery root puree. Dessert was a tiramisu that offered a nice departure from the traditional ingredients, adding hazelnuts and chocolate to the mix.
The preview certainly has us hungry for more from this talented team, and is a good sign of tasty things to come in 2026.
Dear Emilia will be located at 3615 Delgany Street and is expected to open on January 29. For updates and more information, follow it @dearemilia_denver on Instagram.
