Social Sightings: Our Food Editor’s Five Favorite Recent Bites

Monday mornings are tough, but this series isn’t. Social Sightings is a quick taste of recent food tidbits. It goes down as easy as your first cup of coffee, and should whet your appetite for the week ahead.

As the weather turns colder, I turn to carbs, which come in a double dose on the breakfast sandwich named the Basic at Bodega, which recently opened in Sunnyside. The opening menu is short – owner Cliff Blauvelt plans to slowly expand offerings and hours – but breakfast is already very popular. And this sandwich hits all the breakfast basics, in the best possible way. The buttered, toasted poppyseed Kaiser bun is soft and squishy; the American cheese is perfectly melted; there’s crisp bacon cooked right into the eggs; and tater tots give it an extra dose of heartiness.
Instagram: @bodega_denver

Another new spot to start your day (or get a midday pastry, no judgment) is Hearth, which debuted last month behind Uchi in RiNo. The small bakery is bright and open, with a patio that’s perfect for an outdoor remote work session. Owner and head baker Matt Quinlisk was previously the pastry chef at Moxie Bread Co. in Louisville, and here he’s serving up delectable pastries like raspberry and white chocolate scones, Hatch green chile and cheddar twirls, and my favorite of the bunch, the ham and cheese croissant.
Instagram: @hearth_baker

Bar Dough is the ideal place to meet up with friends and eat your way through as much of chef Russel Stippich’s menu as you can. On a recent visit, standouts included the crudo with roasted grapes, the white pie with Castelvetrano olives and the popcorn-topped polenta. But the star of the night was this super-tender, perfectly seasoned Milanese. 
Instagram: @bardoughden

While working on a story about the Korean fried chicken craze currently hitting Denver, I was momentarily distracted by the non-chicken offerings at Bonchon, a Korean chain that franchisee Henry Lee brought to Denver in 2018 (it now has three locations in the metro area). The fried rice was supremely satisfying, and the steamed buns come loaded with perfectly roasted pork belly, but Lee’s favorite – and now mine – is the bulgogi, which comes out fajita-style on a sizzling pan loaded with flavorful beef and mushroom.
Instagram: @bonchonchicken

When I spoke to chef Ludo Lefebvre last fall about his plans for Chez Maggy, the restaurant he opened inside the new Thompson Hotel on Market Street, he promised a “kick-ass” burger. And while I’m still on the fence about a hamburger that you must eat with a fork and a knife, this burger is definitely the most decadent in town. At $28 (without fries), it may also be the most expensive, but the combination of American cheese, pickled mustard seeds, smoked mayo and beer-braised onions piled on a big burger that’s literally swimming in pepper gravy indeed kicks ass.
Instagram: @chezmaggy_denver