Range

Like the Great American West implied by its name, Range is a place with big ambitions. These are hinted at in the shiny metallic banquettes (gold fever?) and the walnut communal tables sized in anticipation of crowds. They're also implicit in the fact that Range, which opened this spring in the new Renaissance Denver City Center Hotel in the historic National Bank building, was built with two entrances: one off the soaring lobby, with its mural-covered walls and marble columns, and a second off Champa Street. Because in addition to being a hotel restaurant, Range is also designed as a locals’ hangout. "Range is played as an independent restaurant," says executive chef Paul Nagan, a twenty-year veteran who's spent his entire career in hotel eateries and knows their intricacies well. "It's refreshing to have that independent feel." And in fact, the menu is dotted with references only insiders would understand: feta from Jumpin' Good Goat Dairy in Buena Vista, soft-ripened truffello from MouCo in Fort Collins, pork from Denver's Tender Belly, all handled with a no-holds-barred approach that covers a lot of culinary territory...