El Toro the Tot Food Truck Takes Over Lower48 Kitchen Through December

Lower48 Kitchen closed its dining room on November 7 after two years of serving innovative and engaging food. All is not quiet at 2020 Lawrence Street, though. Lower48's owner, Mario Nocifera, is still taking bookings for holiday parties and chef Vincent Burns is chipping in. Burns, with a resume that includes chef de cuisine at Oak at Fourteenth and sous chef at Montagna in Aspen, may not be a household name in Denver, but street-food fans will certainly recognize his Spanish-tinged mobile burger and tater tot eatery, El Toro the Tot. In addition to helping out with special events, Burns and his wife, Chrissy, will be serving El Toro's menu at Lower48 nightly (excluding Sundays and holidays) from November 23 through the end of the year.

Chrissy Burns says the menu for the Lower48 takeover will include all the food truck favorites, with burgers — ground fresh from brisket, short rib and chuck — topped with Manchego cheese, cured chorizo, piquillo peppers and other Spanish ingredients along with the signature stuffed tots. But they'll also add a few salads, chicken and lamb burgers and at least one more specialty burger.

Aside from those tots, El Toro's claim to fame is that Vincent Burns makes hamburger buns from scratch every day. Chrissy says the buns are a difference maker that set their burgers apart from the competition. 

El Toro will be open in the Lower48 space from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Lower48's bar will also be open for those in need of adult refreshments to accompany their tots. You can also catch the food truck at Civic Center Park's Nosh & Posh lunches, which will feature food and fashion trucks on the second Thursday of every month through April 2016, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Here's the menu that will be served for the Lower48 takeover. And in case the print is a little small for you: yes, the burger add-ons include a fried egg, crispy cured ham — and braised oxtail.