What We're Craving for Takeout This Week

More restaurants are beginning to reopen for takeout and delivery service in anticipation of a gradual lifting of the statewide ban on dining in, possibly as early as the first week of June. Some eateries are rolling with their regular offerings, while others are launching special menus designed for easy pick-up.

From wood-fired pizza to handmade dumplings, here's what's tempting us this week:

ChoLon Modern Asian

1555 Blake Street
303-353-5223

Chef Lon Symensma's inspired Asian eatery, ChoLon Modern Asian, just reopened with a new online takeout menu, so now you can get his famous French onion soup dumplings, plus Bangkok beef noodles, Thai green curry, stir-fried Malaysian noodles and other bold, flavorful fare. But unless you live within a couple of blocks of the LoDo restaurant, those soup dumplings might slump a little by the time you get them home. So ChoLon offers the dish as you'd get it in the restaurant, or as an uncooked dumpling kit you finish in your own kitchen for maximum steamy goodness. And for an extra $18, the restaurant will send you home with a bamboo steamer setup so you can steam your own dumplings order after order after order. The Stapleton ChoLon, at East 29th Drive, is also open for takeout with a slightly different menu. Whichever you order from, don't forget the cocktails to go. Both locations are open from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

Chow Morso

1500 Wynkoop Street
720-639-4089

Barolo Grill's younger downtown sibling, Chow Morso Osteria, just reopened for to-go orders today (Thursday, May 14), and the options are as tempting as ever. At the top of our list is the osteria's spaghetti carbonara, made with crisped pancetta, grana padano cheese, and an egg yolk nested into the pasta. But you can choose from a number of other pasta dishes, larger entrees, antipasti, salads and desserts, and the restaurant is also packing up family-sized meals at $20 per person that vary from day to day (opening day's is Calabrian hot chicken thighs with braised greens, rosemary roasted potatoes and housemade bread). Order and pay on Chow Morso's website from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday for easy curbside pick-up.

The Kitchen Upstairs

1039 Pearl Street, Boulder
303-544-5973

The Kitchen Upstairs is firing up its wood-burning oven for a pop-up series called Pizzeria Di Sopra, which will run every Thursday through Saturday until further notice. Visit the restaurant's website for a menu offering three pizza styles plus salads, sides (garlic knots or meatballs), desserts and drinks, then call from 5 to 8 p.m. to order for pick-up.

Mason's Dumpling Shop

9655 East Montview Boulevard, Aurora
303-600-8998

Mason's Dumpling Shop had intended to make its Colorado debut with a couple of weeks of soft openings in mid-March, but the coronavirus shutdowns caused a change in plans. Since the Los Angeles-based eatery had never done takeout orders, even in its home town, and since the dumplings nearly always sold out at lunch, the team had to figure out a new way of doing business. But Mason's has now shifted to carryout service, and you can order on the restaurant's website beginning at 11:30 a.m. every day but Tuesday; the online form stops taking orders at 6:30 p.m., or when the kitchen sells out.

Safta

3330 Brighton Boulevard
720-408-2444

We miss Safta's creamy hummus, fresh-baked pita and housemade pickles, but now you can get all of that plus other small plates and entrees to go. Safta just launched an online menu so you can order, pay and pick up your food from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. And Safta knows us well; there's an option to add extra pita for $1.50 each. You can also choose from a deep list of wine bottles and cocktails.