A: Although Caninos Trattoria is missed by many, Denver has other good Northern Italian eateries, including Santinos on Downing (2390 South Downing Street, 303-298-1939), which now occupies Caninos former home. Santinos offers family-style portions, but it also does most of the menu as single servings and the seafood dishes, with their multi-layered flavors and fresh ingredients, are even better than Caninos were. Other venues that are more in keeping with Caninos reasonable prices and casual atmosphere include Brunos Italian Bistro (2223 South Monaco Parkway, 303-757-4500), which has some amazing pasta dishes; Café Jordano (11068 West Jewell Avenue in Lakewood, 303-988-6863), which uses buffalo in many of its preparations; and the Cherry Tomato (4645 East 23rd Avenue, 303-377-1914), which showcases superb sauces and now has a second location (5575 East Third Avenue, 303-355-3775) up and running.
For a new twist on old Italian favorites, check out Trattoria Stella (3470 West 32nd Avenue, 303-458-1128). This funky space in the Highland neighborhood does weird and wonderful things with traditional ingredients.