The Best Bites Our Food Editor Had in October

After I fell for the honey semifreddo at Wildflower inside the Life House hotel in LoHi in September, I returned last month to taste more of the main menu options from executive chef Aiden Tibbetts, who was just 22 years old when he helped open the restaurant in 2020.

In the years since, he's settled into his role leading the kitchen and has been creating some really impressive dishes — which landed Wildflower on our Top 100 Restaurants list last year. The standout from my most recent visit was the octopus carpaccio ($25) topped with farro verde plus pineapple and makrut, which adds a bright note, along with smoky adobo and a pleasantly spicy blend of creamy coconut and habanero.
In a strip mall on South Parker Road in Aurora is Registan Kebab House (previously called Samarkand Restaurant), which serves Uzbek fare: hearty and filling plov (lamb pilaf), giant manti (dumplings stuffed with beef, onions and spices and served with yogurt), pickle platters and a variety of kebabs. This is the kind of spot that's best to try with a group that likes to share, so that you can taste a wide variety. My favorite of the spread was the Uzbek Samsa ($4 each), a large, flaky pastry that is stuffed with lamb and beef, onions and spices, and cooked in a tandoor oven.
On October 11, while Donald Trump held a rally at Gaylord Rockies Resort, I was dining at Mango House, the Aurora refugee center on East Colfax Avenue that's also home to several food stalls. It's fun to order a little something from each of the options, which include Urban Burma, Natoli Ethiopian Restaurant and Nepali Spice. The bite I've been craving more of, though, was the slender chicken shwarma wrap with toum (garlic sauce) and pickles ($8.99) from Jasmine Syrian. Owner Mohamad Alnouri fled Syria with his family in 2015 and arrived in Denver in 2017. His parents were patients of Dr. P.J. Parmar, the founder of Mango House, who offered the family the opportunity to open their restaurant in 2018; it was the first stall open inside the community center.
In the past year, Denver's bagel game has gotten more diverse with the addition of spots like Call Your Mother and Rich Spirit. In October, the newest spot hit the scene with the opening of Odell's Bagel in the Highland neighborhood. The bagels themselves come in options such as furikake and rosemary, along with standards such as plain, sesame, everything, poppy and cinnamon raisin — but the real stars at Odell's are the fishy toppings, particularly the pastrami-spiced lox, which owner Miles Odell and his team hand-slice for the ideal extra-thin layers. At $18 for a whole, served open-faced, the price may give some sticker shock, but after comparing it to the price of lox bagels at other metro-area go-to's, it's actually a deal considering you get six ounces of lox in total versus about three ounces at most other spots.
While working on the upcoming edition of this year's Top 100 Bars list, I've been revisiting some favorites, including Dew Drop Inn on East 17th Avenue. Part of the woman-owned Make Regulars group that includes spots such as the Horseshoe Lounge and Embassy Tavern, it's got a well-worn feel despite the fact that it's less than four years old. If you're craving mussels, Dew Drop should be at the top of your list. It serves them in a choice of three styles: Parisian (white wine and lemon), Bangkok (red curry, coconut and lime) or Genoa (pesto, white wine, lemon and cherry tomatoes). For $22, you get a full pound in a large bowl with crusty bread — though you should definitely get a side of shoestring fries, too. Or go for the Samurai Fries ($14) topped with teriyaki sauce, mayo and nori furikake. 
In 2022, I wrote about one of my favorite mountain diners, Patio Pancake in Salida — just before it closed for good after 58 years in business. At the time, no one was sure what would take its place; thankfully, it turned out to be another diner. New owners rebranded the place Romeo's Pancake, and I was happy to find it mostly unchanged. It's still a low-key spot for standard breakfast fare and, dare I say, even better green chile than before. Pro tip: Order your chicken-fried steak or chicken-fried chicken (both $16) with half sausage gravy and half green chile.