Provolino Brings Crowd-Pleasing Italian to Southeast Denver

"The biggest change is leaving fine dining — which was a little bit of a shock at first, but it's become the best part of the whole project," says chef Jeff Schwing, who was born and raised in the metro area and has spent much of his culinary career working in high-end French restaurants, including Brasserie Brixton and, most recently, celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre's Chez Maggy.

Now he's teamed up with longtime industry pros Eric Allen and Fred Altberger to open something completely different: Provolino, a low-key, family-friendly Italian joint in a King Soopers-anchored shopping center in southeast Denver. Set to debut on Tuesday, December 19, at 3563 South Monaco Parkway, it's replacing longtime neighborhood staple Piccolo's, which was owned by the Canino family and served both Italian and Mexican fare for fifty years before shuttering in April.

Schwing and Altberger, a family friend and part owner of the original Rico's Pizzeria in Englewood, had been talking for years about opening a French restaurant together — they even had a space near Wash Park for that concept. But when the deal fell through and Altberger came across the opportunity to take over the Piccolo's space, the plan shifted to Italian in order to best serve the neighborhood.

"The further I was digging into fine dining, the further I was getting from real people," Schwing admits. "I had to completely remove my ego from the whole thing. And once that change happened, everything just started flowing very easily."
Each member of the team has tackled different parts of the project. "Fred knows everything there is to know about money and taxes and the state," Schwing says. "Eric is this master of front of house, master of coordination," while Schwing and his sister-in-law, Yonna Dobling, have focused on "managing staff, the website, menu development — all the fun things."

The branding, created by Lena Dechamps, is meant to evoke "1990s New York Ninja Turtles," Schwing says, and the new design includes a Fernet- and Campari-sponsored mural on the dining room wall painted by Dechamps. There is also a space for to-go pickups near the door, a large bar, an enclosed patio space in the front, and a private dining room that is available for various events.

The menu itself is built around the idea of offering "approachable comfort food," Schwing notes, and is inspired by many longtime Denver staples including Gennaro's, Angelo's and the now-closed Saucy Noodle. The goal is to keep things affordable with a per-guest average around $25, while still using the high-quality local purveyors with which the chef has built relationships over his years in fine dining.

"This is my 'What do I have to prove?' menu," he adds. "We wanted to make an Italian menu that was very much me, very much Denver, very much what the neighborhood wanted, but is very fresh."

Provolino will serve both lunch and dinner, and the dishes are meant to be familiar to diners. "What makes it special," Schwing says, "is that, as a chef, I know how to make these simple things taste very good, with better ingredients that cost the same. ... It's all about these connections." Offerings include starters like garlic knots, crispy mozzarella and Italian wings, along with sandwiches, soups, salads, pasta and a handful of larger entrees like lemon risotto, crispy-skin salmon with polenta and chicken Marsala. Along with standard pizza toppings, there are combos like the Terrence, topped with pistachio pesto, onion rings, arugula, lemon vinaigrette and shaved pecorino; and Caleb's Midnight Delight, with Alfredo sauce, fresh herbs and sweet chili crunch.

"These are old recipes that we're going to do the right way," Schwing says. There is also a family-style section and a kids' menu that includes free ice cream.

The beverage program is meant to complement the food, with a handful of wines available on tap as well as a list of affordably priced bottles, plus a small selection of beer and batched cocktails, with an emphasis on Fernet and Campari.

Guests can get deals on both drinks and food specials like a meatball sub, a ten-inch one-topping pizza and a pound of wings for $9 each during happy hour, which is available from 2 to 5 p.m. daily.

Provolino isn't the only new Italian joint in southeast Denver. Oliver's, a concept from the owner of Blue Island Oyster Bar, recently opened just a few miles away in a different King Soopers shopping center in the Denver Tech Center. Its owner, Sean Huggard, told Westword that there are many benefits to opening outside of downtown these days, including more parking and better safety — points that Schwing echoes. "There are only advantages to this space," he says.
"What's missing [in the Denver dining scene] is money being available to chefs who are willing to open neighborhood restaurants that are just approachable and good and fun," Schwing notes, adding that rent for spaces downtown is too high for most aspiring restaurant owners, and there is also a lack of affordable commercial real estate for sale across the metro area.

That leaves spaces like the ones occupied by Oliver's and Provolino as the best option for chefs who are looking to launch something new without needing a million dollars or more in cash up front. The winners in this scenario are the people living outside of downtown, who are now getting easier access to local, independently owned, high-quality places to dine.

"We are not here to win awards. We are not here to make a billion dollars," Schwing concludes. "I am here to service this neighborhood and do food that I'm proud of and have fun. I'm very proud of this."

Provolino is located at 3563 South Monaco Parkway and is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, visit provolino.com.