Tocabe tingles my tastebuds

I just finished eating my oversized fry-bread thingy at Tocabe: An American Eatery and was definitely pleased with my meal. I'd written about Tocabe, the Native American, Chipotle-esque establishment yesterday, and was eager to try the place when it opened officially today. Owner Ben Jacobs told me that despite the bad weather,...

By Tyler Nemkov

December 18, 2008

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

I just finished eating my oversized fry-bread thingy at Tocabe: An American Eatery and was definitely pleased with my meal. I'd written about Tocabe, the Native American, Chipotle-esque establishment yesterday, and was eager to try the place when it opened officially today.

Owner Ben Jacobs told me that despite the bad weather, there had been a steady stream of customers. He also said that during his soft opening last night, he sold all 425 fry-breads he had made. Not a shabby start, but also not surprising, considering the quality of his food. My oversized fry-bread was piled high with shredded beef, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cheddar cheese, sour cream and spicy green chile. A side of ancho chile sauce completed a creation fit for the Native American gods (damn, I wish I could name one).

My friend and I contemplated whether we were supposed to fold our fry-bread in half like a taco, just stick our face in and begin inhaling, or take the all-ironic route of burrito-izing it before eating. I went with the logical knife-and-fork decision, and was blown away with the crispy yet tender fry-bread, the sweet spicy ancho sauce and spiced, tender beef. It was close to Chipotle, but very, very different. Tocabe could well be next on the list of very successful quick-casual places coming out of Denver.-- Tyler Nemkov

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.