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5280 Best New Restaurants
Charcoal
Trend: Upscale comfort food, Scandinavian
influences
At just six months old, Charcoal is already an anchor in the
Golden Triangle neighborhood...
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5280
Dining Out: Charcoal
Smokin' new spot has room to spare but delivers goods
By William Porter The Denver Post POSTED: 10/26/2011 01:00:00
AM MDT
Some restaurants arrive in a five-alarm blaze of hoopla, often
hiding the fact that they offer more sparks than heat. Others come
to the scene quiet as a struck match. But oh, the resulting
glow.
Charcoal, a recent arrival in the Golden Triangle, falls
squarely into the second category. Helmed by Aric Sandoval and
Patrik Landberg, who run the front of the house and kitchen
respectively, this restaurant already turns out superb food in a
sleek room.
Now if it just finds a base of regulars.
Landberg, a native of Sweden, arrived at Charcoal after a stint
at Satchel's Market in Park Hill. While his new restaurant is
contemporary American in scope, there are echoes of his homeland in
the aquavit- brushed gravlax and ingredients such as
lingonberries.
Charcoal occupies a one-story, mid-century building of tawny
brick. Residential high-rises loom nearby, and it is a short walk
from the Denver Art Museum. This makes it a fine stop for
everything from cocktails to casual suppers to post-exhibit debates
on how well the museum's Hamilton wing works.
The decor is sleek and modern. Colors come from a muted palette.
Hard surfaces abound: Concrete floors, a dark poured-cement bar, a
stretch of brick wall. Large windows front Acoma Street and Ninth
Avenue. This would be a fine place to watch snow sift through the
streetlights on a winter evening.
Click here to read our entire review by the Denver
Post
Table Talk for October 26, 2011
Go Now: Charcoal Restaurant
By: Shari Caudron: Table Talk
We championed chef Jens Patrik Landberg's cooking when he manned
the burners at Satchel's Market in Park Hill. So when we heard he
was opening Charcoal Restaurant in the Golden Triangle, we put it
on our list to try. We paid a visit shortly after the September
26th opening, and we're pleased to report that Charcoal is a
showcase for Landberg's talents.
The restaurant is warm and modern, with a chef's-view kitchen, a
large open dining area, and an elegant glass wine wall separating
the dining area from the inviting bar.
Bucking the trend of small-plate dining, the menu is anchored by
such hearty, perfect-for-fall entrées as grilled Colorado lamb,
cast-iron halibut (pictured), and strip steak--all cooked on a
customized grill set over 2,400-degree smokeless bincho charcoal.
(This cooks meat at higher temperatures, crisping the outside while
preserving the tender meat inside.) Landberg, who hails from
Sweden, also includes several European touches on the menu,
including aquavit gravlax and bagna cauda.
The charcuterie board, the selection of which changes daily, is
a don't-miss. We enjoyed an array of cheeses, house-made speck, and
chicken-liver mousse.
Click here to read our entire review by
5280
Denver Examiner
Denver's Charcoal Restaurant and Infinite
Monkey Theorem: A hip combination
By Bronwyn Long Colorado Wine Examiner Posted December 17,
2011
Last Thursday, December 15, wine- and food-lovers were treated
to the delicious pairings of Charcoal Restaurant's Sous
Chef Josh Carmichael and The
Infinite Monkey Theorem's winemaker Ben
Parsons. Coming ten days before Christmas, the wine dinner
served as a perfect reminder to consider Charcoal Restaurant in
your Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve plans, and to pick up bottles
of The Infinite Monkey Theorem (IMT) wines for
your holiday table.
Charcoal owner Gary Sumihiro, Sous Chef
Carmichael, and winemaker Parsons spent time visiting diners at
their tables throughout the evening, answering questions about the
wine, food, and newly opened restaurant. This was Charcoal's first
wine dinner.
Sumihiro described the design of the restaurant as "wabi-sabi,"
or a Japanese concept that celebrates nature's imperfections. The
space includes a vibrant open kitchen paired with light fixtures
arranged deliberately in an imperfect pattern. An adega or
temperature-controlled glass wine cellar separates the bar and
restaurant space. The cooking technique uses Japanese charcoal, a
high-heat, low-smoke method that sears meat and caramelizes
vegetables beautifully. Pieces of charcoal are incorporated in the
dining experience as flatware rests on each table.
Click
here to read the entire article written by Bronwyn Long from the
Colorado Wine Examiner
Click here to read our review from the Gabby
Gourmet
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Westword
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to read about us on Apron Strings and Foodie Things Blog
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us on The Urban Brain Blog
Listen to an audio
clip about us from The Restaurant Show with Warren Byrne
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what Life On Capitol Hill has to say about us
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on Dinner For Six
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read our most recent mention in the Denver Post
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Examiner's article about Charcoal's brunch on Saturday
and Sunday
Click Here to read Westwords Interview with
Charocal Restaurant's Executive Chef Patrik Landberg
Click here to read our review in Layer Cake
Creative!
Click here to read our latest review in 5280.
Featuring our Striped Bass
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Life.
