Contemporary Northern Italian fare gets a local twist at Panzano in Denver, which is a restaurant located in the downtown area of this city in Colorado. Seasonal and organic ingredients are regionally sourced with sustainable practices — as well as menus that reflect sensitivity toward diners whose diets are gluten-free and vegetarian. Colorado beers, craft cocktails and more are part of the beverage program, which includes a wine list that has won awards.
Panzano in Denver. Restaurant Review.
The restaurant is rather large and has several sections to it — including one section where diners can see chefs preparing their food.
Panzano also includes a full-service bar. The entrance to the restaurant is just right of the center of the photograph above.
We were seated downstairs in a very nice private room.
I sat in the chair in front of the image on the wall at the table on the far right. That corner was rather cozy.
One of the starters to the meal was the Fritto Misto, which consisted of crispy calamari, shrimp, goat horn peppers, olive, fennel, and summer squash. I do not particularly care for calamari; but this dish was very good — especially with the preserved lemon aioli that accompanied it. $19.00.
Also part of the antipasti course was the Cavolini di Bruxelles. The fried Brussels Sprouts were good by themselves; but certainly not the best Brussels Sprouts that I have ever had. The apple cider reduction, rosemary salt, and sliced green apple slivers surprisingly elevated the dish significantly with a subtly sweet yet tangy flavor; but the pistachios unfortunately brought the Cavolini di Bruxelles back down a notch. $15.00.
The Insalata di Caesar was comprised of baby gem lettuce, parmesan cheese, and house-made croutons. This Caesar salad was good; but I believed it needed some anchovy to take it to the next level. Although none of the salad was left over, not everyone at the table liked it. $12.00.
Although not all of the Chop Salad was completely consumed, it was the preferred salad of the majority of people at the table. In addition to baby gem lettuce, the radicchio, sliced cucumber, sliced cherry tomato in assorted colors, pepperoncini, olives, and smoked blue cheese in a subtle herb vinaigrette created a more complex — and more satisfying — flavor profile than the Caesar salad, which seemed bland in comparison.
I should not have liked the Pasta Primavera. I do not like summer squash or pecorino cheese — but I enjoyed its light flavor. Perhaps it was the fennel or the heirloom tomato or the lemon? I absolutely enjoy house made pasta — which is exactly what this was and the perhaps obvious reason I liked this dish. Other people at the table were not so crazy about it, as at least one person thought it was bland; which is why a small portion remained before the server took the dish away.
Pork? Ricotta salata? I would have normally shied away from the Bolognese. Perhaps the meat — which also contained lamb — was ground so fine that the texture was absolutely wonderful. Maybe the pomodoro sauce was what won me over, as it was robust and deliciously thick and rich — but at least two other people at the table thought the sauce was too sweet.
The Bolognese also contained house made pasta, which hit the entire dish home for me — and not a drop was left over before the bowl was taken away by the server. Bolognese is not even a dish for which I care to eat; but I would consider ordering this one again for dinner despite the fact that I otherwise dislike some of the ingredients. Keeping the potential collateral damage from my white shirt was a challenge — but the shirt survived the onslaught. $29.00.
Next came the Fennel Coriander Chicken, which was organic boneless chicken breast with small roasted potatoes and charred chipollini onions in a lemon and chicken jus. The chicken was prepared just short of perfection, as it was moist and tender — even though I prefer chicken to be drier. This dish was supposed to be accompanied by ricotta gnocchi; but I personally did not find any on the plate with the chicken. $36.00.
The highlight of the meal to some of us was the Pesce Fresco. I believe the seasonal white fish that was served to us was halibut. The crispiness of the onion soubise, asparagus spears, and green garlic vinaigrette was an incredible combination of succulent flavors and textures; but it fell just short of perfection as the fish was slightly undercooked; and the portions were small. $38.00.
The “lady fingers” that came with the Tiramisu was actually a thin layer of crust at the bottom. I normally would not consume espresso or amaretto mascarpone — translation: coffee, alcohol, and cheese — but I do like “coco”. I even ate the “coffee bean” at the top of the dessert — despite the fact that I do not drink coffee. Despite its shortcomings, the Tiramisu was a nice ending to a sumptuous meal.
Final Boarding Call
Although it is somewhat pricey, I recommend dining at Panzano in Denver at least once. I found the food to be very good — despite that much of it was prepared with ingredients I ordinarily would not enjoy.
Please keep in mind that the food that was photographed for this article was ordered from a prix fixe menu for everyone at the entire table to enjoy and not served as individual portions. The prices that are indicated in this article reflect the cost on the menu per serving. Any food that does not include a price was not available on the menu at the time we dined at Panzano.
The restaurant is centrally located in the downtown area of Denver among many hotel properties. Union Station is only eleven minutes away by walking; other public transportation options are conveniently available; and both Interstate 70 and Interstate 25 are only a few minutes away by motor vehicle.
Panzano
909 17 Street
Denver, Colorado 80202
303-296-3525
hello@panzano-denver.com
Operating Hours
Breakfast Monday through Friday: 7:00 in the morning through 10:00 in the morning
Lunch Monday through Friday: 11:30 in the morning through 1:30 in the afternoon
Dinner Monday through Saturday: 5:00 in the afternoon through 9:00 in the evening
Brunch Saturday through Sunday: 8:00 in the morning through 1:00 in the afternoon
Happy Hour Monday through Saturday: 3:00 in the afternoon through 6:00 in the evening
Parking is not offered by Panzano; and the availability of parking along the street is severely limited. You will either need to park a car in a nearby pay parking lot or garage; or you will need to arrive by either public transportation or walking.
All photographs ©2023 by Brian Cohen.
