What would have been a typical Tuesday night turned into a fun and memorable evening as I attended the Michelin Guide Ceremony in downtown Denver at Mission Ballroom. An exciting event, as this was the first time any restaurant would be awarded a Michelin star in Colorado.
Colorado has now become the eighth region in North America to have stars awarded. They have now joined the club alongside NY, Chicago, California, Miami/Orlando/Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. An exciting time in the foodie space and a historical moment for Denver I was thrilled to be a part of.
The nervousness and excitement was palpable as we entered the event space. No one knew what to expect. Spectators chatted in line and talked about the anxious feeling in their stomachs, which only gave you a glimpse of what the chefs themselves must be feeling!
Just weeks before the Bib Gourmand restaurants were announced to the public. This is not a Michelin star, but some consider it to be an even better award as the honor is given to restaurants that offer a high-quality meal for a decent price. Thus, making it more inclusive and affordable to the general public. The list named nine restaurants including:
- AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q
- Ash’Kara
- Basta, Boulder
- The Ginger Pig
- Glo Noodle House
- Hop Alley
- La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal
- Mister Oso
- Tavernetta
Everyone piled into Mission Ballroom, chefs going to one side for photo ops beforehand, and spectators to another, to imbibe in champagne and passed apps from local eateries in Denver. As we sipped and enjoyed extraordinary bites presented in ways to capture and allure the diner (and completely distract us from the nervousness in the room), it soon came time to find our places and tune in.
The room went silent and the stage lit up as Julie, a well-known travel content creator @travelingjules, started speaking about the honor of having a Michelin Guide in Denver. She welcomed guests, introduced members from the Colorado tourism office who gave an ode to the excellence in Colorado cuisine, and then it was time for show business!
There were several categories of awards on top of the main Michelin star rating. Which included the following:
One-off awards:
Exemplary work inside the restaurant.
- Culinary Professional award – Kelly Kawachi, butcher at Blackbelly in Boulder
- Sommelier – Ryan Fletter and Erin Lindston from Barolo Grill
- Cocktails – Caroline Clark from The Wolf’s Tailor
- Service – Sergei Kiefel from Frasca Food and Wine
Recommended restaurants:
Restaurants that offer a good quality meal with good quality ingredients.
- A5 Steakhouse
- Barolo Grill
- Blackbelly Market
- Bramble & Hare
- Dio Mio
- Dushanbe Tea House
- element 47
- Fruition
- Hey Kiddo
- Guard and Grace
- Marco’s Coal Fired
- Mawa’s Kitchen
- Mercantile Dining & Provision
- Mirabelle
- Noisette
- Oak at Fourteenth
- Olivia
- Osaki’s
- Potager
- Q House
- Safta
- Santo
- Smok
- Splendido at the Chateau
- Stella’s Cucina
- Sweet Basil
- Temaki Den
- Wyld
- Zoe Ma Ma
Green Star Restaurants:
Leaders in sustainability.
After naming all of these awards. It was time for the bell of the ball. They went straight into naming five restaurants who all earned one Michelin Star. These restaurants had food and beverage professionals visit their dining rooms, unbeknownst to the restaurant and chef, in search of several criteria. They look for the quality of the food and products, flavor and techniques, personality of the chef reflected in the cuisine, value for the money and food consistency. This resulted in the following winners:
MICHELIN One Star Awards:
Congratulations to all from a little food blogger who just loves and admires all that these chefs do. It makes me proud Colorado has joined the elite and people recognize the beautiful, thoughtful and delicious work that is going on in the kitchens across the Front Range.
I was happy to be a part of such a wonderful celebration.
Now… go dine! Where do you think you will go first?
