Risotto Romance at Il Posto; Culinary Imbalance at Row 14

Stranger Than Kitchen says the risotto at Il Posto is some good stuff, but that it would be better if chef Italian-born and raised chef Andrea Frizzi would just use some butter. "While clearly prepared with surgical precision, the omission of butter was something I still missed." However, she writes that Frizzi's attention to detail makes up for the absence of butter.

"While the portion size was small for the twenty-one dollar price tag, the chef proved to be a veritable arborio vigilante. I imagined him standing on guard watching, waiting for the precise second that the grains absorbed the exact amount of stock needed to make each firm grain collapse into velvety oblivion upon chew."

We've never heard a blogger so romantic over less than perfect risotto.

Ask 5280's Shari Caudron what she thinks of chef Jensen Cummings at Row 14 and she'll tell you she likes him, but ask her what she thinks of his cooking and she'll tell you it's a bit far-reaching. "Listen to Cummings wax rhapsodic about food and cuisine, and you’ll like him because it’s clear he cares. But although the creativity and cross-continental thinking that goes into Row 14’s menu is impressive, the dishes themselves rarely reach the point of transcendence." She writes that there's just way too much stuff going on. "Cummings has not yet mastered the balance necessary for finely wrought cuisine." But, even if the food is a bit unfocused and overwhelming in the flavor profile department, don't totally dismiss the "urban cowboy" at Row 14.

Denveater Ruth Tobias offers her take on Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar in today's review. "What I admire most about [Sergio] Romero’s cooking is, honestly, precisely what I could take or leave about everyday French cuisine in general—its straightforwardness." She only found the cassoulet to be a "meh" plate of food out of a selection of standouts. Forget beautiful escargot and mediocre cassoulet though — the not-so-French jalapeño ice cream was the real show-stopper at Le Grand.

· Foodie Field Trip: Denver Il Posto [Strangerthankitchen]
· Urban Cowboy [5280]
· Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar [Denveater]