A Round of Applause for Mercantile and Cart-Driver

This week, William Porter of the Denver Post took to Union Station to review Mercantile Dining & Provision. The restaurant opened in September to much anticipation. Porter described the contemporary dining room as a lively space with vaulted ceilings that is "sleek to the point of stark." He said the kitchen and employees are both first-rate, and highlighted the menu's variety of dining options that include small plates, house-cured meats and pickles, entrees, and "family dinners." The star entree of the night was the duck breast, described by Porter as "a poultry lover's dream." A visit to Mercantile will show diners the trademark creativity of chef Alex Seidel and his chef de cuisine, Matt Vawter, said Porter.

For Westword, Gretchen Kurtz explored Cart-Driver, the little pizzeria located in a refurbished shipping container in RiNo. The restaurant is set up in a fast-casual style with counter service and a small menu of pizzas and small plates. Patrons are expected to stand in line to place their order, fill their own water glasses, and find their own tables. However, the open kitchen allows diners to catch a glimpse at their pizzas being stretched, topped, and fired in the oven. Kurtz noted that even in the cramped, noisy restaurant, prices are at a premium. But, "the food is very good and is made with care," she said. Kurtz ordered the Four Season Pie. The crust was fat, puffy, chewy with a touch of crispness, "under carefully arranged, overlapping rows of ingredients." The other pies that were highlighted—the Mariner and Daisy—epitomize the restaurant's philosophy about pizza being "all about the dough." Skip the salad, advises Kurtz, and you'll be good to go. All in all, Cart-Driver is a winner in the ever-growing Denver pizza scene.