Ali Baba Grill, Brik on York Get Reviewed

This week in dining reviews, Denver Post's William Porter awarded two stars to an off-the-beaten-path dining establishment, Ali Baba Grill. The Middle Eastern restaurant is no secret to University of Denver students, who make up a large portion of its clientele and contribute to the busy, convivial atmosphere. Ali Baba impressed the food critic with a complex, smokey yet bright baba ghanouj right out of the gates, followed by an herbal and fresh dish of tabbouleh. The standout for Porter was the slow-braised lamb shank, tender enough to fall right off the bone.

Westword's food critic, Gretchen Kurtz, published a review of Brik on York this week. The Colfax wine bar and Neapolitan pizzeria was dealt a blow when its opening chef, Shoshana Frost, left soon after opening. The Westword critic found the food to be over-salted, over-oiled, and overpriced. The focal point of the menu offerings, the pizza, showed potential for Kurtz, and the dessert pizza, slathered with nutella and dusted in powdered sugar, was a fantastic way to end a mediocre meal. In her closing sentiments, Kurtz offers the open suggestion that maybe the space would funciton better as more of a wine bar/music venue and less of a dining establishment, at least for the time being.