Call it a trend or a mainstay in the culinary world: Wood-fire cooking is hot and plenty of eateries in Denver and Boulder have built kitchens around ovens and grills that burn bright. And with the weather changing for cooler temperatures, this rustic cooking method provides a warm and comforting element to everything from side dishes to pizza and mains. Here are 14 places for a wood-fired meal around the area.
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In addition to the pizza and hand-rolled pasta at this contemporary Italian restaurant on the east side of town, look for wood-grilled entrees like whole striped bass or lamb chops with mustard sauce.
The food of this South Broadway spot is rooted in Italy, making use of a wood-fire oven seen from the dining room to turn out pizzas and dishes like porchetta or roasted clams.
Leña translates to firewood in Spanish, and at this Latin-influenced eatery you'll find plenty of dishes centered around the wood-fire grill, particularly the asado selection that includes Argentinean-style chorizo, ribeyes, and bison skirt steak.
Chef Chris Thompson changes out the wood for the grill seasonally at the Nickel, imparting different flavors to entrees like rotisserie chicken and leg of lamb.
You'll of course find an assortment of grilled steaks at this modern steakhouse, but other choices like sea scallops and vegetable side items also get the pecan-wood fire treatment.
Chef Troy Guard opened his modern steakhouse concept back in March. Here the oak-fired grill facilitates starters and sides like wood-charred octopus and grilled carrots, in addition to oak-grilled chicken enchiladas for an entree.
Though the name is misleading, the pizzas here are fired in a wood-burning oven and are even certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. However, a coal oven is used for dishes like lemoncello chicken wings.
Housed inside a 700-square-foot space made from shipping containers, Cart-Driver's abbreviated menu—anchored by wood-fired pizza and oysters—matches the tight quarters.
This popular spot centers its menu of mostly small plates around the oak-fired oven and grill. Though the menu changes often, right now look for the oak-grilled bone marrow or the large-format 38-ounce ribeye that serves three to four people.
Without any stoves or fryers at Basta, chef Kelly Whitaker uses his 1,000-degree wood-fire oven to cook everything, from pizza to whole fish and roasted chicken.
Appropriately named, this popular Boulder eatery revolves its rustic yet contemporary menu around an oak-fired oven and grill, showcasing plenty of locally sourced ingredients.
This seasonal bistro uses a wood-fire oven for the creation of dishes like apple flatbread with brie fondue, Manila clams with chorizo, and oak-fired ribeye.
In addition to the pizza and hand-rolled pasta at this contemporary Italian restaurant on the east side of town, look for wood-grilled entrees like whole striped bass or lamb chops with mustard sauce.
The food of this South Broadway spot is rooted in Italy, making use of a wood-fire oven seen from the dining room to turn out pizzas and dishes like porchetta or roasted clams.
Leña translates to firewood in Spanish, and at this Latin-influenced eatery you'll find plenty of dishes centered around the wood-fire grill, particularly the asado selection that includes Argentinean-style chorizo, ribeyes, and bison skirt steak.
Chef Chris Thompson changes out the wood for the grill seasonally at the Nickel, imparting different flavors to entrees like rotisserie chicken and leg of lamb.
You'll of course find an assortment of grilled steaks at this modern steakhouse, but other choices like sea scallops and vegetable side items also get the pecan-wood fire treatment.
Chef Troy Guard opened his modern steakhouse concept back in March. Here the oak-fired grill facilitates starters and sides like wood-charred octopus and grilled carrots, in addition to oak-grilled chicken enchiladas for an entree.
Though the name is misleading, the pizzas here are fired in a wood-burning oven and are even certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana. However, a coal oven is used for dishes like lemoncello chicken wings.
Housed inside a 700-square-foot space made from shipping containers, Cart-Driver's abbreviated menu—anchored by wood-fired pizza and oysters—matches the tight quarters.
This popular spot centers its menu of mostly small plates around the oak-fired oven and grill. Though the menu changes often, right now look for the oak-grilled bone marrow or the large-format 38-ounce ribeye that serves three to four people.
Without any stoves or fryers at Basta, chef Kelly Whitaker uses his 1,000-degree wood-fire oven to cook everything, from pizza to whole fish and roasted chicken.
Appropriately named, this popular Boulder eatery revolves its rustic yet contemporary menu around an oak-fired oven and grill, showcasing plenty of locally sourced ingredients.
This seasonal bistro uses a wood-fire oven for the creation of dishes like apple flatbread with brie fondue, Manila clams with chorizo, and oak-fired ribeye.
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