Alteño

Dining at Alteño is an elegant experience. The newest restaurant from Johnny Curiel, the Mexican chef behind the Michelin-starred and recent James Beard Award-nominated Alma Fonda Fina, is located on the ground floor of the Clayton Hotel & Members Club in Cherry Creek, and the valet service is pretty much a given. Being inside of Alteño is sort of like walking on the sand barefoot and coming upon a bonfire bash with killer food and music that lasts well past when the sun goes down. The stuffed mushroom ($24) is indicative of this spirit: a portobello mushroom piled to the brim with blue crab, served on top of an hoja santa remoulade with a lemon wedge and leafy greens. Curiel said his father would make a similar dish when he was young and growing up in the Mexican state of Jalisco, the “highlander” after which the restaurant is named.

249 Clayton St., Denver; altenorestaurant.com

The Pasty Republic

Tucked between boutique stores in the Tennyson Street commercial corridor in northwest Denver, The Pasty Republic drew me in with the heavenly smell of pasties and a countertop display of the savory handpies visible from the open front door. It was hard to choose from the five varieties on the menu ($12 each), especially the meatball-and-marinara-filled Joey and the Shepherd, with ground beef, mashed potatoes, peas and onions. Instead, I went for the Miner — advertised as the ‘Traditional’ pasty — containing steak, potatoes, rutabaga and onions. It was a quick, satisfying and, for the posh neighborhood, delightfully straightforward lunch.

4166 Tennyson St. and 2615 E. 3rd St., Denver; thepastyrepublic.comLo Stella Ristorante

Have you ever had pasta stop you in your tracks? I had a lot on my mind and not that much in my stomach when I sat down for a weekday dinner at Lo Stella Ristorante in Denver’s Golden Triangle neighborhood. The Rigatoni alla “Carillon” ($29) is one of several pasta dishes on the menu, smothered in a zesty vodka sauce and topped with smoked pancetta and, as always, optional parmesan cheese. My worries began to ease when I tried my first bite, soon replaced by waves of intense flavor.

1135 Bannock St., Denver; lostelladenver.com

Moonshell Pizza Cooperative

Ten years ago, I saw a DJ devour a quesadilla while playing to hundreds of people in an Arizona desert valley. It was impressive and funny, considering most people ingest less nutritious substances on the dance floor. So, when I found Moonshell Pizza Cooperative (the Indigenous-owned coop will be popping up at the City Park and Highlands Square farmers markets this spring and summer) stationed outside a show over the weekend, I thought I’d be able to multitask in the same way with a personal pie during the performance. No such luck: The elote pizza ($18) was packed with corn, green chiles and three different cheeses. Eat first, party later.

View website for upcoming schedule; moonshell.coop/calendar