Four Denver restaurant dishes we loved in July

SOME OF THIS, SOME OF THAT

Carne asada and cochinita pibil tacos from Chivis Tacos’ food truck. LILY O’NEILL — THE DENVER POST

Curtis Park Deli’s Italian sandwich. LILY O’NEILL — THE DENVER POST

The Greenwich’s Piccolini section includes wagyu carpaccio from King Mountain Cattle in McCoy. PROVIDE BEHIND THE APRON MEDIA

Leven Deli Co.’s turkey club. LILY O’NEILL — THE DENVER POST

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By Lily O’Neill

loneill@denverpost.com

Chivis Tacos

I visited the Highlands Street Fair the other week, and became a certified food truck groupie. While most people were shopping at the local vendors and listening to live music, I spent most of my time eating my way through the crowd.

There’s nothing better than a handheld meal when you have to keep up with the flow of a street fair, and Chivis Tacos delivered. The family-owned food truck has been serving Denver’s late-night crowds mouthwatering street tacos for the past 12 years. And they recently opened up their first brick-and-mortar restaurant on East Colfax.

I opted for a carne asada and a cochinita pibil that I can’t stop dreaming about.

2101 E. Colfax Ave., Denver; facebook.com/chivistacosdenver

Curtis Park Deli

If I lived in the Curtis Park neighborhood in Denver, I would have to stop myself from eating at Curtis Park Deli every day. The shop, which has three locations (the others are in Cherry Creek and Boulder), packs a huge amount of flavor into its small menu of nine subs, enticing customers to try a new sandwich with every visit.

Lately, I’ve been on an Italian kick. Curtis Park Deli’s stack of salame rosa, pepperoni, calabrese, arugula and asiago cheese with a swipe of house-made aioli and drops of red wine vinaigrette on ciabatta bread can fill you up for both lunch and dinner. You don’t need any add-ons since there’s enough going on between the bread, but it’s not so complicated that you don’t know where to start.

2532 Champa St., and 2700 E. 6th Ave., Denver; 3000 Pearl Pkwy., Boulder; curtisparkdeli.com

The Greenwich

The Greenwich first opened in RiNo in November 2021 with a New York City-inspired menu. But when chef-de-cuisine Luke Miller stepped up as executive chef last summer, he decided to focus on the restaurant’s most popular items: pizza and cheesecake. And a new Italian menu was born.

Ball out with a colorful $28 plate of wagyu carpaccio, fresh from owner Delores Tronco’s cousin’s King Mountain cattle ranch in McCoy. Or get out under $50 with the new hot honey calabrese pizza and a couple of glasses of wine.

3258 Larimer St., Denver; thegreenwichdenver.com

Leven Deli Co.

Whenever I walk into Leven Deli during a lunch rush, I brace myself for the long line. But no matter how many people are ahead of me — many ordering a stacked house-cured pastrami and some pasta salad — the Denver deli always manages to find me a seat.

I went at noon one day last week with a group of six, and we still had no trouble. Because I go so often, I like to try something different during each visit. This time, I chose the turkey club. Al $18 seems steep for a turkey sandwich, you basically get two meals out of the stacked halves. The smoked turkey shone through the thick-cut bacon, lettuce, tomato and herb mayo. I could taste it in every bite, which was my favorite part, and I don’t even eat turkey on Thanksgiving! Make sure you grab a cookie for dessert; they’re some of the moistest, most flavorful in town.

And keep an eye out for their next venture this summer: Leven Supply, a retail, wine, pizza and sandwich shop in Washington Park.

123 W. 12th Ave., Denver; eatleven.com