The River and Dagwood
River and Woods, 2328 Pearl St., Boulder, riverandwoodsboulder.com
River and Woods just started lunch service this month, and they’re coming out swinging. Their menu of locally sourced, elevated American comfort food is worth seeking out. The River and Dagwood is a beast — organic turkey and slow-cooked French ham are piled high on four (yes, four) layers of bread, with cranberry mayo, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese built in. It’s served alongside a transcendent sage and balsamic gravy. We know this sounds like “too much,” but it’s not — the mac and cheese and potatoes come off like condiments, and the turkey and ham are savory anchors. Anyway, good luck trying to eat the whole sandwich; you can probably string three lunches out of it if you can’t. $17.
Red Chili Pork Dumplings
Cho77, 42 S. Broadway, Denver, www.cho77.com
Inspired by street vendor cuisine across Asia, Cho77 is a bustling South Broadway restaurant perfect for a night out in Denver. From famed restaurateur and chef Lon Symensma, the menu offers a variety of dishes from Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. The red chili pork dumplings are the perfect way to start a meal. Soft dumpling dough is filled with succulent spicy pork and doused in a mixture of Chinese vinegar and chili-soy sauce. Each bite is melt-in-your-mouth perfection, leaving us in eager anticipation of the rest of the meal. $10.
Bacon Saddlebags
The Buff, 2600 Canyon Blvd., Boulder, buffrestaurant.com
The Buff churns out what must be thousands of meals during the weekend breakfast and brunch rush. If you’ve never been in, you might wonder if it’s worth what can sometimes be a wait — we’re here to tell you: it is. The service is quick and friendly, the prices are low, the menu is large and the food is fantastic. Take the saddlebags, which are big pancakes loaded with bacon. The pancakes have a thin, crispy exterior and a super-sweet, slightly chewy interior. The bacon serves as more than just a novelty, too, providing crunch, salt and umami. $12.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
French Quarter Brasserie, 1207 Pearl St., Boulder, frenchquarterbrasserie.com
The recent addition of French Quarter Brasserie brings a little bit of New Orleans to Pearl Street, with live music, Cajun cooking and lively atmosphere. Though they have to replicate the balconies and brick facades of Bourbon Street, their gumbo tastes like it was shipped in overnight. Robust, spicy sausage imbues rich broth, which is offset by bright onion and citrus. A dynamite spice blend heavy in paprika will have you tasting more than what you can see in the bowl. $10.
