Four Denver restaurants have high hopes for a Michelin Award

Editor’s note: In September 2023, Michelin awarded stars, five in total, to restaurants in Colorado for the first time, putting the state on the must-visit list for foodies. Which restaurants were left out? It depends on who you ask. But there’s no denying the cachet that comes along with a star, not to mention the business. This is the second in an occasional series, “The Road to Michelin,” that takes readers into the kitchens where the owners, chefs and staff are chasing that elusive star.

There have been no fork drops. No suspicious solo diners with notebooks. And no clear sign of Michelin inspectors at Barolo Grill, Restaurant Olivia, Noisette or Corrida.

“Sometimes we’ll see someone sitting by themselves or notice an accent, but we have no idea, so we’re just going to keep doing our thing,” said Barolo Grill owner Ryan Fletter. “It’s really awkward to try to change and get nervous, whether it’s a celebrity or a Michelin inspector.”

All four restaurants would love to earn a Michelin star this year when the next round of awards is announced in September by the esteemed dining review company. But the show must go on, award or not, and right now, they’re focused on providing the best experience for every diner.

We caught up with the same chefs and owners we spoke to in April about their chase for a Michelin star, the ultimate stamp of excellence in the culinary world.

Corrida

Samuel McCandless was disappointed when Corrida didn’t make it into the inaugural Colorado Michelin Guide last year. He believes the Boulder restaurant, at 1023 Walnut St., with its panoramic views and focus on regenerative, dry-aged beef, has what it takes to earn it a spot on the recommended list. As for a Michelin star — that may take more time than he thought.

“I think for recognition, we should be in there,” McCandless said. “For an actual Michelin star, we’re probably still a year out, potentially two, but as long as we make the right progress and keep pushing forward, who knows?”

This month, McCandless and restaurant owner Bryan Dayton traveled to Chicago to do some research at Michelin-starred restaurants there. “We’ve been to one-Michelin-star restaurants in different markets that I think we’re as good as if not better, but we’ve also been to one-Michelin-star restaurants that are way more elevated than us.”

Dayton, who also owns Oak at Fourteenth and Bellota, and McCandless recently partnered with Colorado-based Western States Ranches to supply their beef because the company’s grass-fed cows live longer lives on the pastures and are slaughtered humanely, they said.

This year, Dayton’s company, Half Eaten Cookie Hospitality, started its own private regenerative beef label, Colorado Cattle Company, through Western States. The move was made to help the restaurant group take more control of its supply chain. The partnership has provided enough beef to supply Corrida, C Burger (a burger restaurant) and The Colorado Club, a new, Western-inspired neighborhood saloon, for the remainder of the year. If all goes well, Half Eaten Cookie plans to supply/distribute beef to other local operators through hospitality channels.

“The main criteria for a star is to tell a story through your food,” McCandless said. “I think we have a great story with the beef. We’re focused on Colorado ranchers, on top of importing higher-end ingredients from around the world, and our mission is only getting bigger and bigger.”

Noisette Restaurant & Bakery

Lillian and Tim Lu’s experience in Michelin-starred kitchens in other states paid off last year when their now-two-year-old French restaurant, Noisette, became one of the 30 recommended restaurants in Colorado. But they know it will take time to earn a star.

The Lus’ primary goal is to invest in their kitchen staff and train consistency, a key factor in Michelin-star restaurants, across the board. They even encouraged a cook to move on to Michelin-starred Beckon for growth. “Tim taught him as much as he could,” Lillian said.

But any changes they’ve made to the restaurant, at 3254 Navajo St. in Denver, have been for the benefit of their customers, rather than to impress the inspectors.

This month, for instance, Nosette added a wine bar in the restaurant’s daytime bakery space to provide an affordable option for locals looking for a simple glass of wine and a snack. “We want to offer a more casual route and activate the beautiful bakery space at night,” Lillian said.

Restaurant Olivia

Restaurant Olivia is gunning for a green star, which Michelin awards to restaurants that “hold themselves accountable for both their ethical and environmental standards, and work with sustainable producers and suppliers to avoid waste and reduce or even remove plastic and other non-recyclable materials from their supply chain,” according to the website.

Last year, Blackbelly Market and Bramble & Hare in Boulder, as well as Michelin-starred Brutø and The Wolf’s Tailor won green stars.

“We’re optimistic and hopeful this year,” said chef/co-owner Ty Leon.

“But we’re also just being us, and doing the best we can do that aligns with our goals and intentions for what we want to put out in the world,” added co-owner Heather Morrison. “We hope [Michelin] recognizes it, but we’re still proud of what this team does. We didn’t shift our course, we just started telling our story better.”

As part of its sustainability efforts, the upscale Italian joint, 290 S. Downing St. in Denver, started a new partnership with The Land Institute, a nonprofit in Salina, Kan., dedicated to regenerative, perennial grain agriculture at a scale. This means they plant long-lasting grains they can harvest for many years.

Restaurant Olivia also began offering a new reservation option for diners solely interested in the chef’s tasting menu in June. And last month, it introduced a $115 per person tasting menu in collaboration with The Land Institute, featuring the nonprofit’s sorghum, perennial wheat and Baki beans.

“The whole reason for taking those reservations ahead of time is to prevent food waste, so when people sign up to have that menu, chefs know exactly how much to prepare,” Morrison said.

“Those tasting menu reservations also allow us to talk to the guests more since they know what they’re in for,” Leon added. “We can talk about the grains, the inspiration behind everything, and where it all comes from.”

Leon plans to keep the grains on the overall dining menu in a permanent way. He uses the Baki bean flour to create a tempura batter for the first course’s squash blossom. The kernza perennial grain is featured in the cappelletti pasta dish and the silflower honey panna cotta.”The flowers that baki beans create are used for pollinators, and we get honey that comes from those flowers as well,” Leon said.

On top of the new partnership, the Restaurant Olivia team is mulling over how to create a plastic-free menu after visiting green star restaurants in Italy this summer.

“We went to two restaurants that were certified plastic-free, and it led to many sleepless nights once I started thinking about single-use plastic gloves, and the little pieces of plastic wrap that cheese comes wrapped up in,” Leon said.

Barolo Grill

As “one of the Old Guard” restaurants in town, Barolo Grill was fearful of making any changes to its 32-year-old reputation. After all, Fletter and Barolo Grill sommelier Erin Lindstone received the 2023 Colorado Sommelier Award from Michelin last September and also made its list of 30 recommended restaurants.

“If we maintain our status, we’ll be thrilled that we were still included in the family, but God forbid we lose status, then we’ll figure out where we went wrong,” Fletter said. “I’m really trying not to sit at a round table and have that kind of discussion with the staff too until whatever is delivered is delivered, and then we’ll be able to either revel and or repair our wounds.”

Despite Fletter’s qualms, Barolo, 3030 E. 6th Ave. in Denver, will undergo a substantial kitchen remodel next month. He’ll add more stainless steel platforms for plating and update the refrigeration equipment.

“We’ve been using some decades-old areas and equipment, things that I’ve inherited from the past,” Fletter said. “While our chefs are still plating amazingly with plates stacked everywhere on ledges, we want to give them more space and control to be more efficient.”