As someone who recently returned from five months studying abroad in South America, I was thrilled to find out about a trendy restaurant called Leña (which translates to firewood), that specializes in authentic Latin American cuisine right down the street on Broadway Boulevard. Not only this, but it was also recently featured in Thrillist’s “10 New Denver Restaurants You Need to Check Out Right Now” and 5280 Magazine’s “Denver’s Best New Restaurants 2015.”
I entered Leña around 9:30 p.m. for a late dinner in order to keep with the South American custom of eating dinner late at night. I was instantly surrounded by a mix of authentic, cozy Latin American decorations with a modern, North American twist. The two-story restaurant has a mix of dark wood and brick décor, with traditional Latin American painted skulls and festive chandelier lighting. Of course, we headed straight for a table overlooking the restaurant and bar on the second floor loft.
Although I’m not old enough to order anything off the cocktail menu in America, I was impressed by the authenticity of their selection of Latin American drinks, including three different kinds of margaritas a drink called a Pisco Sour—a typical Peruvian drink made with citrus juice and an egg white—and a Capirhina, the national drink of Brazil. Also on the bebidas (drinks) menu is a generous craft beer selection and several South American wines. My friend tried the Capirhina, which uses a special liquor called Cachaca and a sugar-lime mixture, and he was very impressed.
Then it was time to order food (and not a second too soon as my gringa self is not used to the whole late dinner thing and was getting hangry). The name Leña is an homage to how the restaurant cooks most of its food—on a white oak, wood-fired grill.
Our waitress told us that most of the dishes are meant to be communal and that people usually order in courses and share all of the food—another authentic Latin American experience. Who were we to question it? We started out with a course of Ceviche de Pescado ($13) and Tacos Carnitas de Bisonte ($14). Ceviche is a cold seafood dish where the fish is raw and cured in citrus juices. Leña’s was served with aji amarilla peppers and plantain chips. However, the Tacos Carnitas de Bisonte (or bison tacos) were the MVP of this course. They came three to a plate and featured a jicama slaw and queso casero, like goat cheese or feta cheese.
We were experiencing taste bud overload from the acidity of the ceviche and spiciness of the tacos, so for our next course we ordered something a little more simple, the Pan de Yuca, or yucca rolls ($4). This is bread made from yucca starch, cheese, butter and eggs. The result was a dense, savory roll that was the perfect palate cleanser after all the different flavors we had just consumed. It was extremely filling, though, and only left us room for one more course—dessert, of course.
For our postre (sweet), we tried the Patacones, or twice-fried plantains ($3). The sweet plantain chips were coated with a thick batter and served in a portion large enough for two people. Truth be told, we couldn’t even finish them. These were also served with aji amarillo, which had a spiciness that offset the sweetness of the plantain chips.
Among these incredible dishes, Leña specializes in their asado, or grilled meat dishes. This is as authentic Latin American as it gets and is presented in the form of sizzling meat served right at the table on a mini grill. Some of the choices were chorizo sausage ($9), flank steak ($15) and shrimp ($12).
Leña is a beautiful restaurant with unforgettable food. I would recommend it for a splurge date night or a fun dinner out with a group of friends where everyone can order a dish and share it all family-style. I only got to try a small portion of the menu but you can bet I’ll be back to sample the rest.
