The gentrification in downtown Denver is growing like vines overtaking the walls of a pristine brick house. The leafy green tangles begin to morph the house into something new while leaving what once stood. There are high-quality chefs bringing their unique perspectives to our newly gentrified city, but with that can come surges in pricing and overly complex dishes. Luckily, after walking from the twinkling lights of the Union Station sign and down Blake street, I found a Mexican hideaway that refuses to give up on their traditional cuisine.
When talking about Mexican food on Blake Street, people may jump to think of the neon sign projecting light over the enormous patio featured at Rio Grande. Instead, I urge you to cross the street to D’Corazon, a nook between a corporate office and a European waxing studio. With a sign in the window that boasts “The best Mexican in LoDo,” you might assume the quote comes from the owner himself. However, after taking a seat in the comfortable and casual yellow-painted room, you start to think that the signs aren’t kidding as the scent of freshly deep-fried tortilla chips waft out of the kitchen. As someone who grew up on Mexican feasts dominating the Sunday menu, I know that this is the type of Mexican food your family strives to make. The place fits the traditionalist’s hopes while satisfying a foodie’s dream. There are staples to the Mexican culture that are rustic in appearance and soulful in flavor. Though Instagram is not quite ready to become casual with its food content, this restaurant would surely make the popular page if Instagram could feature smells.
The smell of the chips is quickly amplified as a heaping basket gets placed in front of you, free of charge. Instead of breaking instantaneously, these chips have a bit of weight to them, making them feel more homemade. They hold the refreshing yet spicy red salsa better than the Tostitos cup chips. With shredded onion and a thin tomato base, it emulates a gazpacho but with flecks of cilantro, hints of lime and bits of onions that remind us that this is the way salsa should taste. Now that an addiction to these salty crispy chips has been made, it is time to progress onto the main attraction.
Their menu is extensive, which is probably purposeful to make you intrigued and plan on coming back to try another beloved dish. Their heritage shows through in their tried and true Mexican dishes that you can see featured on the menus of Latin-inspired restaurants. Their burritos are stuffed to the point of almost ripping, which is why they smother it in green chili to ensure you don’t try to make this a handheld experience. This beast must be taken down with a fork and knife. Nothing fancy has found its way inside; instead there is the choice of beef, chicken or beans (pro-tip: add chicharrones for an added porky crunch). It resembles the beloved taste of putting potato chips on a deli sandwich.
D’Corazon is known for the perfectly charred carne that absorbs all the smoky flavor from the grill. A choice of their ribeye or pork chops is up for grabs. With an accompaniment of tortillas, these hand portions of meat make for a true Mexican meal. D’Corazon’s soft corn tortilla also lay side by side with other Mexican staples. The carnitas, or, slow-braised pork, emulate the American pulled pork but with a hint of freshness from the bright salsas. The chicken adobo is pieces of grilled chicken doused in a spicy chile sauce that hits you with a wake-up call in the back of the throat. Another adored option is the fajitas; with steam arising from the dish like a mini sauna, the charcoal black pan is always screeching hot. Fajitas are piled high with seasoned bell peppers and onions representing the colors of the Mexican flag with pride and flavor. The build-your-own taco bar features a warm tortilla and an additional platter overflowing with large chunks of tomato, confetti-shredded lettuce and dollops of pearly white sour cream or thick rich guacamole.
All authentic Mexican restaurants have a specialty mole that you would only know to order if you had a deep love for the rustic flavors of Mexican culture. This dark brown simmering sauce will simultaneously tenderize any meat and intensify the flavor. D’Corazon takes pride in the 28 ingredients featured in this one seemingly simple sauce. However, there is a complex balance of spice featuring hints of smoke, salty nuttiness from almonds, earthiness from the seeds, warmth from the fall spices and a touch of sweetness from the chocolate. Altogether, it may seem like an ordinary brown mess, but the flavor is unique and comforting like a country-style gravy. D’Corazon bestows this wonderful sauce on pulled chicken or enchiladas that are oozing with melted cheese.
The true way to enjoy mole is to have it dousing either the chicken thigh or breast meat. The meat is seared to get a crispy skin chip to slowly pull away from the rest of the meat, then finished in the oven to make sure the rest gets juicy and tender. The sauce hits almost every inch of the plate, leaving the chicken hidden. Even receiving just a bowl of this impeccable sauce would not be a disappointment.
Regardless of what fills your plate, just know that the sides of rice and beans are exactly what you’d hope to see in a classic Mexican restaurant. The beans are smooth and creamy, almost like a good mashed potato. The rice has a classic tomato base with flecks of chili powder and cumin dusted throughout the dish. You can also count on the rice’s medley of carrots, peas and corn to be your healthy serving of vegetables for the meal. While it doesn’t scream anything exotic and the flavor won’t have you pondering what created something so magnificent, it emulates nostalgia to your first encounter with Mexican culture. D’Corazon oers no frills or artistic plating, but that’s not why you would come to an authentic restaurant anyway. This is the spot where you take friends to have a loud night out on the town or where you take your significant other when neither of you want to cook. It’s a lively restaurant filled with food that doesn’t disappoint.
Furthermore, the portion sizes are huge, indicating that the chef doesn’t want you to leave hungry.. Rather than using tweezers to place the last microgreen on a miniscule portioned protein like they do at the world renowned eateries, this restaurant is bringing back the love that our grandparents had to make sure to loosen our belts one ring. It’s hard to express all the passion that lives within these four walls. The D’Corazon family grew up on tradition, and making sure that this tradition endures for generations is their top priority.
