Dinner and a show gets a new meaning after brushing past the red curtains of the restaurant “there…” in Denver’s LoHi neighborhood. Though pristine glass doors await your entrance, before that, you must glide down a ruby red carpet, guarded by the notorious velvet rope, that looks reserved for a celebrity guest. Nevertheless, it’s your turn, and beyond the curtain is an audience of people taking in the whimsical, bohemian atmosphere with globally influenced food among their menu.
The show continues when the light bulbs glisten around the backdrop of the bar. The light radiates off the bottles that lay within it. These lights used to belong to makeup mirrors and the wardrobe room in the backstage of the theater but have now found a home there.
A nice snack is always the ideal way to enjoy any show from live theatre to cinema. At there…, they broaden viewers’ perspectives on popcorn when they place a pristine white paper bag on the table; inside is the popcorn with its familiar saltiness and an added umami flavor that makes it even more addictive. It’s the dusting of pulverized seaweed that makes it an above-and-beyond rendition.
The food and drink menus maintain their aesthetic with sections being broken up into different acts to guide the meal. The restaurant ensures there is a community within the dining experience by making it tapas-style, where food is meant to be shared and enjoyed among the entire group.
The first act is composed of hand-held bites, so conversations can fly alongside hungry hands finding their favorite snacks. Basically, it’s the cocktail party before everyone takes their seats for the show.
Their steamed buns are a great version of a sandwich. The soft, pure white bread is a perfect representation of Denver’s lovely winter and it is bursting with different fillings for a range of moods. The soft shell crab tastes like an Asian twist on the classic fried chicken sandwich which is accompanied by a luxurious aioli that navigates its way into every crisp pocket created by the deep fryer. Its arms are extended out to reel you in for your first bite. The buffalo chicken is as it should be—lasting heat carries through even after you’ve finished your bite. The creamy, funky blue cheese that pairs so well with spice and the crunchy greenery of celery is also a nod to the healthy part of eating wings.
Their shiitake has all the usual deep, earthy flavor with a powerful acidic red wine reduction reduction but without any meat required. It stands beautifully on its own and pays homage to Asian influence with a sweet coconut sticky hoisin glaze.
Another great starter is the lettuce wraps that allow the mixture in the middle to be the star and the lettuce to be a crunchy vehicle for all the flavor. As a restaurant that started in Telluride, they enjoy using Colorado cuisine, including elk. Each small piece is charred on the outside for texture, but it remains tender and the gamey flavor is enhanced by the smoke rather than compromised of it. It completely opposes the delicate nature of the towering stack of Alaskan King Crab which almost looks like a game of Jenga. The pieces are soft and buttery with a slight salty undertow. It has a light drizzle of a Yuzu sambal to intensify the citrus that accompanies the seafood with a gentle hand of spice. Those that need even more texture can turn to the corn tostada. With lime-cured salmon belly, it’s a coastal ceviche right here in Denver. An added bite of color and texture from the salmon roe gently decorating the top.
As the night progresses, Act II begins. It’s hard-hitting with vegetables that you might miss the protein skewers listed at the end.
Every restaurant seems to now showcase brussel sprouts. From the barely-touched boiled vegetables to the only greenery that kids seem to flock too, this miniature cabbage has had the biggest transformation since Kylie Jenner. This is no exception at there…—the brussel sprouts need to be ordered. The crispiness that can come from frying is unlike any other, and they are constantly in competition with potato chips. However, at there…, each singular leaf is torn away from its core and dropped into hot oil until the leaf has a brown hue and it resembles miniature bubble wrap. Each piece disintegrates immediately but leaves you with a salty, sweet and spicy sauce to coat your palate. They are a fantastic example of what brussel sprouts 2.0 really means.
As for the starches, the potatoes brava has another great crisp texture but is balanced by the smooth interior, somewhat like a steak wedge fry. Yet, instead of ketchup, the tomato condiment here is a flavorful puree complete with the spices of Peru. There are notes of garlic and parsley, but the star is the fruity-yet-spicy Peruvian Aji Amarillo pepper. It comes like a stack of loaded fries but they won’t leave you drowning in fake cheese and brown chili. Instead, it is a nice opening act.
Whether it’s their Kushiyaki skewers in their second act or it’s the final act for entrees, the meat selection at there… is diverse in choice but consistently well-executed. They ensure that the outer crust gets the sear it needs or char it deserves, while preserving the texture and flavor among what’s concealed inside.
Their pork belly is rendered first because only grilling this fatty piece of meat can make it become tough and unpalatable instantly. The care in their preparation allows the final product to be buttery instead of rubbery, appearing like a thick piece of bacon waiting for a hungry patron to dig in. The flavor is a riff off of the Caribbean flavor of sweet citrus and pork. Scattered in the mustard-based sauce is grilled pineapple to further the smokiness but add in necessary tartness as well.
The salmon also has a rich flavor that stands up to the coconut wasabi cream swiped across the plate. This coconut gives brightness while the wasabi wakes you up just a bit. Each piece flakes away from the next that it’s clear the cooking is spot on.
If you order the Wagyu, you’ll notice the perfectly dark grill lines cross hatching the crust around the lovely shade of pink that reflects a medium-rare steak. The meat is tender on the inside and radiating with natural flavor. If it’s on a skewer for a quick bite, then the flavor will resonate immediately since the dipping is a horseradish base, which is beef tenderloins right-hand man during the holiday season. The richness of the meat is cut through immediately from the kick of the horseradish and creaminess from the sauces base. The entree form of this dish is a next level steak salad with balsamic reduction drizzles over pieces of steak and winter greens, but the added earthiness comes from the essence of truffle that sneaks it’s way in.
The PEI (Prince Edward Island) mussels may be hidden among their dark long shells, but the brightness of this dish remains unshadowed by the greenery of the parsley that radiates as the final touch on this dish. Lemon and parsley complement each other so well because one provides the sour acidic element while the other counterbalances with bitterness to make your tastebuds light up.
While a “show” may “perform” for weeks at a time, there… keeps its menu unpredictable with rotating pasta. The shape, sauce and twists continue to switch but their flavor and homemade feel remains unchanged. The free hand-rolled pasta looks rustic in a way a machine could never perform; it resembles a more laid-back penne. The mushrooms decorate the plate and bring out the earthiness in the nutty, brown butter sage sauce. Finished with a heavy hand of grated parmigiana, it’s all gone after just minutes of being served.
Though I recommend enjoying this dinner before or after your next theater appearance, the show could simply take place any night of the week after walking into this funky, hip restaurant. They even have pop-up events to make sure that you feel that you are sitting in the front row, so now lay back and enjoy this culinary show.
