Cucina Calore
Cucina Colore seems new, even though it's a well-established favorite that started in 1994. It's contemporary in both design and cuisine. The menu stresses freshness and seasonal ingredients, featuring several starters, salads, individual wood-fired pizzas, extensive and pasta dishes, such as house-made lobster ravioli, herb-roasted chicken conchigilie and an array of main entrees such as yellowfin tuna, veal scaloppine, and eggplant lasagna. The staff will guide you through selections and match wines from an extensive list, including single-glass choices or glass-and-a-half in small carafes. The corner-wrapping patio tables are perfect for outdoor dining and people-watching on warm days.
3041 E. 3rd Ave.
Denver, CO 80206-5102
(303) 393-6917
cucinacolore.com
Piatti
Piatti in Cherry Creek dominates an attractive street corner with interconnecting intimate dining rooms and patios. Its menu emphasizes variety, from antipasti, salads, soups, vegetable and rice side dishes to pastas, which can be ordered as first plates or in larger portions as main dishes. The classic stone-hearth pizza choices reflect Piatti's goal of "traditional trattoria" fare. The pastas and main entrees are more complex and original, such as braised lamb ziti and saltimbocca. Piatti has a full European and California wine list, including half bottles and Colorado wines. It offers free valet parking.
Piatti
190 St. Paul St.
Denver, CO 80206-5107
(303) 321-1919
piatti.com
California Pizza Kitchen
This eclectic chain occupies the main entrance of the Cherry Creek Mall, but the patio and dining room face North Cherry Creek's buzz and bustle. A varied menu ranges from bar snacks to pizzas to pasta entrees. Along with white flour conventions, CPK stresses healthful whole-wheat options. Imaginative spins on Italian themes, such as pear/gorgonzola or carne asada pizzas and asparagus and spinach spaghettini, coexist with an array of non-Italian options such as blue crab cakes and steak tacos. The wine list favors West Coast and Australian vintners.
California Pizza Kitchen
3000 E. 1st. Ave.
Denver, CO 80206
(303) 388-5686
cpk.com/location/cherry-creek-mall-co
Article Written By Lee Patton
Lee Patton has been writing full-time since 2002. In non-fiction, he has focused on adventure travel and environmental reportage in "Travelmag," "Landscapes," "Travel 101." In fiction, he is a mystery novelist and playwright; short fiction in "Recovery," "Hawaii-Pacific Review," "Danse Macabre." He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Sacramento State and a Master of Arts from the University of Denver.
