The walls are lined with wine bottles from all over Italy, lending a homey atmosphere to this ever popular Italian restaurant. Not only is the food delivered with exquisitely fresh ingredients, the wine list is quite encompassing. Ask your server for a suggestion and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the vast amount of information each and every one of them know about the menu and wine selections. Each year the owner closes shop for almost 2 weeks to take his staff to Northern Italy for a true lesson in Italian wining and dining, and it shows in the restaurant’s atmosphere, service, food and following. The thin, crispy breadsticks are perfect for crunching on while you sip a delicious Chianti and wait for dinner. Bon Appetit.

Chef Tom Felese is head chef and owner of this Park Hill establishment that keeps the customers coming. When it first opened, it was the absolute hot spot for Italian Dining and after several years, it still has a busy dining room, weekend wait and customers who consider it their neighborhood restaurant. The specialty of the house is pasta felese, a creamy bow-tie pasta dish named after the Chef. Other standouts are the grilled calamari, chicken parmesan, and chicken saltimboco. As far as service, Amjab is the man to see. Families and couples a like come to the Tomato for excellent dining in a comfortable atmosphere.

Chef Frank Bonanno’s first Italian dining establishment has changed a bit since it’s opening with a little tweaking in offerings, change in staff and now a warmer atmosphere(minus the cold, emeco navy chairs originally used). However, the Chef’s enthusiam for quality, authentic food and his creativity and talent make this one of my favorite restaurants in town, regardless of cuisine. From the excellent service(some of the best I’ve experienced in Denver), to the incredibly knowledgeable sommelier, I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. While it’s a tad more expensive than some, it’s still comfortable and casual and not at all stuffy. The service doesn’t skip a beat with several waiters whisking away your plates right from under your nose. Do yourself a favor and enjoy the menu as the Chef has planned, with something from each course. Absolutely delicious.

Ask any Denverite what their favorite comfort food based Italian restaurant is, and you’re bound to get several votes for Carmine’s on Penn. As the name says, Carmine’s is a traditional Italian restaurant located on Pennsylvania in the Wash Park neighborhood;known for it’s enormous portions that make it perfect for family style dining, sharing and feeding your loved ones. It’s no wonder this joint is so popular for families and has a truly loyal customer base. Make a reservation, because it’s a weekly stop for many of the lasagna loving Wash Park residents.

Venice is located in downtown Denver, in the Lower Downtown (LoDo) portion and was desperately needed and wonderfully received as soon as it it opened. From the opening hours each evening…treating early birds to a stand-out happy hour, to the last entree plated each night, Venice and it’s staff send out what some consider to be the best this Western city has to offer. Risotto, Gnocchi, fish, veal and other notable dishes are sure to please. I’m not a huge fan of the mural of Venice on the wall, but for food this good, I’ll forget about it.

How lucky we are to have a hotel like the Monaco, with one of the most warm and inviting lounge areas ever, and one of the city’s best Italian restaurants to boot. From the homemade bread baked fresh daily to the soup du’jour (always delicious), Chef Elise Wiggins has made a name for herself with Panzano. I always find myself debating over a bowl of the daily soup (the wild mushroom is killer) or the award winning grilled ceasar ) just enough char to give great flavor and nice slices of anchovy) to start my meal. After that, trying to decide between the fish of the day, a perfect pizza or one of the pasta specialties makes for quite a challenge. Regardless of my choice, I always leave happy and ready for my next trip. Panzano is opened daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

While I’m not a huge supporter of chain restaurants because the local spots are just s darn good, I do frequent Piatti fairly often. Chef Mario uses as many local and organic ingredients as he can from the near by farmer’s markets and the food is always fresh and honest. Favorites of mine include the daily soups(I love soup!), brussel sprouts with pancetta, spinach and ricotta ravioli in lemon cream sauce, and the cioppino. But you really cannot go wrong with the well edited menu. The dipping oil/vinegar for the bread is outstanding and even sold by the bottle. Dig in!