Linger

• Cuisine(s): New American
• Price: $$
• Parking: No Parking

Description

From the moment it opened in the summer of 2011, crowds crammed through the doors of Linger, the restaurant that Justin Cucci put in the old Olinger mortuary. Cucci incorporated the building's past into its whimsical new look, with echoes of the quirky, morbid humor that characterizes the film Harold & Maude, photos from which are plastered on the bathroom doors and above the kitchen. But while you could find yourself greeting a hostess behind an old church pulpit, sitting on a hearse seat and ordering from a menu that looks like a toe tag, the colorful, eclectic richness of Cucci's attention to detail creates a seamless space that's at once stunning, humorous and cool. So is the menu. The sexy spot features a board of global street food, which is perfect for nibbling with offerings off the killer beverage list. And the bars -- both indoor and rooftop -- feature sweeping views of the skyline. With this restaurant, Cucci filled a niche that Denver didn't even know was empty.