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Rioja

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Rioja
  

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1431 Larimer St. Denver, CO 80202

303-820-2282 

http://www.riojadenver.com  

15 User reviews Write A Review
1431 Larimer St. Denver CO 80202

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  • European Other
    Sun 10am-10pm, Mon-Tue 5pm-10pm, Wed-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri 11:30am-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm
    $$$ $$, $$$
  • All Major Credit Cards
    Business Dining, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Private Party, Takeout, Wheelchair Accessible
    Brunch, Dinner, Lunch
  • Full bar
    Accepted, Highly Recommended
    Street, Valet
Description

Rioja opened in late 2004 to unprecedented fanfare -- fawned over by the press, loved up on the foodie message boards, packed from the start almost every night of the week. And it's just gotten better from there. The fare coming out of chef/owner Jennifer Jasinski's open kitchen is a jumble of Mediterranean, Spanish and loose, fusion-y concepts with handmade pastas and excellent sauces. The room is comfortable, casual and perfectly geared for the skittish Larimer Square foot traffic, full of folks who might stop in for a quick drink but wind up lingering over dinner.








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  • 2011 | Best Free Bread

    We try our very best not to fill up on bread before dinner comes, but that's no easy task at Rioja. The restaurant's given serious thought to its complimentary carbohydrate accompaniment, so it doesn't serve you stale chunks of ciabatta. Our mouths start watering as soon as we spot the employee charged with bread service, lugging a beautiful basket of crumbly goat-cheese biscuits and thick slices of baguette, full of fat olives that imbue the slices with just a hint of brine, all exquisite... More »

  • 2011 | Best Local Cookbook

    The hardback cover, a photo of Jennifer Jasinski's braised artichoke and white-truffle tortelloni -- a recipe that has made grown men break down in tears faster than negotiations between PETA and the Pork Board -- is the first stunning glimpse into The Perfect Bite, Jasinski's self-published cookbook comprising 76 Rioja recipes, including the chef's signature tasting menu, and page after page of glorious photography. Every recipe, insists Jasinski, was tested three times -- by... More »

  • 2010 | Best Expense-Account Dinner

    Everything about Rioja radiates perfection, from the flavors and flourishes on the plate to the wine list and waitstaff -- which is precisely the kind of faultless experience you should expect when you're celebrating an anniversary, bar mitzvah, time off for good behavior or an extra five hours of furlough. If you're part of the precious few still flush with a no-holds-barred expense account, you may as well uncork a Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose Champagne for $185 before moving on to a... More »

  • 2007 | Best Picnic on the Patio

    Chef/co-owner Jen Jasinski has put up many impressive menus at Rioja. But with all her housemade pastas, salads, Colorado lamb dishes and an ever-changing pork-heavy, Mediterranean board, there's always been one delicious constant: the Rioja "picnic." Combining Spanish chorizo, air-dried duck breast, shaved speck, Italian gorgonzola and assorted olives, nuts and condiments, this plate truly has something for everyone. And if you enjoy your picnic on Rioja's small, pleasant patio on busy... More »

  • 2006 | BEST DINNER UNDER $25

    Rioja is not a cheap restaurant, by any means, but it offers two of the best meals in the city for under twenty bucks each. The first is the Rioja picnic. Just $14.50 buys you a big plate filled with everything necessary to make an antipasto freak smile: Spanish chorizo; shaved, dried duck breast; speck; a little goat cheese; a little gorgonzola; olives and nuts; a bit of truffled fennel salad -- as well as really good bread (you can choose from three kinds, and if you ask nicely, the server... More »

  • 2005 | Best Dinner for Two for $50

    Chef Jennifer Jasinski has hit the triple bull with her powerhouse new eatery in Larimer Square. One, she's got a great location -- smack in the middle of the hottest restaurant neighborhood in town, which she's made even hotter. Two, the space (some of which was once part of Josephina's, some nonexistent) is a great upscale-casual dining room that's fun to hang out in, no matter how much cash you're dropping. And three, both the menu and the kitchen executing it are top-notch, turning out... More »

  • 2005 | Best Handmade Pasta

    In a lot of ways, Rioja is a dream restaurant -- the sort that chefs fantasize about, with a great location, a solid crew of experienced veterans and a menu that allows that crew to improvise upon favorite dishes night after night. For chef Jennifer Jasinski, that means doing pasta -- lots of pasta. Lots of beautifully executed, expertly balanced plates of handmade pasta presented daily to a crowd that seems to love them all without reservation. From the fat, pot-bellied pansoti stuffed with... More »

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People Who Like Rioja

Back to TopMenu
Dinner Menu
Delicious Beginnings
$8.50
Tortilla Soup Consommé
roast pork belly, fresno chilies, blistered tomato, cilantro, tortilla-lime salt
$9.50
Greek Salad
cucumber carpaccio, tomato gelée, valbreso feta mousse, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, dehydrated onion, oregano vinaigrette
$9.50
Avocado Citrus Salad
oranges, grilled king trumpet mushrooms, haystack farms goat cheese, watercress, red belgian endive, orange verjus vinaigrette
$8.00
Rioja House Salad,
baby arugula, medjool dates, gorgonzola, toasted almond vinaigrette
$14.50
Whole Wheat Flatbread
local organic apple mostarda, brussels sprouts, sherry braised pearl onions, tallegio, rosemary
$9.50
Savory Herb Ricotta Cheesecake
sourdough pine nut crust, red jewel yam-apple-candied orange agrodolce, pine nut pistou
$14.50
Seared Sea Scallops
fresno chili marinated costa rican pineapple, sesame soy caramelized eggplant, sake lees vinaigrette, shiso two ways: crisp and fresh
$9.50
Mango, Grilled Endive, Mozzarella
fresh bufula mozzarella, balsamic marinated grilled red endive, guanciale, mango, basil mango coulis
$9.50
Fresh Bacon
cardamom spiced kurobuta pork belly, madras curry scented garbanzo bean puree
$16.50
Rioja “picnic"
a trio of artisan meats, warm pine nut crusted goat cheese, italian mountain gorgonzola, olives, truffle fennel salad, orange confit, almonds
$16.50
Tuna Sashimi And Tartare
bigeye tuna, apple-fennel marinated tuna tartare, anise vinaigrette, apple chips
$14.50
Sauternes Soaked Fourme Aux Moelleux Cheese
crispy layers of lavender feuilleté de brik, sauternes grape gelée, micro basil edible flower salad, honey
Entrees
$29.00
Liberty Farms Pekin Duck
seared breast and citrus duck sausage, fregola sarda salad: caramelized eggplant, celery, basil, parsley. smoky orange sauce, olive-orange puree
$26.00
Skuna Bay Salmon
nori wrapped salmon, fennel croquettes, grilled escarole, dashi sabayon, bacon-onion jam, tangerine oil
$18.50
Vegetarian Four Squares
a tasting of four seasonal dishes
$29.00
Seared Bigeye Tuna
sunchoke-coconut veloute, olive oil poached sunchokes, lentil-shiitake-turmeric vinaigrette, crisp young coconut, arugula
$29.00
Colorado Lamb
red wine braised lamb shoulder, grilled lamb loin, grilled eggplant and red jewel yams, pecorino fiore di sardo, colorado pears
$26.00
Pan Roasted Petaluma Chicken
bacon-golden raisin bread pudding, crispy chicken skin “chips”, braised tuscan kale, brandy-sage-rosemary pan jus
$29.00
Prime New York Steak
pan roasted maitake mushrooms, smoked apples, young mustard greens, mushroom-red wine reduction, pine syrup
$24.00
Grilled Duroc Pork Tenderloin
hazelnut-black mission fig linzertorte, roasted madeira pearl onions, caramelized brussels sprouts, fresh figs, sweet garlic cream, smoky pork jus
Chef Jen’s Hand Made Pastas
Pastas Are Available As An Entrée Or An Appetizer Course
$24.50
$12.50
Spanish Octopus Farfalle
squid ink-piquillo pepper pasta, basque chilies, piquillo peppers, crisp preserved lemons, gremolata caper chile emulsion
$19.50
$10.50
Gnocchi
red jewel yam gnocchi, black trumpet mushrooms, braised calvo nero, ricotta, toasted pecans, crispy sage, porcini nage
$18.50
$11.50
Artichoke Tortelloni
goat cheese and artichoke mousse stuffed pasta, artichoke broth, truffle essence, queso de mano cheese, chervil
$18.50
$9.50
Pansoti
potato and cheese stuffed pot-bellied pasta, roasted colorado acorn squash, pancetta vinaigrette, fig port reduction, chives
Desserts
$8.00
Brandy Snap Cannoli
orange scented carnaroli rice pudding, passionfruit coulis, edible flowers
$8.00
Carrot “baklava”
crispy phyllo layers, raisin goat cheese mousse, currant coulis, carrot marmalade
$8.00
Beignets
sweet goat cheese and black mission fig filled pastries, ruby port wine reduction
$8.00
Chocolate Caramel Napoleon
layers of chocolate caramel ganache, vanilla bavarian crème. peanut butter flourless cake, chocolate sorbet, peanut butter caramel
$8.00
Baked Alaska
pineapple sorbet, coconut macaroon, coconut frangipane, toasted meringue, pineapple gastrique
$8.00
Whopper” Torte
crispy malted shortbread crust, chocolate flan, caramel mousse, malted anglaise
$8.00
Hand Made Ice Creams And Sorbets
lace cookie “plate” choose three ice creams or sorbets
$14.50
Sauternes Soaked Fourme Aux Moelleux Cheese
crispy layers of lavender feuilleté de brik, sauternes grape gelée, micro basil edible flower salad, honey

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