The 9th Door

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1808 Blake St. Denver, CO 80202

303-292-2229

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Westword
Recommended
Best First-Date Dinner
Award Winner 2008

Cuisine(s): Spanish, Tapas

Hours: Mon-Thu 4:30pm-10:30pm, Fri 4:30pm-11pm, Sat 5:30pm-11pm

Price: $$$, $$$$

Payment Types: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover, check, ATM/Debit
Attire: Casual

Features: Catering, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Accessible

Serving: Dinner, Late Night

Alcohol: Full bar
Reservations: Accepted, Recommended on Weekends

Parking: Street

Description

When the 9th Door opened in 2005, veteran chef Michael Wahaltere was called in as a consultant, and he created a menu of Spanish favorites, meant to be mixed and matched and made into a meal. To go with this inviting lineup, the cavernous spot was decked out in coppery hues and dark woods, with a plush red banquette along the wall and a bed in the middle of the dining room, gimmicky enough to make you feel like you've entered some adult theme park. The decor remains; the chef does not. Today's board keeps a lot of the original Wahaltere creations; the menu is divided between hot and cold tapas, all of which combine such traditional ingredients as olives, ham and Manchego and goat cheeses, with varying levels of complexity and success. The best time to stop by this restaurant is during happy hour, when the bites and beverages are a steal.

Flamenco Night

6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. every Tue.

Featuring live Flamenco guitar music with Tito and Mark del Barrio Malaga.
Tito and Mark del Barrio Malaga, flamenco guitarists

8:00 p.m. every Tue.
Flamenco

8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. every Wed.

2008 | Best First-Date Dinner

So, there's this girl or guy you really like. You've been pursuing (read: stalking) him or her for months now -- courting in the most old-fashioned way. You've bought flowers, burned your name on his or her lawn, taken a page from Tom McGuane and nailed your hand to his or her front door, even successfully fought off three restraining orders. And now, against all odds, the object of your affection has consented to have dinner with you. So where do you go The 9th Door. With its... More »
2007 | Best Small-Plates Menu

The small-plate fads may be dying, but the 9th Door deserves to stick around. Rather than compromise in the face of changing tastes, it remains dedicated to traditional Spanish flavors: anchovies, a handful of olives and almonds, some sour goat cheese laced with honey, pan-fried artichokes and potatoes sparked with romesco. The plates may be small, but that sounds like the makings of a big meal. More »
2006 | BEST SMALL-PLATES MENU

In adopting -- and adapting -- the theme of drunken, lazy, artistic Spanish dining, the 9th Door has deliberately painted itself into a very good culinary corner, forcing the kitchen to stay true to the influences of Spanish cuisine and the bar to the ideal of fully tanked Spanish drinking habits. The menu was designed by consulting chef Michel Wahaltere, but after he left last summer, the crew took his concept and ran with it, offering real tapas in a city already awash in small plates. The... More »
2006 | BEST FRIED CHEESE

The small plates at the 9th Door have a lot of big tastes -- and the biggest may be the fried cheese. While we like a nice plate of white-trash mozzarella and canned marinara as much as the next guy, the 9th Door offers a much classier take: deep-fried balls of goat cheese topped with a drizzle of spiced honey. The sweetness of the honey, the earthy funk of the goat, the fact that the cheese has been turned into white lava by its dip in the Fryolator -- it all makes for some damn fine... More »

The 9th Door offers a tamer version of Spain's tapas scene

By Laura Shunk | Thu, April 28, 2011

Two short pours of beer get you a free plate of tapas at El Tigre, a dark, dungeon-like bar crammed into the heart of Madrid. The place is always packed, with people jostling each other as they order a drink from one of the bartenders, then try to... More »
Review preview: The 9th Door

By Laura Shunk | Tue, April 26, 2011

A couple of weeks back, I was feeling particularly nostalgic for the Iberian peninsula, where I once wandered winding streets, ambling from tapas bar to tapas bar until I'd eaten enough to make a full... More »
Happy hour at The 9th Door is magnificent

By Kate Kennedy | Wed, July 21, 2010

The Place: The 9th Door, 1808 Blake Street, 303-292-2229 The Hours: Monday through Friday from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. The Deals: $3-5 house cocktails and sangria; $12 sangria carafes; $2-4 tapas Th... More »
Best Wishes

By Jason Sheehan | Thu, March 16, 2006

Next week's Best of Denver 2006 will mark the end of several solid months of eating and note-taking, list-making and writing -- but mostly eating. I have no idea how many dollars and how many hours I've spent scrambling around the city in a desper... More »
Bite Me

By Jason Sheehan | Thu, July 07, 2005

I ate my first two official meals at The 9th Door (see review) while the kitchen was still technically under the command of Michel Wahaltere, and was ready to file my review when I got the news that he was leaving the kitchen he'd set up. "For the... More »
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JaclynA | Los Angeles, CA | 73 Reviews

| Tue, September 30, 2008

This has a very intimate feel so share the experience with close friends or that special someone and cozy up.
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claire85 | Los Angeles, CA | 188 Reviews

| Fri, September 19, 2008

Great place for a group of friends for dinner or just drinks. If you're eating, try the lamb meatballs, salmon wrapped asparagus, and the charcuterie. If you're boozing, try the Mejita (a mojito with fresh watermelon - lethal because you can't taste the liquor) or the El Pepino (like a cucumber martini). A DJ spins pretty loud tunes (so the music can be heard over Beta's throbbing beats from down the street?), so maybe not the best place for a first date.
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eperalta01 | Denver, CO | 5 Reviews

| Wed, October 27, 2010

The 9th door is a great spot to grab a bit than head over to Lodo's!
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Main Menu

Tapas Frias

$4.00

Aceitunas Alinadas Y Almendras
marinated mixed spanish olives andtoasted spanish almonds

$6.00

Aguacate
flash-fried avocado with fresh pico de gallo

$6.00

Membrillo, Manchego Y Jamon Serrano
bite-sized, pan-seared serrano ham topped with quince jam and aged manchego cheese

$7.00

Ensalada De Camarones Y Aguacate
chilled shrimp and avocado salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, tossed in a light aioli dressing

$5.00

Ensalada
fingerling potatoes, chorizo, fresh mint, with sherry vinaigrette

$7.00

Salmon Con Esparragos
smoked-salmon-wrapped grilled asparagus with garlic aioli

$6.00

Pimientos Del Piquillo Rellenos
fire-roasted pequillo peppers stuffed with fresh goat cheese and rosemary

$6.00

Tortilla A La Espanola
traditional spanish omelet, served with sofrito, garlic aioli, and romesco sauces

$7.00

Pera Rollos
fresh pears, arugula, and idiazábal cheese rolled in serrano ham

$9.00

Quesos Mixtos
aged manchego cheese with carrot salad cabrales blue cheese with almonds and honey cabra cheese with dried fig chutney

$7.00

Callo De Hacha
chilled seared sea scallops with crispy jamon, lemon aioli, and flash-fried arugula

$8.00

Jamón, Manchego, Y Tomaquet
aged manchego cheese and thinly-sliced, cured serrano ham served with garlic-tomato bread

$9.00

Charcuteria
an assortment of thinly-sliced spanish and mediterranean cured meat

$12.00

Jamón Ibérico
a true delicacy -- the finest spanish ham, recently made available in the u.s.

$12.00

Amanida
chef’s assortment of spanish cured meats, cheeses, and vegetables

Tapas Calientes

$6.00

Croquetas De Hongos
mushroom and rice croquette with sherry and mushroom sauce

$5.00

Queso De Cabra Con Miel
fried goat cheese topped with spiced honey

$7.00

Alcachofas A La Plancha
crispy pan-fried artichoke hearts with lemon-thyme aioli

$7.00

Calabacitas
roasted spaghetti squash with asparagus, piquillo peppers, fresh basil, and shaved manchego cheese

$7.00

Datiles
crispy serrano ham-wrapped dates stuffed with almonds and drunken goat cheese

$5.00

Patatas Bravas
crisp, spiced potatoes with three sauces

$9.00

Calamares Fritos A La Romana
battered, flash fried baby squid served with traditional spanish dipping sauces

$6.00

Carne De Cerdo
spanish style ribs with a pineapple brandy sauce served with crispy fried onions

$8.00

Albondigas
traditional lamb meatballs served in a delicate moorish mint almond sauce

$8.00

Chorizo Al Vino
spicy spanish sausage cooked with red wine and bay leaf

$9.00

Gambas Al Ajillo
grilled shrimp marinated in olive oil, garlic and chile pequin

$8.00

Pinchos De Fileta
beef skewers with grilled onions and poblano peppers, drizzled with smoked paprika vinaigrette *

$10.00

Pollo Oloroso
sautéed chicken breast with manchego mashed potatoes and oloroso sherry mushroom sauce

$9.00

Chuletitas De Cordero
grilled rack of lamb with creamy polenta and mojo verde

$12.00

Filete Con Cabrales
beef filet with rioja wine reduction and cabrales blue cheese sauce

$12.00

Callo De Hongos
seared sea scallops with truffled mushroom compote

Desserts & Postres

$6.00

Higos Rellenos
chocolate covered almond stuffed figs with candied orange

$6.00

Flan De Limon
our award-winning lemon and rosemary-infused flan

$6.00

Crema Catalana
cinnamon and vanilla bean, catalan-style crème brulée

$7.00

Chocolava
warm chocolate cake with a rich ganache center, served on an orange crème anglaise

$6.00

Bizchoco Borrocho
spanish sponge cake soaked in a cinnamon brandy caramel sauce with crème fraiche

Looking for another city?

The 9th Door

1808 Blake St. Denver, CO 80202

303-292-2229

Description

6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. every Tue.

8:00 p.m. every Tue.

8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. every Wed.

2008 | Best First-Date Dinner

2007 | Best Small-Plates Menu

2006 | BEST SMALL-PLATES MENU

2006 | BEST FRIED CHEESE

By Laura Shunk | Thu, April 28, 2011

By Laura Shunk | Tue, April 26, 2011

By Kate Kennedy | Wed, July 21, 2010

By Jason Sheehan | Thu, March 16, 2006

By Jason Sheehan | Thu, July 07, 2005

JaclynA | Los Angeles, CA | 73 Reviews

claire85 | Los Angeles, CA | 188 Reviews

eperalta01 | Denver, CO | 5 Reviews

People Who Like The 9th Door