Beckon: One Michelin star restaurant in #denver #datenight #restaurant #finedining #cocktail
Beckon has been in business for over seven years, and it had been a minute since I’d last dined at the restaurant that kick-started Denver’s tasting menu era. So I was pretty curious to see how it had kept up with the competition.
I’m pleased to say the experience has only gotten better with age, growing into a style that feels more confident and self-assured. Executive Chef Duncan Holmes has moved beyond the early days of drawing straight lines to New Nordic novelties (remember those aebleskivers and lingonberry compotes?) in favor of a more meandering path that digs deeper into Colorado’s seasonality and pulls in flavors from across Central Europe and Asia.
At $215/pp, the prices have increased with the times. While Beckon has always offered a vegetarian menu, Holmes tells me he feels the menu is finally coming into its own. In a city where plant-based fine dining remains rare, I took the opportunity to take the menu for a spin and found the lineup every bit as satisfying as an omnivore selection. Highlights included a rich egg custard with tapioca pearls, a clever sunflower-seed “risotto,” and grilled, scored slices of parsnip and kohlrabi that easily commanded the plate as main courses.
On the beverage side, Peter Briggs has elevated the zero-proof pairings. Using fermentation and gas infusions, he creates drinks like a carbonated celery and lovage sipper that mimics the weight of a crisp wine, or an earthy golden beet sipper with a zingy bit of white miso.
The 900-square-foot bungalow remains intimate, but a major refresh 2 years ago — that included putting a midnight-black finish on the walls — has made it more cocoon-like than ever. Anchored by a glowing moon fixture, it has the polished atmosphere you’d expect from a restaurant that has held a Michelin Star for three years running. 🌑✨
📍 Beckon | 2843 Larimer St, Denver
🎥: @newdenizen
Disclosure: My meal was hosted. The restaurant has no influence over my coverage, which remains independent.