Gattara — Restaurant in Denver

Gattara is an Italian-American eatery located inside the Warwick Denver hotel. We dined at Gattara for the first time for a double date over the weekend and had a wonderful time.

We arrived at Gattara and General Manager, Dave showed us to our table. Gattara means cat-lover in Italian and the restaurant had several areas with cat illustrations playfully popping up. Dave ensured we had everything we needed to begin our meal. Our server Chaunty was so sweet and had stellar recommendations.

To start I had the La Crema Chardonnay 2020, Sonoma Coast, CA. The chardonnay hit my nose with white florals & lemon; it was juicy on the palate with flavors of crisp apple.

Brooke had the Benvolio, Prosecco from Veneto, Italy. The Prosecco was vibrant and crisp and made for a good pairing with Gattara’s burrata.

For starters we had the Meatballs Bolognaise, Burrata E Prosciutto, and the Crispy Calamari.

The Meatballs Bolognaise were made with tomato conserva, grana padano, and served alongside grilled ciabatta. The meatballs were nice & meaty in flavor - a very hearty starter.

The Burrata E Prosciutto was made with grilled ciabatta, prosciutto, tomato, tomato jam, and arugula. The burrata was milky, prosciutto gorgeously salty, & the tomatoes bright.

The Crispy Calamari was made with arugula, tomato jam, and lemon preserve. The calamari had a nice crisp exterior while it was tender & chewy on the inside.

For Pizza we had the Gattara Originali, New World Pepperoni made with tomato conserva, mozzarella, fresh jalapenos, cream cheese, & Applewood smoked bacon. The New World Pepperoni pizza blew us away - it was so good and a must order when dining at Gattara. The pizza was baked in a pizza oven which puffed the crust's edges and made it very thin towards the middle. The cream cheese made for creamy bites & the mozzarella for buttery cheese pulls. The jalapeno's added nice green color to the pie while also lending a snap in texture. The applewood smoked bacon enhanced the pizza with a smoky sweetness.

For Entrees we had the Salmone Alla Griglia, Lobster Ravioli, Fettuccini Alfredo with Shrimp, & the Spaghetti Fruti De Mare.

The Salmone Alla Griglia was made with pesto risotto, cherry tomato, zucchini, roasted peppers, grana, & sweet balsamic glaze. The salmon was mild and delicate in taste while the flavorful mixture of pesto kicked this dish up a notch.

The Lobster Ravioli was made with cream, tomato conserva, arugula, & lemon oil. Warm, rich & creamy - each large, square ravioli held a smooth filling of lobster & cheese.

The Fettuccini Alfredo with Shrimp was made with white wine cream sauce, roasted heirloom tomatoes, grana Padano, & pecorino. The sautéed shrimp were mildly sweet and went well with the nuttiness from the parmesan alfredo sauce.

The Spaghetti Fruti De Mare was a Dinner Special and made with white wine tomato sauce, mussels, clams, calamari, & shrimp. The white wine tomato sauce was mild and showcased the seafood in the pasta. The long tender noodles and meaty seafood made for hearty bites. Red pepper flakes added great spice in this dish.

For Sweets we had the Housemade Ice Cream Sandwich, Bread Pudding, Cheesecake, & Torta.

The Housemade Ice Cream Sandwich was made with fresh baked chocolate chip cookie, vanilla gelato, & caramel rum sauce. The Ice Cream Sandwich was elite. The fresh baked chocolate chip cookie was huge and hugged the cold vanilla gelato in its center. The cookie had crunch & chew at the same time. The caramel rum sauce was sticky, buttery rich and clung to the ice cream sandwich with each dip. A must order.

The Bread Pudding was made with brioche, vanilla custard, caramel rum sauce, & vanilla gelato. The bread pudding had our mouths watering. The dessert was baked to perfection and had a wonderful cakey, custardy texture. The brioche was piping hot and the contrast of it against the cold vanilla gelato...

COVID-19 Disclaimer: The decision to dine-in during this current pandemic is important and a very personal decision that each of us must make on our own. We must accept the risks we would be taking if we were to dine out of the home, which may be smaller or greater for different individuals. This review is just something fun to read. :)

Last Sunday evening, I met Steve for an early dinner on the patio of Gattara, a relatively new Italian restaurant attached to the Warwick Hotel at the intersection of 17th and Grant.

Masks were worn by all parties until we were completely seated. We sat outside on the patio, where the closest patron was about 20 feet away.

Our waiter was named Sean, and he was great; he was very attentive. We had the choice of dining inside where we would have been extremely social-distanced from the closest neighboring patrons, or similarly spaced out on the patio. It was a beautiful afternoon, and late enough in the day that the sun was hidden by the tall buildings of downtown Denver, so we chose the patio.

According to their website, "Gattara" is the Italian equivalent of 'cat lady', without some of the negative connotations we have in America. This type of cat lady also feed stray cats in her neighborhoodand, as an endearing quality to the community.

We both ordered a signature cocktail called the Angora: Hendrick's Gin, St. Germain, white cranberry juice and fresh lemon juice. It was very cool and refreshing.

The restaurant offers Neapolitan-style pizzas that range between $12 - $18, and upscale entrees $21 - $44. However, we decided to share four appetizers $6-$16. Steve took a margherita pizza "to-go" for his other half, and it received rave reviews!

The French baguette burrata toast was delightful. It contained grana padano, arugula and tomato jam.

Steve especially liked the confit San Marzano tomato! This bruschetta was generously topped with house-made lemon ricotta and basil on a crispy focaccia bread.

The charred octopus was cooked to perfection and contained fregola, peperonata, garlic chips, radishes, and frisee. The bright red sauce under the octopus was rich and creamy.

The star of the appetizer show, and most expensive, was the smoked pork cheeks with Yukon gold gnocchi! It was served with mache and giardiniera. The pork cheeks melted right into our mouths!

Hotel restaurants can be very hit-or-miss. This one was a hit! Hopefully their business picks up, as it was pretty slow last Sunday evening. Reservations can be made...

Two paws up for real tasty pizza.

Gattara delivers delicious appetizers and pizzas, and breaks down the "hotel restaurant" stereotype.

Gattara, which means "cat lady," is a cat-themed Italian-American restaurant downtown, located next door to the Warwick Hotel. Yes, I did say "cat" themed! You can find adorable cats in artwork along the walls and even hidden elsewhere. The interior is very spacious, with high ceilings, with a calm, warm atmosphere. There's a bar and even a brunch bar with bottomless mimosas available on the weekends.

Now onto the food.... the pizzas are bomb. They offer creative, wood-fired, Neopolitan-style pizzas like the carbonara and prosciutto di parma pizzas. My favorite was definitely the prosciutto di parma, although the carbonara is worth a try as well. The prosciutto di parma comes with mascarpone, pecorino romano, arugula, and cured egg yolk. I'm pretty sure I've never had pizza elsewhere with egg yolk on top, but it was incredibly delicious! They also offer gluten-free pizza crusts, which is what we got. The gluten-free crust has the perfect chewy consistency and is made with gluten-free beer.

Besides the diverse selection of pizzas, they also offer fun seasonal ones. I had the opportunity to try the Thanksgiving pizza, which had cranberry orange puree, shaved acorn squash, brown sugar, mozarella, and turkey meat.

Now on to the appetizers... they have some very pretty (and delicious) shareable appetizers. My favorites would include the san marzano tomato focaccia, charred octopus, and the potato strata.

Besides the delicious pizzas (highly recommend that prosciutto di parma pizza!!), they have a super delectable oatmeal raisin cookie ice cream sandwich. I love ice cream (probably way too much), but this was vanilla ice cream with lavender sprinkled on top, sandwiched between two super chewy, thick cookies. Not only that, but it is served with a rich house-made caramel. Oh man, oh man, I'm craving it just by writing about it!

Gattara is a definite winner and worth checking out. It's charming for cat lovers, an excellent ladies' brunch spot, and great for...