Spuntino — Restaurant in Denver

Very recently I had booked a reservation to celebrate an anniversary for my partner and I at Spuntino.

Based on many of the reviews, there was an overwhelmingly positive sentiment about this restaurant and the unique nature to the Indian infusion to many classic Italian dishes.

I want to begin with saying I think that unique style of the main dishes were the best part of the experience, despite the other negatives along the way.

To begin, we had a reservation time in which we were on-time for, maybe even a few minutes early.

When we arrived we were behind another couple who had walked in with no reservation; they were seated before us. We then waited 20 minutes to be seated.

The staff was nice enough to check in and offered to comp a first round of drinks which was amicable.

When seated we were met by our sever who was kind enough to bring complimentary champagne or sparking wine (we were not sure of what it was, it was just referred to as "some bubbles to start") which went untouched as both my partner and I do not drink wine or champagne.

We went forward in ordering our drinks which were quite good and began with the burrata for a starter.

When the burrata had arrived it was disappointing at best. The bread that it came with was cold, untoasted white bread, the burrata was paired with greens that were wilted, soft and at the point of expiration.

We then ordered our main dishes which were the Agnolotti and the Capellini. Both dishes were great, the flavors were unique and truthfully the highlight of the meal.

Ultimately the rating of a poor atmosphere is contingent on a few factors.

We were sat at a front table where we were about 10 feet from the bar. Throughout the meal we were taxed with listening to the bartender speak to the people seated in front of him. For being as far away from the bar, the bartender we could hear him as if he was standing in front of us taking our order. This was something that carried on throughout the entirety of our meal.

As much as it was nice to hear about his law degree and his expired interest in sports, particularly the new york giants I would have preferred an environment where I could hear my partner instead of his voice throughout the night.

Last, the small details such as no place to hang a coat, the front table next to the window that was dripping wet from the cold and condensation are the reasons why the atmosphere was rated so low.

I feel like there was effort put in to try to make the night special by the waiter, but if felt far reaching to the point where he ran out of the restaurant after we declined desert and had paid, to give us truffles in which we declined a few minutes earlier.

I very much wanted to have a positive sentiment about the experience but the negatives outweighed the positives.

As unique as the main dishes were, there are many other places in the city with offering unique cuisine with a welcoming atmosphere and...

Spuntino is working on its 15th year, but it is a bit out of the way for me and I had not been back for a long time. My friend had never been, so we decided it was time to give it a try.

Note that although Spuntino was originally developed by noted chef John Broening as an Italian Restaurant, the current chef/owner (since September 2014), Cindhura Reddy, is of Indian descent and has gradually added more Indian flavors to the offerings. You might consider this Italian-Indian fusion. Only in America!

The space seems very narrow with a large bar on the right and a line of tables along a banquette on the left. There's a more expansive room way in the back plus a steep staircase leading to the basement restrooms--not handicap accessible.

The design is rustic and comfortable, but it's starting to look a little dated to me. A bit of a refresh might be in order. The Lower Highlands neighborhood is extremely crowded and parking is a huge problem. The restaurant has its own parking lot with about a dozen spaces. I was lucky enough to snag the last one at 5:15 p.m. on a Saturday.

Our server, Lindsey, was patient, knowledgeable, charming, and extremely efficient. Everything was perfectly timed, glasses were always full, and plates were cleared immediately. She was really terrific.

I'm a huge arancini fan and almost always order it when I have the option. This version was one of the best. Confit artichokes were new to me, but the combination with mascarpone, pine nuts, and Pecorino really hit the spot with the flavorful and slightly spicy marinara. Alas, no photo. The dish was so appealing that we gobbled it up before I could grab my phone.

There's a fairly extensive and eclectic but well-chosen wine list with impressive by-the-glass offerings. I chose a very enjoyable Barolo. The cocktail list is also interesting. My friend had his usual Negroni and pronounced it very well-executed.

I then had the Agnello, braised lamb osso bucco with saffron basmati rice, broccolini, cilantro, and red onion. The lamb was extraordinarily tender with a wonderful, rich sauce. The South Indian flavors were a perfect combination. The portion was huge, even considering the large bones. I had a heavy box of yummy leftovers.

My friend went for the Pesce, Colorado striped bass with m'hamsa couscous (a traditional Berber version from Tunisia), romesco sauce, spring onions, and toasted almonds. He enjoyed it and thought the flavors were great.

We had a very pleasant evening and we're still talking about it several days later. Spuntino is a unique experience provided by a very talented and creative chef. It is definitely...

This spot appears on a lot of "must try" lists and we had high expectations. There were moments of pure brilliance. Flavors that were exceptional. Super friendly staff that appear to enjoy what they do. And the wines certainly were a highlight. The place was packed and they know how to draw a crowd. The place is also loud. Like a big family gathering where too many conversations are going on and you don't know where to put your attention.

And there were quite a few misses and a lot of room for improvement. We had a reservation, but they were so busy we had to wait for 20 minutes before were we seated. Not a major item if that was where it ended.

We started with the focaccia e ricotta. Hit and miss. The focaccia had burnt ends and was over cooked. The flavors were spot on! And the ricotta had the perfect consistency.

The granchio - jumbo crab, potato cake and egg - was nearly perfect. The crispy salty potato melded beautifully with the crab. The creamy consistency of the egg pulled it all together. Our only issue was plating. The potato was hidden at the bottom under a bunch of greens that didn't seem necessary and made eating the dish a bit more difficult.

The ravoilini was also conceptually brilliant, but not executed as well. The lemon overwhelmed this entire dish. The pasta was cooked perfectly. The texture of the elements, including the shallot and peas was great. But the flavor was one note - lemon. And more lemon.

The gnocchetti was spectacular. The pasta had a nice tooth feel. The pork bolognese with a hint a spicy undertones was great and unexpected. This was nearly perfect. The one note, and we noticed it throughout the meal, is the seasoning level. This dish had a lot of salt, and I really like salt. It was nearly at my upper end of tolerance.

The pesce - fish dish - was our least favorite. The fish was cooked and seasoned perfectly, but it sat on top of crunchy couscous. Some bites were great, but inconsistent.

They did have a great wine selection, including Kopke tawney port to go with dessert. Excellent!

And that describes this spot. Inconsistent. And a lot of potential. They get the people in. Can they get them to come back? ...