Skyscraper Seeds
25 Aug 2015 restaurantreviewAcorn, RiNo, Denver
The drive to Acorn is unreal compared to other neighborhoods in Denver. Living in Englewood, I get a gradual shift to downtown - suburbs give way to rows of old bungalows, youthful hipster neighborhoods, then sports stadiums and high-rise apartments relective of the explosive urban growth experienced by Denver.
The drive from the north is diametrically different. Rolling foothills of wide-open prairiegrass are replaced by an ecstasy of interchanges, industrial buildings, train bridges, and warehouses. This is a grittier side of Denver, and feels very much like the Flats in my hometown of Cleveland. The conglomeration of skyscrapers in Denver push right up against this part of town, giving a feeling much like that of the Emerald City, like the buildings pushed up out of the ground, tall oak trees escaping a seedier understory. This is River North - RiNo.
If these glittering, aspirational skyscrapers are the oak trees, then Acorn is, well, an acorn. It’s still grounded, but aspires to grow up a renowned, pretentious oak tree.
Pulling into The Source, which is as far as I can gather a market / coworking / shared business space for all things hipster and gentrified, I park in a dirt lot after driving down a street whose shoulders are also paved with dirt.
Acorn occupies a grafittied exposed-brick and corrugated-steel enclave of the building with an open front and patio. The countertops and seating are polished, refined matte black and the waitstaff and bartenders mirror the image. The menu is tapas-style, and worth the price.
Fried Pickles with Green Goddess Aioli
Not overdone. A good intro.
House-Made Gnocchi
I am raving about these. The creme sauce is amazing - rich, thick, and seasoned perfectly with big, tangy salt flakes, it reminds me of clam chowder. Sharing the sauce are mushrooms bursting with flavor, smoky and tasting like they were roasted over the many logs of firewood stacked against the walls in here. These round out the clam portion of the chowder. The gnocchi are pan fried and starchy, completing the clam-chowder illusion. There’s something lemony there that I can’t quite place as well. Acorn has done very well on this dish.
Razor Clam Ceviche
I needed a third dish to fill me, but I wanted something lighter after the heavy fried food and cream sauce. There wasn’t much left to choose from that was also vegetarian. The razor clam ceviche lacks the rich, briny flavor I usually seek in seafood. It’s good, and light, but that bright ocean clarity wasn’t around in my dish. It is, however, beautifully presented in a rigidly geometric arrangement, with straight and narrow razor clamshells at a jarring 45 degree offset from a square folded napkin, on which sits an ice bed.
The cocktail bar is alright, but not on the caliber of Merchant in Madison or the Upstairs in Boulder. The company was decidely in my bracket though - lots of 30-something young professionals and tattooed well-to-do creatives. I’d recommend this restaurant to any struggling Denverite looking to go out with their parents, a troupe of acquaintances for after work, or the jetsetting, expense account (read: Epic) crowd.