Tasty Big Eat bites showcase top Denver restaurants

One bite can wow your taste buds, and these restaurants certainly can make it happen.

What to know: John attended last week's Big Eat — a celebration of independent restaurants — and discovered a handful of new and established spots worth a visit.

• 22 Provisions: A deconstructed Philly cheesesteak on a toothpick with homemade cheese wiz tasted like the real thing. Now I want a whole one from their Avanti outpost.
• Taste Bud Bullies: The swamp fries from this food truck transported me to Bayou heaven with crab, crawfish and shrimp, slathered in a dill aioli.
• The Bindery: This celebrated restaurant surprised me with its Börek, a savory and sweet pastry from the Balkans.
• Red Tops Rendezvous: An emerging dot on the Denver food map, this Detroit-style pizza joint's dough is so light it defied its genre.
• Perida: This Wash Park coastal Mexican restaurant is expanding with its family with a new Lady Nomada location in Lakewood, and for good reason. Try the Birria taco with melted queso oaxaca; it's simple and delicious.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to show Perida's new location will be in Lakewood, not Arvada.