Five Colorado restaurants earn Michelin stars
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The Michelin Guide Ceremony at Mission Ballroom in Denver's RiNo Art District on Sept. 12. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
Five Colorado restaurants — including three in Denver — earned a coveted Michelin star in its first guide for Colorado released Tuesday night.
Why it matters: The guide's inaugural picks firmly establish Denver, Boulder and its luxury mountain towns as premier dining destinations in the American West.
- The stars are given to top restaurants serving some of the best dishes in the world.
- Colorado has just the sixth guide in the United States.
Zoom in: Michelin's star rating system includes three tiers and is based on five criteria, including product quality and cooking techniques.
- One star is for a restaurant that's worth a stop, two stars is for one that's worth a detour, while three stars is reserved for places worthy of a "special journey."
State of play: The guide gave one star to five Colorado restaurants.
- Beckon (Denver). Serving contemporary cuisine, its seared quail breast with confit leg was noted as being "spot on" in the guide.
- Bosq (Aspen). The guide highlighted this contemporary restaurants menu format, which lets people customize their own tasting of four or more courses.
- Brutø (Denver). A Mexican and contemporary restaurant, the guide highlighted its ingredients, including its lamb, which is prepared as a street-style taco and ground lamb leg kushiyaki.
- Frasca Food and Wine (Boulder). An Italian restaurant, it was given kudos for its "minimal, straightforward" approach to dishes, including for its halfmoon fresh spinach pasta.
- The Wolf's Tailor (Denver). This contemporary restaurant was noted for its "unique, genre-defying" style combining elements from includes Nordic, italian and East Asian food.
Between the lines: 44 restaurants in Colorado were recognized by the guide, including Bib Gourmand (budget-friendly restaurant recommendations) and Recommended eateries.
- Blackbelly Market (Boulder), Bramble & Hare (Boulder), Brutø and The Wolf's Tailor were given Michelin Green Stars, which highlights places with sustainable practices.
Of note: The guide only considered restaurants in Aspen, Beaver Creek, Denver, Boulder, Snowmass Village and Vail.
The other side: Michelin was criticized for not including Aurora, a city with a diverse and award-winning cultural scene.
- "I hope this diverse demographic eventually gets the recognition it deserves," Caroline Glover, a chef at Annette in Aurora, told the Denver Post last month.
The intrigue: Four tourism boards, including Denver's, paid Michelin between $70,000 to $100,000 to be considered for the guide, according to the The New York Times. Aurora's tourism agency declined to participate.
- Additionally, the Colorado Tourism Office agreed to pay $135,000 annually for three years to promote the guide, per the Denver Post.
- It's common practice for tourism boards and hotel owners to pay for Michelin to accept money from sponsors for a chance to earn a star, according to the Times.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Blackbelly Marker is in Boulder (not Denver) and that Brutø is a Mexican (not Italian) restaurant.