Don’t be put off by the name: Bittersweet, a restaurant that opened in Denver a few months ago, is a savory addition to the Mile High dining scene.
This dining room at East Alameda Avenue and South Pennsylvania Street brings creativity and craft to its compact menu, thanks to a kitchen overseen by chef Olav Peterson, who has a sharp eye for seasonal ingredients.
The menu, which changes regularly, is commendably ambitious, though it wears those ambitions lightly. Dishes bear clever touches — the curled tops of fiddlehead ferns tucked into manila clams, for example — but diners aren’t flogged with cuteness. This is food to eat, not play with.
Bittersweet is in a one-time gas station, but the transformation is so thorough that you’re hard- pressed to imagine the building in its previous incarnation. The sleek interior projects stylish cool rather than homey warmth, the fireplaces notwithstanding.
The restaurant is divided into two dining rooms — check out the huge vintage map of Paris in the back one — and there is a small four-top bar. Bittersweet does brisk business with folks from the Byers and West Washington Park neighborhoods, diners obviously grateful for a new fine-dining establishment.
A young staff delivers service that is knowledgeable and friendly, albeit occasionally overly so, to wit:
Waiter with spiked rockabilly hair: “Hey, whaddup?”
Me: “How are you?”
Waiter: “Eh, it’s my weekend.”
How interesting. In spite of our instant familiarity, I restrained myself from telling him about my bunions. But the waiter knew his food, and soon enough arrived with adult beverages — bubbly spiked with calvados, St. Germain edelweiss liqueur and a lemon twist — and was walking us expertly through the menu.
The kitchen pays attention to its appetizers.
New England chowder, at $10, was a commendable take on that dish, with generous strips of razor clams redolent of smoke, and topped with a potato croquet plus — this being the Swine Age — crispy pork.
A sweetbread reuben ($9) delivered a trio of sauteed thymus glands, each the size of a block mason’s thumb, perched atop caraway brioche. Jarlsburg fondue provided a creamy touch, and a jam of pickled tomatoes injected a welcome acidity.
First-timers can be forgiven for assuming the lamb crepinette arrives as a mini-crepe. Hey, it sounds logical. But by definition, a crepinette is a sausage patty, which is what this was, fat and flavorful, with a pepper emulsion and grilled salad studded with diced ramps, that onion-like star of better spring woodlands nationwide.
Deft touches abound. When an entree calls for a serious knife, Bittersweet brings you a slender, stainless-steel piece of cutlery made by Laguiole, the classic French brand. Yes, it has the trademark metal honeybee on the bolster. This is an improvement from the typical oversized steakhouse knife, where you half expect Sgt. York to burst into the room and yell, “Fix bayonets — we’re going over the top!”
Entrees are generally winners, though both fish dishes I ordered could have been cooked a bit less.
A skate wing ($23) was properly cleaned — residual cartilage can sometimes be a problem with this fish — and flanked with fried oysters, asparagus and bearnaise sauce. Kudos to the latter in particular, which was light and had just the right spike of tarragon. But the fish seemed a bit overcooked, collapsing under the fork. Less give, please.
A $22 filet of barramundi, also known as Asian seabass, could also have benefited from less pan time. The set-up was excellent, however: fiddlehead ferns coiled inside manila clams, a sweet pea puree, and beurre blanc splashed with worcestershire sauce — a deep, dark complement to all the springtime notes.
The roast duck breast was a home run, cooked to a pink center, with a savory, non-cloying cherry reduction and sweet-potato spaetzle, an inspired take on that Bavarian pasta staple.
Save room for dessert. We shared a luscious peanut butter tart, topped with chocolate ganache and paired with a scoop of milk chocolate ice cream. The ice cream and sorbets are made in-house, and the coconut sorbet is an especially refreshing option for the coming warm weather.
With drinks, two people dining at Bittersweet can rendezvous with Ben Franklin in a hurry. Still, this is by and large value delivered.
William Porter: 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com
BITTERSWEET
Contemporary
500 E. Alameda Ave., 303-942-0320 bittersweetdenver.com
** (Very Good)
Atmosphere: Relaxed, casual
Service: Cheery, knowledgeable
Beverages: Wine, beer, cocktails
Plates: A compact menu, with a winning combination of starters and entrees
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5-10 p.m.
Details: Spiffy room in a converted service station. Street parking, plus a small lot.
Our star system: **** : Exceptional *** : Great ** : Very Good * : Good
