Frasca Hospitality Group Opens Osteria Alberico in Englewood

"Once I started to learn more about the concept — that it was going to be an osteria and that they really wanted it to be a neighborhood restaurant serving straightforward, delicious Italian food that you want to eat two or three times a week, that got me excited," says Russell Stippich, executive chef of Osteria Alberico, the newest venture from the award-winning Frasca Hospitality Group.

It debuts Monday, July 29, at 4 p.m. in an unexpected location — the King Soopers shopping center at South University Boulevard and East Hampden Avenue in Englewood.

The Frasca group is best known for fine dining. It got its start with Frasca in Boulder, which earned a Michelin star last year and is celebrating its twentieth anniversary on August 4. Now, it also includes Tavernetta (one of the city's best spots for Italian fare) and Sunday Vinyl, both of which are located at Union Station.

In early 2023, it introduced Pizzeria Alberico in Boulder, in the home of the original Pizzeria Locale, a brand the group sold to Chipotle; just a few months after the rebrand, Chipotle announced that it was closing all remaining Pizzeria Locale locations.
Pizzeria Alberico wasn't just a Locale replacement, though; it stands on its own as an homage to Naples. And Osteria Alberico isn't just an offshoot of the pizzeria — though it will be serving pies. The focus is on "really high-quality, delicious ingredients and not too much fussiness," notes Stippich, who previously ran the kitchen at Bar Dough, an Italian eatery in Highland, and was a line cook at Frasca back in 2011. "With this restaurant, it was really about toning it down for me from where I have cooked for the last few years, which was taking the idea of Italian food and playing with it too much. With this one, it was a real lesson in humility and understanding and learning."

For example, he says, "The tuna crudo dish that I'm really in love with right now is just beautiful tuna, celery leaves and capers. And then we're just seasoning it with a really beautiful Agrumato lemon olive oil that's pressed with Amalfi lemon. Then it gets a little bit of lemon juice, and that's the dish. It's so straightforward and so simple, and it's really just about the quality of the ingredients and where they're from, and I think that's really where this menu shines."

Other favorites include grilled lamb chops served with dressed arugula from Esoterra; the Caprese salad made with locally grown heirloom tomatoes, burrata imported from Italy and a twelve-year balsamic; and ravioli filled with lobster from Maine-based purveyor Sue Buxton ("She doesn't just sell to everybody," Stippich notes) and Olathe sweet corn. "The hard work at this restaurant isn't so much in the dishes themselves but in the sourcing and the finding of the best quality of everything we can get our hands on," the chef says.
That means importing many ingredients, including cheese, olive oil and flour for the fresh pasta and pizza, then filling in with fresh, locally sourced meats and produce. "Overall, I'm just really excited about how the menu feels and how it fits the space and the concept. I think it's a really strong opening menu," Stippich says.

The concept is also "rounding it out for Frasca Hospitality," he adds. In the hierarchy of Italian dining, "at the bottom you've got your bar, super casual. Next up would be a pizzeria — it's casual, it's affordable, the service is really chill. Above that is an osteria, which is a little more full-service. Still really approachable, simple food. It's the neighborhood spot where you want to go all the time. Then you've got a trattoria, which would be like Tavernetta — a little more serious than an osteria. ... The highest tier would be a ristorante, which would be like Frasca. It's exciting that they have that full portfolio now."

It's also the group's first time offering pizza and pasta at one concept, Stippich notes, along with lighter fare and larger proteins. "It's got a nice mix of everything," he says.

As for the shopping center location, "I've always loved the idea of having a restaurant that's in a neighborhood and a little harder to get to, so that it's not just for the people who are downtown or the people in RiNo. This is an opportunity for us to bring this style of food and this love of Italian culture and wine to a part of Denver that doesn't have that," Stippich concludes. "I think we're going to see more of that as Denver grows."

Osteria Alberico is located at 3455 South University Boulevard in Englewood and is open daily (except Tuesdays) at 4 p.m. For more information, visit osteriaalberico.com or follow it on Instagram @osteria.alberico.