Jovanina's Offers an Intimate Chef's Counter Experience for Two

Jars of preserved produce line the tops of booths and sit on shelving in the cozy dining room at Jovanina's Broken Italian. "We have pickling parties," notes chef Chris Henschen as he prepares one of the four off-the-menu courses he's serving at the chef's counter — just two seats situated in front of his station, right next to the pass.

The LoDo eatery at 1520 Blake Street opened in 2018. Owned by Jennifer Linzinmeir and her husband, co-owner and chef Jake Linzinmeir, it specializes in pastas made in-house and wood-fired pizza, along with seafood, steak and many vegetable-forward dishes. Now, it's also offering a different way to experience its modern take on Italian fare: the Chef's Tasting Experience for $95 per person, with an optional wine pairing for $45.

Unlike most tasting-menu options in town, this is built for just two people, making it ideal for a date night.
The menu, which changes daily, can be altered to fit anyone's dietary needs or preferences. On the night I try it, I opt to kick off the evening with a cocktail alongside the first course, a large burrata salad with beets, delicata squash, breakfast radish and an 18-year-aged balsamic.

My guest and I eat, sip and chat with Henschen and a manager, who's preparing to welcome a couple who will (hopefully) be getting engaged at the restaurant this night. As we dig into a second course of lemon ricotta agnolotti with chanterelles, hazelnuts and a corn brodo, we banter with staff members about the worst ways to propose. Putting the ring in the food or drinks is a big no, we all agree.

By the time the main course — a hefty portion of sous vide pork chop with ricotta gnocchi, crispy Brussels sprouts and sun-dried tomato puree for two — arrives, the kitchen is buzzing. With the entire dining room filled, the team members work together to get through the rush of tickets as dish after dish is placed on the pass, then whisked away to tables of hungry patrons.
If there's a downside to being this close to the action, it's having to watch all the tempting pasta from the regular menu go by, but being too full to try anything more. The bucatini, served with meatballs made from short rib sausage, is extra-thick because it's made using the restaurant's extruder, Henchen explains as he plates dessert.

He highly recommends the elk Bolognese, too. "It's never leaving the menu," he says.

The final course is a trio of treats: a light olive oil cake with fresh berries, a palate-cleansing berry sorbet with amaretto crumbs, and a baked apple cannoli with caramel. As the meal winds down, we learn that the proposal was a success. "She said yes," the manager shares excitedly, with a sigh of relief.

While we sip some amaro to end the meal, my guest and I agree that if someone proposes another visit to Jovanina's, we'd definitely say yes, too.

Jovanina's Broken Italian is located at 1520 Blake Street and is open from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information, visit jovanina.com; to reserve the Chef’s Tasting experience, call 720-541-7721.