Both concepts officially debut on Wednesday, July 17. Despite the fact that they're at a hotel, "the focus is on being an independent restaurant," Graves notes.
The Saverina space is large and open, with a front lounge area filled with comfortable seating that can be used for small meetings. There's also a private dining room and a main dining room that can seat around 120 guests, as well as a central bar.
What's on the menu?
"We really want to lead with pasta," Graves says of the Saverina menu. The kitchen is outfitted with a pasta sheeter and extruder, which the chef has been experimenting with at home since taking the job after leaving his longtime position as executive chef at Citizen Rail in December. (That restaurant is now closed for a refresh and rebrand; it will reopen as Ajax Downtown in August.) "My family is like, 'No more pasta,'" he jokes.The pasta lineup is made with local flour from Id Est Hospitality's Dry Storage. Options include sourdough cacio e pepe ($16); ramen-like angel hair "slippery noodles" with Dungeness crab and urchin butter ($18); and semolina rigatoni with a Spanish octopus Bolognese and chili crunch ($14).
While the opening menu will stay the same for a month or so, the plan is to change things up weekly after that.
Early standouts from the starters section include a Caesar salad ($14) that Graves aptly describes as "super opinionated," with punchy lemon and garlic notes, whole white anchovies, big sourdough croutons and an extra swipe of dressing underneath the romaine leaves. If you're sharing, opt for the delicate fried baby artichokes ($19) with lemon aioli.
A brick oven in the kitchen is used to make pizza with naturally fermented dough. The pies ($17-$21) are on the smaller side, ideal for sharing between two people, with topping combinations such as charred rapini and chile peppers, or spring onions, ’ndjua, salt-cured olives and anchovy powder.
"A lot of the entrees are coming out of the brick oven, too," notes Graves, who had plenty of experience working with that kind of high heat at Citizen Rail, where wood-fired cooking took center stage. Those entree options include roasted chicken under a brick ($32), baked halibut ($44) and one big splurge item: Bistecca alla Florentine ($149). The 28-ounce porterhouse comes from Brunson Meat Co. and is dry-aged for forty days, giving it a slightly funky flavor and incredibly tender texture.
Sides are available à la carte ($8 each) and include blistered snap peas with lardo and roasted baby carrots with lemon ricotta.
The drink program includes a short beer list and wines-by-the-glass lineup, a trio of N/A cocktails and seven house cocktails ($15-$16), including a blueberry spritz with housemade limoncello. There's one must-try for any dirty martini lover: a cacio e pepe martini that does, indeed, taste like Parmesan and black pepper.
Saverina is also open for breakfast and lunch.
What surprised us?
Halo, the rooftop bar. Or, more specifically, the view from Halo. Located on the nineteenth floor, it has a completely unobstructed view of the Front Range, from Pikes Peak to Longs Peak. It's a stunning sight, and reason enough to visit for a sunset cocktail session.While we didn't get to try any of the food or drinks at Halo, Graves describes it as a full cocktail bar with beer and wine plus a small food menu based on the concept of "world cuisine" that "kind of doesn't mean a lot, but we can kind of do anything, which is the fun part," he jokes. "Everything is small and shareable," with fun presentations like smoked wings served under a smoke-filled dome.
Along with the outdoor tables, there's an inside lounge area that may look "a little bougie" upon first glance but, Graves assures us, is "pretty casual. The idea is to have a party."
Saverina and Halo are located at the Kimpton Claret Hotel at 6985 East Chenango Avenue. For more information, including hours, visit saverinadenver.com.
