Ondo's [2], arguably Denver's most authentic Spanish tapas bar (and one of our Best New Restaurants [3]), excels at packing a lot of tantalizing flavor into small but satisfying plates.

I recently stopped in with a friend for a five-course mini-meal. We began with the montadito gratinado, in which a thick slice of chewy bread comes layered with densely flavored roasted red and green peppers, a delightfully tangy pickled eggplant, and melted Havarti cheese. Next up was the crunchy, bite-size spinach-and-pine-nut croquettes, a small round of Ondo's paella of the day studded with juicy cubes of chorizo, and a goat cheese salad tossed with chewy raisins and a sweet-tart strawberry-rhubarb vinaigrette. We rounded out the meal with a surprisingly light brioche bread pudding.

If you haven't yet been, use Restaurant Week [4] as an excuse and give it a try by March 11.

250 Steele St., #100, 303-975-6514