Memorial Day marks the summer season but until sun-ripened tomatoes are readily available, I'll visit Rioja [2] when I'm craving a Caprese salad. Chef Jennifer Jasinski [3] (a two-time semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation [4] Best Chef Southwest award) takes liberties with the traditional combination of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. In fact, she borrows from two of my favorite Italian starters: the Caprese and the classic salty-sweet pairing of prosciutto and melon—and then she makes them her own.

The result is a fan of thinly sliced mango topped with heavenly mozzarella di bufala, balsamic-marinated and grilled endive, a touch of meaty guanciale (cured pork jowl), and a drizzle of basil-mango coulis. I like how the fruit's sweetness plays off the endive's bitterness to balance the guanciale's richness. And the mozzarella is deliciously light, creamy, and salty. Eaten mid-day with a couple of those legendary rosemary-chive biscuits, it's a meal in itself.

1431 Larimer St., 303-820-2282

—Image courtesy of Rachel Nobrega [5]