9th Door
Small plates come of age at this gorgeous tapas bar that's spiced up the LoDo scene since last year. The 9th Door was named after the Spanish bar made famous by The Drifters author James Michener; he and other expat literary types hung out there and pondered the meaning of life. While there's little evidence of any kind of philosophical angst in this glossy crowd, there are Moorish overtones to warm up the exposed brick and mirrored bar: hanging Venetian-glass lights, gauzy ochre and plum curtains, and cerise and dusty-rose paisley banquettes. And, of course, there's the big, red bed in the middle of the lounge, as popular as you'd expect such a sybaritic pleasure to be. When 9th Door's owners began developing the concept for the restaurant, Denver was still virgin territory for tapas. By the time the doors swung open, it felt like every restaurant in town was doing small plates. Nonetheless, 9th Door's tapas are distinguished by their authentic Iberian Peninsula heritage and their excellent execution.