Denver needs more restaurants like the Plimoth, an unfussy neighborhood spot where you feel less like you’re going out to dinner and more like you’re dining at a friend’s home. In this case, your friend consistently entices you to return by using local, seasonal ingredients, many of which—from kale to chard to fresh herbs—are grown right outside in the restaurant’s 750-square-foot sidewalk garden. Those elements, combined with classic European technique, create meals you dream about for days, even weeks, afterward…like a puff pastry tart filled with sautéed zucchini, tangy goat cheese, sunflower microgreens, and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar on a bright June evening or crispy little orbs of falafel on a bed of creamy hummus with charred broccolini, arugula pesto, and pickled onions on a chilly March night. Which is why, after almost five years of making new friends, we return to the Plimoth with as much anticipation as we did the very first time. $$$, 2335 E. 28th Ave., 303-297-1215

Denise Mickelsen
Denise Mickelsen
Denise Mickelsen is 5280’s former food editor. She oversaw all of 5280’s food-related coverage from October 2016 to March 2021.