DENReview
Acorn
This spot is Permanently Closed.
You know Denver is getting crazy when the new hot restaurant is in a 19th century brick factory on Brighton Boulevard. Seriously. At this point, we’re half-expecting an artisanal marshmallow and ice market to open on Peña Boulevard any day now.
The dream of the 1890s is definitely alive in Denver and The Source is leading the charge. The Source is the name for the massive compound home to, among others, Acorn, a French bakery, a flower shop and a brewery specializing in sour beers. The Source website proudly refers to the “edginess” of its tenants and marketplace, but we’ve managed to avoid the douchebag vibe so far.
When you pull into parking lot, it feels like you’ve arrived at a warehouse rave or a fight club. The building is in an isolated industrial area with dog food production smells in the air and neighbors ranging from a self-storage place to an auto body shop and a tire joint. So what’s crack-a-lackin in this wasteland? Acorn y’all. Open since last fall, the sister to Boulder’s OAK at Fourteenth has made a big impression with its small plates and strong drinks. We're not always sold on small dish restaurants, but Acorn made us believers. You still have the problem of unbalanced dishes that tend to be heavy on meat and grain and short on veggies, but we’ll do our best to guide you in the Food Rundown.
It’s not just the food though. The drink menu is impressive, and expensive, with stiff pours. We highly recommend the Ornamental Tonic, which is spicy and awesome. Whiskey hounds should go for the Warm Welcome. Most surprising, the space feels pretty intimate even in this airplane hangar of a building. So next time you get lost trying to find I-70, stop off at Acorn. It's worth your time.