Best Restaurants 2019: Barolo Grill

At last count, Barolo Grill’s award-winning wine cellar held about 15,000 bottles. So, yeah: This 27-year-old Italian restaurant’s wine list can be intimidating. But that’s where sommelier Erin Lindstone and owner and wine director Ryan Fletter come in, steering you to the glass, carafe, or showcase bottle of Barolo (you saw that coming, right?) you didn’t even know you wanted. (I promise, they won’t oversell you or make you feel dumb.) Their 110-page list ranges from an $11 glass of rich 2016 Verdicchio from Castelli di Jesi Riserva in the Marche region to a special page of wines tasted on the staff’s annual July trip to Italy’s famed wine regions; this year’s journey took them to Fruili, Veneto, Lombardy, and Piedmont, the home of Barolo and Barbaresco. Paired with chef Darrel Truett’s imaginative yet approachable cooking—preferably enjoyed from a seat at the bar—Barolo’s wine catalog is far more worthy of joy than fear. $$$$, 3030 E. 6th Ave., 303-393-1040