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In a departure from the Mexican cuisine that earned Michelin stars for LoHi’s Alma Fonda Fina and its neighbor, Mezcaleria Alma, chef-restaurateur Johnny Curiel and his wife and business partner, Kasie, turned to their travels in northern Spain and Basque country as inspiration for their latest establishment, Mar Bella Boqueria, inside Cherry Creek’s Clayton Hotel & Member Club.
Denver may not be familiar with the word “boqueria,” but the eatery’s own “Spanish neo-bistro and wine bar” description clarifies things a little. Think of it as a tiny version of Barcelona’s famous public market, La Boqueria. At Mar Bella, you’ll find equal parts pantry and luxury in a vast variety of traditional foods, distilled down into a space that was previously a bakery and cafe before a brief stint as Bar Amorina.
What does that mean for Mar Bella guests? The menu covers about 20 different plates, many of them served as Spanish-style tapas and Basque pintxos (small bites) built from heritage food products (ham, cheese, and preserved produce) of the Iberian Peninsula. There’s also a 12-seat jamonería-style chef’s counter where experts shave slivers of meat from whole cured jamón Ibérico.
Also of note are the seafood conservas (gourmet tinned fish). While canned fish has long been treated as a pantry filler in the U.S., it has become increasingly trendy as an appetizer on many restaurant menus in recent years, bucking that “last-resort” reputation. Mar Bella goes a step beyond by making its own conservas using on-site canning equipment. Curiel is meticulous about sourcing fresh tuna, salmon, and other fish (mostly from Mexico, Chile, and Hawaii), which he combines with salt, oils, herbs, and spices that protect the texture, freshness, and umami flavors once they’re sealed up in individual portions. “Conservas are a huge part of the Spanish diet, especially within northern Spain,” he says. “We are still researching the canning process and still learning.”
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The conservas vary from week to week and are plated with additional ingredients. You might find cold-smoked salmon from the tin served with toast points, sheep’s milk cheese, and truffle honey, or dry-aged tuna in thyme- and lemon-infused oil accompanied by white anchovy butter, pepper relish, roasted shishito peppers, and pan de cristal.
Curiel puts the same consideration into dry-aging fish, which he developed at Mezcaleria Alma before bringing it to Mar Bella. From a seat at the chef’s counter, you can see whole fish and large cuts of tuna cold-aging inside the temperature- and humidity-controlled refrigerator; the process can take as little as one day or as long as 10. “We focus on a no-waste program and use 100 percent of the tuna,” he says.
Justin Mueller, sommelier for Fonda Fina Hospitality (which also includes Cozobi Fonda Fina in Boulder, Alteño on the other side of the hotel lobby from Mar Bella, and the soon-to-open Maize in RiNo) focuses on a very specific area of Spain and southern France as the source of the crisp whites, fruity roses, light reds, and funky orange wines that make up the roster of over 120 bottles and 30 by-the-glass pours.
“We wanted to keep the list consistent with the inspiration for the food, namely the Basque and Catalan winegrowing areas, which we expanded to any winegrowing regions north of Madrid up to the Languedoc-Roussillon regions of France,” Mueller says. “Since we also offer all our pours as three-ounce copitas, we encourage our guests to try different wines with the same dish to experience how they pair with the same dish in interesting ways.”
The dining room is decked out in warm tones, dim lighting, and copper fixtures. Intimate booths share space with the street-facing bar so you can people-watch over shared plates (which range from $8 to more than $50). For an omakase-style dinner, claim a seat at the chef’s counter and enjoy eight or nine courses of various sizes (from a bowl of assorted olives to substantial proteins) for $125 per person, sommelier-recommended wine pairings not included. The chef’s tasting menu draws from the regular dinner menu, but might also include nightly specials. Expect jamón Iberico, marinated olives, and pan de tomate to start, followed by frequently changing conservas; assorted crudos (tuna tartare, Hawaiian kanpachi, and steelhead trout roe among them); and croquetas de jaiba (a pair of spherical Maine blue crab croquettes topped with Mahon cheese, slices of sashimi-style otoro, and piquillo aioli). Entrée-size dishes range from pollo al horno (chicken paillard with waffle potato chips, pimento peppers, white wine butter sauce, and a charred lemon) to lechon con papa (a generous portion of bone-in roast suckling pig with a fancy Spanish version of twice-baked potatoes).
As you might guess, Mar Bella has been one of Denver’s hottest tickets since opening on January 10, so planning ahead is a good way to score a seat. Reservations are currently open through early April for both the dining room and chef’s counter seating; plan for about two and a half hours if you choose the latter. 233 Clayton St., Denver
