Eat and DrinkBehind the Scenes: Fruition RestaurantTake a peek inside one of Denver's best restaurants. Photos by McCall Burau Staff September 20, 2012 The Local newsletter is your free, daily guide to life in Colorado. For locals, by locals. Sign up today! Sign Up Fruition Restaurant: All hands on deck—it’s menu change night in the kitchen of Fruition RestaurantFruition Restaurant: Morel mushrooms dry above the range. Fruition Restaurant: The sound of metal on metal is a constant chime as knives are sharpened and sauté pans are run across the burnersFruition Restaurant: Josh Rathbun minds his saucepan. The kitchen staff has been at work since early in the morning, prepping their mise and learning the new dishesFruition Restaurant: Potato straws, hot from the fryer, cool on the racks. Nearby the stand mixer is working double time whipping the meringue to the proper peakFruition Restaurant: The small kitchen space keeps the heat from the line heavy on the backs of the chefsFruition Restaurant: Blanched asparagus gets an envious ice bath in the sweltering kitchenFruition Restaurant: As service time draws near, the crew crowds around head chef Alex Seidel. He plates each new dish for the first time, and his staff memorizes the blueprintsFruition Restaurant: The last item on the prep list is checked off as the sweet smell from the smoker wafts through the back door, bringing with it a cool breezeFruition Restaurant: Ramps wait in the window to get charred. An aimed snap of a kitchen towel results in a momentary ease of the tensionFruition Restaurant: Tender Belly Farm’s porchetta rests before it is slow roastedFruition Restaurant: Fruition Creamery’s Pecora tops the olive oil-smashed fingerling potatoes. The battle-hardened, callused, and burned hands of the chefs delicately maneuver their knivesFruition Restaurant: As tickets start to crowd the window, the team of chefs quickly fall into a routine, crossing over each other in a coordinated dance of sauté, season, and garnishFruition Restaurant: Head chef Alex Seidel (right) works closely with chef de cuisine, Matthew Vawter (left), putting the finishing touches on the evening’s platesFruition Restaurant: Framed on a clean white plate, each dish departs the kitchen as a compilation of imaginative flavor combinations, quality ingredients, and hours of hard workFruition Restaurant: The smell of fresh thyme, parsley, and chives fill the air of the back room as pork belly is rubbed down with curing herbsFruition Restaurant: “Hands please!” is yelled as the marinated beef carpaccio hits the window. The request queues the servers to give the plate one last wipe before they deliver it to the tableFruition Restaurant: All hands on deck—it’s menu change night in the kitchen of Fruition RestaurantFruition Restaurant: Morel mushrooms dry above the range. They’ll soon be truffled and paired with butter poached–Columbia River sturgeonFruition Restaurant: The sound of metal on metal is a constant chime as knives are sharpened and sauté pans are run across the burnersFruition Restaurant: Josh Rathbun minds his saucepan. The kitchen staff has been at work since early in the morning, prepping their mise and learning the new dishesFruition Restaurant: Potato straws, hot from the fryer, cool on the racks. Nearby the stand mixer is working double time whipping the meringue to the proper peakFruition Restaurant: The small kitchen space keeps the heat from the line heavy on the backs of the chefsFruition Restaurant: Blanched asparagus gets an envious ice bath in the sweltering kitchenFruition Restaurant: As service time draws near, the crew crowds around head chef Alex Seidel. He plates each new dish for the first time, and his staff memorizes the blueprintsFruition Restaurant: The last item on the prep list is checked off as the sweet smell from the smoker wafts through the back door, bringing with it a cool breezeFruition Restaurant: Ramps wait in the window to get charred. An aimed snap of a kitchen towel results in a momentary ease of the tensionFruition Restaurant: Tender Belly Farm’s porchetta rests before it is slow roastedFruition Restaurant: Fruition Creamery’s Pecora tops the olive oil-smashed fingerling potatoes. The battle-hardened, callused, and burned hands of the chefs delicately maneuver their knivesFruition Restaurant: As tickets start to crowd the window, the team of chefs quickly fall into a routine, crossing over each other in a coordinated dance of sauté, season, and garnishFruition Restaurant: Head chef Alex Seidel (right) works closely with chef de cuisine, Matthew Vawter (left), putting the finishing touches on the evening’s platesFruition Restaurant: Framed on a clean white plate, each dish departs the kitchen as a compilation of imaginative flavor combinations, quality ingredients, and hours of hard workFruition Restaurant: The smell of fresh thyme, parsley, and chives fill the air of the back room as pork belly is rubbed down with curing herbsFruition Restaurant: “Hands please!” is yelled as the marinated beef carpaccio hits the window. The request queues the servers to give the plate one last wipe before they deliver it to the table
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