“If anyone quits, it’s because of my potato obsession,” says Lucien Reichert, owner of Fox Run Café in Congress Park, which held its not-so-grand opening two days after restaurants were shut down in March 2020 due to the pandemic. His team of four is tasked with cooking multiple varieties daily: fried potatoes for the breakfast burrito, a different type of fried spuds as a side dish, parboiled potatoes for the quiche, and hand-cut french fries to go with the smashed double cheeseburger. But Reichert, chef/kitchen manager Lauren Brendel, and pastry chef/general manager Kelsie Berens are obsessive about every item on the chic diner’s concise menu, from the house-made fermented hot sauce to the briochelike rolls Berens bakes for the sandwiches. Fox Run’s open space (designed by Denver’s Unum Collaborative) spotlights the kitchen crew’s busy hands as soon as you approach the counter to place—or pick up—your breakfast or lunch order. Pair a cookie or griddled banana bread with a mug of Queen City Collective Coffee that’s a world better than the usual diner drip—or treat yourself to a craft cocktail alongside the sausage and seasonal jam biscuit or corned beef Reuben.

This article was originally published in 5280 March 2021.
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.