Your weekly newsletter about Denver restaurant and dining news looks a bit different this week: Food editor and Table Talk regular Amanda Faison is away on her honeymoon. In her absence, our staff lets you in on our personal dining haunts in and around Denver. Get a taste of our favorite spots of the moment, places we just keep going back to, and anecdotes about where we’re eating:

“The first time I visited Solera (5410 E. Colfax Ave.) and was asked “Inside or patio?” I said “Either.” The host responded, “Very good; patio, then.” Indeed—the lush haven, flanked by old silver maples and the chef’s herb garden, lit by torches when dusk falls, couldn’t feel farther away from nearby Colfax Avenue. Order up a glass of the Cakebread Sauv Blanc, split a heaping plate of the Thai-style calamari, tuck into the gorgeous arugula salad with fig, melon and prosciutto, and finish it off with the lemon huckleberry tart—a light and lovely farewell to the last of the patio weather.”
–Cara McDonald, deputy editor

“It was an unusual week for me. For various reasons I found myself at Ted’s Montana Grill (1401 Larimer St.) two days in a row: Once for a family dinner and once for a business lunch. But you’ll hear no complaints from me. The first night, we found Ted’s to be very family friendly—kids get toys and a well-priced children’s menu and grown-ups get delicious buffalo burgers and cold beer. Afterwards we shared a chocolate malt—my stepdaughter declared it the best ever. The following day, I was back at Ted’s for lunch (thankfully, no one recognized me), this time opting for the Cobb salad. Not a bad choice if you really must skip the burgers. Again, we all shared chocolate malts. Two malts, two days: It was a very good week.”
–Rebecca Landwehr, senior editor

“I live in Boulder—a mere four blocks from my favorite neighborhood bistro, The Kitchen (1039 Pearl, Boulder). Perhaps it’s convenience, but I think it’s the ever-changing, always fresh, and consistently delicious menu that keeps me coming back (One Saturday I was there for breakfast and dinner, but don’t tell anyone I told you that…). Most recently I walked over for a quick, light, and late summer-night dinner—watermelon, ricotta, and spicy greens salad; chilled, creamy corn soup with crab; and a generous pour of O’Reilly’s Pinot Noir. Absolutely divine.”
–Cheryl Nedderman, assistant editor

“For another end-of-summer hurrah, head over to the very sweet, very weird gelato stand on S. Pearl next to Lola. At night the walkway through this narrow garden lot to the open air cart parked at the back is lit in red white and blue string lights. It’s like you’re walking the gangway of a spaceship, and the light at the end is…the gelato man. I enjoyed the raspberry chocolate, my compadre swore by the pistachio. It is all homemade here in D-town.”
–Cara McDonald, deputy editor