Range restaurant to open in Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel

The spring opening of the Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel will also see the blooming of a new restaurant: Range, a dining room whose menu and vibe will celebrate the heritage of the American West.

Helmed by chef Paul Nagan, the restaurant will be housed in the hotel, which will occupy the historic — and refurbished — Colorado National Bank building at 918 17th St. An April launch is planned.

Much of the fare will be prepared in a wood-fired oven, and the interior is touted as a contemporary take on a Western saloon, with interiors of reclaimed barn wood and horse hide, along with modern metallics and fabrics.

Nagan has led food and beverage programs in several Western cities, including San Francisco, San Diego, Vail and Portland, Ore. His menu will concentrate on kitchen techniques common in the region, plus local ingredients such as Colorado lamb and Front Range cheeses.

“Techniques will focus on grilling, smoking, wood-oven roasting, cast iron sauteing, pickling and preserving,” Nagan said in a press release. Some of the dishes will reflect the Spanish and Mexican heritage in Colorado.

Check out some of the menu lineup: Quail on Horseback, a take on chicken-and-waffles featuring bacon-wrapped quail breast, a cornbread waffle and jalapenos; Smoked Trout Cakes with Honeycrisp apples, pancetta, lemon creme and caper pesto; Colorado Lamb Shank braised in rye whiskey and hickory smoked, served with lamb sausage and a white-bean ragout topped with mint chimichurri.

Oh yes, the restaurant will be open daily from 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m., which means diners will also get to try Nagan’s take on breakfast.

Yippie ki-yay.

Reported by:  Denverpost.com