It’s hard to believe that it has been five years since partners, Kimbal Musk and Hugo Matheson opened their second location of The Kitchen {1530 6th Street, Denver; 303.623.3127} in downtown Denver. The restaurant, like its older Boulder sibling, has remained grounded in its mission of “community through food” by developing and cultivating personal relationships with farmers, ranchers, brewers, and distillers and connecting them to their dining guests. In March of last year, The Kitchen and Chef Kyle Mendenhall parted ways leaving big shoes to fill in the restaurant’s kitchen. Musk and Matheson took their time in selecting the right candidate to meld into their company culture and late last year tapped Chef Jeffrey Webb to oversee the back of house operations and Culinary Director Meg Grace Larcom to oversee purveyor relationships and menu at The Kitchen and the soon-to-open Hedge Row.
Webb—who has manned the stoves at several Denver dining institutions such as Coohills, Il Posto, and Fruition—shares the company’s philosophy of creating simple delicious dishes that celebrate ingredients and their provenance. While he has made a few tweaks to the menu in the past five months, the new brunch menu is his first entire menu change. Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm and includes new breakfast and brunch items along with pastries, desserts, a spanky new cocktail program including a “build-your-own” Bloody Mary bar.
Fried Chicken and Cornbread Waffles
On the breakfast side of things, there is a brand new King Crab Benedict spiced with a Fresno Chili Hollandaise sauce and served with avocado, cilantro, and simple greens. No Denver brunch menu would be complete without a Chilaquiles dish; Webb’s version is made with house-braised carnitas, tomatillo salsa, and topped with a fried egg. The must-order breakfast dish is the Fried Chicken and Cornbread Waffles with buttermilk-brined local chicken deep fried for a super crunchy crust and served with house-made cornbread waffles alongside a pitcher of Blis Bourbon Maple Syrup.
Koberstein Ranch Beef on Weck
Anyone who hails from Western New York State will rejoice upon spying the Koberstein Ranch Beef on Weck sandwich on the new menu. The roast beef—which comes from Koberstein Ranch in Holyoke, CO—is sliced thin and served with horseradish and pickles and piled on a jus-brushed Kummelwick roll that is sprinkled with Kosher salt and caraway seed for added flavor and texture. Naturally, there is a burger on the new brunch menu, but Webb’s version is made with ground lamb from Longs Peak Lamb and is served with goat cheese tzatziki, Fresno chilies, and crispy French fries.
Coffee Cake Muffin
Get your brunch started off right with one of The Kitchen’s house-made pastries like a croissant, canelé, or the giant Coffee Cake Muffin baked in a cast iron skillet and slathered with cream cheese frosting—it’s definitely big enough to share! Don’t forget to save room for dessert. The Sticky Toffee Pudding is the perfect marriage between dense cake and sugary sweetness topped with house made vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with chopped pecans. If you want to end your brunch with a little something savory, opt for the Artisanal Cheese plate with its rotating selection of cheese, homemade marmalade, roasted nuts, honey, and walnut bread.
Brunch Cocktails
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