COLORADO It’s no wonder the Michelin Guide was drawn to Colorado. The state’s commitment to farm-to-table dining predates any trend, relying on the resources of the land and creativity of its chefs to produce seasonal, hyper-local cuisine. It’s why Colorado chefs celebrated a whopping six One Michelin Stars, four Green Stars, nine Bib Gourmand recognitions and 31 Selected restaurants since the state’s inaugural guide in 2023. Focused on the Front Range cities of Denver and Boulder — as well as the mountain towns of Aspen, Snowmass Village, Vail and Beaver Creek — the guide features just a sampling of the bounty that can be found across the state. And the gastronomic options have only grown over the years. Chefs from around the world are venturing to Colorado to discover the cornucopia of crops and livestock that thrive here, so they can leave their mark on the blooming culinary scene. In Denver, chef and restaurant owner Tommy Lee caught the Michelin Guide’s eye with his innovative take on regional Chinese cuisine, adding a modern flair to traditional dishes with seasonal, locally grown ingredients at his Bib Gourmand restaurant, Hop Alley. “The direction of the menu is kind of ‘what’s a regional Chinese restaurant in Denver, Colorado, look like?’” Lee said. “Some dishes may not look Chinese at all, but they’re influenced by seasonal produce.” Just northwest of Denver, among the picturesque backdrop of the foothills and rugged Flatiron mountains, Lee works closely with Esoterra Culinary Garden in Boulder to source organic produce grown on their 1.5-acre farm. Constantly adapting his menu to the ebbs and flows of each season’s growth, Lee always looks forward to late spring and early summer for harvests of salad greens, pea tendrils, ramps and morel mushrooms. As temperatures rise, Pueblo green chiles, Palisade peaches and Olathe sweet corn take the spotlight, but Lee’s favorites are Rocky Ford melons (especially the cantaloupe) and asparagus. Hop Alley’s offerings are constantly changing with the seasons, modifying classic Chinese dishes with the availability of fresh produce and adding a modern flair. But building umami always takes precedence; incorporating monosodium glutamate Hop Alley in Denver COLORADO . COM (MSG), dried fish and vegetable products achieves savory flavor, while adding a punch of spice makes up a balanced portion of the menu. The Beijing duck roll is probably the most iconic crowd-pleaser at Hop Alley, according to Lee, and has become a permanent staple on the menu. The dish takes on the familiar flavor of Peking duck, with Lee’s spin of smoking confit duck leg and rolling it up in a scallion pancake with cabbage and house hoisin sauce. The La Zi Ji — battered and fried chunks of chicken thigh tossed with dry Sichuan chili — is another must-try that brings the heat with its tongue-tingling spice. Meanwhile, Hop Alley’s energetic atmosphere and imaginative drinks menu have earned the restaurant a reputation for boozy beverages alone, from baijiu (a Chinese liquor) acquired with the help of a family friend to inventive spins on classic cocktails, this drinks list is not to be overlooked. Case in point: The seasonal Bee’s Knees cocktail landed on the Michelin Guide inspector’s selection of top three cocktails in Colorado — it’s Hop Alley’s twist on the Prohibition-era classic featuring chili-crisp-infused honey. “Helping create within the place you grew up, and having one minuscule say of what our restaurant and culture scene is, is pretty cool,” Lee said. Born in Denver with Chinese roots, Lee notes that there wasn’t much in the way of Sichuan food in Denver when Hop Alley opened in 2015. “I was a 27-year-old living in Denver and figuring out where we would dine out, but there weren’t many options that would appeal to me,” Lee said, remembering the culinary landscape as being mostly New American at the time. Unbeknownst to him when signing the lease, Hop Alley’s connection to the area is “serendipitous” and steeped in Asian American history. The restaurant takes residence in an old soy-sauce factory owned by the family behind the Pacific Mercantile Market on the outskirts of what was once Denver’s Chinatown, founded in the 1860s, until a race riot in 1880 destroyed the neighborhood. After discovering the history of the building and neighborhood, he decided ADAM BOVE 105
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2025: Page 105
