There was much fuss made about the new restaurant openings in Denver in 2013, and rightly so. Denver is finally getting to a place (although some would argue it’s already there) deserving of the national spotlight for it’s culinary chops. But as I’ve read, there are several other cities that feel the same way. Philadelphia is finally moving forward after a long cooling off period, mainly from NYC chefs looking to grow their empires. Atlanta has been hot regionally but hasn’t gotten much national attention save for 1-2 outstanding places. Miami is working hard to become a dining destination again and Portland, well, they just don’t seem to care if you’re paying attention or not, they’re gonna do what they want. Denver now claims a James Beard Best Chef winner, a F&W Best new chef award winner and according to GQ, a hot stop for cocktails. Beer has always been in our blood here in Colorado and we definitely have the breweries to back it up. So, maybe we are there, or at least deserve to be, or maybe we’re just waiting for it all to fall into place.
One of the perks of shooting the photos is getting into a new space early to shoot a few dishes, right in that time where it’s still a hard seat to get. This Lamb Shawarma was shot at ACORN one afternoon between lunch and dinner. There were still tables in the restaurant, which can be a little awkward, but not so many that I didn’t have space to shoot. This was one of the dishes I unfortunately wasn’t able to try after shooting, but definitely looking forward to getting in as a customer.
ISO 400, 105mm, f/3.5, 1/40th sec.