Stepping foot inside this Denver restaurant is like walking into a dark academia-styled home with a hint of art deco and endless shades of green, teal and charcoal. Located in the heart of Larimer Square, The Regular brings a fine dining element to comfort food.
Husband and wife duo Sydney Younggreen and Chef Brian De Souza added The Regular to their repertoire after a string of successful private dinner gigs under The Guest and their neighborhood cafe, El Mercado.
The Guest underground dining series invited patrons into Younggreen and De Souza’s home for a 16-course tasting menu just two nights a week. While this intimate concept previously laid dormant, the return is scheduled for mid-November. Keeping in line with the mystique of the location and curated menu, you can learn more by visiting its website.
READ: The Guest, a Private Dinner Series, Moves from Boulder to Denver
While The Guest invites diners as “guests” into the couple’s home, The Regular invites them to be a “regular” with consistent menus, a fine dining take on comfort meals, locally sourced ingredients and beautifully crafted cocktails.
Contrary to the name, The Regular’s menu is far from it. The warm and toasty atmosphere radiates through each dish, from steak and salmon to creamy potato purées. In conjunction with Colorado farmers and grocers like Lazy Acres Ranch, Esoterra, Mountain Man Micro Farms, MarsRoom, and more — each meal is carefully crafted with a local touch.
Although the couple met working in New York kitchens, De Souza was born in Lima, Peru, and lived there until he was eight years old. As a result, many of the restaurant’s dishes have Peruvian influences, making for well-rounded flavors and the frequent use of potatoes, corn and traditional spices.
Some notable dishes include the Papa A La Huancaina ($18) — a potato soufflé with kalamata olives, spicy Huancaina sauce and topped with chalaquita, which is a medley of chopped peppers, onion and herbs – or the Pekin Duck Breast ($48)—a 10-day dry-aged duck breast, charred on a charcoal grill and served with a side of apple purée.
Each meal is presented with a modern twist and the same goes for the beverage director, Bruce Polack’s, bar program. The Tears of Dawn Simplicity ($19) is made with sake, green tea gin, yuzu liqueur, rice wine vinegar syrup and orange blossom spritz. “The Tears of Dawn Simplicity is crystal clear, refreshing and fruity. It comes with a spherical ice cube and a frozen flower inside. Every time someone orders it, we hear a collection of oohs and ahhs in the restaurant,” said Younggreen.
As the Peruvian culture swims through the cocktail menu, it dives into the De Souza Sour ($19), with pisco, lime, egg white, cinnamon and demerara syrup. “As a small business ourselves, we love to support other small businesses. That rings true for our bar program. You won’t find Tito’s, but instead, we work with POC winemakers and other small distillers,” said Younggreen.
From Peruvian-inspired tapas to crystal clear cocktails, The Regular brings a fine dining feel to this dark and moody space — perfect for date night or a simple night out.
The Regular is located at 1432 Market St., Denver. It’s open Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30-10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 3:30-11:30 p.m., and closed Sunday-Tuesday. Happy hour is from 3:30-6:30 p.m.
All photos courtesy of Alex Chan, Bird Tree Productions.