Quality Italian

Quality Italian

Denver, CO

Cherry Creek District

A very good friend of mine asked me if I ever ate at Quality Italian. I said, no I haven't, and that is how I experienced dinner at this establishment. I did not research this place or look into who the Chef or owners were. I simply didn't care at the time until now. Since my last entry I have been randomly eating at this place or that place and I have become very discouraged. Was it the places I was choosing or was it the city I was eating in? I don't know and I'm frustrated.

Something told me to text my friend last week and ask if he would have a beer with me. Call it intuition, call it cosmic, call it God or the universe, but one day out of the blue I knew I needed to reach out to my friend and we needed to talk. He and I met at a local bar and as always we pick up where we left off. As we are catching up, I try to explain how I feel like I'm in a rut with this blog 3 entries in. I keep eating out and spending my money, but not one place inspires me to write about it. I want all of my senses to be stimulated when I eat out, and that is only when I may be inspired to write about a place. He asks me if I ever ate at Quality Italian. I never heard of Quality Italian, I am a tourist in my own city is what I'm thinking to myself. Turns out I am legit ignorant about this place because the place opened April 2017!!! It's still so new, so of course I haven't heard of or ate there yet. My friend ate there during their soft open or when they first opened I don't remember, but he tried a lot of the menu items already. He assured me this place was legit and I would be happy. We set a date later the next week and I look forward to it day after day.

I told a few of my other good friends I was going to eat here and their eyes lit up with excitement telling me to order the chicken parmesan. I'm like, chicken parmesan? What The Fuck is so special about that? They tell me it is as big as a pizza pie and they cut it up in pizza like slices and it takes 2 or 3 people to try to eat it. Oh snap, I am intrigued, but not necessarily sold.

We arrive. My friend knows most of if not all of the staff because he is a sales representative at a brewery downtown @Bierstadt-Lagerhaus
We are seated in his most favorite waiters section. Our waiter's name is Joe and he was very professional. Let me explain, culinary school dining service classes were set up to teach us all types of service that would be expected at a 5 star or Michelin restaurant. Living in Denver, CO it is rare if not ever do I experience the type of service I was taught in school. Made me wonder if school was old school and not relevant in today's world. My ignorance is constantly rearing its ugly head. Quality Italian did everything I learned in school except way better, and it confirmed the worth of my student loans. I was so excited!

We are assigned a special table and seated right in the middle of the dining room. The dining room is opulent and comfortable. It is fancy but not pretentious. Dress in business casual attire or nicer and you will fit in the scenery like a painting.
Joe our waiter talks us through the menu. From start to finish this man has the menu  memorized as if he wrote it himself. He highlighted his recommendations which you never know if it's the waiters favorite or if the Chef asked him to sell it so he can meet food costs. Either way, Joe was the most professional and attentive gentleman I have ever had the pleasure to interact with.

My friend tells me this restaurant is in New York and they opened this new location in Denver.

Chef/Partner Scott Tacinelli and his wife Chef/Partner Angie Rito returned to Quality brand 2016 and decided to help open Quality Italian in Denver, CO. They both have family roots and experience in Italian cuisine. The husband and wife team opened their own restaurant  dinnertable in NY which has a Asian fusion and seafood tone on their menu. Now their current business venture in Colorado is set to help future expansion of the Quality brand.

Prosciutto di Parma, Yellow tail crudo, Little Gem Caesar

FOR THE TABLE
served with sesame focaccia bread
-House made Ricotta, Colorado Honey & Pine Nuts
-Tanara 24-Month Prosciutto di Parma, Italy

RAW BAR
-Yellowtail Crudo

Spicy Broccoli Rabe, Toasted Sesame, Lemon Crema

APPETIZERS

-Little Gem Caesar

Cured Lemon, Sesame Bread Crumbs

QI BISTECCA

-Prime Dry-Aged 24oz Bone-In Ribsteak

PASTA FRESCA
handmade in house
-Spicy Lobster Rigatoni alla Vodka

SIDES
-Brussels Sprouts Calabrese

From start to finish down the list every dish was exceptional except the Brussel sprouts. Over roasted and over done. They were a after thought.  The house made ricotta needs to be in every refrigerator in America and eaten for breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner. It was so creamy and spread beautifully against the savory focaccia bread slices. The Prociutto was thin ribbons of goodness that I devoured it like a ogre. The yellowtail crudo was so unique because of the lemon crema  punched me in my mouth with citrus intensity, I was expecting a Unicorn and sparkles to fall from the sky. 

House Made Ricotta

The show stopper for me was both the 24 oz Dry Aged bone-in steak we ordered along with the table side service of flambé lobster then adding it to the beautiful pasta. I love watching table side service because it gives me post traumatic memories from Culinary school.

When the steak and lobster rigatoni was served, without me asking, our waiter Joe poured me a blended red wine knowing it would go best with our next course. The anticipation and attentive service is what gives this place a LUV rating from me. Quality Italian is right in the middle of the most Bourgeoisie areas in Denver, so as long as their quality of food and service stays consistent this place can survive for many years to come. I will come back to order the big ass chicken parmesan so I can say I tried it.