Vita, located in the lower Highlands neighborhood (1575 Boulder St - the purple building next to Lola), has received kudos from 5280 readers as having the best wait staff and the best ambiance in town. Good food or not, appreciation in these two categories can make or break a restaurant. The good news is Vita has great food too. And a great happy hour - everyday from 3 pm to 6 pm their wines by the glass are two for one (there are 27 choices) and Peroni, Moretti, Bud and Bud Light are only $2. On Tuesdays, Vita offers half-priced bottles of wine. Considering the price cut, you'll enjoy this to the fullest.
A little before 5pm last Saturday my boyfriend and I headed to Vita. This was our first time to Vita, and didn’t leave till 10pm. We liked the place that much. We had wine on the patio, at the outdoor bar, until the sun went down. Then we moved inside to a warmer location (at the same inside/outside bar though) where live jazz perfectly accented the easy going Vita atmosphere.
From the outside, I thought the interior of Vita would be much larger. However, it is quite cozy on the inside thanks to the large and cushy booths that take up most the space. I appreciate the table set-up because Vita could have easily squeezed in a bunch more tables.
Making bags of money doesn’t feel like the Vita mission. Quoted in a This Week In Denver review, manager Mark Schuwerk said he will never get rid of the half priced wine deal on Tuesdays, even if he loses money, because he believes it's important to give people the opportunity to drink a more expensive bottle of wine when they typically might not. I agree.
We ordered a couple items off the bar menu: the Tuna Tartar served with radishes, cucumbers, pine nuts and avocado ($12) and the Braised Korobuta Pork Belly served with potato dumplings and an apple fennel salad ($10). The Pork Belly was obviously delicious as we mopped up every last bit with the bread that accompanied the appetizers.
I haven’t yet visited the rooftop patio, but I can only imagine the view of Riverfront Park and Downtown is incredible. This patio is sure to see lots of traffic come the warmer months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the construction in progress across the street is slooooow going.
Vita
[where: 1575 Boulder St, Denver, CO 80211]
www.vitadenver.com
