Garlic. Olive oil. Tomatoes. Many tasty dishes contain these ingredients, especially at The Cherry Tomato, a cozy, family-friendly Italian restaurant located in a former pharmacy in Park Hill. The original tile welcomes diners at the main entrance. A hungry eater can almost envision neatly stocked aisles where tables covered in red and white checked tablecloths and butcher paper now sit. Crayons are provided for kids of all ages.
Our meal began with a bottle of San Polo Rubio 2011, a robust Sangiovese from Montalcino in Tuscany, Italy. The wine offered an array of red fruit on the nose and palate, with nice tannins to match. The wine was begging for red sauce, which followed a basket of rustic bread and Caesar salads all around.
If you like Chicken Parmigiana or Lasagna, this is the place for you! Both entrees were superb. Other choices included Chicken Puttanesca, Fruitte di Mare with shrimp, clams, mussels, and calamari with white cream sauce, and a side of arrabbiata and meatballs. If Italian cooking is “all about the sauce,” then the Cherry Tomato’s house staff is to be applauded for the array of homemade sauces.
The Cherry Tomato is definitely worth a stop after completing a loop at the zoo, or for a fresh, housemade meal rich with garlic, olive oil, and tomatoes.
Until our next adventure in wine and food…
The Cherry Tomato
4645 East 23rd Avenue at Dexter
Denver, CO 80207
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