Whole rainbow or cutthroat trout from Colorado high country streams, pan-seared bone-in with brown butter, lemon and toasted almonds, on a bed of wild rice or polenta.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Rainbow trout is Colorado's state fish and the Front Range's defining freshwater plate, harvested from streams above 7,000 feet and from trout farms in the San Luis Valley. The dish entered Denver hotel restaurants in the 1880s through the railroad-era Brown Palace and Oxford Hotel kitchens. Modern Denver versions across Mercantile and Bistro Vendome lean on Colorado farmed trout from the San Luis Valley and the Western Slope. The pan-seared bone-in version with brown butter and almonds has been the canonical preparation since the 1950s.
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Common allergens: Fish, Dairy, Tree nuts
Tip from the editors. Trout is done when the dorsal fin pulls out cleanly with light tension. If it resists, give it 90 more seconds skin-side down.
Mercantile Dining and Provision in Denver is Alex Seidel's farm-to-table dining room and provisions counter in Union Station, sourced from his Fruition Farms.
OrderThe Colorado trout from the live-fire hearth and the house-made charcuterie board.
TipThe market counter sells the kitchen's bread, charcuterie and produce; the morning espresso bar is the city's best Union Station coffee.
Bistro Vendome in Denver is Jennifer Jasinski's Larimer Square French bistro since 2003, with a courtyard patio and a menu of canonical bistro plates.
OrderThe steak frites with bearnaise and the duck confit, both menu mainstays since opening.
TipThe courtyard is one of Larimer Square's best-kept patios. Brunch on Sunday with the French toast is the room's busiest service.
Rioja in Denver is Jennifer Jasinski's Larimer Square Mediterranean dining room with a weekend brunch service, lobster benedict and bottomless mimosas.
OrderThe lobster benedict and bottomless mimosas.
More cities are in research. Want pan-seared rocky mountain trout covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.