Upscale shopping-and-dining quarter south-east of downtown. Matsuhisa, Quality Italian, Hillstone and the boutique hotels anchor 2nd and 3rd Avenue; the Cherry Creek Arts Festival fills the streets each July.
Matsuhisa in Denver is Nobu Matsuhisa's Cherry Creek dining room since 2009, the chef's third Colorado location with the canonical Nobu-style.
Signature: Black cod miso, Yellowtail jalapeno, Omakase
Order: The black cod miso and yellowtail jalapeno are the Matsuhisa signatures.
Tip: The sushi bar pours through a separate booking link from the dining room. The Aspen location is the chef's original; Denver is the day-trip Front Range version.
The Cherry Cricket in Denver is the Cherry Creek burger bar since 1945, a build-your-own burger room with 40 toppings and a long beer list. Priced at $.
Signature: Build-your-own burger, Cricket Burger, Cheese fries
Order: Build your own burger with green chile, fried egg and bacon; cheese fries on the side.
Tip: Walk-in only; weeknight wait is usually 20 minutes. Ballpark sister location is open near Coors Field for game nights.
Rare Bird sits on top of the Halcyon Hotel in Cherry Creek with a heated rooftop pool, cabana seating and a wood-fired kitchen pushing kofta and grilled cheese to a Rockies view.
Tip: Rooftop season runs May through October. Cabana reservations are the move on summer weekends; in-house guests get year-round pool access.