Welcome to #TBT, or Throwback Thursdays, where we revisit some of the Denver metro area’s tried and true restaurants that have become institutions. For example, Root Down was among the first restaurants to define the dining scene in LoHi. Over time, places like it have weathered the shifts in our city’s restaurant landscape. As flashy newcomers enter and exit, these restaurants, bars, and cafes remain, though sometimes get overlooked by the fickle short-term attention span of a social media-driven obsession with the new and the now.
Even before the neighborhood took on its LoHi name, Root Down was helping to shape its vibrant culinary scene. This first concept from Edible Beats debuted in 2008 and shortly thereafter, the number of places to dine doubled with the redeveloped Olinger Mortuary at the core. New spots have continued to emerge, capturing awards and online attention.
All the while, Root Down has remained true to its ethos, serving vegetable-forward dishes featuring global flavors and house-grown ingredients. Just months before its opening, Oxford named “locavore” the word of the year; cementing that ownerJustin Cucci’s restaurant was firmly on trend.
Getting Down to the Roots
On our recent call, Cucci took me on a trip down memory lane, starting with his first job back in 1980: bussing tables at his grandparents’ legendary restaurant in New York City, the Waverly Inn. For the next sixteen years, he worked in various roles and ultimately became the general manager in hopes of one day owning the establishment.
But when his grandparents decided they were ready to retire and cash out, Cucci couldn’t pull together the necessary funding within their timeline. He was also feeling worn down by NYC, so he moved on to the slower pace of Key West in Florida.
There, Cucci opened Willie T’s, a now “world famous” haunt named after the chef who worked at the Waverly Inn for nearly sixty years. Just months later, he debuted a second concept called The Cafe. Business was going well but on a personal level, Cucci found that island time was a little too slow for his tastes.
The year was 2007 and this time around, he wanted to live near the mountains. Cucci knew no one in Colorado, but he liked the friendly, easygoing energy of locals he’d met and was ready for another change. So he put his two eateries up for sale and left operations to his Key West-based sister, who is also a successful restaurateur.
Then he, his wife at the time, and their two dogs moved to Denver, sight unseen. They agreed to trial the city for a year, during which Cucci worked as a chef at Restaurant X and the Beehive. Being mostly self-taught, he saw this as a great learning opportunity but soon after deciding that Denver was home, he wanted to pursue something bigger.
Rooting Down in Denver
Drawn by its downtown access and untapped potential, Cucci saw the Highland neighborhood as the perfect location for his next venture. In early 2008, he briefly went back to Key West to close on the sale of his two restaurants, then began renovations on a former LoHi gas station, largely using repurposed materials. The bar was crafted from old bowling lanes, wood flooring was sourced from a high school gym, and colorful rotary phones decorated the space.
According to Cucci, local menus at the time were dominated by meat and potatoes. But he wasn’t overly concerned about what other restaurants and chefs were doing. Cucci just wanted to open a concept that mirrored what he wanted to eat.
He explained, “In terms of the menu, I thought it would be really great to not have any boundaries.” This would allow Cucci to execute on his whims, from global flavors to select food trends, and also welcome collaboration in the kitchen.
“I knew the concept was a risk because we didn’t have a theme. There were just so many ideas that I wanted to play out,” he said. “I figured if it doesn’t work, I can always go back to being a chef; and if it works, well, that’s great. Then I have a restaurant in Denver.”
Turns out, many others were seeking the same creative mix of culinary influences. Named after the Beastie Boys track that samples jazz artist Jimmy Smith, Root Down was packed with young hipsters and hungry foodies from the moment it opened in December 2008.
Growing Pains and Farm-to-Table Fare
Cucci, nor the employees he hired to open the restaurant, were expecting such overwhelming success from the start. Having sunk more money into Root Down than any of his prior concepts, Cucci was elated. But he recalled that from the staff, “There was a sentiment of, ‘We don’t want it to be this busy.’”
Turning guests away, raising prices or making hours less attractive didn’t make sense to Cucci. He wanted to surround himself with people who were equally as excited to build something exceptional. So within the first six months of Root Down’s debut, most of the staff turned over. To lead the kitchen, Cucci hired chef Daniel Asher, whose resume now includes Ash’Kara and River and Woods.
With this new team, the restaurant quite literally flourished with many dishes featuring food that was grown in-house. This has always been a defining factor of Root Down.
Gardening first began indoors. The kitchen’s massive maple syrup jugs were repurposed and filled with potting soil, then set in sunny corners throughout the restaurant. When the neighboring space became available, Root Down began tending microgreens and then partnered with an urban farm.
The opening of sister concept Linger in 2011 demanded more produce, so it became known that if you had space available for growing, Cucci would likely be interested. Recently, he launched a vertical hydroponic farm within a recycled shipping container behind Vital Root, another Edible Beats concept that debuted in 2016.
“There’s something really special about being able to pull ingredients from our own farm and put them on the plate. It doesn’t get more from-the-source than that,” said Hannah Elkins, who began working at Root Down as a line cook four years ago. This past spring, she took over as its executive chef.
“In this role, I want to deepen our guests’ trust by pushing our menus to be even more hyper-seasonal, creative, and memorable. The goal is to honor the classic dishes our guests love while reinvigorating the rest of the menu and hopefully creating some new home runs along the way.”
The Current Menu at Root Down
Cucci joked that he would have never imagined serving a Beet Salad ($18.50) for well over a decade, but it’s what the people want. Popularity has dictated other staples, too.
These include two items that have been on the menu since day one: Devils on Horseback ($16.50) featuring bacon-wrapped peppadews, gournay cheese fondue and sherry gastrique; as well as the Griddled Colombian Arepas ($18). Layered with mozzarella and smoked gouda, these crispy corn cakes come topped with achiote crema, poblano-pistachio pesto, and fresh pico de gallo.
While these are favorites for good reason, don’t overlook Elkins’ latest additions which take inspiration from her travels and upbringing.
“I love taking something nostalgic and adding a twist, making it feel both familiar and completely new at the same time,” she said.
The Cured Steelhead Crudo ($24) serves as an example. Elkins explained that the dill, capers, and trout are reminiscent of a classic lox bagel but fennel, orange, and olive tapenade weave in an Italian flavor profile. Calabrian chili herb oil finishes the dish. The new Diver Scallops ($29) have also been a hit this spring, featuring grilled asparagus and charred fennel dashi.
“The bright herbaceousness of the Thai basil oil and the umami from the orange XO sauce give it so much dimension,” added Elkins. While these dishes may not be available much longer, the summer menu has plenty in store.
“One dish I’m especially proud of is my take on my mom’s Greek lemon potatoes which she’s been making for years,” added the chef. “I’ve taken everything I love about her recipe and elevated it with an aleppo-ramp gremolata.”
This side will be served alongside a new roasted half-chicken with sherry honey jus, roasted tomatoes, pickled kumquat, and house bitter greens.
Want a taste of the new selection? Stop in during its weekday happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. for the Summer Banger special. Priced at just $5, it includes Elkins’ signature Lamb Birria Taco paired with a house margarita.
“I cannot wait for guests to get their hands on the summer menu,” she said. “We’ve been having so much fun developing it and I think people are going to love where things are headed.”
Settling in With Success
In Cucci’s opinion, this ever-evolving approach to the menu is part of what’s allowed Root Down to thrive for so many years.
“Trends in regional cuisine come in and out,” he said. Without constraints to fit a certain theme, it’s been more about making food craveable. Similar to the kitchen’s ethos, the space has hardly changed. “We wanted to be timeless. That’s easy to say and not always easy to actuate. But 18 years later, it still feels fresh,” said Cucci.
He believes having a shared vision has also contributed to Root Down’s success. Many members of the leadership team have been on board since the early days, and the Edible Beats restaurant group is employee-owned.
Cucci affirmed, “That commitment from the employees, I think, gives us a better product and a better experience for the guest.”
Visit Root Down from 4 to 9 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, 4 to 9:30 p.m. on Friday, 5 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 5 to 9 p.m. on Sunday. The restaurant is also open for weekend brunch service from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. 1600 W. 33rd Ave., Denver, ediblebeats.com
