The Zagat Review
This light and breezy 22-seat West Highland pizzeria dabbles in 4 different variations: Detroit-style, cracker-thin Chicago pies, pizzas of the New York persuasion and classic Italian, all of which are baked in state-of-the-art deck ovens. Along with handcrafted ‘za, the menu includes salads and starters (think lemon-rosemary chicken wings and housemade meatballs), while the bar program features a small selection of wines, a Mile High City–centric beer roster and craft cocktails with locally distilled spirits.
The Koto pictured above at Blue Pan Pizza
Most of the kudos this wee West Highland shop gets for its Detroit-style deep-dish pies go to the salumi-heavy combos that have also earned pizzaiolo Jeff Smokevitch numerous awards at international competitions. But that doesn’t mean the vegetarian offerings are afterthoughts — quite the contrary, in fact. Smokevitch put his heart into perfecting the spinach-artichoke sauce that makes the Koto so special; creamy and funky, it both complements roasted garlic and balances out the bright tang of the sun-dried and roasted cherry tomatoes.
Price: $15/$25