In Good Taste Denver was invited to attend a soft opening of Pancho & Jane to sip and taste their menu. Housed in a new building along Old South Golden Road, the restaurant is full of light with views of the foothills and South Mesa. A huge patio sprawls along the western edge. The décor blends sophisticated casual fun with a nod to the old west – an accent brick wall sports a faded mural evocative of LoDo or a mountain ghost town. The colors are stylish southwest-old-west with tan, grey, turquoise, and magenta. Large TV screens in the bar area offer a good spot for sports watching and drinking with a full bar menu of “not too sweet” margaritas, craft beers, and cocktails.
The team behind the restaurant is the same as The Eddy Taproom & Hotel, which we’ve visited and written about (click below). There, we were impressed by the level of creativity in the cuisine. That’s where we had the best chicken wings we’ve had to date! And that’s saying something.
Chef de Cuisine Nate Andzulis was back in the kitchen working tirelessly to serve our preview group but we did get to meet Ben Shapiro who is the Director of Food and Beverage. He helped develop the seasonal menu that utilizes fresh ingredients which are sourced locally as often as possible. Shapiro shared with us a glimpse of his little black book of recipe ideas and experiments that capture successes and failures. The book is with him at all times – after all, he never knows when inspiration may strike! We felt quite privileged to have seen “behind the curtain” – should we say “apron.”
Highlights of our tastings at Pancho & Jane include…
Chips N Salsa ($6) – A rule here at IGTD is that if a restaurant gets this appetizer plate right, it predicts the quality of the entire meal. Happily, Pancho & Jane takes their salsa seriously and crafts each of them with care – they are not an afterthought. We sampled five of their salsas and enjoyed them all with a basket of fresh crispy, spice-dusted tortilla chips. The house salsa is a nice loose blend with a mild kick of spice. Salsa Buffalo is almost black with a slightly sweet blend of ancho chilies. Outlaw Sauce – our favorite – blends salsa negro, chunks of onions and jalapenos, with a touch of creamy mayo.
Pistachio Guacamole ($11) – topped with toasted pistachios and a touch of olive oil, the nuts impart a surprisingly complimentary flavor and a luxurious creamy-crunchy texture.
Birria Quesadilla ($13) – stuffed with luscious, braised lamb, caramelized onions and Oaxaca cheese. Dipping this in a side of rich lamb consommé elevates what a quesadilla can be. Chicken and steak are also an option if you ask.
Tacos – each of the eight options is priced individually at $6 or $7 and is served on a Yoli Tortilleria heirloom corn tortilla made especially for the restaurant. Options include Pollo, Suadero (confit beef belly), Chorizo y Papas, Crispy Brussels, and Carnitas. The latter, along with Crispy Fish is what I ordered but, because the place was so noisy the night we were there, our server mis-heard and brought a Lamb Birria taco instead. Normally, when going out with someone on our team, I wouldn’t order something with the same ingredients because we like to share stuff. But, having the lamb Birria Quesadilla and the Lamb Birria taco gave us the chance to see how both are presented (go for the quesadilla if you really love lamb because there’s simply more of it). The Crispy Fish taco, however, was batter fried cod with a tomatillo-chipotle aioli, pico de gringo and cabbage slaw. It definitely satisfied my fish taco hankerings.
Esquites ($7) – this side dish blends buttery corn off the cob and chilies. Topped with crema, cheetah dust, and cotijo cheese, it makes for a fun bite of indulgence with a nice texture that complemented our other dishes.
On our next visit, we aim to try their Bandit Bites ($10) – fried rice balls with spicy dipping sauce – a Mexican take on Italian arancini. The Queso Flameado ($14) is also intriguing – how can you resist flaming cheese?!
For dessert, we shared the Churro Funnel Cake ($11). a pile of squiggly fried goodness topped with dulce de leche and chocolate sauces. It’s definitely a shareable plate!
Named after a couple of outlaws, Pancho (for Francisco “Pancho” Villa) & Jane (for Jane Kirkham) makes for a worthy neighborhood destination when heading west from Denver to a Red Rocks concert, or after a day of outdoorsy fun in the foothills above Golden. Parking is available on street and in the small lot behind the building.
Tip: Check out the bathrooms! Each is decorated so well and whimsically.
Pancho & Jane is located at 16500 S. Golden Rd., Ste. 101, in Golden.
-Story and photos by the In Good Taste Denver Team
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