Denver's ten best charcuterie plates

Mark Manger

The salumi board at Crimson Canary.

There's no limit to our love for salted and cured meat, so we're as happy as pigs at the feeding trough that some variation of the charcuterie plate has worked its way onto just about every menu in this town. But as more and more restaurants fill out their menu with piles of salami and ham, some spots have really taken their obsession with cured meat to the next level, thereby becoming objects of our undying affection.

Here, in no particular order, are the ten best plates of charcuterie in Denver.

Kate Kennedy

Il Posto (2011 East 17th Avenue)
With its ever-changing chalkboard menu and open kitchen, Il Posto is a breezy neighborhood joint that seems to always have good energy -- the exact type of spot you could easily while away several hours without even realizing it, especially if you're sharing plates and a bottle or two of wine. And dinner here should always, always kick off with tagliere, a rotating selection of meats and cheeses. Chef Andrea Frizzi likes to bring his favorite parts of his home country stateside, and these selections, spanning coppa, lonzo, mortadella and finnochiono, also include a wide array of craft cheeses culled from all over Italy.

Cassandra Kotnik

Table 6 (609 Corona Street)
Order the charcuterie plate at Table 6 and you'll find it captures the whimsy and spirit of the rest of the quirky New American menu. No odes to France or Italy here; instead you'll get porky sausages, smoked and cured duck that resembles ham, lamb belly turned into housemade lamb bacon and tasso, that peppery smoked pork that comes from the Cajun culinary canon. It's best, we find, when paired with some equally odd selection from sommelier and owner Aaron Forman.

Mark Manger

Crimson Canary (141 South Broadway)
Making a meal out of cured meat and cheese is an especially tempting prospect at Crimson Canary, the subject of this week's review. The salumi plate is one of the best deals in town (especially at happy hour, when the price drops even further). Select from a variety of domestic and imported meats and cheeses, which are then portioned generously and accompanied by caperberries and olives. We like to toss in a bread basket and a glass of cheap negroamaro red wine.