Taita Peruvian Cuisine & Bar, Denver

Seasoned cook Jose Aparicio, affectionately known as Chef Pepito, puts his more than 20 years experience to use preparing authentic Peruvian dishes with an American twist, cooking inside a sleek, brightly colored eatery decked out with rustic wrought-iron chandeliers. He marinates his classic ceviche’s halibut in lime before mingling it with corn, potatoes, red onion, and cilantro, as well as sizzles up heartier entrees such as _tacu tacu_—bean cakes and brown rice topped with a quintessential Peruvian seafood sauce. He also riffs on classic Peruvian food with mushroom ceviche and spiced filet mignon with crunchy potatoes.

Behind the bar, which is inlaid with exposed brick, drink mavens craft Peruvian cocktails, such as pisco sours and the Mosquito, a variation of the mojito that’s amped up with Cointreau and fruit juices before being swatted, not stirred.