Zi South, Denver

Former Denver Broncos guard and two-time pro-bowler Jerry Sturm is one of the masterminds behind Zi South, yet the restaurant is far from a rustic sports bar. It’s modern and elegant, twinkling beneath numerous large chandeliers. A long, curvaceous bar keeps the dining room connected and helps to launch meals with frosty margaritas. The food selection is contemporary yet unpretentious, featuring tacos stuffed with barbacoa (spicy barbecue pulled pork), tumbleweed onions, and chipotle aioli, as well as burritos stuffed with carne asada and black charro beans. Piquant chimichurri sauce flavors filets of salmon with its complex notes of parsley, while red-chile-and-pecan pesto augments 12-ounce New York strip steaks.