After leaving Bruto with a Michelin star, chef Michael Diaz de Leon said he felt emboldened to build a restaurant for the people, a place “where you can get Michelin-style service, but it’s affordable and approachable for anyone in the city.”
Two years since his departure from the downtown Denver restaurant — tucked comfortably into the “four dollar signs” price category — de Leon is focused on Mexican street tacos. Molino Chido, his partnership with Denver chef and restaurateur Tommy Lee, opened earlier this month inside Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., in Aurora.
The goal is to make tacos that taste just like the ones found in Mexico City, where taco stands line the streets and feed the masses, de Leon said. But not just any street tacos. The tortillas are made using corn harvested by the Ute people in southern Colorado. The kernels are soaked overnight and ground into masa using a mill, or “molino,” a process known as nixtamalization. Once pressed by machine and flipped on a griddle, de Leon’s tortillas jiggle with consistency.
“Even though tacos are seen as something very approachable, humble, sometimes even cheap, it shouldn’t have to be that way,” de Leon said. “I almost get offended when people think that that’s the way that it’s supposed to be.”
The al pastor tacos ($4.85 each) are carved from a spit using pork marinated overnight in tamari, miso and vinaigrette, while the lengua tacos ($4.85 each) are made with bison tongue. But the pièce de résistance is the $11.85 prime strip loin taco with a melted cheese crust, or “costra,” over the tortilla for $2 extra.
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Other tacos are priced at $4.85 or $6.85. The kitchen also makes burritos ($11), quesadillas ($15), market-priced ceviche and, for the corn-averse, flour tortillas.
As for the space itself, it shares the same well-designed feel as co-owner Lee’s other ventures, Uncle and Hop Alley, which introduced residents to a new class of ramen and Chinese food in the city. The color green, chosen by architect Kevin Nguyen for the remodeling, is reflected in the folding chairs, walls, light shades and plants that surround the dining room.
Lee and de Leon originally planned for people to order at the check-in counter and sit down, with servers then taking additional food or drink orders from the tables. But because of the high demand during its opening week, the system caused mayhem for the restaurant, Lee said. So Molino Chido will ditch the counter ordering and transition to being a full-service restaurant..
It is currently open from 3 to 9 p.m. every day except Monday. But Molino Chido will add brunch on the weekends soon — and eventually lunch, although Lee said he expects to hire more staff before then.