Sometimes, Ryan DiFranco plays gay flag football. When he’s not playing football, he makes sandwiches. Really, really good sandwiches.
It’s not a surprise, really – DiFranco (affectionately known as Ry Ry) comes from a seriously delicious past. It started with ice cream, moved to plump and juicy hot dogs, and landed in Italian sammy-and-pasta goodness.
The restaurant world is no enigma for this cute-as-can-be Italian; relocated to Denver by former employer Hillstone Restaurant Group, DiFranco has all of the knowledge needed to create a uniquely successful concept in the Denver culinary scene.
Case in point: DiFranco’s eponymous restaurant is simple. To many in the restaurant world, “simple” is anathema—a descriptor that comes across more like “plain.” But at this quaint and quiet Italian deli in the base of the Beauvallon, “simple” equals accessibility, quality, and drool-worthy flavor.
The menu—a streamlined list of breakfast goodies, subs for lunch, pastas for the more traditional, salads, and sides—gives a flurry of nods to local purveyors and farmers. In fact, the website calls out several local sources the hungry public might already know. Meats of every cut hail from Il Mondo Vecchio—the star-studded meat-mongers of Denver Five fame—while Growers Organic supplies the fresh veggies that appear in multiple menu staples.
On a recent stop-in for lunch, I indulged in an foot-long, ciabatta-canvased sandwich, chocked full of prosciutto, mozzarella, and salsa verde. No doubt it was a mouthful, and worth every Old World bite—a near-ethereal blend of salty prosciutto with creamy-rich mozzarella and the lusty tang of salsa. I also have to applaud DiFranco’s use of real bread. Too often, a promising sandwich falls on its face when the bread gums up against my teeth. Not so here—an artisan loaf gave the sandwich legs, and added its own heft of flavor.
To boot, my sammy came with a side of pasta salad riddled with those fresh veggies of Growers Organic fame. It was tasty, to be sure, but perhaps a touch too oily—a small criticism compared to my overall satisfaction.
If your sweet tooth kicks in, rest assured there are tasty nibbles in the pastry case up front that will give you what you crave. Had my sandwich been any less filling, I would have happily indulged—probably in the zucchini muffins eyeing me seductively on the counter. But there were equally attractive treats, many dolled up in chocolate.
When it comes to ambience, it’s all about utility here. That’s not to say there aren’t decorative touches—like the family portrait donned on the bathroom wall and the photographs lining the interior—but like the menu, the design is simple. With a handful of intimate tables and one long, bar-height communal table, the focus is entirely on the food. In other words, DiFranco’s rings true to Italian tradition: wherever you are, come together to revel in each other’s company over a good meal.
Some may say DiFranco’s is too simple to survive. There will have to be diversification. They should offer more. But Ryan has been in the business—and the industry—long enough to know two very important things about hungry patrons. First, don’t make them wait for good food. Second, don’t confuse them with too many offerings.
In a state of simple, satiated bliss, I left DiFranco’s thinking exactly what every restaurateur wants you to think: I came hungry. I left satisfied. I will definitely be back.
Speaking of Fresh… Here’s a helping of local goodness, all employed by the masterminds at DiFranco’s. It’s good to know that even a simple menu can be so richly filled with farm-to-table ingredients. • Morning Fresh Dairy
• Isabelle Farm
• Boxcar Coffee Co.
• Natural Homestead Beef
• Windsor Dairy
• Tabor Mountain Bakehouse
• Growers Organic
• Red Bird Farms
• Dolce Sicilia
• Carbone’s Sausage House
• Rural Route Farms
• Cottonwood Creek
• MM Local
• Pastamore
• Chocolate Lab
• Bones Du Jour
• Aikopops
• Osage Gardens
• Il Mondo Vecchio
• Oogave
• Aspen Pure Rocky Mountain Water
• H2Organic Farms
By Jeff Steen
