RiNo noted for neighborhood eats

Thrillist.com, the Internet commentator on all things food related, has chosen RiNo, Denver’s Riverfront North neighborhood, as one of The 18 Best Food Neighborhoods in America.

Here’s how RiNo made the cut, “If your ‘hood is on this list, congratulations, you’re probably gaining weight, as we made sure every neighborhood is fantastic to eat and drink in. And once we’d narrowed it down to our top 18, we examined two major factors to determine placement: 1) culinary history, and 2) what’s happening now…”

While RiNo as a destination dining ‘hood is fairly new and continually growing, its foodie scene lacks historical reference to call upon, unlike other neighborhoods in New Orleans, Boston, Charleston, Chicago and San Francisco, which are also on the list.

Here’s what Thrillist said about RiNo, “Once upon a time, this was a neighborhood Denverites would go to if they wanted to have a nice night out… and then get mugged afterwards. Now? It’s practically swarming with hot restaurants and breweries. Part of that is due to The Source, an enormous 20,000-square-foot artisan food market that houses one of Denver’s best restaurants (Acorn), coffee roasters (Boxcar), breweries (Crooked Stave) and plenty more.

“Four other exemplary craft breweries have taprooms in the neighborhood as well, including the Utah-transplant Epic Brewing, which knows (its) way around a sour. For food, Work & Class serves up shared plates of delicious Latin/American food, Cart-Driver is the tiny, high-quality pizza joint every neighborhood deserves, and Los Chingones is the Mexican food outpost of one of Denver’s finest restaurateurs. And for something you likely won’t find in any other city, Infinite Monkey Theorem cans their own wine and has an expansive space to drink it in.”

See the other 17 picks at www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/18-best-food-neighborhoods-in-america-flushing-west-loop-the-mission.