When chef Johnny Curiel opened Alma Fonda Fina in late 2023, he and his wife, Kasie, said they wanted to have a total of four restaurants in Denver.
Their first, at 2556 15th St., won a Michelin star last year. Curiel’s second, Mezcaleria Alma, around the corner at 2550 15th St., came shortly after.
On Monday, Curiel will open his third restaurant on the ground floor of the Clayton Hotel and Members Club, 249 Clayton St.), in Cherry Creek. Alteño — Spanish for “highlander” — will show another side of his Mexican heritage, one inspired by his father, Juan Curiel, and the community cookouts in his home state of Jalisco, Mexico.
“In the highlands of Jalisco, Sundays were spent around a firepit, waiting for whole animals to slow-roast while we laughed, ate, and reconnected as a family,” Curiel said in a statement announcing the concept. “Alteño is a piece of my father’s world, a place where people can gather, linger, and celebrate the way we did back home.”
Sometimes, the party would pick up again on Monday, according to Curiel. His dad would bring family and friends together over steaks and wine.
Alteño is similarly communal in style. Diners snack on a variety of starters, including queso fundido, cornbread and seasonal vegetables, while beef, chicken and other meats roast over fire pits. The restaurant also has a standing bar to try oysters and other fresh seafood, which Curiel said was inspired by the cevicherías his father would bring him to in Mexico for oysters and tostadas.
The experience is decidedly unrushed — as long as it takes for the meat to cook. The beverage program is led by Jen Mattioni and has an astounding 60 agave spirits in tribute to Jalisco, whose majestic agave fields are the birthplace of tequila. There are also wines and original cocktails, like the avocado margarita and the carajillo, a coffee-based drink.
Many of the dishes on the menu are also inspired by Curiel’s father. Stuffed mushrooms were a pivotal dish for the young Curiel; he uses portobello mushrooms and blue crab for his dish at Alteño. His dad also loved Baja cuisine; the tacos gobernador are filled with gulf shrimp, guacachile, salsa Mexican and pickled onions.
Alteño will be open seven days a week offering happy hour weekdays from 3 to 5 p.m. The restaurant is open to walk-ins, and there is seating indoors, at a bar and a patio outdoors. There is also a private space for up to 14 guests serving a tasting menu created by Curiel.
Aside from his restaurants in Denver, Curiel opened Cozobi Fonda Fina at 909 Walnut St. in Boulder last summer.