It’s been just over two decades since Frank Bonanno opened Mizuna, the long-lauded French and American eatery that still tops lists of Denver’s finest fare.
During that time, Bonano became known as one of the city’s most ambitious restaurateurs, with an empire that has ebbed and flowed over the years and includes or included Osteria Marco, Green Russell, Luca, Vesper Lounge, Milk Market and Bones.
His latest is Dumplin’, an Italian and Pan-Asian fusion spot that opened Nov. 7 at 3609 W. 32nd Ave. It’s where he and his wife, Jacqueline, spent the better part of a month transforming the space from their now-closed sandwich joint Salt + Grinder. It serves small plates, skewers, ramen and dumplings full of things like wagyu and black truffle, and house-cured nduja.
One of the notable menu additions is the lobster ramen, the same one that helped make Bonanno’s name, back when he was running Bones from 2008 to 2019. Bones was a ramen joint, but Bonanno inflected classic Asian dishes with his own personal touches.
“Originally we were going to call this Bones 2.0,” Bonanno said about Dumplin’. “But then Jacqueline and I asked ourselves, ‘Why would we go backward?”
Johnny Rodriguez, who spent six years working at Bones, works in the kitchen, and Bonanno is on the line as many nights as he can be — he prefers the life of a chef to that of a restaurateur. “If I could only cook I would be very, very happy,” he said.
But Dumplin’ is clearly its own thing. “Not until the day I had opened this place had I ever served dumplings,” Bonanno said.
He also wants to be careful about cultural appropriation — saying he looks at dumplings more as a ravioli. And that’s how he serves them. The on-table chili oil is infused with Calabrian chiles, and there’s balsamic instead of black vinegar. The hand-pressed dumpling skins are made with Caputo “00” flour, which is typically used in pasta-making.
“I’m not going to compete with Yuan Wonton. I’m never going to make as good a wonton as them,” he said about the James Beard-nominated spot across town.
When pulling up a chair at the 26-seat establishment, take note of some of these dishes: the hamachi crudo with Leche de Tigre Salmoriglio, and the razor-thin slices of house-cured copa with wasabi crema, which provide an excellent glimpse into Bonanno’s meat curing program. (Bonanno ages meats on-site in a basement curing room.)
Dumpling offerings include standouts like the shrimp scampi and the mascarpone and mushroom with togarashi cabbage. Those who came to feast should close with the Cacio e Pepe ramen. There may not be another dish that is so thoroughly emblematic of the place.