Avanti Street Food Mashup Street Feud Opens Today | Eater Denver

"A new global street-food counter on the top floor of the LoHi restaurant incubator takes a worldly approach to tacos, bao buns, flatbreads and quinoa bowls, blending the chef’s childhood love of Mexican food with influences from his mother’s Indonesian heritage. Menu highlights include Al Pasto and birria (goat) tacos, a chicken satay bao bun made with spiced potatoes, a quinoa tabbouleh bowl with falafel, and a Korean BBQ jackfruit bao bun. Playful loaded fries celebrate international music scenes — K-Pop fries piled with kimchi, pork belly and cheddar, and mariachi fries smothered in cheese sauce, pickled jalapeños and spicy red salsa. A standout is a crispy mushroom taco of sautéed-and-flash-fried oyster mushrooms (meaty and rich) paired with a black bean purée made with corn fungus and a roasted tomato salsa — a dish so convincing that taste-testers didn’t realize it was mushrooms. Several dishes are intentionally vegan and gluten-free, reflecting a menu-first approach to dietary needs. Behind the counter, the chef (a 27-year veteran and former culinary director for a Boulder restaurant group) emphasizes humane working conditions — managers receive three extra “mental health days” off each quarter — and plans to use this counter as a springboard for a brick-and-mortar, with ambitions to open multiple locations around Denver in the next few years and eventually expand nationwide." - Paul Albani-Burgio