For those who aren’t already familiar with Park Hill, Lucina Eatery and Bar might seem a little off the beaten track. It’s situated in a picturesque two-block stretch of restaurants, wine bars, bakeries and a gymnastics school, a somewhat odd assembly that seems to appear out of nowhere in the otherwise dense residential subdivision that sits just east of The Denver Museum of Nature and Science. But since 2022, the restaurant has been serving elegant expressions of dishes from across vast swaths of Latin cooking, with a rotating focus on the food of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Peru, Spain and Portugal.
In mid-April, Chef Erasmo Casiano and his team launched the new spring menu. The chef says it’s the largest overhaul the menu has seen since he opened his excellent uptown outpost for Mexican fine dining Xiquita in August 2024. While dishes have been switched more whimsically in the past, he and his staff are now collaborating on more robust seasonal overhauls. Members of the team will participate in collective tastings. The removal of old dishes is announced by drum roll. “There’s a natural ebb and flow to the dishes. You can actually taste the excitement when you introduce a new dish,” said Casiano.
For this menu, Casiano drew inspiration from history, with a particular focus on the flavors of the Caribbean. “I went down the etymology of cuisine, and how it came to be,” said Casiano, adding that he explored the cross-cultural nuances of Cuban and Puerto Rican culinary history. “It became sort of a history of colonization, and the silver lining,” he continued. “Without fufu we wouldn’t have mofongo,” he said, noting that many of the area’s favored dishes were born out of interactions between African slaves and the Caribbean’s indigenous Taino. Dishes like the Pastel de Cerdo, with Puerto Rican plantain and taro root masa, pork relleno, crema al ajillo and pique, reflect both the archipelago’s cultural traditions and the region’s available ingredients. The plantain and taro masa provide a denser and more spongy alternative to the more frequently seen corn masa. “I wanted to introduce another regional staple,” said Casiano.
The thought Casiano puts into menu development is neatly reflected in the quality of the dishes. It’s heady food, steeped in historical research, but it all comes across joyous, not pedantic. “We don’t want to step on a soap box. We want to be approachable,” he said. “We also don’t want any guilt-ridden dining. But there’s also no way to talk about the food without talking about colonization.” Other new dishes include the jamon y melo, with jamon serrano, whipped chevre, chicharos and cantaloupe, and the unmissable Arroz de Pato, with duck confit, peas, risotto and Chourico Remolata, a spicy Portuguese sausage.
On Mother’s Day, Lucina debuted its first Sunday brunch. The menu is short and sweet with standouts like the pastelito, a classic Cuban pastry with guava and cream cheese, and the papas con todo, a hearty plate with patatas bravas, queso de oro, Spanish chorizo and two eggs any style.
Casiano and his team make approachable, delicious food meant to be both feasted upon and ruminated on. That he named the restaurant after his mom also shows up in each carefully crafted tribute he and the team add to the menu. “It’s an ode to moms. All these mothers kept the traditions alive, and I’ll be damned if they get lost,” he said.
The spring menu will continue largely unchanged for the next three to four months.
Lucina Eatery and Bar is located at 2245 Kearney Street #101, Denver. It is open Tuesday – Saturday from 4 – 10 p.m., and Sunday for brunch from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
It is closed on Monday.
All photos courtesy of Casey Wilson.
