All Hail, Old Major!

This Highlands hit serves up rustic realness

In the novel “Animal Farm,” Old Major is a prize-winning boar whose vision of a socialist utopia served as the inspiration for the Rebellion. In our mile-high city, Old Major is a mouth-watering restaurant whose vision of contemporary farmhouse cuisine and deformalized fine dining serves as an inspiration for the food-obsessed people of Denver. And we should be so thankful.

Now this isn’t the sort of thing a food writer should ever say, but my favorite bite of the year might just be a soft cheddar cheese biscuit filled with smoked ham and red pepper jam. But that wasn’t the only thing my mouth found to be delicious from the hordes of food pilled in front of me while sitting at a window table: There was a delicious and soft pretzel roll with mustard butter, and a plate full of porkfat french fries, too. So now you know what I was staring at and I know what you’re thinking: Do I even need to read more, or should I just book a table now?

Go ahead. Stop reading and book a table. And when you arrive for your reservation, I’ll probably be sitting nearby, sipping on a Modern Savage and mowing down anything and everything put in front of me.

Created by Justin Brunson and Katie O’Shea Padró, the menu at the Highlands establishment walks the fine line between playful and honest.

Starting with the Hamachi Crudo and Old Major Charcuterie Plate, my guest and I enjoyed the refreshing pieces of beet-cured hamachi as it joined forces with peppers and a blast of citrus. At the same time, we also enjoyed the various meats on our cured-in-house charcuterie board, which included Porchetta di Testa (meat made of rolled pig face.) Yeah, that happened and it was delicious.

Clearing our plates and recharging our palates with a sip from an Anything But Sue, we set our sights on two delicious entrées. The Nose to Tail plate is certainly one for the meat lovers of the world. It features braised pork belly, confit ribs, Polish sausage, and crispy ears all on a bed of roasted cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, squash pureé, and acorn spätzle. Each bite brings a new filling flavor from a different part of the beast. The second entrée of pan-seared scallops was quite the contrast to our other mainly-meat plate. The dish included scallops, bacon, grits, roasted chili scallions, and lime sour cream. It was just enough to give you that satisfied and completely full feeling, without the guilt of leaving a naked plate on the table.

If that’s not enough and you’re feeling extra special, treat yourself to dessert — it’s worth it. Close your eyes and point ­— you legitimately can’t go wrong with any of the options, thanks to pastry chef, Nadine Donovan. I personally recommend the macaroon or the Sugar & Spice, but that’s just me.

There’s just something very memorable about the place. Maybe it’s the service? Maybe it’s the highly-visible charcuterie room and house-cured meat selection? Or maybe it’s the fact that the menu is just so damn tasty.

Old Major is located at 3316 Tejon Street.