It is hard to deny the allure of lounging through an aperitivo hour in coastal Europe, drink in hand and small plates on the table. Denver may lack many of the draws of the Mediterranean, but it does have Corsica Wine Bar, a new restaurant in RiNo from the team behind Barcelona Wine Bar.
Named after the mountainous and coastal island Corsica, this restaurant is run by James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly and executive chef Kelly Patton—both high-profile names with combined experience that spans top restaurants in New York, France, and Denver. Small plates dominate the menu, encouraging a communal dining experience with a diverse selection of coastal European wines and classic aperitivo spirits.
A recent visit started with a pour of sparkling wine and quickly led to a rapid-fire succession of plates to pair: salt and vinegar chips with chive-topped aioli; chicken liver mousse balanced by thyme, mustard seed, and pear and served with crostini; whipped ricotta on rustic toasted bread topped with tart barberries and sweet honey; and tuna carpaccio with a hint of Meyer lemon and calabrian chili topped with quinoa and fresh basil.
While there are no main dishes in a traditional sense, there are heartier plates that happily take their place. The salmon rillettes have a heavy dose of crème fraîche and everything bagel spice for satisfying wraps in gem lettuce. The asparagus caesar salad combines tart greens with heaps of Pecorino cheese that holds it all together. Tender beef brochettes are marinated for half a day and blackened to perfection before being served with a green peppercorn sauce. The mushroom brochettes are just as appealing, charred and served with anchoïade, a Provençal anchovy sauce.
No meal at Corsica is complete without pasta. Cannelloni au Brocciu is satisfyingly hearty with crispy edges, reminiscent of homemade lasagna. Rigatoni Bolognese showcases how taking one’s time on a sauce makes a big difference.
Each dish balances acidity, salt, and fat, perfect for pairing with Corsica’s extensive wine list—30 or so wines by the glass and some 200 by the bottle, emphasizing coastal European regions. Aperitifs from France, Italy, and Spain are also featured, served on the rocks with a citrus peel and soda water.
The parade of dishes should not end with the savory, regardless of how full one may get. Familiar favorites like affogato and almond cake are perfected, though the real highlight is the crispy fontina ravioli—each pouch filled with a bit of cheese and doused in Corsican maquis honey.
