BY MIGUEL OTÁROLA, @MOTAROLA_EATS

In today's Stuffed newsletter, we feature Madeline, a new restaurant settling into a storied Denver property; report on the family behind Dan Da and Banh & Butter Bakery Cafe, which is bringing a Vietnamese restaurant to Federal Boulevard; and look into why more chefs are offering smaller plates. (They're for sharing.)

EDITOR'S PICKS

Tapas, tapas, tapas: Denver is suddenly obsessed with small plates

TIP POOL

Where's your go-to place to grab a meal after 10 p.m.?

MORE HEADLINES

• Owners of Colorado Springs brewery taking ‘well-deserved rest’ with closure
  
• Four dishes we loved in June, like the plum salad at Stellar Jay
  
• 3 Margaritas, Bubba’s 33 part of Northfield mall remodel
• Food deals this July include Independence Day specials and free Chick-fil-A
• This Boulder fine dining spot nabs Wine Spectator’s top honor — Daily Camera

EAT THIS

El Consome de Morelos II

Is the birria buzz still alive in 2026? It doesn't matter. In fact, it's opportune timing to dig into the juicy, marinated barbacoa at El Consome de Morelos II, a counter-order Mexican restaurant tucked away at the end of a strip mall off Sheridan Boulevard. El Consome has the birria cravings covered in several ways: as regular tacos, as ramen (a subject of experimentation for another time), and as a quesabirria plate of three fully loaded and fried tacos with a side of broth. Perhaps what I found most shocking about the quesabirria meal was how I was able to eat the whole thing and not feel like an anchor sinking to the ocean floor. Don't skimp on the broth, restorative and elevated with onions and garbanzo beans, or the salsa bar next to the counter. It may not look like much, from the inside or out, but El Consome de Morelos II has a kitchen that delivers a delicious, immaculate product.

924 S. Sheridan Blvd. Unit E, Denver; orderelconsomedemorelos2.com