A strictly Native eatery

Tocabe brings Native American food to the Denver dining sceneTocabe: An American Indian eatery opens tomorrow at 3536 West 44th Avenue, and even in a city stuffed with restaurants, it has the potential to set itself apart. The creation of Ben Jacobs, a member of the Osage tribe whose home is in northeast Oklahoma, Tocabe (the word is Osage for "blue," Jacob's mom's favorite color) will be a fast-casual place, similar to Chipotle, but serving strictly Native American food.

Jacobs has lived in Denver since he was three, though, attending East High School and the University of Denver, where he majored in history with an emphasis in Native American studies. And he studied traditional foods to create his menu, which includes Medicine Wheel Nachos and a variety of soups: sweet corn soup, green chile stew and clam chowder with green chile.

But the real draw are the fry-bread meals, created in a manner similar to the assembly line at Chipotle.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Modernizing Frybread and Indian Takeout Food.