Puzzle Pieces

Beckon and Call sit beside each other on Larimer Street like little peak-roofed, modernist cottages parachuted in from Copenhagen. The white one, Call, feels more open to the world—there’s a patio out front—and serves midday foods, along with liquid concoctions both alcoholic and virgin. Beckon, painted a grayish khaki hue, is a bit closed-off and mysterious: a reserved, fine-dining yang to Call’s cheery, counter-service yin. This review will consider the merits of both, because they are two parts of an intriguing whole.

When Call opened in late 2017, it gained quick praise for the particularity of its daytime menu of toasts, tartines, salads, shrubs, espresso drinks, and cocktails. (It also toyed with a Scandinavian tapaslike evening menu that failed to lure in p.m. diners before retreating to focus on its early day offerings only.) But Call is far more than