If you haven’t been to Earls Kitchen and Bar in the past few months, it might be time for a visit. After a full renovation and menu revamp, the delightful restaurant — which Earls’ staff admits was “dated” — has caught up with Denver’s fast-moving dining scene.

Earls Kitchen and Bar isn’t a new addition to the 16th Street Mall dining scene. A popular restaurant chain in Canada since the early 80s, the downtown Denver branch of this upscale, Pan Asian-inspired restaurant opened in the spring of 2007. They closed in August last year for

renovations, re-opened the lower level in October and the upper level in late November.

The remodeled space will wow you. The sizeable restaurant (over 300-seat capacity between the two floors) now features a lighter color palette, the use of organic materials and local art, and the removal of partitions to create an airy, open feel.

As gorgeous as Earls’ décor is, where they really excel is in the food. I ate there once before the menu update and can honestly not remember what I thought of the food. Given, this was before I made it a point to photograph and take notes on nearly everything I ate, but still, you’d think if the food were either phenomenally good or horrendously awful I would have remembered.

But no need to focus on the past; let’s focus on the new and fresh. Earls’ new global menu items are outstanding. I had the pleasure of sampling some of the new dishes pre-opening, and it’s a wonder I haven’t gone back twice a week since then.

Mere weeks into the new year, you might still be trying to firm up your 2015 resolutions: what to give up, start doing, do more of, etc., so here’s your handy guide to what to eat at Earls, no matter what your resolution is.

Dish: Vietnamese Spatchcock-Style ChickenYour Resolution: Go paleo/Atkins/low-carb/gluten-free. While experts disagree on the health benefits of a meat-heavy diet, eating the occasional grain-free meal opens one’s eyes to the vast possibilities of non-starchy sides. The zingy peanut sauce and refreshing daikon and cucumber salad served alongside this roasted half chicken are just two examples. Oh, yeah — this dish comes with naan bread (definitely not paleo), but we won’t tell if you sneak a bite (or five).

Dish: Chicken Avocado SaladYour Resolution: Be all healthy or whatever. The problem with getting a salad at a restaurant is that they’re usually boring. It’s understandable that some restaurants put less effort into salads, but Earls shows them up with their absolutely incredible Chicken Avocado Salad. I mean, anything with chicken and avocado is amazing, but when you add bacon, marinated tomatoes and two house-made sauces? Bravo, Earls. Bravo.

Dish: Jeera Chicken CurryYour Resolution: Become more cultured/worldly. Okay, so the curry alone won’t make you more wordly, but there’s nothing to stop you from eating your leftovers of this creamy, savory, subtly sweet curry while watching obscure Bollywood films! (I recommend Devdas, starring Shah Rukh Khan and the lovely Aishwarya Rai.) The curry is global comfort in its purest form, perfect for those who want to branch out in their eating habits, but not too far, thank you very much.

Dish: Crispy Tuna Sushi ConeYour Resolution: Try new things. You crazy thing, you. Eating sushi from… a cone? Stand back everyone; Earls is taking sushi to the next level. Sure, you could just have their regular old (dynamite shrimp and mango) sushi roll, but then you’d be missing all the fun. The crunch of the crispy wonton wrapper cone, contrasted with the smooth, slippery tuna is (at the risk of sounding clichéd) an explosion of texture in your mouth. Yeah, that was cheesy, but this dish is the reason phrases like that were created.

Dish: Chocolate Hazelnut BarYour Resolution: Live a little. So perhaps your 2014 was a little too virtuous. Maybe you went on too many diets, exercised too much, stuck fast to too many resolutions at the expense of your own emotional/social/psychological wellbeing. Maybe you need a break. If you set the bar too high last year, lower it with this delicious chocolate hazelnut bar. It’s exactly as good as it sounds, if not more so, and perfect for Nutella lovers. As you finish up that last delicious morsel, resolve to put happiness, which is healthy in and of itself, first in 2015.

Maggie Tharp has eaten more than one chocolate hazelnut bar — you know, to test for consistency — and can confidently say that each one is better than the last. Maggie also blogs at onthetipofmytongue.weebly.com and posts incessantly on Instagram: @maggie.tharp.

See the Jan. 16, 2015 print issue for full photo coverage.