The Capital Grille - Denver

Milwaukee has a Capital Grille. We never made it there because we discovered Carnevor (yes, that's how they spell it) and there was no reason to ever go looking for a different steak in all of Milwaukee. (I just discovered that Carnevor has a second location in...Florida. That's sort of boring.) I digress, since we love a damn fine steak and we had already tried the absurdly overrated Elway's, we thought the Capital Grille was a great spot to target during Denver Restaurant Week (it should be "Weeks" since it is really two weeks). 


I must admit to being skeptical of the Capital Grille for a while because it is a chain. This is another reason we waited until restaurant week to go there. If it sucked, then we only spent $52.80 on food. If it was awesome, then we only spent $52.80 on food. It's a bit of a win-win situation.


Capital Grille is all about the pretentious style that I just hate (and I always seem to run into it at steakhouses except Texas Roadhouse places, but I don't go there when I'm searching for quality red meat). The interior of the Grille is dark with lots of wood paneling and funny little lamps here and there. The servers wear a sand-colored shirt, which doesn't look unique, it just kept me thinking, why not wear white? When you're at a place like the Grille it's pretty easy to spot the regulars. They're at the bar, of course, and they call the servers by name and some of them look down their nose at people who are walking into the Grille for the first time. Well, they tried, but I'm 6'9" so they couldn't look down on me. They had to tilt there heads at a funny angle to do so. 


Alright, food. I had the clam chowder for a starter. I found it to be disappointing because I expected better from the Grille, but had I been served this chowder at Chili's I would have been very impressed. Are you catching my drift? I mean, at a place like this you should get what you pay for? I know we were paying at a discounted rate, but they do want us to return, right? 


The bread and butter served with dinner was average. I always appreciate when restaurants spruce up the butter, the Grille didn't.


The drinks were decent, but a little pricey for their lack of kick. I know a place you can get a $4 margarita that is better and more potent than the $12 martinis the Grille has. 


The filet mignon I chose was a good piece of meat, but it might have been very slightly overcooked. We shared potatoes and vegetables. The potatoes were, unfortunately, held to the standard of Carnevor's truffled mashed potatoes, the best starch I've ever tasted. That said, they were decent. 


I had the flourless chocolate cake for dessert. My wife had the creme brûlée. Both were actually quite good and we have high standards for creme brûlée since my father-in-law makes the meanest creme brûlée from scratch, kitchen torch and all.


So, it may seem like I came down pretty hard on the Capital Grille. I guess I did, even though we had a decent experience there. It's just that I don't see myself going back there anytime soon and paying full price for anything. That experience would be too painful on the wallet and not pleasurable enough for the tastebuds.


Dined March 3, 2012.


Written by B.

Mustard's Last Stand

If Mustard's Last Stand wasn't within walking distance of the University of Denver, it would not survive. At least, I hope the good people of Denver would be wise enough to take their money elsewhere and let this place suffer the consequences. 


Honestly, even if the food was delicious I couldn't give the place a positive review. I had the same experience as a Yelp user who had reviewed Mustard's Last Stand. I've been at DU for a while now, I've walked past Mustard's Last Stand many times and I really liked the idea of walking in there and getting some good grub that could transport me back to Chicago or Milwaukee (also a place that has great hotdog joints). But when I finally decided to go in last week, I immediately knew it was going to be a one-time visit. No one greeted me and when I was looking around for a menu a crabby old man pointed at a menu to his right, again, with no uttered words. 


I wanted a Chicago dog and I said the same. "What on it?" The old man asks. Seriously? Just give me a Chicago dog like they would in Chicago if I ordered a Chicago dog. A great joint decides for its customers what the fixings should be on a Chicago dog. A customer orders a Chicago dog because they want the usual: mustard, onions, sweet pickle relish, or a pickle spear, and tomato (chopped or sliced). Dragged through the garden, so to speak, because of its thorough toppings. Any shred of validity Mustard's Last Stand had left was lost on me as soon as I ordered. 


Two Chicago Dogs and a small soda cost me $9.63 too. That was the icing on the cake for me. This place is not worth your money or your time. Look up a Chicago dog recipe online and cook it at home for less and it will be far, far better and you won't have to deal with any one of the grumpy employees at Mustard's Last Stand.


Dined February 22, 2012.


Written by B.

Ale House at Amato's

The Ale House has intrigued me for a while, knowing that they have a great view of the Denver skyline and that they have 40+ beers on tap. After driving by it for almost two years (after dinners elsewhere in the Highlands), we finally made it inside. We took a table in the bar and perused through the beer selection, selected an appetizer (seared tuna), and put in an order for two burgers. 


I ordered the beer-b-que burger, which is served with an oatmeal stout and honey beer-b-que sauce, caramelized onions and applewood smoked bacon. It was a delicious burger. The only problem I had, was that the bun got soggy fairly quickly from the sauce. The bun may have just been smashed a little, its liquid-absorbing powers greatly diminished. Nevertheless, I polished the burger off. There wasn't anything exceptional about the fries because as I sit here and write this I can't remember one bad or great thing about them. 


The seared tuna appetizer was a bit of a gamble. That is, why order it at a brewery? But, I think it paid off. The tuna was fine and very rare, but I was most impressed with the tortilla chips. That probably sounds very lame, but it's true. They had a nice coating of oil and salt and they were served warm with some pico de gallo. 


The Ale House is in the family of Breckenridge Brewery brewpubs. We found this brewpub to be better than the one in Breckenridge, where we dined in August of last year and the food was a bit of a letdown. The views of the Denver skyline across Central St and I-25 are great. There is currently some roadwork near the restaurant and some major construction downtown that hurts the view some, but for the most part, you couldn't find a better location for a brewpub. With the views, the bold collection of beers on tap, and the location in the Highlands, the Ale House will probably be around for a while. 


Dined February 14, 2012.


Written by B.

The Bull and Bush

Glendale, Colorado has one great restaurant, The Bull and Bush. Founded in 1971, the restaurant sits across from the Cherry Creek trail near the intersection of Cherry Creek S Dr and Cherry St. The exterior is made of white stucco and wood beams intentionally bringing to mind a stand alone English pub that one might see in any countryside town in the UK. Actually, according to the restaurant’s website, the pub is designed after a pub in Hampstead Heath, a north London park and suburb. The interior feels reasonably British too, with a few American flourishes like a ton of TVs and a small display of merchandise from t-shirts to shot glasses. It's dark inside with comfy chairs and live music on Sundays.

Despite its fame, the place still feels local. I go to the Bull and Bush for its beer (brewed on site), the food (amazing burgers and a great brunch), and the atmosphere (good service and from my experience, nice customers). It also doesn't hurt that I'm within walking distance either, but if I lived across town it would still be one of my favorite stops. I tend to get the Queen Mother burger and the Allgood Ale for starters, but they have great nachos and brunch specials. Actually, they have specials everyday. Like on Wednesdays, a burger order gets you a free pint. On Sundays you can get a double bloody mary for $4.50.   

This won’t be the only time I blog about the Bull and Bush. I am bound to go several times this year, so I’ll stop now. But this food lover highly recommends the place. It’s good and unapologetically greasy food and a great atmosphere. You’ll love it.

Dined January 24, 2012.

B.

Austin's American Grill - Fort Collins, CO

I'm not sure when Austin's opened, but it's been a Fort Collins establishment for a while now. There are two locations in the city. The original, at the corner of Mountain and College, is by far the better location just based on setting. There's plenty of foot traffic, a lot to do nearby, and the atmosphere gives the diner the feeling that they take food seriously at Austin's.


At least when there was only the downtown location, Austin's had a much more exclusive and fancy feel to it without being pretentious. I don't recall disliking a meal there or dining with anyone else who wasn't pleased. But I feel Austin's has departed from that, at least in respect to the Harmony location. 


The Harmony restaurant feels huge to the original Austin's. It doesn't have the architectural advantage of the downtown location so it immediately feels a little chain-like located as it is in a nondescript business park with a couple other restaurants nearby and close to some eyesore office buildings. Right away, this location has its setbacks. 


The last three times I've been to Austin's (all at the Harmony location) the service has been poor, not horrible, just poor because it hasn't lived up to the service I grew to expect, particularly from my experiences at the downtown location. The servers tend to be short with you or very robotic. They set down the menus and they scurry off without waiting just a moment to see if we would like to put in a drink order right away.


Last Friday I ordered the Buffalo Meatloaf. I had never tried it and I was pleasantly surprised. We didn't order any appetizers. Someone ordered a margarita, which isn't on the menu, but it seemed good enough. But I don't think one goes to Austin's and orders a margarita. You're better off sticking to a classic cocktail or one of the beers off there good, but quite limited for a microbrew mecca, i.e. Fort Collins restaurant, list. 


And keeping in mind the last time I had dessert at Austin's, I passed and so did everybody else. I would steer clear of some of those pies, which can shortly turn into a gloppy mess in a bowl because of the way it's served with ice cream. It is as if one were making a pie shake and put all the ingredients in a bowl and never transferred it to a blender, just served it up as is. 


The bottom line on Austin's is this: first, go to the Mountain and College location, second, if you want to eat well you are better off sticking with a meat dish, third, if your server isn't as good as their dress (usually a white dress shirt, white apron, and jeans or slacks), then let them know. And lastly, Austin's just isn't what it used to be. It is very hard to keep the quality and the ambience of a restaurant when you expand. Getting it right the first time is difficult enough. Austin's did that, but getting it right on the second time out? I would say the place needs a little work. 


Dined January 13, 2012.


B.