Colorado Restaurant Compendium

[squatch]

rough. I hate expensive restaurants that suck.

[pechelman]

not sure id say rioja looks mediterranean by looking at their menu

i will say that if i looked at their menu, id have no desire to go there
just reading it, it sounds trendy and too fusiony for my tastes as are a few other the other places off larimer.

that service thing is annoyance that id be bothered with as well.

sorry you had a bad experience

did you bring any of this up to the management?
just curious how they handled it if you did.

you should go checkout baca in inverness NPG
i think you might like it based on what you ordered and such.
just be aware that service may not be exceptional as its in a hotel
last time we went it was a very subpar, but she was friendly and appoligized about it. no big deal if you have good company.

as far as cold cut platters, i really like cafe berlins simple kasserplaten
its a little overpriced imo (by a ~couple dollars), but they bring out ~4 slices of about 8 different types of meats and cheeses. great with a liter of their beer and bread

[khakis]

D'Corazon at 15th and blake (right across from the Rio) is my new favorite Mexican restaurant. Ate there twice last week (and I usually don't eat out twice in any given week!), first time had the burrito especial (chicken) and it freakin blew me away. As in, if the chicken that was in this burrito was served all by itself with a sprig of parsley I would have paid $20 for it and still thought it was outrageously delicious. But it's only $6 and comes with arroz and frijoles! Damn good burrito. Had the Chiles Rellenos the second time, also delicious but I think my psyche cheapens fried foods so that I can't appreciate them as much. The sauce on them was just awesome though. Margs there are good too, good selection of Tequilas.

[pechelman]

^ never ending margaritas for 3$ during happy hour

shit
well i guess i know where im going next happy hour
hell yea

[khakis]

Denvoid drinkathlon?

[Rontele]

Katsyua Sushi, 2222 S. Havana, Aurora, Co. (303) 368-8778. Sushi $-$$$.

Admittedly, a lot of my suggestions in this thread from my father-in-law, who in turn, gets a lot of his from Jason Sheehan who writes for Westword. Katsuya Sushi is no exception. Tucked away in Aurora amongst store names written in Korean, Katsuya Sushi beckons those willing to look past that fact.

Inside, the restaurant, now in its fourth month, is neatly decorated, definitely way hipper than the circa 1970s exterior of the strip mall it occupies. The food, lets just say, is amazing. No, this is not Sushi Den, Izakaya Den, or Sushi Sasa. If you are looking to be hip, or seen or be seen, go elsewhere. If you are looking for fresh fish and sushi staples done right, you owe yourself a kindness and a trip to Katsuya Sushi. The meal started with kim-chi done TWO ways. Yes, I love kimchi. I could eat kimchi every meal, bathe in kimchi (much to the future-Mrs. Rontele's and my co-worker's chagrin), and in fact, I've often considered naming my first born, Kim-Chi. Katsuya Sushi's kim-chi does not disappoint. However, we didn't come for the cabbage, we came for the fish.

Spicy Tuna Roll was excellent
Yellow Tail and scallion was excellent
Spider roll was $$$
So was the Denver Roll, which had salmon, tuna, sprouts, and other assorted and now forgetten items wrapped in lettuce.

Finally, we shared some miso sea bass or something like that which was great.

Highly recommend.

[smmokan]

I'm not going to write up an official review, and I haven't read all the posts in here.... but after going to The Med in Boulder for the umpteenth time, I would like to officially recommend everyone go there at least once. The food is great, the atmosphere is killer, and the waitresses are all drop dead gorgeous.

[lemon boy]

RT- I laughed cuz this AM I read that review and thought...we should go there since the sushi boat is gone. Who doesn't poach from sheehan btw?

The med, hot waitrons? Who knew?

[AbsolutStoli]

I'm not going to write up an official review, and I haven't read all the posts in here.... but after going to The Med in Boulder for the umpteenth time, I would like to officially recommend everyone go there at least once. The food is great, the atmosphere is killer, and the waitresses are all drop dead gorgeous.

for serious? ive been meaning to stop over there, but just havent had the motivation...until now. the hot waitresses was the clincher for me, thanks.

on a different note, i stopped by kathmandu (http://nepalidining.com) in nederland this past saturday. the place was pretty empty, although i wasnt really surprised considering its in nederland, and there was all sorts of carnival stuff going on in boulder this weekend. anyway, i ordered the chicken vindaloo and a mango lassi. the waitress informed me that the vindaloo was pretty spicy, and confirmed that i was ok with that, which i was. the service was a little slow, although she apologized for that. the food, however, did not disappoint.

the vindaloo was well flavored and was indeed a little spicy. i woulcn't go as far as extremely hot, but the heat built up towards the end. the lassi helped soothe, but the heat lingered, which was nice. the portion came with a little side soup and some leaves of lettuce with dressing and basmatti rice. it didn't look like a lot of food in the main dish, but that always seems to be deceptive at indian restaurants, because i was stuffed by the time i left. the lassi was also good.

i don't know if its a destination spot, but if you're passing through nederland its worth the stop.

reasonably priced ($-$$).

[mitch buchannon]

D'Corazon at 15th and blake

This is the spot for Mexican on the 16th street mall. Been eating there a couple times a month for the last couple of years. Eddie the owner is a great guy and the food is always excellent and cheap. Cheap enough that without booze, it can be tough to cover the $10 credit card minimum.

[Danno]

I'm not going to write up an official review, and I haven't read all the posts in here.... but after going to The Med in Boulder for the umpteenth time, I would like to officially recommend everyone go there at least once. The food is great, the atmosphere is killer, and the waitresses are all drop dead gorgeous.

Yeah, read page 1.

The Med, $-$$, Mediterranean cuisine
1002 Walnut St, Boulder 303-444-5335
Great tapas menu, can eat a great dinner just from it. Good pizzas. Nice bar area. Outdoor atrium/patio. Great date place, not too expensive but is classy. Very hot waitresses and hostesses.

[pechelman]

Table Mesa $$
7301 S Santa Fe. Dr.
Littleton, CO 80120
Phone: (303) 962-8888

Im not going to waste a lot of time and write something up like PegLeg did, but go to this place if you like overpriced, bland, run of the mill, wannabe fusion places in trendy locations, with poor service, and a small menu.

little more in depth
The mexican lasagna had no flavor other than the massive stack of corn tortillas from which it was built. Even the chicken tasted like corn tortillas. The red sauce...tasted like corn tortillas.

Granted, I should have known better, but nothing on their menu appealed to me, so I got a "Mesa Burger". I suppose we should have left the place when I was settling to order a burger from a mexican place....but really, how hard is it to make a burger.

It came smashed, cut in half, and brushed in butter. WTF? Ive had better burgers from Old School on Hampden\SantaFe for a THIRD the price. It didnt even come with the chiles it said it was supposed to... the "sweet potato fries" which came served with it, and had me excited when i ordered it, were an utter travesty. I swear they ran a potato through a fine shredder, battered it in something resembling tempura and served that. You know "shoestring fries"....these were 1/4 the diameter....and smaller than onion straws you get from other places. they had no flavor other than the batter and oil.
WTF

We then ordered the bread pudding.
Un-freaking-beleivable.
They are trying to pass of super mediocre french toast as bread pudding.
Again, bland and not tasty.

The only thing which was half way decent was the poblano dressing on the goat cheese croquettes.
The croquettes were tasty, but if there was goat cheese in there, it sure tasted like potato to me...

if i were to try this place again, it would be to order a couple small plates\tapas and a very large adult beverage. I think I understand why ive seen about 3 places go under in this same location. Its simply cursed with shitty shit.

[Rontele]

Bistro One 1294 S. Broadway. French/Bistro cuisine, $$-$$$.

Situated on antique row, near one of LB's favorite haunts--GB's Fish & Chips--Bistro One offers up a good choice to folks in the neighborhood. The unpretentious space is great in that its causal enough for shorts and flip flops, but still nice enough to be an "occasion restaurant." Having driven by this place as it was under construction, the future-Mrs. Rontele and I were eager to try it out.

We each started with a glass of wine--she had the Dr. Loosen's (which is always a plus on a wine list for her) and I had the Mutt's Nutt's Shiraz. The drinks will well portioned, reasonably priced, and well, were what we expected.

I had a ceasar salad to start, she had the sweet salad, which was mixed greens, strawberries, and walnut clusters. It almost tasted like desert. The ceasar was very good, nice and fresh, but if you desire a more thick and creamy ceasar, you'll be a tad disappointed.

The future-Mrs. Rontele had the bistro burger, which came with cheese, mushrooms, onions, and bacon, plus a HUDGE portions of fries (which I ate most of). She's discerning about her burgers, but said it was tasty (and the proof was that she ate it all).

I had a bone in rib eye, in a rasberry mustard sauce, which was excellent. The meat tasted fresh, was cooked just how I asked and came with fingerling potatoes, and sauteed greens. Highly recommend.

We passed on desert in lieu of Dairy Queen, but the selections looked good.

In sum, I suggest trying it out. The menu looks tasty, creative, and is well priced for what they offer. I'd recommend it.

[pechelman]

looks like a fun unpretentious place.
definitely going to add it to the list

you guys should really try sansones one day as well though its probably a bit stuffy and old people smelling in comparison
went there again on wednesday and it did not disappoint
restaurants.com also has a 25$ gift certificate to them for 10$
and wednesday you can get 15 or 20$ OFF a bottle of wine
pretty good deals

[Cruiser]

+1 for Sansone's. Good food without the pretense. Yeah, the crowd is not uber-hip, but neither am I so I fit right in there.

Of course the best food in the metro is down South in Roxborough! Last night we started with a perfectly risen cheese (gouda?) souffle served with raspberry black pepper sauce and a simple Cava Rose. Then we moved into the entree course of Fuji apple and smoked gouda chicken roulade with a rosemary dijon creme sauce and a warm smashed new potato and leek salad with a slightly spicy whole grain mustard dressing and a solidly built (yet inexpensive) Est! Est!! Est!!!. Desert was a vanilla triffle with assorted fresh berries and orange whipped cream. Then we finished things off with a bottle of Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emporer (2007). Did not suck...

[pechelman]

+1 for Sansone's. Good food without the pretense. Yeah, the crowd is not uber-hip, but neither am I so I fit right in there.

Of course the best food in the metro is down South in Roxborough! Last night we started with a perfectly risen cheese (gouda?) souffle served with raspberry black pepper sauce and a simple Cava Rose. Then we moved into the entree course of Fuji apple and smoked gouda chicken roulade with a rosemary dijon creme sauce and a warm smashed new potato and leek salad with a slightly spicy whole grain mustard dressing and a solidly built (yet inexpensive) Est! Est!! Est!!!. Desert was a vanilla triffle with assorted fresh berries and orange whipped cream. Then we finished things off with a bottle of Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emporer (2007). Did not suck...

whend you goto sansones?
thought you had never been

Aged gouda souffle
and next time ill bring an appropriate wine for it

your apple\gouda rouladen has me thinking about a variation on scalloped potatoes by layering those two ingredients in, along with some caramalized onions
nom nom nom

and its true, the best meals are always with good company

[Cruiser]

Couple of weeks ago for lunch before a big wine tasting at the Ritz Carlton downtown. We didn't go all out though. Just an appetizer and soup / sandwich combo.

[Danno]

I'm not sure whether to post a formal review, but it's a sad state of affairs when the best thai food in your town is not at a thai restaurant.

Khow Thai consistently gets "best of boulder" awards, and I am not really sure why. I suppose it may be the best "thai only" place, because Boulder doesn't have many (and none are good). But the thai dishes at Moongate Bistro and Chez Thuy are better, IMHO.

We had chicken sate appetizer, pad thai with shrimp, and green curry with chicken. All were decent, had some flavor and portions were good. But none came close to wowing us. Add in that the atmosphere is cafeteria-like and the entrees were $11-12, and the whole experience was mildly dissatisfying. I may still do take out lunch from here, but if I want thai food, I'm going to the vietnamese or fusion places.

[mcsquared]

Denverites, particularly NW Denverites should check out Red Tango. It is located in Wheatridge at 5807 W 38th Ave. Not sure how to describe it other than as Authentic South American/Latin dining. The ambience is nothing to brag about as it is in a pretty simple building but the service is outstanding and the food is delicious. This sleeper of a restaurant is run by a family who used to be involved with Sabor Latino, I've heard. It is one of those places where the father is your waiter and the son is the busboy and the daughter fills your water glass while the mother runs the kitchen. I had the Pork Osso bucco and it was the best pork meal of any kind I have ever had. The meat was just falling off the bone and the seasoning was perfect.

[lemon boy]

Went to Hapa in Cherry Creek last night. The rolls we had were not made well at all, but this is most attributed to entering the doors at 9:50 PM when the kitchen closes at 10 PM. Again, the spicy tuna nachos were excellent. Say what you will about non-genuine cuisine, just try this appetizer ... you won't be disappointed.

soooo...how was the place you edited out?

[AbsolutStoli]

I'm not sure whether to post a formal review, but it's a sad state of affairs when the best thai food in your town is not at a thai restaurant.

Khow Thai consistently gets "best of boulder" awards, and I am not really sure why. I suppose it may be the best "thai only" place, because Boulder doesn't have many (and none are good). But the thai dishes at Moongate Bistro and Chez Thuy are better, IMHO.

We had chicken sate appetizer, pad thai with shrimp, and green curry with chicken. All were decent, had some flavor and portions were good. But none came close to wowing us. Add in that the atmosphere is cafeteria-like and the entrees were $11-12, and the whole experience was mildly dissatisfying. I may still do take out lunch from here, but if I want thai food, I'm going to the vietnamese or fusion places.

i dont know man. i ordered pad thai at chez thuy once thinking it was a safe bet, even at a vietnamese place, and it was one of the worst pad thai experiences i ever had. it was almost as bad as the pad thai in a bag that backpackers pantry makes.

im not really sure if you meant that khow thai was cafeteria like, but thats kind of surprising also since i thought chez thuy was more a cafeteria/diner type of place when i ate there. was this the khow thai in boulder? on broadway?

[Danno]

i dont know man. i ordered pad thai at chez thuy once thinking it was a safe bet, even at a vietnamese place, and it was one of the worst pad thai experiences i ever had. it was almost as bad as the pad thai in a bag that backpackers pantry makes.

im not really sure if you meant that khow thai was cafeteria like, but thats kind of surprising also since i thought chez thuy was more a cafeteria/diner type of place when i ate there. was this the khow thai in boulder? on broadway?

Yup, Khow Thai on Broadway. Chez Thuy feels 100% like a restaurant, not super fancy but a bar and booths, etc. Khow Thai has a sort of counter at the cash register, looks like you go order food there. It just feels a little plasticky and not fully restaurant. As for the food, the last time I had pad thai at Chez Thuy it was good (not great), but admittedly I don't order pad thai there (just tasted someone else's).

Regardless of whether Chez Thuy is better or not, the reality is that Boulder doesn't seem to have a great thai place.

[pechelman]

youre slacking LB
lots of updates here

to make it worse for you

Tamale Kitchen $
Multiple locations - I can only speak for the one in Roxborough Village
Very spartan interior, no table service, and really just a hole-in-the-wall with a counter and a griddle, so dont expect anything on that front. After having eaten here about a dozen times, im pleased to say its very consistent. Im a little disappointed with everything there that I have ordered and tasted *except* for a couple things. The special or smothered burritos I think are the best thing there, and also the best value, with the Picadillo being the best thing they make. (ground beef, fried potatoes, onions, and jalepenos)
Both of their chilis kick ass and definitely have a kick to them. Not the best Ive had of either, but they are damned good.
The breakfast burritos are also solid. I love that I can make a meal out of a picadillo burrito its so large and only spend 3-4$.

[lemon boy]

youre slacking LB
lots of updates here

yeah no shit huh.

[AbsolutStoli]

Regardless of whether Chez Thuy is better or not, the reality is that Boulder doesn't seem to have a great thai place.

yea, im with you on that one. its pretty sad.


PS - i went to the med the other night with this girl i work with. we wernt really hungry so we just ended up getting two tappas each. the waitress certainly wasnt lying to us when she said they were small. i mean, i wasnt expecting a huge portion, but each one was on like a saucer plate. my caprese salad had 2 slices of tomato...thats what im saying.

anyway, portion size aside, the food was pretty fucking good. we both got calamari, then she got the empanadas and i got the caprese salad. i think the calamari was very close to being the best ive ever had. perfectly cooked, very tender, not greasy and great balance of batter to calamari. we were both super impressed. i didnt try the empanadas, but the caprese salad was very fresh. pretty good fresh mozzarella, good quality tomatoes, not too oily. we both decided it was worth a second visit for an actual meal.