I’m still new to Denver, as I’m only staying here for a week. This is day 5 of my trip, and I’ve had some really great dinner experiences so far. To help and other potential newcomers to Colorado, I’m going to describe my experiences at each one. Look away if you’re experienced and live in Denver.
So far, my favorite restaurant has been the first one I ate: To The Wind Bistro. Some may argue that it doesn’t technically count as a restaurant since it’s a bistro, but then again I don’t care. To The Wind is only like a block south of Denver’s City Park, so I got my food to go. Even though Denver is a pretty popular city, I still somehow managed to find a bench to sit at. The food was amazing enough to go back and get more, although the second time I sat inside. Just in case I needed a round three.
That’s what happens when you don’t eat during your flight. I had their pulled pork sandwich with the avocado kale salad and raspberry chocolate pie. Inside, the decor is really easy on the eyes. No effigies of communist leaders or distracting things like that. The diversity on their menu was great, so I can go back a few more times without ordering the same thing.
Not that I would want to order anything else, because this food was AMAZING. I should probably go back and try it when I’m not starving, but I doubt it’ll lessen in quality. You won’t need to worry about having unfriendly service here, as the owner is helpful and nice. My first review in Denver, and it just happened to be a restaurant with a lot of great reviews.
For those who are more in the mood for barbecue, you should have dined with me on the second night. I’m glad to say that Kitchen Table: BBQ and Comfort Food didn’t disappoint, and actually managed to exceed my expectations. Kitchen Table’s also only a few buildings away from To The Wind Bistro in Denver, so if you were planning on staying at the City Park all day then you could eat lunch and dinner at each one interchangeably. Again, another restaurant with good value for your dollar. I loved the selection on the menu, because I’m a huge barbecue guy.
The place was very clean and pristine, without any spots on the dishes or tables or anything! So clean, in fact, that I wanted to check out the kitchen to see if they were any messier behind closed curtains. This restaurant’s kitchen was probably the cleanest room I’ve ever seen, especially one with so many people going in and out of it all the time! In addition, the chefs were very professional and didn’t crack even under extreme stress. This restaurant should get high ratings just for the quality of their chefs, let alone the food.
Not everyone knows this, but every commercial kitchen has an exhaust hood to capture grease and prevent fires (don’t ask how I know this). I thought I could fool the owner and spot his dirty hood, but they were all clean as well! Kitchen Table must pay top dollar to a very lucky Denver hood cleaning business. I sat down and read through the many amazing reviews before I ordered, and agreed that this was a good restaurant in general. Maybe I’ll leave my own personal thoughts after the next time I eat at Kitchen Table.
Next up comes Fruition Restaurant. Sounds like a vegan place, but it’s a great general restaurant. No theme, unless you consider being a great restaurant a genre. These guys are found near the Cheesman Park in Denver. My favorite thing to eat (and the only thing of theirs that I have eaten) is the pork shoulder schnitzel, which I ordered with the duck breast as well.
The schnitzel alone was enough to share with another person, although I wouldn’t. It was too good. They can get their own and share it with me. Another place with great service and a general high standard for sanitation. Fruition Restaurant’s lighting was great as well, just dim enough to make it a good romantic setting for any potential dates.
The wait staff was really friendly, which enhanced my experience as well. Some places have staff who either bother you way too much to where you can’t eat, or they’re the polar opposite and completely avoid making eye contact with you while they socialize with their co-workers. I read the great online reviews on google while I waited, and lots of other people had positive things to say about the duck breast.
Looks like I lucked out when I ordered. Honestly, all of the food at Fruition Restaurant looked good. I’m itching to come back and get my Fruition Restaurant fix. Can somebody copy and paste this on Yelp so I don’t have to write this review a second time?
Finally, last night I ate at the Tortas Grill. Likely the best Latin food I’ve eaten in a long time, even with food trucks popping up everywhere. This one’s north of Cheesman Park in Denver. Tortas has a good aesthetic once you’re inside, making it approachable and pleasing on the eyes while you eat. The owner came out and made sure I was enjoying my meal, which is always appreciated.
In fact, the one thing I appreciated most was their accommodations for children and the elderly. Some restaurants could just have some wooden box with stilts on it and hand it over to the parents, but the staff at Tortas made sure that the child was fit snug in their chair. As for the elderly part, there was a group in front of me that was led by an old man with a cane and hearing issues.
Neither of those affected the waiter’s ability to make sure they had a good experience. Things like that can really make or break a restaurant’s reputation, which is super important since the restaurant industry is so competitive. I left a great online review after eating, and I encourage others to do so if they enjoy their meals. Top-quality service, and they still manage to charge less than less accommodating places of equally poor quality.