Lala's Denver - 5

Here goes they try very hard, the waitresses and waiters are well trained and very knowledgeable about both the liquor and the food. They are somewhat slack on the dress policy however everyone is most assuredly tidy and we must remember I always pay exceptional attention to this detail. Why? It makes me feel comfortable, it creates an air of professional comfort. Most importantly it means no hair in my soup, no spit in my tea and a well trained staff who enjoy their job. Which to me, means a bigger tip. Anyone can provide average service, however someone that takes pride in and enjoys their job is nothing short of stupendous.

Serving someone is an act, and so it takes a well trained or happy actor.

The drinks were awesome and the atmosphere great.

Update 03/5/2014: The food is where I find the weakness of the restaurant shows, I cannot say that for all of their food as I havne not tried it all however I was wrong when I said the food was presumptuous. The flavors actually clash and clang at relative pace, they work no matter how odd they maybe at times. Maybe something of an unexpected surprise, it's the steak that doesn't, there is always a strange taste to it. At first I had thought it was the special I had tried and so insulted it a bit, however this remains true for the one off of the dinner menu as well.

The compliment to be paid is that the food is always well prepared and the staff is amazing. They do go out of their way, and for that I'll try the food again. Never the steak though.

What surprised me most was the presentation of the food and the staff.

5 of 10. Be sure to order a drink too!

http://www.lalaswinebar.com

Lala's Wine Bar + Pizzeria

410 E 7th Ave, Denver, CO
(303) 861-9463

Little Ollie's - 6

Chinese anyone?

This place was quaint when I started going there and that was probably a large part of its sucess. You see the greatest failure of this review will be to capture all that has been written about Chinese food for the last 10,000 years and so the biggest as well as possibly worst mistake I could make is to call this Chinese food.

It is delicious soul food as it started out being, there is something comforting in the sweetness of the walnut shrimp. Each dish while attempting to look fabulous,  simply fabulous has its own taste, texture and design. I have to believe in this restaurant and it started out being something tastefully small, and has grown however the restaurant itself is something different. 

So with my most sincere pleas I beg them to return to their main menu and focus on the food that I have enjoyed for the better part of the last half of this decade.

The service is average and to be expected of any competent relationship between a man and his food.

A 6 of 10.

http://littleolliescherrycreek.com

Little Ollie's

2364 E 3rd Ave, Denver, CO
(303) 316-8888

City 'o City - 7

The city in the city as it were.

So I am horribly partial to this restaurant chain, they are simply awesome. I started eating there after a friend of mine dragged me to the best breakfast I have ever eaten, well before they expanded into the two restaurants they are today.

This however is a review of the one I eat most often at, City 'o City.

So the staff is always colorful as are the customers though it's nothing to be scared of, you will love the staff, the people, and most of all the food. No judgement, amazing bar with things I have next to not heard of in other places, constant specials whatever is fresh I guess. The food is excellent, the absolute best in town. The menu has plenty of choices, the coffee is some of the best in town, the tea is amazing and guess what there's tree's in it made using the foam !

So obviously I am a huge fan boy here. Though I must give an unfair warning and make you all freak out with one single word, vegetarian... oh and vegan. I am an omnivorous creature, but I beg and plead with you the reader, don't be afraid of a silly word. You won't leave hungry, unless you choose to. Any of the main courses are more then enough to feed a grown man, the appetizers are amazing, the pizza is great, and the art on the walls is often worth buying.

Overall a 7 out of 10, nothing fancy but even if you love steak, food good enough to convince you that you too can be a vegetarian not to be confused with a long haired bearded hippie.

http://www.cityocitydenver.com

City O' City

206 E. 13th Avenue
Denver, CO 80203

info@cityocitydenver.com

P: 303-831-6443
F: 303-318-9842

The Keg - 7

It's a chain, this is an important place to start because the main reason to go to a chain restaurant is simple... stable service and food. No matter where you go or which city you happen to eat in, you can always count on a chain restaurant.

So this particular restaurant has average service which is to be expected and as far as the servers are concerned I have complaints. I like tidiness,  I can't state this enough and in my experience often I've seen disheveled waiters or waitresses. Some originality in dress is fine and some consistency is nice. However tidiness of appearance says quiet a bit, at least to me.

(update 03/22/2014: I have seen some improvement in appearance and service, and so will happily elevate this place to a 7.)

The staff is pleasant though slightly judgemental, and they do their job however sometimes I feel judged maybe? I must state that my appearance is often average at best, well put together but casual. The ocean prime restaurant which charges almost double the price of the keg didn't blink once at my appearance,  there was a customer and I was served. The Keg often seems to leave me slightly uncomfortable even though I have eat their several times.

They almost never have a wait, as they have a large dinning hall even though they are busy. The quality of food is good, it is consistent, well prepared,  seems fresh, arrives in a timely manner and tastes good.

Though they fail to surpass a "chain" feeling and while they aren't perfect I have been treated better by the guy who parks my car then the wait staff.

So, I must give them a 6 of 10 and I assure you its not the food.

https://www.kegsteakhouse.com/en/locations/CO/denver/lodo-keg/

The Keg Steakhouse & Bar

1890 Wynkoop St, Denver
(303) 296-0023

Cherry Creek Grill - 8

The Cherry Creek Grill is currently my favorite Denver Restaurant.

Why? The menu is good, it is small manageable and shows taste. The service surprises you at every turn, while it is simply good service the servers and the chefs are willing to go above and beyond to satisfy the customers needs. For me while I was being a slightly selfish uncle, though I am used to my niece eating everything and anything, this day she decided to be picky and the staff created a wonderful pair of cheese sandwiches.

So the service being covered and my niece fed, the steak is excellent, the food is overall great from the appearance,  to the taste and the textures. From specials on the menu, which I believe are seasonal changes, to the appetizers or the soup of the day. My particular favorite being the tomato, though it maybe the only one I've tried.

Over all I give this place an 8 out of 10. If you haven't eaten there I recommend it.

Cherry Creek Grill

184 Steele St, Denver, CO
(303) 322-3524

Ocean Prime - 7

Ocean Prime is a Posh place to go eat, and here goes as my first proper review.

The decor is nice, when you walk in the the place is littered with shiny things. The first thing I noticed to the left was the staff, you aren't attacked as you first walk threw the door they are nice folks. The staff is well dressed, not all identically but all are tidy. It is very important for the staff to be tidy, it shows a liking for your work, and attention to detail. I liked that while they were all required to wear black they were dressed differently although the same. So there was some variation in attire and that is fine, allowing the hostesses to dress to suit their particular style and look good is always appealing to the eye.

The service was EXCELLENT! I mean it really was, there was staff circulating the entire time and when I wanted something all I need do is ask, most importantly however their presence wasn't felt. Now this is particularly what makes it excellent, as everything got done, in a timely manner and yet I didn't feel as though I was being badgered or assaulted as I do in other places I eat.

The food was well prepared, thought out to a minor extent, the meat dishes in particular were very well prepared. However the food is their weakest area of expertise, it is good, however a lot of the side dishes felt as though they were the same? They were also too salty, or felt of sodium. Their kitchen was good, well prepared, and you could tell the Chef knew what he was doing, however it was less then perfect. The individual tastes of the dishes were lacking, as though there was something that covered them across the board. The steak was good, the fish was good, the shrimp was good, yet it was missing a small touch to be GREAT.

The price here is reasonable, and I like the way their bar system works even though I had not tried any of their drinks they were all prepared well and at the table if need be. My chief complaint is about the atmosphere, though we could all still hear each other, it was a dull roar the entire time, a bit too loud for my tastes. Also the food was not as great as I feel it could have been.

Overall I give this place a 7 out of 10. They meet expectations unfortunately only the service exceeds them.

Ocean Prime
1465 Larimer St, Denver, CO 80202
(303) 825-3663
http://www.oceanprimedenver.com/

Elway's bar and grill. - 2

Elways- This is the easiest review ever to write, the restaurant is SHIT! Don't eat there, don't wonder about it, don't order mashed potatoes, when they show up they have been under a heat lap for a half hour and are most likely made from a box! 

The servers aren't great, they try but no one has taught them to serve food. They don't know the menu terribly well, don't know when to interrupt or not interrupt your meal(they should never interrupt your meal.). The steak was OK, but when I pay $40 dollars for steak I don't want it to be burned. The appetizers were awful, the food was terrible, the service tried but were under trained and dressed like slobs. Overall I don't know how the restaurant stay's in Business. 

They Get Ranked about the same as Burger King or McDonalds. - I don't recommend eating there and I don't recommend looking at the place either. Why give them hope when they aren't fit to feed my dog.

They get a 2 of 10.

http://www.elways.com/home

2500 East First Avenue, Unit 101

Denver, Colorado 80206

303-399-5353