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1515 Restaurant
Categories: Nightlife Bars Lounges Restaurants American (New) Lounges, American (New)
1515 Market StDenver, CO 80202
Neighborhoods: Northwest, Lodo
(303) 571-0011
- Hours:
Mon-Tue 5 pm - 10 pm
Wed-Thu 11 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Background
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Wed, Thu
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Classy, Upscale
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
79 reviews for 1515 Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"I had the sous vide lamb with mint and hazelnut powder." In 5 reviews -
"Our server brought over a little amuse bouche to start." In 6 reviews -
"The fifth course was the Buffalo strip loin." In 3 reviews
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78 reviews in English
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Review from Alicia H.
3/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Went here for Restaurant Week..... oh yummy! I love trying places I would not normally be able to afford and they were outstanding! I loved the decor, the drinks (do the wine parring)!
I got the cauliflower soup... it was rich and creamy and I loved the fried carrots they placed on top! The ribs (I think it was) was a little dry, but I loved the flavor. I got the chocolate for dessert... which I mean it is chocolate you can;t go wrong there!
Will be back if I get rich! :) -
Review from Christine G.
Aurora, CO
A bit mixed, if truth be told. There were some hits, and there were some misses.
The restaurant itself feels a bit like an old-time neighborhood fixture. But that's probably because it hasn't been updated in a while. Granted, the lower level looks pretty shnazzy with the bluish-purple back-lit bar, but once you make it upstairs to the dining level, things look a bit... worn. The carpet is old, the decor is outdated. This is easier to overlook if the food is stellar. Alas, this was not quite the case.
Our appetizers got us off to a promising start. The shrimp ceviche was presented in cubes (suitably pink and shrimpy) with great flavor. We also had the cheese plate, and you generally can't go wrong with cheese. It was a diverse selection, and also nicely paired with accompaniments.
For dinner, my husband had the cioppino, while I tried the wild boar. This is where things went a bit awry. Our dishes took forever to appear. Our waiter, noticeably a bit nervous, stopped by a few times with apologies and another server arrived with more bread. More wait, followed by a sorbet with more apologies. Finally, dinner appeared! While the cioppino was delicious, my wild boar left much to be desired. Served like lamb chops, one chunk of meet was under-done and the other was over-done. Both had quite a bit of char on the meat, which was wholly unappetizing.
Not to be deterred, we tried dessert - a rhubarb cake and the restaurant's take on "peanut butter and jelly." What arrived was quite a surprise. Both were quite modernist. There was no cake to be seen on the rhubarb dish. Instead, crumbly bits of what surely was cake at one point were strewn around a rhubarb-flavored pink, gelled confection. Despite the deconstructed nature (and false advertising) of said cake, it was surprisingly good.
Our waiter was quite nice, and even got us a couple of free drinks to make up for the long wait.
So, all in all, not a wholly bad experience, but when so many other Denver restaurants have both great food and a great environment, 1515 feels like it has some catching up to do.Listed in: 100 Yelp Challenge 2012
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Review from julie n.
Denver, CO
3/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
I purchased a living social coupon for 1515. The restaurant itself is old. The first level is the bar area. The hostess took us upstairs to the dining area which was fairly large. The decor is odd. There's a giant green stained glass thing that says popurri on it, odd.
Scallops...came with 2 but were decent sized. The plate was dressed with some jelly type stuff and lemon foam. The scallops were good and the best part of the meal.
Bison steak...boyfriend said it was overcooked and cold but overall he said it was ok
Bacon wrapped fried chicken...Sounds delicious doesn't it? It was not. The bacon was burnt and didn't even taste like bacon. The mashed potatoes were cold.
I told the waiter about our cold food and he said they could have heated it up but after eating the foam and my chicken I felt nauseous.
The concept is interesting with foams and powders (science and food) and the wait staff was really professional but not a fan of the food. -
Review from Roger N.
Santa Clara, CA
5/8/2012
Service was amazing.. especially for a group of 20.
I had the lamb sou vide, based on recommendations from others. To be honest, while it was prepared well and tasted quite good, I was expecting something super stellar. Nearly every person in our group had the lamb and everyone seemed pleased. One person got the beef over hot rock and everyone seemed a bit jealous.
I had the seared scallops for an appetizer and it was delicious. I could have eaten those all night.
For dessert, I had the 20 layer crepe "cake". It was good, but it is really rich. I personally think something can't be called a "cake" without frosting. ;-) this is a dessert for 2 or 3 people.
The wine menu is outrageous. If you're a wine lover, this is a great place for you. For meals with guests, this is a good place to impress, but it's pricey and you don't get much for the price. The menu is a bit nouveau cuisine. If you've got a guest that is a picky eater, I wouldn't recommend this restaurant.
I wouldn't say attire is dressy, but a jacket is recommended, but you could easily go there without one. -
Review from Laura S.
Southeast, Denver, CO
3/6/2012
Me and my boyfriend dined here tonight for the 5280 restaurant week. I really wanted to like the place but am sorry to say I was very let down.
We chose this place in particular because of their use of molecular gastronomy and were interested in this process. I wasn't impressed. I explain more below.
For our first course, I ordered the cauliflower soup, which was probably the highlight of both of our meals. It was very rich and creamy, with delicious little croutons and fried carrots as garnish. The aged cheddar really made the dish. My boyfriend had a mozzarella, beefsteak tomato, and prosciutto "tower". This was very pretty and had a plastic pipette filled with balsamic vinegar. Interesting presentation, but the only distinguishable flavor was the balsamic.
For our second course, I ordered the the Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin. I was so excited for this because if the slow cooking technique that I thought would lead to extra tender and flavorful meat. Instead was a bland stack of sliced pork, that was edible but not impressive. It was served with carrot puree which I enjoyed most on the plate. A sort of risotto cake was served as well. I found it inedible but my man ate it. His plate was beef short ribs. This had overall more flavor but honestly reminded me of my mothers crock pot roast when she left it on too long and slightly burnt the meat. Overall I preferred this dish to mine.
For dessert, I had a chocolate fudge cake. I really enjoyed the caramel powder (the waited informed me this was made using molecular gastronomy techniques - cool!), pecans, and cherries, but a mint sauce was added which really threw it off for me. too overdone. He got the banana cream tart - which was absolutely delicious!
Our service was very good, but not incredible. Our waiter was attentive but didnt make us feel special like in some upscale dining. I really liked that the owner personally stopped by each table. He even gave us an extra splash of wine to go with our entrees.
The wine pairings were a good deal at $15, and did add to the dishes.
I cant say I have any desire to return. -
Review from Christina Z.
Denver, CO
2/1/2012
The most important, and central, aspect of going out for a meal is the quality of food. On this front, 1515 did not disappoint. But the service was cold, if not downright off-putting at times. For the money spent here, it'd be better spent at Rioja, which possesses a somewhat similar menu, but a more upscale ambiance, consistently great food, and great service.
I arrived to our reservation on time, but my date had trouble finding parking, so instead of being seated, I waited for him by the hostess stand. We waited for our table for quite a while by the bar downstairs, and I'm not a fan of the set up. But I had a specific incident which really made me mad. I spilled on myself and saw the bathroom was occupied in the bar/downstairs area, and having been to 1515 before for a business dinner, I knew there were more bathrooms upstairs. So I head up the stairs while waiting for our table (somewhat worried that the stain would set in if I didn't wash it out quickly) when the manager (not the owner, Gene) blocked me (BLOCKED ME!) from going upstairs. This man literally opened his arms and told me, "You're not allowed up there."
Um, WHAT?!
I'm about to shell out over $100 at your establishment, and instead of asking if I needed help, you BLOCK me with your arms and tell me I'm "not allowed up there"?! I looked him in the eye and told him I was there for dinner and he moved back, allowing me to pass. Thanks, how nice.
The rest of the meal went okay, but I was kind of embarrassed by the earlier events. We started off with the kobe hot rock (fun experience, maybe 3-4 oz. of meat?). I should mention the server corrected me when I asked for the "wahg-yu" hot rock, and informed me it was "wah-goo." How nice. But he was polite for the rest of the meal, so I'm not knocking him any points.
We then moved on to the loaded baked potato soup. It's cool to see the molecular gastronomy aspect of this dish, but it didn't taste as great the time I had it before because it was served kind of cold. But otherwise, good flavors.
Then I had the buffalo strip, which I was very pleased with. Great flavors. But I definitely would've been still hungry without the previous two courses.
Dessert was a chocolate dish, which featured a cake and ice cream. It was a good end to the meal.
Overall, food tasted great (earning a solid 4 stars, at least), but the service really soured my night. I liked how the owner checked in with each table, but he seemed in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't get a chance to let him know about my experience with his manager earlier on that night. This restaurant also seems to attract large groups of people, who are often quite loud. Something to keep and mind and be prepared for - I was a bit surprised by how loud some of the groups were. In any case, though the food rocked, I will not plan to go back.
I'm tempted to give this two stars based on my last experience, but the food knocks it back up to three. -
Review from Robin M.
Denver, CO
4/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
I went here twice recently (once for 5280 week, the other to use a living social deal) and both times were fantastic! I only take 1 star away, as the second time we were there, there was only ONE SERVER for the whole dining room, and bless his little heart, he just couldn't do a good job for all of us. And he was running around all crazy, out of breath, I feel bad for him. They should get him some help!!! Back to the food, it is wonderful. Anything sous-vide it perfection, and they do it right here! From the wine list to the dessert menu, 1515 did not disappoint!
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Review from JASON M.
Denver, CO
Updated - 4/7/2012 2 photos
tonight at 1515 lounge sinful saturdays no cover and dj live tonight mixing it up 15th and market drink specials as well. FROM 10-CL SEE U THERE IS SO MUCH FUN
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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3/27/2012
great place to go every friday and sat night at 1515 loung they ave great drink specials and a live… Read more »
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Review from Vina T.
Johnstown, CO
4/5/2012
We went on Saturday before Valentine's Day and it was by far the best date we've had. We chose the 5 course meal with wine pairing and were blown away.
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Review from Geno T.
Boulder, CO
11/30/2011
Got the Living social deal for 1515.
At first glance, in the window walking up to the restaurant, we see a digital picture frame of the chefs dishes, a sure sign of something bad waiting inside. As we expected the decor was tacky and made no sense to us. Randome pictures with Denver's history, chinese lamps, green booths and a large naked woman in black and white with a nip showing on a 8x6ft portrait, fake fire place and a want to be wine museum with the owners 'introductory' sommelier certificate.
The food was as ADD as the layout. I had the sousvide lamb with cilantro powder, cauliflower puree, and a corn bread with crab salad. Now, all this stuff sounds good on paper, it MIGHT all work together I thought to myself. It did not, not one bit. It was TERRIBLE aside from the lamb (not hard to sousvide Lamb to the right temp, a machine dose that). The cilantro powder was a joke, it brought NO flavor to the plate, the cauliflower was watery and bland and the crab was also frozen and watery. Overall I give to food an F. The chef there, Chuck james, is doing terrible over complicated food for the price point. His ingredients are terrible and his technique and vison is ever worst.
Please dont eat here!Comment from Gene T. of 1515 Restaurant 12/12/2011
Hello Mr. Geno T., I am sorry to hear about your experience… More » -
Review from Jacalyn Y.
Denver, CO
3/20/2012
We had the scallop foaming appetizer. The presentation was wonderful. It really is a beautiful appetizer. I had the blackberry pasta dish. I could not imagine how that was going to look. It was pasta with fresh blackberries surrounding the plate. It was delicious. My husband had the cod. It was very delicious also. Whenever we want a perfect evening we will return to 1515.
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Review from Adrienne D.
Denver, CO
3/3/2012
I went here for 5280 week recently. The food was awful. The pork tasted like beef. There was no flavor to the food and the presentation of the food seemed to be thrown together.
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Review from Teresa W.
Golden, CO
1/15/2012
Wow, I totally have to agree with the poor reviews. This place is just plain... weird! You enter at the bar and go upstairs, where even though the decor is nice and environment is cozy enough, you can hear the music/people/tv downstairs at the bar and it's such a mood killer. Then you have to leave through the bar, again - really weird to me.
My mother-in-law got us the livingsocial deal, and so off we went on date night while she's in town. We decided to get the 7-course tasting menu (plus dessert, 8 courses total) and my husband had pairings with half the courses.
Amuse bouche to start, some kind of puffed dough topped with tomato/crispy pancetta. It was a cold starter which was unappetizing to me. Flavors were unblended. Not at all what I envision an amuse bouche to be.
#1 - parsnip soup. Reminiscent of baby puree. Sage gremolata, carrot chips. I only ate about half, just to be polite. Slightly warmer than room temperature. Really unpalatable.
#2 - seared scallop - with some pickled black garlic and fennel salad. Maybe the best course? It was still not warm enough.
#3 - veal (was supposed to come after lobster and shrimp) - Really reminiscent of the italian breaded veal patties my mom used to get from Sams. Served with basil, tomatoes, etc. It was good and hot, but not amazing.
#4 - lobster and shrimp medallions - these were incredibly off-putting. Think little fish cakes. Served with caviar, some kind of foam, arugula gel, manchego, miso chips. I ate half to be polite, but it was cold, chewy, and salty.
#5 - wagyu beef - a cool interactive dish - raw beef that you cook yourself on a giant 500 degree stone, served with yuzu sauce and some other sauce. Again - good and fine to eat, but not amazing by any means.
#6 - colorado trout - crispy skin was nice, served atop a hot grilled tomato with basil and balsamic reduction. Pretty plain, and the hot tomato was pretty odd to me.
#7 - elk - I've never had elk. It was really hard to cut, but not really all that tough to chew. Quite tasteless. I remember remarking to me husband "Like eating a cheap steak cooked on a campfire stove." (I hate to sound so c/rude but it's how I felt!) Served with ratatouille and pearl potatoes.
#8 - dessert - peanut butter mousse covered with ganache like topping. chocolate chip gelato. peanut brittle. It was all good (I will never turn down dessert) but there were no chocolate chips in the gelato. peanut butter mousse was very cloying. peanut brittle was nice and light.
My husband's wine pairings were fair, at best... granted it was a little more difficult with half course pairings but they did serve a port at the end "gratis" which he really enjoyed (never having port before). I had sips of all the wines and was unimpressed with their choices (though, I'm not a sommelier and wine is subjective...)
They do validate parking at 16 Park down the street, which is nice, but not very intuitive as to how to get in and out of the parking structure. Service was fine - Our server was really flustered most of the night, although I didn't feel rushed, or waiting, or ignored. He wasn't really personable... Lots of different waitstaff attended to our table throughout the night.
I'd say it was a waste of money, but my husband and I had a good time and we rarely get to get out these days, that I just have to grin and bear it. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone I like....! -
Review from Margaret B.
Denver, CO
8/4/2011 Seated via OpenTable 1 Check-in Here
As I continued on my culinary journey in Denver in the short time that I'm here, I decided I had to make a reservation at 1515. It's often recommended in the Yelp "others who searched for this also searched for this" side panel when viewing the pages of some of my favorites here.
Unfortunately, I had a less than awesome experience. While it did have some of the same 'touches' as other upscale restaurants, such as the amuse-bouche and port for dessert, both courtesy of the chef, it just really lacked the warmth of other places I've been to. @Adam J. below wrote: "Oftentimes at nicer restaurants like this, the service really makes you feel special, and this didn't," and I couldn't agree more.
Very cold, very formal server who seemed incredibly unimpressed by me. I was most irked when the server mentioned that they validate parking and I stated that that wasn't necessary, because I had walked to 1515--his response was an incredulous "really??" I just don't feel like that was appropriate. It made me feel like I had to explain myself. A simple OK would have been sufficient!
I marked the ambience as "upscale" but by upscale I mean stuffy and boring. It's really a shame, because the downstairs bar seems like it has potential.
The food wasn't much better. I got the bacon wrapped fried chicken, because I had ate alot of fish recently and didn't feel like a heavy pasta. The bacon, clearly a main component!, was incredibly fatty and decreased my enjoyment of the dish/restaurant as a whole. -
Review from Daniela B.
Denver, CO
2/12/2012 1 Check-in Here
We had a great experience at 1515. Right after we ordered the chef sent us a bite of Kobe beef coated with a spicy vegetable stuffing and bean sprout salad. We ordered a Pinotage wine which is hard to come by in Denver that was great and inexpensive. To begin with we shared the Kobe appetizer which you cook yourself on a hot stone, it was delicious and came with a vinaigrette dressing and onion marinate that complemented the meat very well. The server was quick to give us another hot stone when ours cooled down before we were finished and then we had a little honeydew melon sorbet sent to us prior to our main dish. My husband went for the lamb that was delicious and the powdered mint hazelnut side tasted great and was quite unique. I went for the duck confit which had a soy based glaze that was just right. My dish was tasty and rich so I couldn't finish all the side dishes including butternut squash purée, baby potatoes and sautéed salad.
We had a $50 coupon from living social which made our experience even sweeter by knocking $25 off the bill.
We will be back again for sure -
Review from amy m.
San Ramon, CA
10/6/2011
Lunch: Very good unique dishes here. I had seared salmon which was cooked perfectly (slightly rare in the middle) crispy on the out. Served with a pesto sauce and white béchamel. Sweet cherrie tomatoes and olive tapenade graced the top of the fillet as well.. The combination was delicious. $15
Colleagues had a unique entree of Fried Avocado. Avocado was breaded and quartered (thick) then fried.. I didn't get to taste it but it looked great! A perfect meal for that vegetarian $7
Kobe beef hamburger appeared to be cooked perfectly with slightly rare center. Served with "fried potato salad". $9
Reasonable prices here!! -
Review from Richard W.
Butler, NJ
11/12/2011
My girlfriend and I had dinner at 1515 during my brief visit to Denver. Our server, Brad, was very pleasant and attentive.
We started off the night with the first course consisting of seas scallops for her and the beef carpaccio for me. Both were wonderful and we were big fans of how the carpaccio was plated and served.
We split a beet salad for our second course. It was also very tasty, featuring a delicious mix of yellow beets, brussel sprouts, fresh mozzarella, walnuts, and honey vinaigrette.
Our main course was excellent. She chose the fruit de mer which featured a delicious broth and the usual lobster, prawns, mussels, and a scallop. The portion wasn't overwhelming, which was nice. I chose the buffalo strip loin which was cooked perfectly at the suggested medium rare. It was served atop a great sauce and ratatouille and some sliced and grilled potatoes. We were both extremely pleased with our choices and cleaned off our plates.
The restaurant was clean, servers were pleasant, and the food was top notch. The dining area is definitely a no frills type of setting, but it's not unpleasant by any means. We would absolutely recommend 1515 to others. -
Review from Adam J.
8/1/2011
At some point, either myself of my girlfriend bought a Groupon type thing to go here. So we went, not really knowing anything about the restaurant. The restaurant itself is upstairs and is a pretty good sized space, big enough to easily accommodate a party of 20 and several other smaller parties, which is exactly what was going on while we were there. Somehow, the room stayed nice and quiet, which was great for conversation.
Our waiter was good enough, but both Tanya and I felt that he was a little blunt, or going through the motions. Oftentimes at nicer restaurants like this, the service really makes you feel special, and this didn't. It was like he was reading off a script the whole night. The actual service was very good. We didn't ever have to wait for water and the food came out at nice intervals.
Speaking of food, we started with the Vegetable Shrimp Salad, which is not actually made with vegetable shrimps. It is a nice little salad with just the right amount of dressing and very high quality veggies. I could have stood for a few more shrimp. We also had the compressed tomato, prosciutto, and mozzarella, which was fan freaking tastic. The tomato is actually infused with basil, and the homemade cheese was so good, I wanted to see if we could buy some for the ride home.
Tanya went with the Escolar, which is a kind of fish, to our surprise. She was just expecting a gnocchi dish before we went, but the waiter told her it's fish, and she went ahead with it, even though neither of us is big on fish. Boy, was she glad she did. Her dish was excellent. The fish is not fishy at all, but it is a big, meaty, buttery fish, and it was fantastic on its own. Mixed with the delicious gnocchi and watercress sauce, it was something else. That was devoured quickly.
I had the NY Strip, medium rare, and it too was fantastic. It was nicely seared on top which gave it almost a crunchy outside, which I loved. The brandy chutney sauce was superb, and again, a bite that consisted of steak, spinach, and sauce took it to another level. Unfortunately, the pommes frites that accompanied it lacked flavor and could have been hotter.
The free bread was sooo good. The bread was so soft it melted in your mouth, and the crust somehow managed to be crunchy without being hard. The butter was some kind of special green butter, but it really didn't taste like much. We also were given an amuse bouche, which was a duck ravioli and was a nice way to start the evening.
Overall, the food was excellent, the service was serviceable, and the atmosphere was romantic. We had a nice table right by the window. It was $95 with a glass of wine, so it's definitely not an every day kind of place. But I would recommend it. Gene Tang, the owner, even walks around talking to the patrons and helping out with taking orders. That was cool. -
Review from Hillary S.
Denver, CO
12/19/2011
The food sounds like it should be spectacular but it is so painfully boring. Oh, and a fly sloshed out of the martini shaker into my friend's glass. Okay, bugs get into things but it was how it was handled that bothered me. When my friend stated there was a bug in his booze, the server pretty much shrugged him off and plopped the olive skewer into the glass and walked away.The server then came back and asked my friend about his drink. He said, um, there is a fly in it. The sever tried to argue that it wasn't a fly. The server asked if he wanted another drink. Way to put that one together, guy.
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Review from Scott P.
Littleton, CO
3/28/2012 Seated via OpenTable
Great food and very unique. Best of all was the service!
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Review from Chris W.
Platteville, CO
2/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'd pass on this restaurant If I were you.
I will first start off by saying that we attended 1515 for "Denver Restaurant week" or "$52.80 week". We entered the restaurant through the heavy curtain that is just past the front doors (tacky), and were greeted by the hostess and a small group of people that were waiting. After telling the hostess the name our reservation was under, we waited approx. 20mins before we were even acknowledged again, and brought upstairs to our table. Note: we had a 5:00 reservation which is when they open...I would think they would be ready to seat people, and have the extra staff available, as the two girls seemed quite overwhelmed at trying to seat the 4-5 couples that were there.
We were then greeted by our waiter, and asked if we would like something to drink. I then asked if we could see a drink list, and was then informed that they "don't really have drink list" and "are primarily a wine restaurant because Gene is a Sommelier" as well as "not to expect anything fancy if you do order a drink", this was presented in quite a snooty tone. ....okay, then may we see some sort of wine list? he replied "Oh, you mean we didn't give you a list?" He returned with the list, then were given a few minutes to peruse it before the waiter came back to take our order. At which point we decided to veer from wine and ordered 2 Old Fashioned's and two beers. Nothing to tell about the beer but the Old Fashioned's were simply watered down whiskey with a maraschino cherry, good thing we were informed not to expect anything special...
After this, I have to be honest, we were seriously considering finishing our drinks and going next door to P.F. Changs which, in hind sight, would have been a wiser choice. The evening was pretty much ruined from this point forward.
On to the food. Three orders of lobster bisque and one salad for the first course. The salad was nothing special, and the lobster bisque had great flavor but was served luke warm. The second course consisted of a Sous Vide Chicken, which was actually not too bad though was a little on the bland side....it was placed on a bed of veggies, of which I received half of a Brussels sprout...really? Based on the comments from my family, their meals were very underwhelming as well. The desserts were okay, but again, nothing really special. We had made a comment about the soup, and the waiter apologized, but it was pretty insincere.
There was another oddity during the night...although being there for about an hour and a half, it seemed like we had only been there 45 minutes or so. I think we had this feeling because the entire wait staff (not just ours) was very hurried, and this was compounded by the bouncy floors. because you could feel every time they walked by. At one point a manager came to the table to inquire about how our meal was going. I replied that we had an issue with the temp of the bisque, and he said that he would address it, and as he was talking to me, he kept moving around behind me which was kinda odd. He didn't seem interested in my concerns at that point, and walked off.
A side note about Denver restaurant week. What I have found over the past couple of years doing this, is that restaurants seem to treat restaurant week a couple of different ways....
The first being that they think that it's a way to boost business in the short term, and therefore they create a cheaper menu option that will increase revenue with the idea of turning tables quicker, and herding the masses through the doors.
The second being that this is a way, again, to drive business but in the long term and create new customers. Some places provide selections from their normal menu's, and some will showcase special items to really show what the Chef's are capable of regardless of cost.
I think 1515 subscribes to the former description. Too bad really. -
Review from Rich V.
Aurora, CO
4/9/2011 3 Check-ins Here
I have been meaning to write this review ever since my wife and I visited 1515 for the first time during Denver Restaurant week. From the 1st moment we entered the restaurant we loved it. The service, atmosphere and most importantly the food were terrific. Service was attentive and just right. It was like dining on the show 'Top Chef'.
Gene Tang (the owner) came over and introduced himself and we talked about the food and service. The best testimony for any restaurant is 'return business' and my wife and I returned to 1515 again during Denver Restaurant week and had the same terrific experience all over again. I am happy to consider 1515 one of my 'go-to' restaurants in Denver now. Thanks Gene!! -
Review from Bill B.
Jefferson, CO
7/3/2011
Cool bar (with a restaurant upstairs that I didn't get to try). Crowd was pretty much what one would expect in LoDo, though there are signs that hipster affectations have jumped the shark: A party of 10-12 people all wearing plaid shirts and Buddy Holly glasses stumbled in and ordered PBR's (on special for $2.50). Yes, it was some kind of joke.
Service was good and minus attitude. No cover to hear the band (Cherry Royale, one of the best funk outfits I've heard locally). Martinis were $7 and well worth it.
I'll be back!Comment from Gene T. of 1515 Restaurant 7/7/2011
Thanks for the review on our bar and lounge, Bill. We're… More » -
Review from Hilary M.
Denver, CO
3/22/2012
We went here last week before a show at the Buell. 1515 is listed as a discount place to go before a show. We told the server we needed to be out of the restaurant by 7:10 for the show and ordered three courses right when we sat down. We got to the restaurant at 5:45. We paid for the dinner and tipped before we had dessert but ended up having to leave before dessert was served because they didn't make our time line and we would have missed the beginning of the show. Quit disappointing considering they advertise as a pre-show restaurant and for how much we tipped and paid for the dessert we didn't have!
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Review from Mailou V.
Broomfield, CO
11/6/2011
Came here for an event on Halloween. For a BAR, having plastic dixie cups for drinks is really tacky and cheap for the amount we paid, it wasn't worth it. However, the bartender who made the drinks made them awful, figured since people usually come here for the restaurant and not the bar.
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Review from Steve M.
Eagan, MN
5/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Top notch dinner here.
I had the salmon and it was cooked perfect.
Several apps were also served and they were all very good.
The restaurant felt very upscale, however, I did not feel too out of place in my street clothes.
Although it was top notch, there was nothing extremely unforgettable about the place. I would opt for another restaurant to try if I head back to Denver. -
Review from Holly W.
Tacoma, WA
10/4/2011
I bought a coupon through Travelzoo for a 4-course dinner at 1515. My husband and I were visiting Denver for the first time and wanted to go out for a nice dinner one night while we were there. Even though we got it at a discounted price we were very disappointed with our experience. Everything that we ordered was bland and underwhelming. The service was just okay. We had a large table next to us that was loud, rude and clearly intoxicated. It was so bad that the lady next to us got up and said something to them. I know that's a tough situation for the manager/wait staff, but I think they should have done something to acknowledge the situation for the rest of the costumers. Overall I would say our meal was not worth the money, even with the coupon. We did stop at the bar downstairs and enjoyed visiting with the bartender and the people also sitting at the bar.
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Review from Jim B.
Denver, CO
2/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
I've been in there for drinks a few times but I just ate there food last weekend. A friend and I stopped in and ordered some drinks and decided to split one of there Kobe Burgers with potato salad , it was so good that we decided we had to order another . Now while the both burgers were cooked perfectly the second one was WAY over seasoned to the point that it was somewhat hard to eat (and I'm a huge fan of lots of seasoning so that says a lot) ... I did order it very late in fact I ordered the 2nd one seconds before the kitchen was closing . I will definitely be back especially for the happy hour menu I was looking over it looks fantastic . I still give it 4 stars because the First Burger was amazing one of the best burgers I've had and the potato salad was very unique an actual potato SALAD really cool . Plus great people , good location and a good environment not over run by drunks that watch Jersey Shore
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Review from Heather C.
Denver, CO
12/27/2011
Would not recommend this restaurant. First, the hostess greeted us with no smile, and acted like she didn't want to be there. Then we asked the water guy "How is your night?" with him replying, "I'm here." And what topped off our bad experience was when our two wine selections were not available, so they brought us a comparable bottle (stating it was the same price), yet when the bill came it was 30% more expensive than the bottles we originally requested. Shady. Food was good, staff was disappointing, and overall experience was off-putting when lied to about the wine price and shady tactics of getting us to buy a more expensive bottle. Oh, and expect half their menu to be incorrect.
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Review from Christine A.
Denver, CO
11/23/2011
I have mixed feelings about 1515 Restaurant. The food was very good, but the ambiance was not - not at all. In fact, when I arrived, I was nervous that I made a mistake. They have a dingy forest green carpet and the interior looks like it hasn't been updated in 15 years.
The service was excellent - the server was attentive and knowledgable. The owner of the restaurant came to our table twice to see how things were, which was excellent. There were also some lovely touches and menu items that you only find in a fine dining restaurant - like an amuse bouche offering and a wonderful foie gras. Their plating was also beautiful. My main entree was a buttermilk and bacon boneless fried chicken. Parts of it (the outer parts) were delicious, but some parts were not. Prior to frying, the chicken and bacon were sous vide, which made the bacon soft and mushy and the inner part of the chicken a bit too tender--to the point where it almost seemed raw.
Overall, I think the menu choices, food and service were very good, but the space definitely needs and overhaul. -
Review from Hans O.
Denver, CO
7/30/2010
Indeed a gem! 1515 packs multiple layers in this restaurant, multiple layers in the sense of three different ambients. The first ambient when you just walk in, is this vibrant bar, with a lighted purple wall holding alcoholic bottles; then upstairs, the fine dining room with few large tables for bigger groups, smaller tables for a more intimate experiences; they also have private room and a wine cellar in between. They do have over 400 different wines in the restaurant. The main dining room brought some of my childhood memories. 1515's main dining area has exposed brick walls, black and white photos, and tall Victorian windows, so even though I was in downtown Denver, visually I felt like I was somewhere else, like on Westerkade, in Rotterdam facing the canal.
Food is intriguing and very creative.
*First course was the Liquid Nitrogen Bloody Marry Soup - Butter and Vodka Poached Rock Shrimp, Micro Celery: very creative, and the liquid nitrogen was poured right on the table in front of my eyes, it was interesting to see the process; the soup was acidic, sharp tomato flavors, and the vodka poached shrimp was perfectly seasoned providing a contrast of explosion combined with the tomato soup, the celery gave a great balanced texture compared to soup and shrimp, it was cold but not completely frozen.
*intermezzo: blueberry sorbet made with micro lemony leaves, cleaning the palette.
*Second course was the Wagyu Beef - Yuzu Vinaigrette, Arugula Paint, Shiso Micro Greens, (Ishiyaki Style Cooking At table On Hot Stone) : generous chunks of wagyu beef, served raw on the side of the plate and to be cooked on hot stone. Since the beef was raw, it was interesting to cook on the stone, resulting into a perfectly cooked, just the way I like. Blue. Yuzu vinaigrette was very complementing without overpowering the taste of the wagyu.
Tried my friend's Chef Thomas Salad - Butter Lettuce, Lollo Rossa Greens Charred Strawberries, Carbonated Lemon Vinaigrette, Aerated Brie Cheese, Truffle Powder : this is the lightest and most refreshing salad I have had in a long time; lettuce was perfectly dressed, yet so light, aerated brie gave a very light cheese taste yet very flavorful, all flavors tight up by the white truffle powder.
*Third course was the Chilean Sea bass - Colorado Corn, Heirloom Tomatoes, Grilled Peach, Organic Arugula, Broken Raspberry Honey Sauce : perfectly sous vide cooked sea bass, maintaining all the original flavors and at the same time retaining its original moisture; grilled peach, arugula, and raspberry honey sauce made this fish dish perfect; I usually like to sprinkle some lime juice on my fish, but this time the acidity from the raspberries elevated the experience.
Tried my friend's Grilled Prime New York Strip - Tomato Confit, Cream Spinach Purée : perfectly grilled and great original flavors from beef. Bold tastes.
Overall experience was great; service was very knowledgeable and attentive. -
Review from David M.
Castle Rock, CO
3/1/2012
I'm not looking for large portions when I dine out, but when four nickel-sized dollops of puree are on the plate it makes me think there is a pea or carrot shortage. Is there? Food was good, waiter was good. The kicker was the espresso size. After ordering, I made a bet with the table that it would cost at least $4 and be very small. I was even more right than I had imagined I would be. There was about a 1/3 to 1/2 an ounce (no exaggeration) and it was served in a cup smaller than my daughter's fake tea cups. After stretching out the espresso experience to four small sips, the bill arrived: $4.50. Something I never thought I'd say: Starbucks, you're such a good value.
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Review from Kean N Althea B.
Glendora, CA
10/26/2010
I super enjoyed this wonderful restaurant with a blue bar. we came in, we saw, we conquered. I didn't know what to expect from anything in Colorado but thank God we didn't get lost and we had a great time. i had scallops and my man had a burger? can't remember. They had Makers mark that was a plus. Oh yeah he had a cold-cut sandwich which he happily shared with me. But the bomb was the chocolate tasting, light and fluffy!!
-Althea -
Review from m w.
Evergreen, CO
10/22/2011
1515's Friday evening jazz might be my favorite find in Denver! The happy hour is diverse and well priced. Coupled with the opportunity to enjoy the live jazz in the early evening before hitting the town is a great treat.
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Review from Amy F.
12/8/2010
Went here for a dinner function, and we had the whole upstairs. The Service from the staff was abso-freakin-lutely great! The non stop wine service during dinner was a plus! (and I wasn't paying!) We had special menu for our function, and I had the NY strip...holy non ham hocks!
Med Rare at it's finest! *Delish!*
The whipped butter spread... uh hello! I could eat that by the spoonful...but I was around industry professionals, so I refrained and sladdered on top of the bread...
Had a great meal here, and would love to return. -
Review from Ian G.
Denver, CO
1/1/2012
Tried to walk into 1515 for dinner one night. We were barely acknowledged by a less than friendly hostess who acted like we were ridiculous for trying to walk in without a recommendation. She told us it would be a long wait even though the restaurant was empty and didn't offer us the bar. Needless to say we left. First rule, don't make the customer uncomfortable.
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Review from Rachel M.
4/6/2009 4 photos
Ankimo, foie gras and kobe beef in the same meal? Be still my beating heart! Okay, so I'm a sucker for a trendy tasting menu, I'll happily admit it.
The wine the sommelier recommended was amazing and well-priced. Every bite of our meal was delicious, and I certainly savored every bite.
Our server was very professional at the beginning of the evening, and as the tasting menu continued he got even cooler. By the end of dinner he was giving us the scoop on all the tasting menus in town and even letting us in on a little restaurant gossip.
While the meal and the service were amazing, there were a few things I wish were changed: Please get rid of that hideous "potpourri" stained glass monstrosity, I feel like I'm in an 80's Italian restaurant (or the old European Cafe, as is actually the case). Also, for what I'm paying for my meal, the restrooms should definitely be nicer and not contain those cheap postcard kiosks you find at chain restaurants.
I also had one course that should have come out sooner, because it was no longer warm.
With all that said, I still find myself thinking fondly of this meal and cannot wait to return. -
Review from Pixie M.
1/5/2011
Had a lovely dinner here on New Year's Eve 2010 for my wedding anniversary. I loved the fixed price menu. I *loved* the Chilean Sea Bass with the popcorn sauce. I enjoyed the Waygu beef entree that my husband had, though he was disappointed in the toughness of the ends of the cut.
As always, the service was wonderful. We received an anniversary card signed by the entire staff along with a gorgeous glass of port with our desserts -- they made a special night even more special. -
Review from Carly B.
4/5/2010
After going back and forth between 1515's Easter brunch buffet and Panzano's, I decided to go for something new and made the reservation with 1515.
The resultant brunch literally left Mom and I cringing at the thought of it.
The menu sounded delicious on paper. A few tasty desserts, some salads, and even an eggs benedict station. As runny yolked eggs and hollendaise are two of my favorite things in life, how could it be bad?
My plate was too full to get eggs benedict in the first go, but my mom came back with her plate. The yolk had disconnected itself from the egg white - slid right off.
"Are eggs usually this undercooked?" she asks me. "Does the hollendaise just cover it up so I've never really noticed?"
"Well, your yolk shouldn't be doing THAT."
After a few minutes, the egg white (or egg clear, in this case) had proceeded to make a resultant goo all over her plate. When the server came by, we point out the eggs were a tad undercooked so he brought another benedict to us with salmon. I gave the egg a poke and it did the same thing. The egg was barely warm....same with the hollendaise. The English muffin was not toasted, just cold and tough. It was unappetizing to say the least and I get sad when egg yolk isn't properly oozey.
As for eggs, I mostly stuck with the dried out buffet scrambled eggs which I typically don't mind when the following conditions are met: 1. I'm eating in a dorm cafeteria. 2. I have salt and pepper to "spice" them up. None of these applied.
I can hardly even remember what was in the rest of the buffet....some asparagus that was alright. Ummm...croissants. The little desserts were tasty. Peel and eat shrimp. There was salmon with pineapple salsa that like the dried out buffet eggs, could have used salt.
And at $30 a person, ouch. Our brunch conversation turned to all of the other restaurants in Denver that are wonderful and how we wished we were eating at them instead. We even talked about Easter at the Tavern in Lowry two years ago and how it was miles better than this (and I'm really not a Tavern fan).
A big fat Easter brunch FAIL. I know that buffet brunches are probably not 1515's forte...and because they're not, they probably shouldn't have them and charge $30 per person. I won't be checking out dinner.
But wait, service! The hostess was really sweet and helpful and our server was very attentive. If it weren't for them, this would be a one star meal. -
Review from Miriam K.
Denver, CO
7/27/2010
What a hidden gem 1515 is. There is a bar at the street level and the restaurant upstairs is very nice: tables are set perfectly, linens, glasses and the silverware are very clean and proper. The ambiance is great and discrete, as is the service. The noise level is very low.
We ordered a Chef Thomas salad, scallops, wagyu beef appetizer and the sea bass. The combination of charred strawberries and truffle powder in the salad is mind boggling and the carbonated lemon vinaigrette is very refreshing. The scallops were perfectly cooked and moist. The wagyu beef dish is fun and it tastes amazing: you make your own beef Ishiyaki Style on a very hot stone over a bed of rock salt, not before dipping the meat into yuzu vinaigrette. The sea bass was also perfectly cooked and deliciously refreshing with the corn, peach and raspberry honey sauce combination. All the courses were perfect!
For the quality of food you get, their prices are very reasonable. They have a great selection of wines for any taste and price. They also validate a covered parking at 16 Market Square for $5 which is a great treat.
Gene Tang, the owner, greets everyone personally and makes sure everything is going well. The executive chef, Chuck James, works with molecular gastronomy and 1515 is the only restaurant in Denver with a license to cook sous-vide. Chef James has also been to the James Beard Foundation in NYC in July 2010.
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