Dan "We were promised jetpacks" B.'s Profile

This particular Rockbottom was a frequent choice for small group dinners while working in South Denver.  Reasons? 1) Proximity; 2) Good beer, and 3) a broad enough menu to please almost everyone.  Otherwise it was not what I would call an outstanding place.

By far their worst problem was service, which was often slow and/or infrequent. I understand that the CraftWorks Restaurant Group (which owns Rockbottom, Gordon Biersch, Old Chicago) has been focusing on reducing labor costs recently (don't ask me how I know; I'd have to kill you), but when you make staff cuts, it will directly affect your service level. Duh.

We eventually learned the following trick: The moment our wait person arrived, we ordered absolutely everything (apps, drinks, entrees) up front. It got our food orders in that much earlier, and we didn't have to wait for intermediate return trips to make any progress.

The food was OK; Not bad; not great.
-- Pulled pork sandwich: Meh... and too small ; 2.0
-- Cedar plank salmon: Standard; cooked well; 3.5
-- Jambalaya: not the best, but better than I expected 3.0
-- Kobe burger: Decent; 3.0

Basically RB fit the bill when a meal and a beer was required. If it wasn't for the beer, I never would have returned after the first visit.

I chose Element based on the reviews - It was the highest rated hotel in the South Denver area (on both Yelp and TripAdvisor). With so many 5 star reviews I figured I couldn't lose.

Maybe my expectations were set too high, but I thought it was just above average, not excellent.

First and foremost was the decor. Words that come to mind are: Stark; Efficient; Cold; Severe.  It felt Japanese-Swedish, sort of like living in an IKEA in Tokyo. My room had the same vibe, with minimal carpeting and low, blocky couches. It was really hard to feel "cozy" here. And sometimes, when it was cold and snowy out, I really wanted to get all all cozy, you know?

Other Cons:
- Minimal clothes storage in my room, so I had to keep much of it in suitcases
- The heating/cooling system often blasted cold air if the room became one degree too warm; I ended up shutting it off the system most of the time.
- The breakfast wraps were so overloaded with partially-melted cheese I found them inedible
- The room was missing some TV equipment when I checked in; I had to call several times to get it sent up

On the plus side, I liked how "green" the hotel was, with recycling everywhere. Waste was kept to a minimum. Their literature claims the hotel itself was built with mostly recycled material and green processes.

Other pluses:
- Friendly and helpful staff
- good oatmeal in the breakfast buffet
- Decent fitness room (but no stretching area or foam rollers)
- Good microbrews and snacks at the hotel happy hour (wuhoo!)
- Good, strong wi-fi

But the very best part was the "open" video system in the room; Unlike other hotels, where I'd be forced to watch (and overpay) for the hotel movie system, at the Element I could play DVDs on their player in the room, or hook up my laptop directly to the TV and stream Netflix. They get a big, fat extra star for that!

Unfriekingbelievably good pizza.  I came to the Walnut room with my youngest sister and my friend D because my other sis (not present) had claimed it was her favorite pizza in Denver.  I guess the family thinks alike, because I had to agree with her.

Imagine the thinnest crust you can, like a homemade cracker; Crispy edges, transitioning to only slightly chewy (but still firm) by the time you reach the center. The finest, freshest, toppings. The cheese applied not too heavy but... just so.

We ordered the walnut room house pizza (walnuts, pesto, tomato, green olive, onion and garlic) plus a Mediterranean style pie.  They charred the latter pizza slightly and offered to do it over, but we were having none of that! - sooo extra crispy and good, we were wishing the other had been burned a little too. (turns out you can order it extra crispy).

A very nice, local IPA rounded out the meal nicely, thank you.

Of course we took photos of us ourselves eating the pizza, posing with beers in hand, for my non-present sis, because torture of this type is a family tradition. The text messages were flying as we giggled our way out the door into the cold night, our stomachs happy.

I was fully impressed on my first visit to La Sandia, at lunchtime.  First, it's a beautiful space, with a modern look that also mirrors traditional Mexican art motifs.  The hammered tin ceiling is a nice touch.

As for the food, their special menu of the week had five kinds of mole. Five kinds!!  So we ordered a quesadilla sampler app with all five...Fascinating to a mole freak like me.  I then ordered the Mexico City style green mole (I forgot the name) with shrimp, rice and a bean-filled masa cake; Tremendous. The traditional margarita was top notch; The guacamole was mixed at the table. Service was quick and knowledgeable. It was a five star lunch all the way!

But then we returned a week later with a larger group; More excellent margaritas, more good service, but it was evening and the space was more crowded. The lack of any absorbent materials made it unbelievably LOUD. We could barely carry on a conversation at a table for eight; Service was much pokier too.

As for the food, the special mole menu was gone. After much deliberation, I ordered the red snapper veracruz ($21), and it was a mess.  Only 1/3 was fish; the rest dominated by a large chile relleno.  Where the menu had promised a more savory concoction with capers, tomato and olives, I saw none of these. Instead, it was a SPICE BOMB.  I like spicy food now and again, but this was completely over the top,with no warning from the menu or from the waiter.  Others with this order had the same complaint; Some of them could not finish their meals. 2 stars.

So averaging the two trips = 3.5 stars.  But since I was the one who recommended La Sandia to the group (and let them down a bit) I'll be rounding down, thank you.

What is it with Thai restaurants in Denver?  It's like a bait and switch - when you sit down and look at the menu, it's something else entierely: another cuisine, or a melange.  The menu at Thai Orchids was 2/3 Chinese and 1/3 Thai

I stuck with a Thai dish, and it was just OK: Green curry chicken - white, not green, but at least it had the telltale green curry flavor (a nice surprise) and was filled with fresh vegetables, cooked nicely.

We received fortune cookie at the end. Cuz that's Thai...right?

I loped into India's Clay Oven on a cold, snowy night when I was dead tired from a long work day. The restaurant was walking distance from my hotel, which I appreciated greatly. I ordered the vegetarian thali plate, which came with a choice of three veggie dishes.

I chose three of my faves: Chana Masala, Saag Paneer and Malai Kofta (a pleasant surprise to see this). I admit it was weird when the server (Indian herself) refused to repeat the Indian dish names back to me, but instead chose the longhand English description instead; A restaurant rule?

The Chana masala was only OK, but the saag paneer was very tasty; The malai kofta,  however, was quite excellent, and really made the meal for me. The internal happy food meter was on at least 7.43.

I made a mental note to try the lunch buffet here, but Denver time ran out and I never made it back. Life is full of missed opportunities.

I had a late lunch at this grill, which had made the distinct promise of being Epic. I'd say "decent" was a better description.  My burger was made to order, so it took a while. (I wasn't in a hurry).

Kudos for offering green chile, my favorite burger topping. Too bad it was straight out of a can, but you take what you can get.  Sweet potato fries on the side were standard.

p.s.  Whoa - after posting, I noticed it has been closed; also noticed this replaced a fatburger only last year... Next!

The Chipotle-ization of  America continues...at least in Colorado. This small chain brings the "pick your own ingredients" model to Mediterranean food. The thing is: they do an amazingly good job. So much that I wish this concept would come to CA...and soon!

Falafel quality is excellent - at least 8 out of 10.  Meat and soup quality is also very high.  Fresh pita (reg or whole wheat) is served with each meal; it is baked on the spot (I got a kick out of watching the baking machine.)

Orders can be customized as: in Pita, in Plates (my usual), in Laffa (Lavash), or as a Salad. you can also make a meal by adding ingredients to a soup (lentil was a favorite).  In addition to hummus and greens, the spectrum of sides is very large, including red cabbage, pickled eggplant, baba ganoush, etc.  And the price point is amazingly low for what you get.

Needless to say, this Garbanzo (and another location a few miles north) became a regular lunch spot for me during my extended stay in the area.  5 stars...to spread the word...to help them prosper...and so they will build more locations...and then can expand some day to the Bay Area; That's my plan and I'm sticking with it.

It took me a while to visit Dazbog, mainly because I could never tell if they were open or not.  Some mornings I would drive by (with coffee already purchased) and the neon sign would say "Open."  The next day I would drive by, at the same time, with the intention of stopping, and the sign would be dark, with no cars out front. Finally, one morning, the stars were aligned, and I made the turn in when the place looked open, and I needed a cup a Joe.

The space: It's really just occupies a front room in a furniture store called "The Great Indoors."  I assume the business hours match.  It certainly didn't feel like an independent place.  The interior was a tad stark; in red, white and black; Russian lettering is used for signs.

I asked the cashier what "Dazbog" meant and she wasn't sure, though she suspected it might be "cheers" in Russian. I looked it up, and it's actually the name for a Slavic God; So much for employee training.

I bought a cup of coffee and it was the standard price.  It was fine; nothing special, so it gets a rating to match.

A nice little corner spot in the Boulderado Hotel building. When I was student at CU, this space was occupied by a men's clothing shop.  I approve of the change.

We sat at the bar. There was a friendly crowd and bustling staff on a cold, wintry Saturday evening. Hot toddies, dark-and-stormys and Irish coffees were being made in rapid succession (I had the latter).  My friend K had a bourbon neat, and my friend M got her usual frou-frou drink. Since they also serve dessert, this was a perfect post-dinner place for us to chill out, satisfy our sweet tooths, and catch up on old times.

The flourless chocolate cake with blackberries was to die for. The friendly barkeep put up with my questions about each drink she was mixing. (I always wanted to try my hand at it...mixology never fails to fascinate me).

I'm a fan.