Denver Beer Company

I've often driven along Platte Street and watched enviously as the beer-sipping patrons at Denver Beer Company lounged outside and enjoyed beer at long tables on the brewery's patio. 

Denver Beer Company could serve the worst beer in the world, and Denverites would probably still flock to their sprawling outdoor seating to drink brews, soak up the Colorado sun, and people-watch along Platte Street.

Fortunately, as I discovered last weekend, their beer is pretty good. 

I have no idea why it took me so long to check out Denver Beer Company, and even my inaugural visit last weekend was unplanned.

On our way to House of Commons but needing to kill 30 minutes ahead of our reservation time, my husband and I couldn't pass up the allure of Denver Beer Company on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Denver.

The Denver Beer Company apparently used to be some sort of garage, or it certainly looks like one. Good weather brings the opening of the large doors and use of the patio along Platte Street in downtown Denver.

On the Sunday of our visit, we arrived at 12:30 pm to a moderately busy brewery filled with beer drinkers and plenty of sunbathing dogs. 

Beer List at Denver Beer Company (5/20/12)

For only $8, we enjoyed a beer flight with all seven of the brews listed in the photo above.

I loved the Kaffir Lime Wheat. The lime taste was wonderfully intense. Every plate of Mexican food I eat now will feel like it's missing the proper fermented beverage accompaniment without the Kaffir Lime Wheat to wash it down.

Mr. Oyster went crazy for the very unique Misseur Flaneur, a saison flavored sharply with basil and lavender. According to him: "this tastes like a meadow." However, I wasn't crazy about the meadow taste or smell, and I felt the seasonings were overwhelming in the beer.

The other brews were decent but not nearly as memorable as the Kaffir Lime Wheat or Misseur Flaneur.

We had to get going - it was time to meet up with my mom for afternoon tea - so there was no time to sip anything beyond the small volumes in our flight.

Nonetheless, my husband loved the Misseur Flaneur so much, he picked up a growler on our way back from House of Commons.

Growler of Denver Beer Company Misseur Flaneur (Saison)

The Denver Beer Company appears to rotate through beers regularly, so I'm glad we were able to try the Kaffir Lime and Misseur Flaneur while they were available.


Denver Beer Company doesn't brew up the best beer in Denver, but it offers excellent patio seating and unique local beers that are worth a try.

Website:
http://denverbeerco.com/

House of Commons

It was all about my mom this past Sunday at afternoon tea at House of Commons, an English Tea Toom in the Riverfront area.

Our trek to House of Commons was a week-late Mother's Day celebration, as my mom was out of town last weekend. My mom loves all things British, and after reading many rave reviews, I've been wanting to take her to House of Commons for afternoon tea.

House of Commons lies in the Riverfront area at 15th and Platte. This particular afternoon, my husband and I met up with my mom after a quick trip to the Denver Beer Company just up the road.

I had made afternoon tea reservations for three about a week ago. The restaurant normally requests at least 48 hours notice for afternoon tea; otherwise their menu consists of an assortment of sandwiches, salads, and pastries.

Walking into House of Commons from a bustling Platte Street, we were immediately greeted by one of the women who worked there and seated at a table near the window. The restaurant is small, with space to seat maybe 20-25 people indoors, and a few additional tables outside.

Not surprisingly, House of Commons has a very feminine feel to it, with pastel walls and floral decor. The customers at the time of our visit were overwhelmingly female, including a bridal shower that occupied half the restaurant.

As my three readers know, my husband is a big tough guy, and I had to reassure him that he would end the meal with his masculinity intact.

We started off perusing the very long tea menu. House of Commons offers over forty teas, including many iced teas. My husband, at the waitress's recommendation, selected a white tea with lavender; my mom opted for a white peony tea.

I stuck with simple green tea. I have a hard time getting excited about tea since it's not coffee and it's not beer.

Green Tea

The tea was served loose in the respective pots, with filters provided to strain into the cups.

To nibble on, we were soon presented with this dainty and and beautifully arranged tower of fancy British tea staples.

Afternoon Tea Sandwiches, Scones, and Sweets

On the bottom tier were curried chicken salad and roast beef sandwiches. The curried chicken salad sandwiches were creamy and flavorful, with a sweetness from raisins thrown into the salad. I wasn't nearly as impressed by the roast beef sandwiches, which were a disappointing and boring combination of nothing more than a thin slice of roast beef and mayonnaise.

The second tier included classic cucumber and chive cream cheese sandwiches, as well as Irish cheddar and apricot jam sandwiches. I loved the sharp taste of the Irish cheddar, particularly combined with the sweetness of the jam.

Atop the third tier were bite-size scones served with Devonshire cream, jam, and lemon curd. I didn't care too much for the scones, though I generally think that traditional English scones, including these, are bland and too chewy. Fortunately, the tangy lemon curd and sweet jam contributed enough flavor to make them enjoyable.

On the top plate were sugar cookies with a chocolate center, lemon poppyseed cake, and chocolate cake. The lemon poppyseed cake was layered with a delicious citrus frosting that I loved, especially combined with the airy poppyseed cake.

Overall, the afternoon tea was tasty but it was extremely simple. For a pot of tea and a sample of finger foods and sweets, it felt too pricey. I would've been much more excited about this meal if it had cost $15 or so per person instead of $20.

Service was very good and very prompt. The waitress was particularly knowledgeable about the wide selection of teas available.

Afternoon tea at House of Commons was a lovely experience, but I don't get the urge to partake in afternoon tea very often, so I'm not sure if I'll be back.



Casual Dining

(7 of 10)

Pros: Wide tea selection, excellent tea, great service
Cons: Very expensive for the type of food served


Website:
http://www.houseofcommonstea.com/

Colt & Gray

Before ever even visiting the restaurant, the husband and wife owners of Colt & Gray were my heroes. A few years ago, they quit their "day jobs" to pursue their dream of opening a restaurant. Their impressive story, plus a million glowing reviews and being a participating restaurant with savored.com lured us in for a visit last weekend.

Colt & Gray lies immediately between the Platte River and I-25, just between the Highlands and downtown Denver, and among various other restaurants and shops on Platte street. Their corner location allows for quite a bit of outdoor seating and a small vegetable garden.

I was expecting Colt & Gray to be a bit like Euclid Hall, but the similarities end at pub-style food and unusual animal parts on the menu. Colt & Gray is a bit more swanky, offers overall lighter food, and makes a big deal of their cocktail offerings rather than the beer list.

Mr. Oyster recently signed up for savored.com, which includes Colt & Gray as a participating restaurant, so we enjoyed a 30% discount on our meal.

We were fortunate enough again to be joined by the same friends who joined us at Euclid Hall and dealt patiently with our obnoxious food photography.

Anyway, we ordered a ton of food, so I need to get started on that.

Westword awarded Colt & Gray the "Best Bone Marrow" award for 2011 (since so many places in Denver serve bone marrow?!?!).  Anyway we were all over that and of course ordered the Roasted Marrow Bones ($16).

Roasted Marrow Bones

The three marrow bones were served with caramelized onions and grilled country bread. Per our waitress's recommendation, we ate each bite of marrow atop the bread with the onions and a pinch of salt. The marrow had a meaty flavor and a gelatinous texture and was basically very tasty. Each bite had a perfect balance of sweet onions, savory marrow, crunchy bread and salt.

Next were the Steamed Mussels ($14):

Steamed Mussels

While this had a wonderfully seasoned sauce, the mussels themselves were disappointing. All of the mussels were very small, and many unfortunately had a very gritty texture. For $14 for a small bowl of mussels I would really expect better quality.

I also had the House Made Spaghetti ($12):

House Made Spaghetti

This was served with a runny egg yolk much like the Open Faced Ravioli at Strings. The dish had way too many capers; their flavor was overwhelming and too salty. Even without the capers I felt this would have been too simple of a dish to be paying $12.

Next was the Braised Pork Shoulder ($21)

Braised Pork Shoulder

Yum. The highlight of the meal was definitely this plate. The pork shoulder complimented by a "summer pistou" (green smear in photo) and herb salad. The dish also contained "corn pudding", which was a lovely cube of  what I would call cornbread. The sizable pork shoulder was perfectly cooked and seasoned.

We went a little crazy with dessert and decided to order three selections recommended by our waitress.

First was the Sticky Toffee Pudding ($8):

Sticky Toffee Pudding

How could we not order this stuff after some celebrity-ish woman raved about it as the "Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network?  I don't know who Claire Robinson is, but she was dead on about how good this dessert is. Comprised of sticky sponge cake made with dates, three layers of toffee sauce, and Bourbon ice cream, it was absolute sweet perfection.

Next up was the Potted Cheesecake ($8):

Potted Cheesecake

No no, that's not a Yankee Candle. That's what Colt & Gray considers "cheesecake", but my dining companions and I beg to differ. It was extremely light and airy, almost more like cheesecake-flavored marshmallow fluff. Not that it wasn't delicious, but to call it "cheesecake" was a bit misleading. It was topped with a rich salted caramel sauce that was just too intense; it was both very salty and extremely sweet.

Our final dessert was Olive Oil and Thyme Cake ($8), served with blueberry compote and lemon-buttermilk ice cream.

Olive Oil and Thyme Cake

The cake had a perfect texture and a mild but pleasant flavor; I really didn't get a strong olive oil or thyme flavor. The compote was lightly sweetened and contained fresh, large blueberries that were balanced by the tart citrus flavor of the ice cream. Overall a very good dessert, but not as stellar as the Sticky Toffee Pudding.

I must also mention that we certainly acquainted ourselves with the cocktail menu and bartender's skills during our dinner. Everyone enjoyed their drinks, although I'm not sure any of the cocktails were exceptional. And it's a good thing we had 30% off our meal, as the mixed drinks cost $10 each. Even beers - and this was for only about 10 oz - were $8 each.

Service was excellent through the night; our waitress was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and attentive.

We had a great time and enjoyed our cocktails and some good food at Colt & Gray, but the restaurant needs some of its dishes to be more polished for the price.


Casual Dining

(7 of 10)


Pros: Some great food, very good service
Cons: Expensive, some dishes not worth the price

Website:
http://www.coltandgray.com