Vato Gourmet

1530 Blake Ste #A, Denver, CO 80202,

So after watching the Avalanche lose like their fifth game in a row I decided to head downtown and find myself some beer and maybe try to cheer up. On the advice of a buddy I decided on Freshcraft. Located on Blake St. right across the street from the RIO Grande,  Freshcraft is conveniently located. When you walk in chances are you will be greeted immediately by either two smiling bartenders or a smiling hostess.

Freshcraft is unique for so many reasons and stands out in my mind as special. For starters they offer beer and if your like me and enjoy an ice cold glass of your favorite frothy beverage or seven, this is the place to go. With over 100 bottles of beer from around the world including some very rare and only on request also 20 handles of fresh tap beer they have the situation thoroughly dialed in.

I’m going to steal a snippet from their website because whomever wrote it said it best I think: “What kind of food will you find at Freshcraft? To put it simply – good food at a great value. We bring in fresh ingredients, sourced locally whenever possible, and make nearly everything from scratch. The food is an innovative take on comfort foods from around the United States with a few unique twists thrown in. There’s something on the menu for everyone, including vegan and gluten free options.” To me food grown locally is a HUGE advantage when trying to win the freshness game and at the same time holding your business to a standard which contributes to the local economy get you big Vato G points. Check out their menu at www.freshcraft.com.

There are a lot of bars and restaurants downtown and to have an establishment that has both great food and an excellent beverage selection is two parts of the four part equation the other two being staff and atmosphere. Well freshcraft has these two elements also. The staff genuinely makes you feel like you’ve been coming there for years on your first night.  To me this is an ultra important part of the business. They will guide you through the beverage selection process (you can taste the tap beers before you pick one) and they are genuinely happy. They have a big bar area as well as a big dinner lunch seating area. This place is truly full service.

I made a comment on the famous margaritas across the street and the owner says he will put his margaritas up against theirs anyday. That is a bold statement and next time I go I will put that to the test.  So congratulations to Freshcraft for having a great establishment downtown and I will return soon. The Vato G highly recommends  Freshcraft

Tell them the Vato sent you!

7520 E. Progress Place,   Greenwood Village, CO 80111,  (303) 740-9449

Pappadeaux has shown a lot of determination and courage in their staff.  I am delighted at their performance.  Being a skeptic, I revisited Pappadeaux in Greenwood Village at the urging of their General Manager. I explained that if the food had not improved, they would get another poor review.  She was willing to put everything on the fact that the problems I experienced had been remedied.  I showed up about a week later for an early evening dinner. They have a really nice dining room, very well decorated.  At this point I was really pulling for them. We were seated after about twelve minutes, on a Sunday evening, without a reservation. Not bad. We ordered Shrimp & Crawfish Fondeaux with garlic bread. It was amazingly delicious. I was flabbergasted by how good it was. This was a great sign. I ordered a Prime New York steak with Caribbean Lobster Tail. It was perfect. Cooked just right and tasted exactly how it should. We also had the Georges Bank Scallops Lacombe tender jumbo sea scallops seared with fresh garlic & capers in a brown butter sauce served over green beans & finished with toasted almonds & crispy onions. It was perfect. I was so happy to see that whatever happened before was definitely fixed and they were back to being excellent. Pappadeaux delivered on its promise. They are definitely on the right track. Our waitress Kerri and the manager Lindsay were both very delightful. The Vato G Highly recommends Pappadeaux

1400 Arapahoe St, Denver, CO 80202, 303-991-2277

Oceanaire is the Vatos favorite seafood restaurant in Denver.  I have not found a more diverse seafood menu anywhere downtown.  Having eaten at oceanaire several times now it is evident they deliver the highest quality seafood around.

When you enter Oceanaire it becomes apparent quickly this is a serious seafood restaurant.  Do yourself a favor and make a reservation. They can usually get you in if you don’t have one but its better to be safe than sorry.

I started off with the pickled herring for an appetizer. It is not on the menu but they will make it for you.  I sometimes actually crave the pickled herring and will drive over and get some to go.  It is crazy good. My main dish is the 6 oz Maine Lobster tail served with drawn butter and lemon.  Now I am not sure what the secret is to how they prepare the lobster tail but know this, they serve hands down, the best lobster tail I have ever had.  It is in an elite category all by itself.

This place gets very high praise for FRESHNESS, quality, atmosphere, service is top notch, and I feel the price point is in line with industry standards. Lets be realistic here, we are in Denver, the nearest shoreline is Cherry Creek reservoir. They fly their fish in EVERY DAY from all over the world.  This is the real deal. Vato G highly recommends Oceanaire

As a sidenote a fun evening out is Oceanaire for dinner and then one block away is comedy works. You don’t even have to move your car!

2401 15th St # 80, Denver, CO (303) 433-7272

Sushi Sasa is located on the west side of Denver. It is neatly tucked away in the historic section a block away from AREI.  I’m just going to come out and say it. This sushi is addicting. When you walk into Sushi Sasa you immediately realize someone payed extra attention to details when designing the interior. Very comfortable and flowing. We chose to sit at the sushi bar, which I recommend, and happened to be seated in front of none other than Chef Wayne Conwell. What we didn’t know is that Wayne San has studied the alongside some of the most impressive culinary minds for some 17 years. We also didn’t know that Sushi Sasa is rated the best sushi in Denver by WestWord.  I happened to order the Diablo roll which is apparently one of their most popular menu items.  It is spicy tuna and avocado inside, seared tuna on top with ginger, spicy grated daikon radish, sesame seeds and served with spicy ponzu sauce.  Wayne made it right before our eyes.  It was a sushi experience like none I have witnessed in Denver.  I have eaten at probably seven different sushi places in Denver and with varying degrees of quality.  Sushi Sasa blew every one of them out of the water hands down easliy. Enjoy! The Vato G highly recommends Sushi Sasa to everyone. I have to go now. This write up has made me hungry for sushi.

The Keg is located on the corner of Wynkoop and 18th street in downtown Denver.  I learned about the Keg through a friend who suggested I try it out. The friend stated that the Steaks were amazing and the service and atmosphere were excellent. They also made mention that the Keg is located literally across from another famous eatery that serves the same type of food and costs significantly more.  I had to try it. This is an excerpt from their menu regarding their steak:

A CUT ABOVE
Always well trimmed and cut to avoid excess fat and gristle.
BETTER WITH AGE
New York striploins and sirloins are specially aged a minimum of 28 days for extra tenderness.
WELL MARBLED
Resulting in a juicy, more flavorful steak.
ADDED SPICE
Sprinkled with our unique blend of spices and seared over high heat to lock in the natural juices

I ordered the New York and with much enthusiasm I will say it is most definitely in the top five steaks I have eaten in my life.  Cooked to perfection ( I take medium rare) it was a steak experience I will not soon forget.  Obviously being across the street from the Chop House, which is famous for its steaks, the Keg has to be seriously confident in their fare and they are every bit as good or better.  I have been back several times since and will continue to be a loyal customer.

In addition to world class steaks their service is great and they have an extensive wine collection. The Vato G highly recommends the Keg

The Yard House is new to downtown Denver. Opening a few weeks ago I decided to give it a try. We called ahead to make our reservation as it was a Friday night. This turned out to be our saving grace. Upon arrival the wait was about 45 minutes. Although this isn’t unusual in Downtown Denver it was nice not to have to wait.

We were whisked away to our table in under five minutes. The place was completely packed and with the size of the restaurant I immediately thought “there is no way in hell they are going to be able to meet my standards of service. ” I was dead wrong.  Our server was prompt and courteous. The menu selection is vast. At the Yard house, which is by the way a chain and would not ordinarily serve my interests, they have a system that they call co-operative. It employs an everyone helps everyone atmosphere that really works. I know this system is not new to the industry but it is usually fraught with attitudes and the usual discourse and therefore it fails on the basic level.

Anyhow, dinner was great. Fish and chips was light fluffy fresh fish with just the right amount of crunch. Served hot with vinegar and my choice of tartar sauce and cocktail sauce. I was delightfully surprised with the quality, quantity and presentation of the food.  Vato G definitely likes the the Yard House and will certainly return again