Brasserie Felix

Walking in to the Brasserie Felix, on the corner of 39th & Tennyson, I was pleasantly surprised by the décor. It doesn't scream Paris like some cheap wannabes, but subtly transforms you from NW Denver and in to a French bistro. Keeping it simple and letting the food do the talking sounds like a good strategy to me.

The waiter was a bit tardy for his first trip to the table but soon made up for it with his candor and good suggestions for wine. Sipping on a nice $12 glass of Pinot Noir, I took in the subtle nature of the place and nibbled on some classic french bread while deciding what to order.

When the waiter brought out the dishes the two top they seated us at was a bit crowded so he quickly stole an empty table next to us and made plenty of room for our dining. A good sign of a professional waiter who is smart and quick to make his customers' experience a good one.

Once on the table, the Les Moules a La Créme et Ricard (which are one pound of P.E.I. mussels with shallots, garlic, Ricard and cream) with frites looked great. The sauce on the mussels was quite nice, a broth of perfect consistency layered with flavors of garlic and Ricard. That experience came to a grinding halt however when the crunching sound in my head alerted me to the sand in my mussels and suddenly made them unappealing. For $15.95 they can afford to clean the mussels. The frites however were just right. Thin, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I could have eaten baskets of those all evening with another glass of Pinot. Maybe three.

The Le Steak Frites (a grilled flatiron steak with fries and lemon tossed baby greens) with the option of a red wine shallot reduction sounded like a French delight when I ordered it and was highly anticipated given my love for a good steak. Correctly cooked and bathing in the reduction sauce with mushrooms, the steak was average with a grainy mushy texture. A big disappointment for $19.95. Next to the poor cut of meat was a wilted side of baby greens. Obviously suffering sun burn from a heat lamp or something while waiting for its lousy partner on the plate. Except for the frites, the dish was a mediocre plate of failed ingredients.

All in all I would go back to Brasserie Felix and try some other menu options as the salads and some of the seafood entrees looked tempting.