The Hornet

Always a scene, Broadway has long been a great place for night life, shopping and dining and The Hornet , with its big windows, is a always great place to sit and watch the colorful locals while enjoying a cocktail. Because of its convenient location next to the Myan theater it also seems like the perfect place for a bite before a movie.

Despite being surrounded by the hipsters of the Baker District , I was shocked to hear the lady at the table next to me, dressed in lime colored sweats and hat, order an extra side of Ranch Dressing for her fries. Ranch dressing? Really people? Its not the wonder condiment to be used on everything from fries to pizza. It’s a dressing. Use it on a salad if you have to but don't throw it all over your food like the end of a porn movie. Disgusting.

After settling my stomach with a Great Divide Titan IPA I asked the waitress what the best dishes were. Very helpful, she showed me some of the more popular plates and also demonstrated a good knowledge of the wine selection.

When the Shells and Cheddar with lobster, bacon and cream plate arrived I found the pasta cooked well but the cheese covered shells first hid any sign of the tasty proteins I was waiting for. Digging further, I finally pulled up some lobster like a long awaited pod on the Deadliest Catch and just as disappointing as the show, the lobster brought nothing to the dish and was lost in the cheesy sea. When the lobster did show up it was often because of its fishy taste which revealed its sub-par quality. This is a worthwhile plate at higher end restaurants but not for the Hornet. Using a low grade lobster brings it down and you ask “Why bother?”.

The Zorba plate, ordered for its exotic sounding name and Colorado lamb, was a promising looking plate and I'm always looking for food made with local ingredients. Served in a pita with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, feta chees and cumin yogurt, it looked like an appetizing plate. The lamb was coked well but lacked the memorable flavors of a mediterranean dish. Besides the much needed spices the rest of the ingredients were lack luster and offered little help to the pita.

Served on the side were the sweet potato fries. Finally something I could get my mouth around. The fries were cooked just right and tasted great. Although they got cold fast I enjoyed them and would recommend you try it as your chosen side. I would bypass the chipotle ketchup that is served with it as it overpowers the fries and leaves them screaming for attention under the smoky flavor.

The Hornet is a great place to meet friends for drinks but don't expect much from the kitchen. I do appreciate those who strive for originality but I give thanks to those who know where to draw the line at what they can do well.

My Brother’s Bar

If you live here long enough you eventually find yourself at one of the oldest bars in Denver, My Brother’s Bar , for lunch. Having a long history on 15th and Platte of burgers and beer it has become an institution of Denver's LoDo area despite its consistently poor service.

The first thing you will encounter when arriving here is the smell of fried food and the sounds of classical music. Inside, the ambience of the dark heavily wooded decor will either warm or depress you which I find the main reason people keep coming back. The burgers are decent but My Brother’s Bar has a nostalgic feel that will take you back in time when Denver was a cow town and LoDo was a bad area to be in. The bar is small but beautiful and filled with many good choices in beer. The patio out back is a great place for happy hour drinks or lunch on a summer day.

Sticking with the basics when ordering food will keep you smiling while enjoying the old posters and paraphernalia. The basics are burgers and they are why most come here to eat. They will satisfy your craving for a diner style greasy burger and can be ordered single or double but I find the single does the job just fine when ordered with a side. All burgers come with a tray of condiments where you can add to your hearts desire pickles, onions and peppers if you like.

The Johnny Burger is a good start topped with swiss, jalepeño, cheddar cheese and grilled onions. This cheesy mouthful is a surprisingly good burger to eat for lunch but may slow you down later at the office. A unique burger for a unique place.

The fries are basic but too thick and mushy for my taste. Other unique alternatives are The Ralphie Burger made from buffalo and the Ticky Turkey, a pleasant change from the burgers if you like turkey sandwiches.

Overall this is more greasy spoon than bar food and its old charm will keep you coming back for burgers or a beer at the bar.

Patrick Carroll’s

I'm not one to usually give any kind of rant on a pub but what I encountered at Patrick Carroll’s on Tennyson really got me thinking.

While watching some football I ordered the Pub Burger to go with the many beers I was drinking. Just your basic straight burger. No bacon, no blue cheese crumbles, just a nice thick piece of meat on a bun for my football watching pleasure.

When the nice waitress brought my burger to the table I noticed what seemed to be the obligitory set of vegtables for your burger, lettuce, tomato and onion. What was really next to my burger was a frilly lettuce leaf, a few strands of onion and a thick pink slice of something they call a tomato.

Now, the burger tasted fine and I might even go so far as to say tasting good but the pink thing on my plate was really disgusting. I couldn't take my eyes off it and I wondered who in their right mind would serve a pink tasteless tomato in the peak of tomato season? I've been enjoying fantastic sweet tomatoes from the garden for the last month and when I saw this round pink eye staring at me on my plate I couldn't comprehend putting that in my mouth.

So, per the usual, I waved the waitress over and told her that who ever orders the food here should be ashamed of serving this in the middle of tomato season. She told me she was from the midwest and understands how depressing the slice looks. She then shrugged and said “Well it's a restaurant.”

I thought to myself, “Hmmm, I seem to know a lot of restaurants in the neighborhood that use fresh ingredients and many that buy local from the farmers here in Colorado.”

I just don’t get it. When did eating at a restaurant or a pub make it all right and even acceptable to be served sub-par food and expect us to pay for it? Going out to eat is expensive and I expect good food when I pay for it. Otherwise why would I pay for it?

I can only assume they use some type of SYSCO food service that brings in ”vegetables” from anywhere in the world at the cheapest price just to fill a space on my plate. Yuck.

People, lets not forget were ordering food when we go out to eat and not a commodity.

Highland Tavern

After visiting the Highland Tavern for a while for late night drinks and ping pong matches they informed me they would now be serving food. So I went back to give it a try. I know what your thinking, quit picking on the little guys. Well, to stay true to form I'll give it to you straight.

I sampled a few snack plates to gauge what they had to offer. The Beef Shank Perogie was good and reminiscent of my friend's grandma's perogies she used to make. The cheese tots seemed to be breaded in Penko. Interesting. The Little Fatties are their own version of the popular slider burger but are nothing like the typical frozen version served at most pubs. These guys are the real deal and taste great.

Overall the food is not bad for a tavern and I would eat there again while spinning ping pong balls and beers.