[ return to the REVIEWS Archives ]

reviewed on: February 22, 2008

I hear from a lot of listeners who long for the “good old days” when a meal at a restaurant was complete so you didn’t have to pay extra for every little thing beyond the entrée. Well, believe it or not, such meals are still to be found, and this week we uncovered two places offering complete meals as an option.

Earlier in the week we took a leisurely drive up the Boulder Turnpike to Flatiron Crossing where we paid a visit to an old friend, the Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant. In case you haven’t heard, wine as an accompaniment to meals has surpassed beer and, in an attempt to reverse that trend, beer-makers are offering meals that pair specific beers with the food. Now, we’re not talking the watery beverages that have characterized American beers for decades. These are rich, malty brews with a deep amber color that are as complex as any wine.

At Gordon Biersch their current seasonal beer is a luscious Altbier, a German-style ale that’s been paired with a three-course steak or seafood dinner. First course brings a choice of soup, bruschetta or their signature garlic fries. If you’re a garlic fan, these crunchy fries are simply not to be missed. Second course is a choice of sirloin in a tawny port wine reduction or halibut with a lemon-parsley sauce. We found both of them to be quite good, and a nice match for the beer. Dessert brought an excellent homemade New York style cheesecake with fresh berries and, surprisingly, even it went well with the frosty brew. Price for the meal sans beer is $26.50 per person, or $30.50 per person if you add grilled shrimp to the steak dinner.

Our second visit this week was to another old favorite, the Black Angus, a Denver institution since the sixties. The big attraction back then was the stainless steel disco floor and their association with Stuart Anderson, a Washington state rancher who supposedly supplied them with his beef.

Today, the Black Angus is relying on other attractions to bring back diners who’ve been lured away by other steakhouses and the general glut of restaurants in Denver. One of these draws is their three-flavor dinner. Notice I didn’t say “three-course” because, though this dinner includes a choice of their garden salad or baked potato soup and a side, all three “flavors” are on one plate.

Before I go further, as an aside, I have to admit that I enjoy a good crab cake and, at the waiter’s insistence, we tried what he claimed other diners have declared the best crab cakes in town. If I seem skeptical, it’s because at every restaurant I visit that has crab cakes on the menu, I’m assured they’re the “best in town.” The crab cakes at Black Angus are Maryland style, with little more than crab in the middle and a crunchy panko crumb crust on the outside. On a scale of 1 to 10, these are somewhere around 9 and, if you like crab cakes, a must for your next visit.

When the 3-flavor dinner arrived it was on a large plate and consisted of a top sirloin in a Guinness-based sauce, a pork tenderloin in a somewhat sweet espresso coffee sauce, and shrimp sautéed in lots of garlic with spinach. It’s a lot of food and, priced at $19.99, it’s a remarkable bargain.

Gordon Biersch, 1 Flatiron Circle, Broomfield, 720-887-2991
Black Angus, S. Havana just north of Dartmouth, 303-751-5985