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It should come as no surprise to anyone that I love to eat. While my tastes are pretty eclectic, with all the variety available today, I simply don’t eat as much red meat as I once did. And maybe that’s a good thing, because, as a result, I’ve really come to appreciate a good steak. The taste and texture of a well-seasoned, properly aged, piece of beef that’s been grilled to a perfect rare is one of life’s true pleasures.
Of course, Denver is a meat-lover’s paradise with no end to the number of restaurants that push steaks in all price ranges. So, if all you’re interested in is that your steak be tasty and affordable, it’s pretty easy to find a place for dinner tonight. But if you believe that a truly great steak deserves a certain reverence in the way it’s grilled, presented and served, your choices boil down to the handful of top-end steakhouses in the city. At any of these places you can expect a posh atmosphere, a gracious waitstaff that will never refer to your party as “you guys,” an above-average wine list, the best meat available…and a price tag to match.
Yet even among the best of the best, there are differences, and this week found us at one I particularly enjoy, Cool River Café. There’s something about the open dining room with its vaulted domed ceiling and two levels of seating that I’ve always found to be more comfortable than the jammed dining rooms that characterize other steak houses I’ve been to. It doesn’t feel like a men’s club, and it certainly can’t be described as laid back. Perhaps the best way to describe Cool River is casual with an atmosphere of specialness. The uniformed waitstaff is at the top of their game, right down to the bussers who keep the water glasses filled and remove used plates. The lilt of jazz is in the air, accompanied by the constant, but never annoying, buzz of other diners.
As with all steakhouses, the star player on this menu is beef in all its myriad cuts. Then there are the usual additions—pork chops, rack of lamb, a smattering of seafood dishes, etcetera.
And, as with other steakhouses of this ilk, anything you want beyond the center of the plate costs extra. On this evening, we treated ourselves to salads—a choice of a Caesar or a traditional wedge salad. The extra anchovies suggested by our server for the Caesar were plump and plentiful, carefully draped over the top of the salad. Visiting Cool River and not ordering a steak would be a travesty, so we made sure to cover that base with a traditional filet, available in three sizes. But we also felt we should see how they did with a non-beef item, so we selected the Shrimp Pasta Arevalo.
As an aside, if you’re on a tight budget yet still want to visit Cool River, it can be done. Garlic Chicken is available for $17.95, venison in a lingonberry sauce is $22.95, and the shrimp and pasta dish we ordered is $20.95.
I could go on and on about how good the food was, but you’ve already surmised that. A menu phrase I hate is “cooked to perfection,” but I have to say that the filet we received was as close to perfection as it’s possible to get. The shrimp, served over penne pasta with a spicy cream sauce containing peppers and spinach, were excellent.
But, as I mentioned earlier, what makes an evening at Cool River exceptional is the entire experience. It’s the professional attitude of the entire staff. It’s the opportunity to completely lose yourself to the evening with no jarring annoyances. No, you can’t afford to do this every night, nor should you. Something this special should never become ordinary.
Cool River Café, 8000 E. Belleview Ave. (Belleview Promenade), 303-771-4117
