Racines Restaurant: Denver Colorado

Racines Restaurant
Date Visited: 22-March-2010 for dinner
Location: 650 Sherman Street, Denver, Colorado 80203

OK, they don't use an apostrophe in their literature so apparently the same is "Racines" and not "Racine's" so no [sic] needed. Have to say, the place is beautiful with a brick storefront and a brick, wood, and brass interior. Had a bit of a wait to be seated (even though there wasn't anyone in front of me, just no host(ess) up front when I arrived but once I was seated service as prompt.

The menu is rather large with headings of appetizers, salads, pastas, sandwiches, "southwestern", "specialties" (mainly fish and one steak offering), "late breakfast", and dessert. With such a diverse offering I was hearing Gordon Ramsay's words of warning about the difficulties with an all-encompassing menu and quality so I asked the waiter for help. My dinner selection turned out to be their spicy chicken ziti described as "Grilled chicken tossed in a spicy tomato cream sauce with ziti pasta. Garnished with steamed broccoli" and a side salad with their ginger soy dressing. The wine list was not large but did a good job covering the basics with a smattering of some I had not heard of so to drink I selected a glass of the Di Majo Norante Sangiovese.

The wine arrived promptly with a smile and was quite enjoyable but I did encounter one of my pet peeves... it was room temperature. Now if we were dining alfresco it would have been fine since it was below 60 degrees but we're talking mid-70's temp. Wine, regardless of color, needs to be somewhat cool. A plus for the waiter for delivering a glass of water along with the alcohol.

The side salad arrived with a dinner roll and butter. Have to say, it was quite good with nice crisp lettuce, cucumbers, crispy croutons, a sprinkling of sesame seeds and a lovely dressing.

My chicken ziti arrived as advertised, a large portion with visible chunks of grilled chicken tossed in a fire roasted tomato cream sauce and two slices of toasted bread. The chicken was tender and moist and the flavors meshed well though I was expecting a little more kick due to the dish being named "spicy". The pasta was just on the verge of being overcooked, a little soft for my taste but the steamed broccoli was good with a little crunch left in them.

For dessert I had the Racines' brownie a la mode which comes in three options: original, German, or white chocolate. I chose the original chocolate option and experienced a lovely, rich warm chocolate brownie with creamy vanilla ice cream drizzled with a warm chocolate sauce. As much as I hated to leave food I couldn't eat it all.

The restaurant remained full during my 75 minute visit with lively but not overpowering din. People were obviously enjoying themselves without raising to the level of being obnoxious.

One interesting disconnect for me was the large flat screens over the bar. From my vantage point one television was showing CNN while the one next to it sports. The place didn't have the look nor the feel of a sports bar so I was a bit confused.

And now for the breakdown:

Location: C+ (Located on a small one-way, out of the way street)
Parking: A- (they have their own multi-tiered parking structure)
Atmosphere: B (eclectic, especially the bar; noisy but not too much so)
Service: B (slow at first, got better once seated)
Wine List: B- (small but something for everyone)
Drinks List: B+ (full service bar)
Overall Food Rating: B-
Staff Cuteness: B+ (very nice eye candy)
Staff Friendliness: B (nothing from the host, waiter made up for it)
Overall Experience: B
Would I Return? Yes