A rainy Saturday evening in May! What a great first night for trying new things!
For my first adventure, I went to
The Ale House. Located right at the base of the Lower Highlands, near the pedestrian bridge on 16th in downtown Denver, this restaurant offers traditional pub fair with some nice, foody touches.
If anyone has gone out with me before, especially to a burger joint, you are accustomed to my pickle obsession. I have learned that to get as many pickles as I actually want, I have to ask what kind of pickles a restaurant serves (i.e. spears, chips, etc.). When I asked this question of our waiter, Doogan, he informed me that they were "quarter-spears". I had no idea what this meant, so I asked for six. My table-mates teased me saying I probably needed to ask for six whole pickles and, as any great waiter should, Doogan offered to bring me twenty-four quarter-spears. Thankfully he didn't follow through with this. Instead, I got the six I requested, which was more than enough, a feat that few waiters are able to accomplish, making Doogan one of the best parts of the evening.
Other than this, I was most impressed by the view (amazing!), the music (just the right mix!) and the knock of statue of the David in the women's bathroom (nice!). Though the beer list is totally lost on me, it was quite extensive and
looked to have some nice local options as well as other interesting
choices.
Unfortunately, save for the proper pile of pickles on my plate, I can't say that I loved my meal. The burger was excellent, but my bun got soggy (my fault--I asked for a regular bun rather than the cibatta this sandwich is typically served on) and there was too much spinach for my taste. The fries were good and the berry sauce that accompanied my house-fried donuts was lovely, but the donuts had too much sugar on them.
Thankfully for the Ale House, I have a hard time judging a restaurant after only one meal (probably the reason I get stuck in ruts!), so I will likely return and stick to the more traditional pub fair, but not before I check another restaurant off my list.
One down; thirty two to go!
The Amato Burger on Whole Wheat Bun (half-pound burger, sauteed spinach, roasted red peppers and melted mozzarella) with Fries
