I am tempted to write a diatribe, but will spare myself the energy and the inevitable deaf ears. My girlfriend and I went for 5280 Restaurant Week. I've long heard about how wonderful Barolo is and thought this a good introduction to their wine and foodie fare.
And, the food was indeed wonderful. A simple selection of solid courses. I opted for the wine pairing--I didn't love all four, but no complaints. So, here's the rub. Our server was clearly not feeling the 5280 love. Haughty, abrupt, borderline hostile, and didn't even bother to explain the courses. It actually became somewhat comical by the final course--the food runner actually apologizing for our server's absence. I won't be back and it's given me a horrible "taste" for 5280.
I was at Barolo the other night for a romantic dinner. Â I have been there twice in the past (several years ago), and I remember it being very good. Â This experience did not live up to the expectations of my previous visits. Â I will tell you that my expectations were high based on the past, and also considering what they charge. Â The ambiance was a litte noisy, but very nice other than that. Â Good lighting and decor. Â Our server was a little pretentious, and did not do a very good job of answering our questions (about the wine or the food). Â I happen to know a fair amount about food and cooking, and it seemed that he did not understand some fairly simple questions. Â However, instead of acknowledging that, he attempted to answer as if he knew what I meant, but clearly he did not. Â In a restaurant of this caliber, I expect the servers to understand more from a culinary perspective. Â He was also very rushed, so that often he (or we) would be finishing a sentence as he would be running off. He did have his good moments, so the service was not terrible overall. Â As for the food, our appetizer was good (fried calamari, scallops and shrimp). Â The gnocchi with shellfish crema and lump crab (off the chef's tasting menu) was superb, and kudos to the server as he recommended it. Â The risotto with escargot and salsa verde was mediocre. Â The flavors were good, however a little strong. Â I enjoyed it, but almost sent it back because the risotto was CHEWY. Â I mean, really chewy. I was shocked that it was not cooked properly (and clearly not tasted in the kitchen), and did not send it back only because it tasted good enough otherwise. Â And my boyfriend helped with it, so I did not have to finish it on my own. Â That would not have happened. Â While I would consider going back just for that gnocchi, it is not likely. Â I am sorry to say that I won't be back any time soon.
Review Source:A celebratory and romantic night out was our goal on Friday night and I was pleasantly surprised when the car pulled up in front of Barolo Grill. Â
As Lindsey K. mentioned valet parking is a nice perk when dawning some high and hot heels and there is a chill in the air.
We had reservations and were seated immediately, after being ushered into the side dining room and quick ask to be in the main dining room and the request was quickly granted and we were brought into the main dining room.
This is a romantic and intimate restaurant that completely sets the mood for the evening. Â We started with a few cocktails, a Cosmo for me and a scotch for him, both equally delicious. Â We then spent quite sometime perusing the extensive wine menu, most of which is easily $100+ a bottle and ended up settling on a beautiful red recommended by our server, Adam. Â
I want to mention that we were definitely taking our time this evening and enjoying conversation and recounting the weeks activities so we were not in a rush to order. Â Our servers were respectful of this and we never felt rushed in the slightest during our entire evening. Â
There were complimentary bread sticks and a squash dip of some kind to start our meal, neither of which exciting in the least. Â The dip was under seasoned on so many levels and was underwhelming. Â Don't let this deter you from the rest of the meal.
Barolo offers a Chef Tasting menu for a prixe fixed price, as a bonus they also offer the items on the Tasting Menu a la carte as well if you don't want to participate in the entire Tasting Menu.
We opted for the Capponata di Baccala, tempura fried salt cod with agro dolce winter veggies from the Tasting Menu as an appetizer and this was outstanding. Â Cod was delectable and served with a simple vegetable hash that had a hint of sweetness that paired so perfectly with the salty cod. Â Every bite was ecstasy.
Based on the recommendation from our server who has fabulous knowledge of the menu we choose from the Insalate e Zuppa the Agrumi e Polpo which was winter citrus, octopus carpaccio, shaved fennel and watercress. Â I would normally never try octopus carpaccio but these days I'm of the opinion, "why not?". Â I'm so happy we tried this, I' in love with octopus carpaccio and may order this anytime I see it on a menu. Â Perfect thin disk slices of octopus topped with slivers of citrus, fennel and watercress. Â Flavor explosions happening in my mouth and taste buds dancing all around. Â One of the highlights of the meal for me. Â There was not a morsel left on the plate once we were done.
For our third course we ordered from the Primi Piatti, and based on another wonderful suggestion from Adam ordered the Agnolotti di Vitello, veal stuffed ravioli with espresso gelee, sage brown butter and parmigiano reggiano crisps. Â At first we were both a little stumped by the espresso gelee and if it would actually melt or not. Â Once we mixed it in with the pasta the flavor penetrated the tender veal stuffed ravioli making each bite better than the last. Â An expertly created dish with creativity and finesse. Â Five stars all the way.
We opted to skip another entree dish and go for dessert instead and both fell in love with the idea of Creme Brulee for two. Â This is served in a large flat tart like pan almost the size of a pie plate so each bite you have has that caramelized sugar crust that we all crave so much. Â We've all had the moment where we have eaten all the sugary crust and want for me. Â There is no wanting to be had here, each bite will have that crisp sugar crust. Â Accompanying dessert was some decadent port and heavenly cups of coffee that rounded out our celebratory evening.
I'm of the opinion that Barolo is a place where dreams can come true and food desires are realized. Â The best of the best is here in service, food, flavors, atmosphere, wine pairings, and so much more. Â THIS IS A DESTINATION FOR MAKING MEMORIES.
A group of friends met up at the Barolo Grill on Wed a couple weeks ago. Â Once we settled in we took a look at the wine menu, the list is quite long and many of the offerings were a touch on the pricey side. Â Our server was excellent in all aspects, beginning with helping us pick out something we'd all like but wouldn't break the bank. Â She made several suggestions and we settled on a very nice one from Italy that ran $50, it was so good we ended up killing off a few bottles.
My girlfriend and I decided to do our own tasting menu, so we ordered one item from each of the 4 sections of the menu. Â We started with the foie gras, it came with a couple of crustinis and was an awesomely decadent start to the meal. Â Next up was the roasted beet salad, which consisted of red and gold beets mixed with goat cheese. Â It was seriously good, just such a great combo of flavors!
For the primi we split a half order of the house made pasta in a rich meat sauce, it might've been the best thing all night. Â I kinda wished we got the full order so I could've taken home the leftovers for lunch the next day. Â For our secondi we went for the braised duck, which was outstanding. Â By braising you lose the crispiness of the duck skin, however it made for a nice juicy bird. Â The portion was huge, with both a breast and a leg. Â The weak links were the seasonal veggies and the roasted garlic potatoes, overdone and underseasoned. Â
For dessert we split some doughnuts that came with 3 types of fruit compotes. Â A great ending to a fantastic meal.
Two of the people with us got the chef's tasting menu, which all looked great. Â I might have to try that out next time. Â The overall vibe of the place was more casual than I thought it would be, and the service was top notch. Â Of course we'll be going back!
Wow what a meal. Â I can't find one thing to criticize.
From the minute we walked in the door the service was top notch. From the hostess, to the waitress, to the person filling our water glasses the service was fantastic. Â Everyone was so polite, helpful, knowledgeable, attentive and enthusiastic.
The menu has something for everyone. Â
I tried the brussel sprout salad and homemade thin pasta with meat sauce. Â The brussel sprout salad was so delicious. The pasta was spot on. They serve delicious rolls in addition to the bread sticks.
I tried bites of the pork medallions and the baked bass. The bass was my favorite dish on the table. Â We also got a side of brussel spouts.
I'm really impressed how everything was so uniformly delicious. Â There is not one bite that was mediocre.
Its not often that I can say, 5 stars for food and service. Â Given how wonderful and well executed the dishes were, this may be one of my new top favorite upscale restaurants in Denver. Â I'm really thoroughly impressed with this meal. The portions are also very generous.
Service from both the hostess and the waitress was friendly and efficient. Â My appetizer (beet salad) left a lot to be desired. Â I wouldn't recommend it. Â One of my friends had an amazing brussels sprouts appetizer, and I usually hate brussels sprouts. Â The grilled beef tenderloin was delicious. Â The ambiance is okay. Â The wine was above average, but it was way overpriced. Â The prices are atrocious. Â My bill for one appetizer, one entree, and one glass of wine with tax and tip was $73. Â Come on - this is Denver not LA. Â I've eaten here twice in four years, and I do not foresee returning anytime soon.
Review Source:Pretension personified. Â Food was a 4/5; however, attitude totally sucks the life out of this place. Â Plus it really counts as a strike when I know more about Italian wine and food than the waiter and sommelier. I think Luca D'Italia crushes this place in ambiance and service and the food is just as good.
Review Source:I absolutely love this restaurant! Â It is wonderful for special occasions. Â Everything is always delicious, the service has been great and the staff is super knowledgable and attentive. Â I loved the wine that I had one time I was there and the server went out of her way to write down the name of it for me. Â This is one of my favorite restaurants in Denver!
Review Source:I had heard good things about this place and went while I had family in from out of town. Bad idea! We had made a reservation and when we arrived were seated pretty promptly however from there the night only went downhill!
It took about 10+ min. for anyone to come by and just give us water. Then another 10 min for our actual waitress to come by so we could actually have someone take our order. Just to note it was not super busy just a fairly decent crowd in and our waitress really had like no personality, never apologized about the delay. Plus I watched as it took several min for to actually put the order in. Then she came back to the table to make sure she got our order right!!?!?!? There were only three people in my party, including me.
We got our appetizers pretty quick after the confirmed they were correct and those were good. However, then another 15 min AFTER we finished our appetizers did we get our actual meals which were definitely not worth the money! I had gnocchi which I had high hopes for but they were very dense and heavy, very disappointing. One other person got the duck which they said was good and another the tenderloin which was not consistently cooked med as requested and they added kale that seemed like they had done nothing to do it but boil it and so it was still really bitter. Plus the sauce was salty.
All in all a very disappointing experience! If the food had been really good all around I could forgive the bad service as a one off and try it again. Unfortunately, since the whole experience was bad I will not be going back!
Positively the most overrated 'Italian' restaurant in Denver. Having spent a great deal of time myself in northern Italy (and after numerous visits to Barolo, thinking I had just experienced an 'off' evening there), I still cannot determine what the owner believes is 'authentic' about Barolo. And to say Barolo is overpriced-- is an understatement. As my Italian clients mentioned recently, "if restaurants in Italy charged that much for that little-- restaurants in Italy would be experiecing their own financial crisis"
Common Barolo, just because Denver isn't the most sophisticated market---don't insult the customer with that food for those prices.
My recommendation is Pagliaccis!!!!
I had been wanting to go to Barolo Grill for years...so you can imagine how excited I was to finally check it out! Â The husband and I went with a couple of friends for 5280 week, and we all were very impressed.
The service is outstanding, which you would expect from a fancy place this... although not pretentious, which was great. Â The food was out of this world, especially the pasta dishes and the steak. Â They use the highest quality ingredients, and cook with care and love, which is reflected in the flavor of the dishes. Â They also have a killer wine list, and the staff is very knowledgable about what pairs well with their food.
This is absolutely on the top of my "special occasion" dinner options, and should be on yours as well!
"IN A WORLD, WHERE FOOD RULES!"..."ONLY ONE RESTAURANT STANDS ABOVE THE REST" BAROLO GRILL!!!!!!" Sorry for the dramatics, but it is true. This place is hands down the finest dining I have ever been to in Denver. I have been there multiple times, and each time it gets better. The wine selection is better than any other fine dining restaurant and the staff makes the perfect reccomendations every time. If you are out on a date and want to impress your lady friend, bring her to BG and ask for the table by the fire. You will be sure to get some action later in the night. This place is my highest recommended place in Denver.
Oh yeah forgot to tell you...order the Blackened duck, it will change your life.
Oh yeah PS you need to make a reservation, they don't allow walk in's.
Went Friday night. Â Afraid it would be crowded, so we waited until 900. Â Place was not empty, but not jammed....nice. You could hear each other but not the other tables. Â Food was fantastic. Â Our waiter (why can't I remember his name?) was fantastic. Â Knew the menu like he wrote it. Â He knew the wine list as well. Â I picked an inexpensive bottle, my dinner partnet thought it would not be good, so wanted a more expensive bottle. Â Waiter reassured him that my choice was very good.....and oh yes it was! Â Thanks for saving us a couple of bucks!! Â
He had veal, loved it. Â I had mushroom pasta..yum!
Spend a couple of bucks and have a nice experience and a good meal!!
Had a great 5280 week dinner here on March 7, 2012. Â We had a great selection across the menu and this certainly proved that this is a spot worthy of another visit on a more regular night and in the company of some of our friends from the burbs. Â I was certainly surprised to be able to book a table for 745P the same day and came with some trepidation, but that was misplaced --- have a feeling that this will be a spot that continues to catch on and will become evermore difficult to find a seat at popular times.
Don't take the 4 star rating as meaning there is anything less than top notch about the dining here and the staff. Â I am very stingy with 5 Stars and it would be about impossible to accomplish that during 5280 week given the circumstances they are dealing with. Â My observation is that even the best of places struggle with 5280 and it showed a bit here on a Wednesday night.
Another big shout out goes to the staff who noticed that I had left my wallet and called my cell before we were 5 minutes away. Â Certainly a relief to not have been all the way back to Centennial and discovered that had occurred.
Anyway on to food. Â I am not going to call out anything in particular beyond saying that we ordered across the entire 5280 menu, shared those choices and came away extremely pleased with the great variety of tastes we were able to experience. Â We also did the wine pairing which was fun since we do not typically drink Italian wines. Â All of them were a great match to the course being served and provided a great accompaniment to the food. Â
No doubt we will be back.  Good spot for a couple if you are looking for  a date night sort of place.  Can park on the streets nearby or use the valet. Â
Enjoy!
I came here for the first night of Denver Restaurant Week, 2012. Despite what I'm sure was a totally frantic evening (Saturday night; lots of new clientele; the usual madcap restaurant antics) the staff was amazing at keeping the place together. I commend everyone's' composure and professionalism here.
My girl friend and I arrived a bit early for our reservation hoping a table might open up sooner than later (our reservation was at 9:45 so who could blame us?). The hostesses obligingly took our coast and invited us to loiter around the bar area. We eventually snagged two bar seats and our drink orders were promptly taken, and we were given a glass of grissini loaves and some delicious vaguely cheesy dipping sauce. I had a flashback to being 10 and eating Handy-Snacks, except I don't think I was slurping down gin and tonics when I was 10.
Our table was a bit late in coming but the meal and staff made up for it. I didn't feel like we were being judged for ordering off the Denver Restaurant Week menu (something I have experienced at other places) and the courses chosen worked well together. My friend and I tried to each order different things. My first course was the proscuitto with little doughnuts. My friend got the mushroom and arugula salad. Both were unbelievable. GREAT way to start a meal. The proscuitto was not overly salty and very tender, no stringy or tough, and the salad, oh my god... I have to figure out how to make it with the crispy mushrooms and pronounced roasted garlic flavors. Wow. For second course my friend has pasta bolognese and I had risotto with pestos. Lovely presentation on mine; the risotto was creamy and the pestos were fresh and well mixed, and laid out to look vaguely like an Italian flag. Nicely done. My friend's pasta tasted freshly made and the bolognese sauce was meaty and not too acidic. The third course, where my friend and I both opted for short rib on polenta, was the only shortcoming. I do understand that making large quantities of the same dish can be a challenge, but compared to the quality of the other dishes I had to make a judgment. The cut of meat I received was at least 35% fat and that seemed excessive to me. The meat was not terrifically flavorful and tasted approximately like a roast I would have made at home. Having said that, the polenta was perfect: Creamy, not grainy, with a wonderful sauce surrounding it. The dessert was good though not memorable honestly. What DID make the dessert was when the gentleman who brought our plates forgot spoons. We asked about silverware and he said "Well, you traditionally just stick your face in it and eat it that way!" to which my friend and I threw our hands behind our backs and said to him, "Okay, can you time us?" He laughed heartily, then brought us spoons promptly. His good sense of humor made the place feel very "human" and gave a nice ending to a very good evening.
Perhaps I shouldn't expect 5280 fare to be representative of a restaurant's quality, but isn't that the point of Denver Restaurant Week? Â To attract new regular customers by impressing them with your elegantly prepared dishes?
I was disappointed with my choices from the tasting menu, but maybe this review can serve as a guide for people with 5280 reservations later this week.
First Course: I started with the Insalata di Funghi - a crimini mushroom and fig arugula salad. Â I found this fairly tasty, but felt they could have better accentuated the truffle oil flavor. Â My fiance had the Prosciutto con Gnoccho Fritto which was pretty decent, but nothing to call home about. Â My pick: the salad.
Second Course: I chose the Risotto con Pesto di Basilico. Â This was a very average risotto, served with a bit of pesto sauce and sun dried tomato sauce. Â The last risotto I ate was a winter risotto at Root Down that ruined me for other risottos, possibly for the rest of my life. Â By the way, I HIGHLY recommend any risotto at Root Down! My fiance chose the Tagliatelle al Bolognese. Â This was one of the best bolognese ragus I've tried! Â My pick: the tagliatelle.
Third Course: I chose the Salmone alla Griglia. Â This was the biggest disappointment of the night. Â I love salmon and feel it's a dish that is hard to mess up. Â My salmon was overcooked and dry (almost brittle) on the outside, and lacked any flavor other than that of a four-day-old piece of fish. Â The robust flavor of the pepperonata couldn't even salvage this dish. Â My fiance had the Brasato al Barolo and this was certainly best dish night. Â Tender, flavorfully braised short ribs paired with the perfect complementary sides. My pick: the short ribs.
Fourth Course: An expertly prepared vanilla bean panna cotta. Â This dish saved the night and I am not a dessert person. Â This panna cotta was absolutely fabulous.
Overall, I see potential in Barolo, but I can't pretend that I enjoyed my meal. Â On a positive note, the service was excellent- well timed, friendly, and not overbearing. Â I found it interesting that a restaurant with very reasonably priced menu items (~$30 entrees) would carry itself like a Mizuna, but it did.
We went here for our two year anniversary, after missing out on restaurant week deals for two years in a row. Â We had a reservation and were seated promptly by one of the nicest greeters in Denver. Â The restaurant space is a nice, classy but casual, dim but not dark, area. Â It really felt like a nice romantic atmosphere.
Our server was nice and personable and had great menu suggestions (seriously, I pretty much ordered everything he suggested). Â But, service was sloooow. Â Our guy was giving nice, personable service to so many other tables that it took a long time for him to stop by to get drink orders, then a long time to stop by and get food orders, then a long time to stop by and bring food to us, etc. Â Is being too personable a crime? Â I don't think we should ding the server for this - I think one or two more servers on the floor would have eliminated the problem.
But the food. Â My goodness, the food. Â Our waiter suggested we start with the Souffle di Formaggio. Â We did. Â It took forever to come out (we were eventually told that the first one deflated and he had to make another), but once it did everything was forgiven. Â It was cheesy and pillowy and sliced like butter. Â Barolo was on the verge of losing us before, but with this we were right back in it.
Tanya had the regular barolo salad, which was fine, but I, once again following our waiter's suggestion, had the BEST salad in recent memory, the Insalata di Funghi. Â All the mushrooms with the spinach and a fantastic mushroom aioli, different textures and temperatures... yes, yes yes.
Entrees, Tanya went with Plin ai Funghi e Fonduta, which is a fancy way to say mushroom ravioli. Â It was good, the black pasta stood out nicely against the creamy cheese sauce, and the mushroom flavor was strong. Â But I won again with the gnocchi, which was unlike any gnocchi I've ever had. Â I don't generally think of Italian food as being very complex, flavor-wise, but this was eye opening. Â The gnocchi was cheesy, the brussels sprouts were bitter, the potatoes and honey were sweet, and all together it was the best gnocchi I've ever had.
Dessert was a hazelnut brownie with hazelnut gelatto and hazelnut foam and some hazenuts. Â It was awesome, and the gelatto existed in some state between solid and liquid to the point where it almost just existed as a flavor and not so much a thing. Â We also had a truffle, which was meh for $3.50.
These folks have food down. Â It's awesome. Â I just wish the restaurant had staffed another server or two in order to make us feel like we were being taken care of consistently.
My family went here for an adult dinner out when my brother-in-law was visiting from Chicago. Â He wanted Italian and Barolo was recommended by one of my foodie coworkers. Â
I made the reservation without looking at the menu as I've grown accustomed to restaurants having gluten free options. Â Barolo had risotto. Â Only risotto. Â After reading recent reviews and really being disappointed in the single g/f option, I contemplated changing the restaurant.
But I didn't. Â And I ordered the risotto. Â And it was awesome. Â Other meals at my table were the scallops, butternut squash tortellini, and whatever Sparky ordered. Â The pace of the food and the ambiance of the restaurant were a wonderful break from most of our family meals (which involve two toddlers). Â Since we weren't rushing to eat before a child had a meltdown, we finished a bottle of wine, had an appetizer, and shared three desserts! Â
I can't remember the name of our waiter, despite the fact that he introduced himself three times, a source of amusement for me. Â And they also brought up a small tray of truffles for my brother-in-law's birthday.
So... Â I guess the only negative was watching everyone else eat the breadsticks while I waited for my risotto. Â It'd be awesome if there were more g/f options.
4th visit, 1st review. Â But, this visit proved to be nothing less than the three before...Amazing.
This is my mom's FAVORITE restaurant and we have celebrated her birthday here for the past three years. Â We also snuck in a visit between birthdays with visiting from out-of-town family. Â Josh has been a favorite waiter-and I actually called to request we were sat in his section, but because of a name mix-up, were taken care of by another of their great waitstaff. Â The hostess apologized profusely and later Josh came over to wish my mom a happy birthday.
The decor had changed since our last visit and I was excited to see they had added some great touches. Â We were also sat at the table right in front of their great fireplace--so nice. Â
After sharing a bottle of champagne, the food we ordered came in a bit of a blur. Â A geez-that's the best thing I have ever placed in my mouth-blur. Â Cheese souffle. Salad with butternut squash, apples and goat cheese. Scallops with a corn and prosciutto sauce. Freakin yum. Â
We finished the meal as we always do at Barolo, with their giant creme brulee. Â They makes theirs in a large, flat ramekin so that just about every bite comes with the burnt sugar. No running out halfway in!
This place is great, everytime. Â Best service, best food, now a new and improved atmosphere. Â See you next October, Barolo, if not sooner!
Hold on, let me put down my homemade chocolate truffle so I can type better. Though the half bottle of Pierre Peters Rose might also hinder my ability to type, so bear with me.
My husband and I had a beautiful dinner here this evening, with Josh as our server. I'm no slouch, but I love that they have a valet when I'm in heels, have done a long run and it's damn cold out. Off to a good start. Next came a quick seating followed by an equally expeditious serving of our pre-dinner cocktail.
First, we ordered the mussels, which came in a deliciously smoky, creamy saffron sauce with grilled crostini to soak up the brothy goodness. I ordered the squash off of the chef's tasting menu, but had it "big girl sized" for an entree. It was rich, but not overly so. I took about half home and will happily devour it tomorrow. My husband ordered the scallops and cleaned his plate. He was kind enough to share, so I can say, with some accuracy, that this dish is also notable. We would have ordered dessert there, but our babysitter had to leave at a certain hour. Pout. So, we opted to take 4 chocolate truffles home. They were/are amazing. I've posted a picture of our daughter with a chocolate beard. They had an awesome port, wine and champagne list, too. No Dow's '63 or anything, but a respectable offering.
5280 has Barolo Grill as one of the top 25 in the metro area. Â Absoultely. Â The meal was flawless, and beautiful. Â You could hang photos of our dinners at the Louvre, and people would love them. Â The pork tenderloin was addictive. Â The lamb, wonderfully done. Â
Not noisy. Â Our server, Jamie, was knowledgeable, attentive, and marvelously competent. Â
No kids. Â And I'm okay with that. Â Leave your kids with the babysitter, and enjoy your dinner. Â It's worth it.
Not kid friendly. Â There is no high chair, WTF.
Their bread condiment, tastes and looks like something out of the bottom of a port-a-potty. Â Can you say "Honey Wagon,"
The steak is not tender. Â It's ok, don't get me wrong. Â You might try the Cherry Creek Grill for a descent steak.
Had a great meal here this weekend Â
For appetizer had the Uovo Raviolo, english pea ravioli with sheep ricotta, egg yolk, cotechino & pea shoots. Â WOW, might be the best appetizer i have ever had. Â For main course i had the Brasato di Agnello, braised lamb shoulder, spring garlic gnocchi, baby carrots, english peas & braising jus. Â this also was very good . Â Their wine list was also excellent.
Overall a great experiance and i will return again.
I talked my house mate into grabbing some FABULOUS Italian food last night in honor of the 2 year anniversary of her Dad's passing. We were both tired, but decided it was a great excuse to not eat leftovers. Besides - her father was Italian and what better way to celebrate him and his *life* than to go for Italian?
Service was very professional and the wine list impressive. We shared the calamari app - cooked perfectly! Both of our dinners were perfectly done - I had the house salad and rabbit sausage risotto. She told the server why we were dining out this evening in passing conversation, and at the end of the meal the server brought us two chocolate truffles and two elegant little liquers with a single candle on the house.
I think her father would have approved. ;)
Barolo Grill.... always wanted to eat here, but have always been lured away by flashier menus. Having FINALLY dined here, I consider it one of my top restaurants in Denver without question.
So..this place isn't cutting edge (well...the wine is), but i think the ambiance is wonderful and the food is about the best you'll have in town.
I recommend the tasting menu along with the wine pairing. The combos are genius and the wine here is delicious and surprising....I thought I hated dessert wines, not anymore. The food really is tasty and well thought out.
I'd go here anytime, but it is best suited for special occasions
Very cool place.  It's warm and cozy in here.  The service is great.  The food is amazing.  We enjoyed the  Fritto Misto appetizer which consists of various lightly fried seafoods and a pesto sauce.  For my entrée, I thoroughly enjoyed some of the creamiest, richest risotto ever. This dish has now set the bar very high for me. I haven't had risotto since that even comes close!  Naturally, there is quite an extensive wine list, .which the servers help you navigate through and pair up what will best compliment your meal.  For dessert, Barolo has an in house pastry chef that is on top of his game.  Panna Cotta is one of my favorite Italian desserts and Barolo's is to die for. I think I left pounds heavier than I did when I walked in, but absolutely worth it!
I recommend Barolo for a romantic date night for you and the special someone.  I also recommend this for larger sized groups.  There is a wine cellar room that is very fun to dine in.  I was able to attend a talk at Barolo in this room and our service was top notch.  All  5courses were served as well as house wines.  Thank goodness that wasn't on my tab!
If you read through more than a few of the Yelp reviews of Barolo Grill you start to get a pretty accurate impression of the restaurant. Â The service is above average and the food is not as good as you'd hoped it would be. Â The restaurant definitely has its fans, but there are too many reviews here to ignore the truth.
I went with a group of seven and one of my fellow diners knew the chef. Â That meant that we were served a few appetizers and desserts on the house, and it meant that I was able to try more than a few dishes. Â I feel like I had enough variety to get an accurate impression.
There were breadsticks on the table when we sat down. Â Were we sharing them with tables before and after our visit? Â Who knew? Â I didn't try them.
We started with a small bit of pâté that was good but it seemed that everything had been plated quite awhile before we received it.  It was on the house, so it was excusable.  We also received a bit of salmon with a quail egg on top that was plated well but lacked seasoning.
I had ordered the Insalata di Autunno, an interesting salad with the option for additional shavings of truffle (I took them up on it). Â It was a fairly large salad, and it was very enjoyable. Â
They have an impressive list of wines, especially if you're buying by the bottle. Â I had a glass that I really enjoyed.
For dinner, I had the pork shank. Â Two other diners at my table had the same thing. Â Though one of the three of us finished their entree, two of us couldn't eat it. Â It was so salty it was almost inedible. Â Even the vegetables were too salty to eat, and I normally like salt on my vegetables. Â I ate about half of it before I gave up. Â The waiter took our half-eaten food away and no questions were asked. Â Admittedly, I didn't offer any feedback, either.
We were also treated to an array of desserts. Â The creme brulee wasn't really creme brulee, but that doesn't mean it wasn't good. Â Instead of the vanilla flavoring we're all used to, this one tasted exactly like toasted marshmallows. Â They also did it in a shallow dish, providing a higher ratio of the crispy yumminess than what you usually get. Â It was a big hit. Â The other desserts were good, but nothing really stood out.
Unfortunately, I can't say I enjoyed my dinner. Â The service was very good and we had a short visit from the owner (always a nice touch). Â If it wasn't for the food this would be one of my favorite places, but great service can't make up for less than stellar food. Â I wouldn't recommend this place for dinner, but it would be a great place for appetizers and wine.
Excellent! Â We went to this restaurant as a large group and sat in the private wine cellar room. Â The service from the start was amazing!!
We started the evening with some apps that were pre-ordered. Â The Calamari was over the top and the Speck con Ranano was mouth-watering!
I loved that they offer tasting portions pasta course. Â I enjoyed a tasting of a Gnocchi dish that left me wanting more...more...more! Â For my entree I took a chance on a duck entree with a tart cherry flavor. Â It was not necessarily the dish for me, the duck was a little dry, but it was very good.
Dessert left us absolutely full and happy. Â Hands down, Barolo Grill has the best Creme Brulee that I have ever eaten. Â I actually dream about it - joking! Â
I recommend this restaurant for your next special occasion dining experience. Â Everything from the wine to the dessert was great. Â I will definitely go back again.
Went for my birthday tonight so I wasn't paying. Â If I had been I'm not sure this would have been a 3 star event. Â It was definitely A-OK - more than that? Â Not so sure. Â For one thing, we were relegated to a side room off the main dining room, which, in the past was only used for overflow or private parties. Â I guess we were overflow.
Server was really nice and extremely on top of the menu and wine list. Â But, there were some LONG waits between courses. Â Turns out being seated in Siberia was a good thing because we could have a pleasant conversation during the lapses in service.
When we arrived at 6:45 pm they had already poured all of the Proseco by the glass that they were offering. Â Ended up with a rose which was quite good.
Dishes sampled - Bacalao, Frito Misto, and Roasted Tomato Soup for first courses - all good but nothing extraordinary.  The Frito Misto would have been so much better if it hadn't been totally overwhelmed by  some heavy tomato/caper sauce - really wiped out the crispiness of the seafood.
Followed by the Quail (excellent), the Risotto (terrible - sent back - the purple color alone was off-putting) and the Seafood in Brodo (boring to the max - no flavor whatsoever and the clams and mussels were miniscule).
Desserts were among the best offerings - a great creme brulee!
Great wines - a very memorable Bastianich  (as it should be at $120) - obscure grapes and a lovely match for our various entrees.
So, we had a great time. Â Was the food all that special? Â Not so much. Â They were slammed though so somebody loves something. Â Quite the scene. Â So, dinner for three in the "back room" was almost $500. Â Worth it? Â Not so sure.
Luckily I am a planner and made ressies for restaurant week at Barolo Grill weeks ago. Â I went here on Sat night to kick-off restaurant week..
This place is truly amazing...not just the food, but the service is always top notch (from the valet, to the hostess, to the server).
The bresaola, rissoto, tagliatelle, braised veal, and the flatiron was all awesome. Â I also chose the option to add wine pairings for $18 which I think turned out to be another great deal.
If you are fortunate to have reservations here in the next couple of weeks, I am confident that you are in for a treat!
The people next to us were doing a full tasting menu.....def something I would like to do in the future!
Barolo Grill's "Braised Duckling" was listed as a top 100 must eat in the city by Denver magazine, so I gave it a shot:
Rating: 5.5 (out of 10)
Price: Â $24
The Skinny: "Some people either love this dish or hate it" cautioned the waiter as I ordered their signature dish, the Braised Duckling. Â Although I can't say I hated it, I completely get the polarization. Â The baby duck is braised in a red wine and kalamata olive liquid, giving the outside of the bird a deep purple hue and making it taste awfully bitter. Â At half the price, it wouldn't crack my must-eat list, let alone at $24. Â Sure, I'll give credit that the duck was fairly tender, but I just couldn't get past the persistent jab of the outside flavor.
This is, however, not to downgrade the experience at the restaurant. Â The service was outstanding. Â Truly. Â Some of the nicest staff I've met of all of the restaurants on this list. Â And the food I had besides the duck was very, very good. Â I don't know why in the hell they draw attention to this dish with the word "signature" - they're better than this.
I've got a picture of it up on the blog in my profile
jko
This place is wonderful. I would recommend it as a perfect "occasion" dinner-spot as we went there for an anniversary dinner. The staff is painfully attentive as I must have said thank you to all the different people delivering and clearing 40 times during the evening. Plus I was high-fived by a bus boy after he (not my bf of course) convinced me to try the massive mushroom ravioli with duck egg in it. Go me I guess?! Â Haha.
My stuffed pork tenderloin was absolutely delectable. It was moist and sweet, stuffed with figs & golden raisins. The pancetta mashed potatoes didn't hurt either... also if you are there for an occasion they bring you the cutest little dessert treat, and let's just say there is a candle & chocolate truffles to be had (without any singing-thank god!). Mmm!
So yes this place is uppity and pricey, but worth it if you want a truly special evening. And if it's just the two of you, I suggest you ask for the 2-top in front of the fireplace, UBER-romantic.
Having only been here once I hesitated in giving this this place five stars because I like to reserve such a rating for my all-time favorite eateries, places I've come to enjoy as a sort of personal tradition. However, in the case of Barolo Grill I'm willing to make an exception and give them full marks under the assumption that I'll come back and be as utterly satisfied with any future dining adventures here.
The best way I can think of to describe the atmosphere of this place as I experienced it is through seemingly contradictory terms: lively but intimate, elegant yet relaxed. Though this place was very atypical  of the restaurants we frequent on a regular basis (read: "fancier"), my wife and I felt right at home here.
The food at Barolo was a collection of tasty indulgences. Their seasonal menu included a five course tasting meal with wine pairings that looked very tempting, but there were so many choices on the a la carte menu that sounded too good to pass up. Of the dishes we tried the stars of the meal were the "Crostata di Barbabietoli", which was beets (Yeah, I said it: beets. What's wrong with beets?) in a puff pastry with goat cheese and walnuts, the "Pappardelle con Modenese," a homemade pasta with an intensely rich ragu, and the "Tortina di Albicocca," which was apricot cobbler with a tangy buttermilk-honey ice cream. With dessert I enjoyed the best $2 cup of coffee I've ever had. Also, for chocolate lovers, the truffles are unbelievably satisfying.
My most favorable impression of this place was the quality of service in all aspects of our dining experience. The wait staff was very attentive but not to the point of intruding on the dinner conversation. Our server was outstanding. Â She was especially helpful when it came to navigating their exhaustive wine list (it was more of a book, really). Being wine novices in the extreme, we would have been completely lost without her in choosing a suitable bottle to accompany our dinner.
Impressive. This place was on it right from when valet opened the car door. I was dressed like a bum in jeans and a track jacket with no make up on and was treated graciously. (I hate it when I'm dressed super casual and get treated like a second class citizen, but this was not the case)
The service was excellent.
The wine list is not a list, it is a binder with approx. 50 pages of wine. I had the Chianti and it was good.
The meal was a salad, pasta, entree, then dessert. Everything was fantastic. I had a salmon with lentils, although that does not sound appetizing ( I can't remember the last time I ordered lentils ?! ) I ate every last morsel on my plate and I wasn't even that hungry. The only reason I ordered the full course dinner was because it was $52.80 week (26.40) per person and only $15 per additional person. What a great deal!
The place was packed with people, all of them were dressed up. The restaurant interior looks like it would be a little more casual. The decor on the inside is the typical Italian faux painted walls with fake ivy plants.
I will definitely try it again, I left very full and happy.
Thumbs up! Five Stars for Barolo Grill.
I made the reservation earlier in the week and they only had early (5:30) and late (8:30) seatings open. I opted for the early time and it proved to be a good choice as the restaurant slowly filled up. I requested a table on the periphery of the room and we received a great table between the fireplace and front window in the corner.
The service was excellent. Our waiter explained the menu and gave us the option of "smaller" plates to sample the salads or pastas without "committing" to a full entree. We started the meal with the fried calamari, shrimp and scallops with harissa mayonnaise (not my favorite, but my son likes calamari.) It was very good without being too overly breaded or fried.
Upon the recommendation of our waiter, my husband chose the beef shortribs with sweet potato puree & caramelized onions. It was the best dish of all three. I had the grouper with couscous & chanterelle mushrooms. My son ordered the green spaghetti with seafood sausage, which was probably the weakest dish of all three (although it was still very good.)
I was worried about blowing too much money on wine except they have wine by the glass starting in the $8-12 range which fits my budget. Dessert was chocolate gelato with a raspberry sauce and a plate of (4) petit-fours. Â Merangue stars were nice touch as their version of an "after dinner mint."
Five stars for remembering it was my husband's birthday when they took the dinner reservation. Our waiter brought him a "special plate" with a chocolate truffle and "mini" wine glass filled with cranberry juice and ginger ale - Kudos to our waiter for taking the hint when I asked about NAs for my husband when he asked for our beverage order, The after dinner port was also within my price range ($12.)
Sure, I overtipped but my family got the 1st-class treatment from beginning to end. This was a meal to remember.
I kind of got the idea people weren't too excited too see us, despite valiant efforts.
I went here on a "date" with my kid and even though I know they made a desperate attempt to be friendly, I still kind of felt there was a sub-text to the entire meal.
"Welcome to Barolo, would you like a booster(translation: we don't have high chairs so this would be an excellent time for you to leave)."
"May I take your bread sticks away(our precious breadsticks are being inhaled by your child, we are not a breadstick factory I might add)"
"Can I wrap your dinner?(ok, already. time for you to GO! Â I don't care if you've only finished half of your entree).
Food was ok, but I was not impressed. Â Recommended Barolo salad was lettuce with balsamic. Â Snooze. Â My entree was scallops on a bready veggie bed and you know, the scallops were cooked fine I guess but could have used some browning. Â Service was very attentive, though I couldn't catch a word from my over-rehearsed server's mouth. Â And he never did mention the specials to me(us).
There were a lot of people very dressed up and maybe in their mid-fifities. Â So I'd say, if you want to dust off your Blahnik's and mink throw and have a decent yet generously priced meal this just might be your place. Â Just don't bring your kid.
Definitely as good as it gets.
My husband and I went last night. Â The service was superb (receipt said the server's name was Josh), and the food was exquisite.
I had the tasting menu.  The goat cheese soufflé; beet carpaccio with toasted hazelnuts, gorgonzola, mascarpone & crispy leeks; and chestnut pappardelle with roasted pheasant & green lentils were all DELICIOUS.  The pan-seared diver scallops with puree of tuscan white beans & braised mixing greens was "lick the plate" delicious.
The peach cobbler with vanilla gelato was very good. Â If you want the best peach cobbler on the planet, try Ina Garten's (Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network) recipe for peach and raspberry crisp.
My husband had the mushroom soup and the beef with peppercorn demi-glace, both of which he loved.
I was happy to hear they do half orders of the salads and pastas so you can make your own tasting menu if you want.
This place was simply perfect last night!
Very good if a little pricey. The best part of a meal here is the knowledgeable staff, which they go to a lot of expense to ensure. Every year the restaurant closes down and takes every one of the restaurant staff to Northern Italy.
We had the tasting menu, which ranges about $50-$60 without wine pairing, and $90-$100 with (but there were more moderately a la carte items on the menu.) I would suggest splurging for the wine pairing and sharing. The pairing was spot on.
Although the food was very good, I think Vita is better. I'm glad that I went, but if I'm going to splurge on another Italian meal, I'll go to Vita.
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