This place is always such a treat.
My boyfriend and I went here the other night as a special outing. Â We weren't disappointed! Â The sugar steak was huge and juicy. Â My porterhouse pork chop was divine. Â I love a joint that offers you variations of potatoes to accompany your meal (I mean, it's obvious you'll go for the twice baked potato but it is nice to have options). Â Our fancy drinks were delicious and hit the spot. Â I love the retro feel of the restaurant and the music--there was live music the last time I visited and that made it extra special. Â The service did not stand out at all but all of our orders arrived in a timely manner so there's no real room for complaints there.
This place is a Denver classic, plain and simple. I adore it!
Great food, in an old-school, very intimate atmosphere in the dining room. I grew up in Michigan and I feel like I'm back home every time I walk in and strike up a conversation with one of the servers.
If you're looking for a premium, sophisticated steak experience, go somewhere else. But if you want a family-run place with great food and that treats you like family, come to Bastien's.
One other big plus is that even last-minute on a Friday or Saturday you can go to Bastien's, find parking and get seated pretty much immediately.
Eight of us ate here last week. Â It was busy but were able to get a table in a few minutes. Â Food was a definite 4 stars. Â Prices were reasonable, very reasonable with a living social. Â Loved the atmosphere and Frank Sinatra music. Â will be going back after restaurant weeks are over. Â
A gem on Colfax!
LOVE THIS PLACE! I live in the neighborhood and have been passing by this place for years. I always thought it looked scary.... One day we just decided to try it out and I'm so glad we did! We had the Sugar Steak and let me tell you....it's awesome! No joke! For those who are complaining about the price - I don't think that $20 for a complete steak meal is that bad. Maybe they're used to buying subpar steaks from Applebees? Ewww! I think the place is great. It's old, but who cares? It's good!!!! Don't let the building deter you. You should go in and try it out....trust me on this one!
Review Source:Wow, like another Yelper reviewed, nothing can go wrong at this classy steakhouse! We were doubtful before going in because of its location and what it looks on the outside. But all that feeling was washed out as soon as we crossed the bar and stepped inside the main dining area. It has that classic 50's feel to it with the way the lighting goes and a beautiful Marilyn Monroe portrait. And I immediately regreted not dressing up!
The ambience is classy in a down-to-earth way, you feel ok taking the time to review the menu, making your best choice and waiting for the food. Nobody talks loud in here but you don't need to whisper either. It feels I can finally have a relaxing dinner. First came the breadsticks and we must have been too hungry because we forgot to take a picture of it! Next came the house salad, probably one of the best house salads I've had!
Next time I dine here I'll probably skip the Lobster-Spinach Gnocchi, not that it wasn't good, but it's quite a rich and filling dish, you want to save room for better stuff, such as the Sugar Steak. Oh My God! At first I thought it was quite expensive but that thought disappeared as soon as I had a first bite. To coat your steak with sugar sounds as crazy as rubbing coffee on it, but now I can totally see how the caramelization works wonders! This would be one of those steakhouses good enough to take my parents to!
It took us a while to decide on dessert, but how could you not order "Better Than Sex Chocolate Cake" when it's got a name like that? Now I'm not sure it truly is, but the slice of cake was huge, both looked and tasted very chocolaty, and was warm and perfect when paired with the scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Service was top notch, so proud to say I have nothing to say againt Bastien's!
My husband had the filet and I had the sugar steak. Both were delicious! I normally don't like anything but a filet but the sugar steak was tender and delicious! They don't have anything on tap but have a lot of cocktail options. It's definitely a "dive" but it's still cool and priced great for what you get.
Review Source:just tripped over another Bastiens review and prompted me to write one. My wife and I went early evening last week and place was pretty empty at 6PM and got busier within the hour. Â Everything was great especially the steaks. The ambience was so welcome, warm, and mostly relaxing. Â Our server was great with his many tats. Â We had a glass of red wine and had the black and tan and the filet. Â I had the mashed and wife had the twice-baked and they were great. Â Entres came with two chunks of zucchini, string beans that were sauted in a light butter sauce and al dente. Â My filet was bacon wrapped, tender, and medium rare and delicious. Â The black and tan was delicious too with a mushroom sauce. The Frank Sinatraesque music went with the copper blinds, circular ski chalet building, and Rat Pack photos. Â Parking the fat Escalade (dont hate me cause the seats are comfy) was a breeze with wide parking spots.
We took a fair bit home and avoided dessert cause we were full. We did have real espresso however and it was served perfectly, white cup, saucer, lemon rind, and sugar cube. Â Only a mob hit at a far away table would have made it better. Â This was our third visit within the year. Oh yes all this for $89 all-in. Oh and you better bring the eye candy because there are no dream girls in fishnets serving your meal LOL
Gah, this place looks so divey on the outside that I was sure I was going to fall in love with it but fall in love I did not.
We went here last week because of my Living Social deal that was expiring. We went pretty early around 6pm or so and besides two other tables in our area, the place was empty. We walked through the bar area and it looks like a dive bar complete with neon lights, shabby décor and such and I love that! Once you get to the dining area, it's a bit more classed up but looks like it belongs in 1960's Vegas or an old mob bosses house--very dated and odd. We sat in the area right behind the hostess and it was intimate and had a mellow feel to it. Once we sat down our server greeted us and she was terrific throughout the whole thing but she didn't look like she was prepared for work. Her hair looked like she just rolled out of bed and I expected a neater appearance at an expensive place. Petty yes but that's just me having worked in the restaurant industry for a number of years.
To get the most out of our $40 Living Social deal we shared the Risotto Fritter appetizer which is basically fried risotto balls. While I love anything fried, it was good but didn't have any spices or real flavor to it like I was expecting. Also, on the menu it said it's server with marinara and we received another kind of sauce that I can't still tell what the flavor was. We split the Black and Tan steak and each got a full size salad and side (split plate charge is $7), they had a pecan vinaigrette dressing which was absolutely delightful. Besides that the salad wasn't anything really special so it made it pop big time. We got the steak and I had the garlic cheddar mashed potato of the day and just like the risotto fritters, it lacked flavor. I couldn't tell if that there was either garlic or cheddar and had to season it myself. The steak was cooked to order and the gorgonzola reduction it came with was amazing.
The service was great but food was really hit or miss. Our bill came to about $54 then we applied $40 from the Living Social which I paid $20 for. Still not worth it in my opinion and walking out, I just wasn't wowed although nothing was completely horrible. I'm a numbers girl so I'd say if you're going to spend some cash, go elsewhere where the price to value is a better deal.
This place is great!! Everything was cook perfect! We had The  Devils riding Bareback for an appetizer next with a grilled Caesar salad and blue cheese wedge both were so good. Then the steaks came out. The 10 oz Sugar steak was cooked a med rare. It was so juicy and I just could not stop eating it but so glad I did because then we order a cherry pie with ice cream. The server was very good and we for sure will be heading back :)
Review Source:Ok I think that I have reviewed Bastien's once but had to do it again. This place is an old school steak house that has it right. The service is great and the design/feel of the restaurant is probably one of my favorite in Denver. This old school almost mafia inside has wicker that seperates the two levels of dining floor which I think is perfect alongside the Marolyne pictures up and the piano when you walk in.
As to the food the steaks area obviously great. Unfortunate that they took off one of my favorite dishes in the Steak David or is it the Steak Oscar...I forget...whichever one has lobster on top. That steak was amazing. Also just a heads up I would highly reccommend steaks that have sauces as the aged steaks can be on the drier side and the sauces are amazing. Have tried the sugar steak and is good but I like their other steaks more (but that is personal preference almost have to try a sugar steak just to say you have had it too).
Walking into this place is like going back in time to the 50's or 60's. From the retro neon sign out front to its round construction, interior decor, lighting and the fact that you can hear Sinatra being played as opposed to modern day mainstream; it all adds up to a unique and very individual sense of charm. If I were to search for another place like this, I would expect to find it in the older parts of Las Vegas off the strip or in Atlantic City.
While I've yet to consume their trademark Sugar Steak, the yardstick upon which I measure any steak house is how they execute  Rib Eye and Prime Rib before I see the value of further exploration into a menu which may (or may not) list trendy dishes or other fare reputed to have seduced the locals and regulars. Sticking with the fundamentals, my wife and I agree that these people definitely know how to cook steaks and other fine cuts of meat to order. Overall, the food here is excellent and the twice baked potatoes are but one example of the things on their menu I would endorse as arguably the best anywhere
Sadly, the talent and execution of the kitchen staff was negated by the lackluster, non-performance of the wait staff. It took entirely too long to be seated in view of a relatively early arrival and small crowd- which was mostly concentrated in the bar area, took entirely too long to be seen, have orders taken, etc. The near deal breaker was the handling of the check- a full 2 hours after we arrived, and I basically had to walk to the server prep area and influence the situation so we could pay, get out and go about our agenda for what was left of the evening. Â
As the crowd gradually grew larger to a more average size for a Friday night, the meanderings and carrying on demonstrated by the servers while still managing to avoid passing through our piece of real estate in the dining room throughout the evening conspired to crush any tact I began this experience with. I realize it could've been an off night; perhaps more experienced servers and management had called in sick. Whatever the reason, that is thier reality. It is not however, my reality when I'm expected to pay higher than average prices. It occurred to me that we could've skated out of there without paying the bill. Â
It is my understanding that this establishment had been in business for decades. For this to be true- something certainly has to work right, but our last visit illustrated that the only substantial measurement of pride came from the kitchen. I had a very tough time justifying the par 15% gratuity otherwise.
This is local favorite of mine with a very intimate vintage 1930's atmosphere.
It's the perfect place for a happy hour drink & appetizer, an adult dinner with friends, Â or just an intimate evening for those needing to share a quiet, romantic space! (If your looking for a busy social atmosphere with lots of flashy lights and accommodations fitting a 5year old child may I suggest somewhere else!)
Although Bastien's is known for it's famous sugar steak, I almost always find myself dreaming of the appetizers and the desserts and more often than not, feeling the craving need to stop in even if I only have time for a happy hour cocktail and those two things! (The perfect trio!)
I love the cozy atmosphere, I recommend sitting next to the one you love (not across from) and enjoying the following three things in addition to ANYTHING on the desert menu! You won't be disappointed!
Devils Riding Bareback - Jalapenos stuffed with shrimp and cheese. I love the combination of ingredients and the fact that it always comes out bubbling! These little babies are AWESOME! Â
The Mussels - as a meal for one or an appetizer for 3 - 4 people, these come out fresh, served in a huge bowl with white wine sauce, fresh tomatoes and bread. and foe me these ALWAYS hit the spot!
The Stuffed Mushrooms - great texture and flavor and again enjoy the mixture of ingredients and the fact that it comes out hot and bubbling!
ENJOY!!!
Not bad, but not great. For what we paid I would have expected a lot more. It is in serious need of updating. I like old places. Slapping a bunch of crap on the wall does not make you cool. The sugar steak was ok. More of a gimic rather than a taste revolution. I ready a bunch about people raving on the twice baked potato. I could make it at home. Don't think we will be rushing back.
Review Source:We have been to Bastiens once before, so we decided to try again. Sad to say it was not very good. The atmosphere is very worn, as if they were still trying to be Toots Shore in NYC. Never mind that Toots place disappeared before the 70s. We sat at the bar and were lucky to do so. Â The bar service was friendly, but the delivery was way slow. The staff looked like they were out of sorts.
The food was okay, but not at those prices. When you pay $25 for a steak, it should be awesome. Far from it. And what's up with the raw vegetables on the main dish? Steamer out of order?
When we left, we both joked how this would be a great candidate for Restaurant Impossible. Except its no joke!
My husband and I finally went to Bastien's to use a Living Social deal that we had purchased earlier this year. Â This is after having tried to go several months ago without a reservation on a Friday night. Â We tried to wait a table - were told it would be 20 minutes - and after 40 minutes we left. Â This was after dropping $25 at the bar for two drinks. Â But I digress. Â The host that evening could not have been any ruder. Â We were really taken aback by his attitude.
We finally made it to Bastien's and overall, we were disappointed. Â Service was still eh. Â The service was SLOW. Â We got there on the early side (5:45 pm) so we were a little baffled at the amount of time it took to get our salads and then steaks.
We both got their signature steak and it was good. Â Not great but good. Â I had the twice baked potato which was good; my husband ordered french fries which were served undercooked. Â They very nicely replaced the fries with mashed potatoes. Â To me, they tasted like they were from a box. Â I really hope they aren't from a box because that would be just plain pathetic.
My husband summed up our experience on the way home when he said "I am glad we got that out of the way."
First of all, Bastien's is NOT "retro"--it's VINTAGE. Â Retro is fake vintage, people. Â This place actually IS old.
Anyway, I got the 20-ounce porterhouse, medium, and it came out medium on the edges, medium rare a bit further toward the center, rare a bit further toward the bone, and pretty much seriously raw right at the bone. Â That was a bit unexpected, but it was great anyway. Â The salad was good, and my sweet potato fries were excellent, though a bit underseasoned.
I had a bread pudding and the fried cherry pie for dessert, and the cherry pie was clearly the winner. Â I mean, it was actually sizzling on an iron plate in a pool of boiling butter! Â Come ON! Â Yes! Â The bread pudding, on the other hand, was very bland, but not bad, especially when I put some of my vanilla ice cream on it that was on my pie.
Service was great, and it was overall a fun experience.
What's been around since 1937, and still is holding it's own?
Bastiens Restaurant!
What I really like is their Fried Chicken, down home Fried Chicken! You know those times when you need some really good comfort food? You know what I mean. Well, Bastien's is the place to go!
Steaks - their sugar steak is excellent!
They also have hamburgers, fish, salads, and wonderful desserts.
It's all good, no kidding!
Their bread "twigs," are excellent too. These are on each table, in a small vase, and they look like part of the decorations. You are given butter to dip them in, and there are flavored butters too. Â Very, very good, and very addictive.
The atmosphere goes back to the 50's and the Rat Pack. Â Wonderful music playing in the background. Â The shape is unique, an octagon, and it's just a nice place to be. The bar is also a nice place to relax., watch a game on the tv, and just veg out.
Go try it out, but bring your credit card, as it's a bit pricey, but worth it.
Nostalgia, good food, and good times. You can't go wrong!
We went for a later dinner (8pm) on a Wednesday night. Â There were only a few other tables dining at the same time. Â The restaurant was neat & spotless. Â This is not a trendy LoDo restaurant. Â Its low key and well established (since 1937!). Â We found the atmosphere welcoming & very comfortable. Â Â
We had the sugar steak & chicken saltimbocca. Â Both were flavorful & delicious. Â Our salads were fresh and weren't drowned in dressing. Â They had a long list of delicious sounding salad dressings- strawberry vinaigrette & honey dijon were yummy!! Â A pleasant surprise was how fresh & perfectly steamed the veggies were that we ordered instead of potatoes. Â I've found this substitution to be surprisingly difficult to find at times. Â
There were many other items on the menu we would like to try. Â We live near by & definitely will return for a nice alternative to the latest "in vogue" hot spots. Â There are many reasons this place has endured!
This place makes me want to wear my nicest shark skin suit and fedora invite Frank, Sammy and Dino, and go out to have a swinging good time with some pretty dames.
Seriously, this place is untouched from the Rat Pack era. And that's what I love about it.
Totally old school steakhouse experience. Try the sugar steak and was it down with a martini...it's great.
Yummmm. Â Still thinking about my fabulous dinner at Bastien's. Â My soon-to-be father-in-law came to visit for the weekend and we decided to try the "Sugar Steak" place we always drive by on Colfax. I am so glad we did.
I enjoyed everything about this meal. The drinks, salad, appetizer, side dish, and entree were executed perfectly.  The drinks were über strong. I was way tipsy before the salads arrived. We started with the Devils Riding Bareback. Man, these guys were delightful. They carried a nice amount of heat from the fresh jalapeños which accompanied the cheese and shrimp perfectly. It was excellent. I will definitely be getting these again when I return.
The salads were great. My fiancé ordered the grilled Caesar salad and it was unique and delicious. My salad was fresh and had a delicious bleu cheese dressing that tasted homemade.  Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not ordering the sugar steak and instead got a rib-eye. While it was delicious, the sugar steak was definitely the show-stopper here. Both my fiancé and his father ordered it and shared it with me. It was fabulous. Their method of cooking the sugar steak truly created a juicy, flavorful, exquisite steak. It was amazing how the sugar coating really locked in the juices.  I would never order a rib eye from this place again.  Their specialty is definitely the sugar steak. Â
I can't forget the twice baked potatoes. Â They are phenomenal. Â I would rank them up there next to my own 'not-so-famous (but should be)' twice baked potatoes. Â I have extremely high standards when it comes to twice baked potatoes (they are my favorite food), so trust me when I say that these were excellent.
Overall, I loved my meal at Bastien's. They are a very unique steak restaurant with so many menu options. Their menu was so innovative and different. I am looking forward to returning and trying some of their other flavorful steak combinations (jalapeno and bacon). Â Until next time...
It must be first noted and explained that the food is pretty darn good at Bastien's.
I went with the sugar steak and I was very impressed with the salty sweetness of each tender bite. The lobster-spinach gnocchi was really good too. The drinks weren't bad either but........Bastien's you're in denial.
Bastien's yes, you have great food, but let's be real you're a notch down from fine dining and your prices don't reflect that based on service and cleanliness.
Service wise, everyone seemed tired and uninterested at first. It's like they had to warm up to us. It just comes with the territory I suppose, seeing as how this is an old restaurant and most of the staff is too. Can't use that as an excuse though. It's cool that your place is weathered and genuinely retro but that's not a selling point if the service has no passion in it.
The next reason is the cleanliness. The plates were dirty. No need to sugar coat it. When you're served on a dirty plate, you start to question the cleanliness of everything else too. That's unnerving to say the least.
So for you to truly enjoy Bastien's, you will need to come to terms with the fact that you are paying the same amount here that you would at a more polished restaurant. You will enjoy your food, maybe even more than those polished places, but you may have to temper your expectations otherwise.
So would I come back? Yeah I'd go back, but I'd skip straight to the steak, eat it at the bar with a bottled beer and call it a night. Rough review for a 4 star place, but the steak is that good.
Of Note: We sat on the patio and a homeless guy walked up to the fence asking for money for McDonalds. I told him I'd pay for him to eat dinner at Bastien's and that that was the only deal I'd offer. He accepted. I told the waitress to add a steak dinner to my bill and instead she offered the guy a seat at the bar and fed him on the house. Very interesting how that worked out.
I've driven past Bastien's for years, and after some people from work recommended it, I decided to finally give it a shot.
Since it was my and the person I was with first first time there we decided to share our steaks. We agreed to order a 10 oz. sugar steak and 10 oz. "Black and Tan style" steaks with twice baked potatoes.
First off, we had the grilled Caesar salad, which was hands down the best Caesar salad I've ever had!!! However, the steaks were somewhat flavorless and overcooked (we ordered medium rare and got medium well). The twice baked potatoes were nice but not amazing. For dessert we ordered the peach pie which I though was pretty good. Finally, I ordered an Arnold Palmer, which tasted really good but was full of lemon rinds - I don't particularly enjoy chewing my drink.
Even though the Caesar salad was amazing (!!!), the rest of the food was just alright and didn't justify the $100 dollars we wound up paying! The steaks were way overpriced and I didn't feel they were all that better than something you can get at Outback or Texas Roadhouse.
I may be back at some point, but not likely...
I LOVE THIS RESTAURANT AND I PLAN TO COME HERE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE BEFORE I MOVE.
I'm not sure why but I've always wanted to try this place. It's funny, because this is a place that I probably would have HATED when I was younger (bear in mind, my passion for steak is a fairly recent development). It just looks like one of those places where old people come to eat before they die. And for some reason, that's really cool to me now. I see that their retro look is part of their attraction, and damn... it really works. They nailed it. It's retro without trying- not retro in that 'Im gonna make this restaurant look retro because retro is cool' way, instead it's retro in the 'our produce is teh bomb and we dont need to change because we're awesome and we know it' type of way.
Anyhow, on to the food. I ordered the sugar steak, with their soup of the day (cheddar broccoli with steak), double-baked potato and a glass of malbec. Â It was served beautifully, and absolutely delicious. The sugar steak has a nice, uniquely barbecueish flavor to it. The broccoli was PERFECTLY cooked- just a little crisp with a deliciously fresh flavor. The soup warmed my toes- it was just a little tiny bit spicy, and the cheddar tasted like someone had JUST trucked it in from Wisconsin. I've never had a twice-baked potato before, but I'm a fan now, baby!! And the steak... the steak, the steak, the steak. I asked for it rare, they gave it to me rare, with a perfectly light crisp sear. It was exactly what I wanted and it made me smile like an idiot. The malbec was a perfect companion- the dryness of the wine went with the sweetness of the steak perfectly.
Their breadsticks are really good, too. Thin, crisp, and they come with some kind of really tasty spread that I couldn't identify, but I wanted to slather it all over my arms and fly to the moon.
They have quite the selection, and I'd really like to try more of the steaks. I'll be coming back to try out the other steaks and whatnot.
So after my dinner I went inside to sit at the bar for a martini with my book. Chatted with the bartender for awhile, and had a really nice time.
This place has everything that I want- excellent service, excellent food, excellent selections, pleasant staff, retro-chic, good prices... I can't say enough about it. Honestly.
I am at a temporary loss for words which I mainly attribute to my food coma. Holy cow.... ( haaa get it?) OK, so I have passed this place on Colfax a gazillion times, tonight, was my night to stop in. LUCKY LUCKY LUCKY ME !!!
Service was top notch, personable, kind and informative, not to mention proud of this family business. I dig this a lot. The atmosphere was also neato, daddio, and we all felt comfortable, especially my mom... and that's one hard egg to crack. Mary our server was the best. She knows what she's doing and does it damn well.
OK now onto the sinful, you may wanna send your kids outta the room part now.... My sugar steak? Insane. It was like biting into perfectly sweet flavored, robust, tender and heaven sent steak. IT WAS AMAZING!! Jessie had the Steak David and I nearly had to resusitate her as it was unreal on so many levels. Sammie had the Talapia with this lemon butter sauce and shrimp... sweet heavenly father, It was delicious. Mom and auntie had the prime rib and no complaints from them at the time. This happens as often as a comet sighting. Needless to say much more.
This place is lovely, no wonder they've been around since 1937. I love local, family places, and ones that rendered me as happy as I was tonight? Even better...
Steak, steak, steak, steak. (Imagine me at the kitchen table with a bib, and knife and fork in hand.) That's how I feel about steak. I love it. When I want to cook for myself - and this generally only happens a few times a year, now - I love a perfectly seasoned grilled steak and veggies.
Bastien's has been on my to-visit list for simply ages. I was saddened to have missed the old Yelp book club meeting there quite a ways back, but was happy to have an excuse to take Farrah A, the lovely CM for Yelp Houston, last night after the Yelp Elite party. And it was restaurant week, score!
I have to say this place delivers on kitschy, comfortable atmosphere. Classic tunes piped in, romantical white lights all over the restaurant, posters of Marilyn Monroe on the wall. It reminded me of going out to dinner with my grandpa when I was a kid.
And that's kind of how the meal was as well. Our server was prompt and attentive - although the restaurant week offerings were a little hard to decipher at first, so we ended up just ordering off the menu - and the food was good. Just good. My side salad had canned peas and those little crunchy bits that I at first thought were cheese. Also, if you ask for balsamic dressing, it will just be balsamic vinegar, which I thought was a little odd because it's super easy to whip that up with some oil to make a basic dressing. The sugar steak and twice-baked potatoes were tasty, and it was the pile of veggies on the side that really reminded me of my grandpa - green beans, wax beans, carrots, broccoli, and a lovely little (hibiscus?) flower.
After dinner we adjourned to the bar area to have dessert. I can highly recommend the skillet pies, which I'd never heard of before until last night. Apple pie is my favorite creation on earth, and seeing it served on a sizzling hotplate covered with vanilla ice cream and a brandy-butter concoction was enough to stop my heart. Literally and figuratively.
Anyway, I will definitely come back to Bastien's, but probably not for a full-fledged meal. I love the divey feel of the bar, they have a respectable specialty drinks menu (lots of martinis and cosmos to choose from), and as mentioned - those desserts are not to be missed. Great place to hang with your peeps.
Bastien's helped me with my month-long craving for a giant wedge salad. Hallelujah!
We came here in hopes of checking out their Restaurant Week offerings. But what they were offering was confusing and kinda wonky, so we both decided on their signature 10oz sugar steak, side of veggies, choice of twice-baked potato or mashers topped with brown gravy. Tough call, but either way you go is a safe bet. Instead of the house salad, I obviously subbed the wedge salad with no regrets. Well, I will later when I can't fit into my jeans, but that's another story.
I had to skip out on dessert, and it was excruciating watching Laura nosh on her apple pie a la mode with butter sauce poured over the sizzling platter - like fajitas! What in the ham sammich? That just ain't right...
Service was great, ambiance was fun... I've never seen a steakhouse like this one: cute, divey, Christmas lights dangling about, neon bar signs. It's an adorable little date spot for steak lovers without "overdoing it." I recommend.
OK...I tried it twice. Â Been drving past it for 20 years and figured I had better check it out.
Yeah, the "sugar steak" is decent...but certainly not anything amazing...a fair cut of meat where the sugar allows for a better exterior darkening than basic...especially if you're not using today's killer grill/broiling technology (which NO way this place could afford).
Here's the deal...I took my son for a "lower end but good" steak dinner. Â After needing to be re-seated as the woman (owner?) sat us next to a big party and a literally hair-blowing wall vent from which cold air was blowing ON us...she said "it'll warm-up" and walked away...ummm no.
He ordered the sugar steak...I decided to try the Prime Rib based on what I had seen on my first visit...a guy had an amazing looking hunk of Prime Rib on his plate. Â What I got was very possibly the single worst piece of Prime Rib I had ever had...and I have had many...trust me.
I won't go back...I won't recommend...they just need to sit there and continue to fade away without me...I am sure they're crushed.
I gave this place two stars because...well, it was very average and over priced. Â While Paul G's review pretty much summed up our experience, I just wanted to add a little helpful hint.
The reason we chose this place is because my supervisor rewarded me with a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2FRestaurants.com&s=92a32e879a8bc9bad14f389149e0a62a99ba27f54b2dca87b4d713cffa7973a9" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://Restaurants.com</a> Gift Certificate. Â I was allowed to pick where I wanted to go so I chose this place because it looked interesting from the outside (we really dug the old school sign out front). Â The cost of the GC was $10 and it was $25 off, min of two dinners. Â If I would have came here without the GC, I would have been pissed for spending so much money...but our bill was only $30 (this also included the 18% gratuity that you must pay off the original price)...so it made me less upset about the whole experience. Â
BTW, $30 = 2 steaks (I had the sugar steak, which I found pretty average, but tasty. Â Paul's Filet Mignon was good but nothing special), no appetizers, no drinks, no dessert, plus 18% gratuity and $25 off.
Went here with 6 family members that were in town for the night. Â Given the good reviews on here, I thought it would be a safe bet. Â Not quite. Â
The ambiance is not that nice. Â At all. Â Actually pretty boring. Â There is a giant metal cage in the middle if the dining room where overflow diners eat. Â One of the windows must've been broken out as there was nothing but plywood by the server station.
The menu is pretty old-fashioned steakhouse type, but in a bad way. Â
The steaks were okay, not great, and the Sugar steak, which is the signature dish of this place, was really not very good at all. Â The vegetable sides were frozen. Â
The desserts were basic, but good enough to pay $7 for.
For 7 people our bill came out to $340. Â That's freakin ridiculous. Â I thought this place was supposed to be a less expensive option. Â We may as well have gone to The Capital Grille.
They refilled our sodas without asking, and then charged us $3 for every one. Â That brought our soda tab to around $35 dollars. Â Are you kidding? Â Who does that? Â It's just cheap.
On top of that- Â when our bill came out to our astonished faces, we had to try to discern the cat scratches on the bill. Â In doing so, we realized that they had added gratuity into the bill. Â "Nice" Â we thought, tip's included. Â The only thing is that the menu clearly states that "18% gratuity will be added." Â They added 21%. Â
That's not right. Â It's not honest. Â I will not be back, and I will forever tell my friends about this experience. Â Don't go unless you want to pay about double what it's worth.
Two Very Big Thumbs Down for this stinkin place.
I don't know what took me so long to get here, but I'm glad I finally did! It's a perfect mix of affordability, kitsch, and great food! There are so many steaks on the menu that I have a difficult time deciding each time I go - one thing is for sure, try the sugar steak. Last week I had a special that I hope they keep - bourbon soaked sugar steak! They soak the NY strip in bourbon, then pat brown sugar onto it before grilling. The flame, alcohol and sugar all combine to make a nice charry and chewy coating. Damn good stuff! Four of us ordered the same dish and we all loved it.
(PS - ask to get on their email list to get notified about monthly specials!)
I will be making a valiant effort to make more money not to just pay my bills, pay off debt, but to be able to eat here more often!
Let's just say I was blown away by how freaking charming it is inside. Be prepared to step into another time zone. I kept expecting  Frank Sinatra to walk in with cocktail in hand. It also had a classy yet comfortable vibe. I spent a lot of the evening just looking around.
First of all the bar is sooo different from the dining area and I would love to just come and hang out and have a couple of cocktails. It reminds me of an old diner. With it's bar stools and low counter top with the tv on and people just hanging out and chatting.
They also have these bread sticks that look like a floral arrangement of sticks and small branches...but are so worth eating. They have a delicious garlic and spicy flavor.
The steak was AWESOME. Cooked perfectly and mine came with jalapeno butter...so damn dirty. I could hear my cholesterol reaching for new heights but didn't really care! It also came with some zucchini and yellow squash and your choice of potato. I opted for mine baked and it was tasty also! The salad was also one of the best because of the dressing which I am guessing is made in house. It was a pecan vinaigrette that had craisins in it. So yummy!
The service was great and they handled a big party graciously.
::::::::::::Will work for food at Bastien's:::::::::::::::::
I found this place by accident on a cold night with a friend visiting from out of town. Â We decided to do the, "walk down Colfax and pick someplace to eat that we've never been to before." Â I'm so glad we did.
It was kind of like stepping into an episode of the Twilight Zone when we entered the building. Â Authentic wood paneling, caging around the circular lower middle part of the dining room, white table cloths and really long skinny breadstick cracker things on every table. Â There is something very comforting about a place that has not redesigned their interior in decades. Â
We both ordered the deep fried burger, yes, that's right. Â A deep fried burger. Â Unfortunately, since then they have taken this item off the menu. Â They said not that many people ordered it. Â Go figure. Â Well, every time I go back, I order a burger, and every time I eat one of their burgers I think, "how could I have been a vegetarian for two years?"
I love Bastien's. Â The people working there are always friendly and down to earth. Â And it has been surprisingly busy when I'm there during dinner time. Â Families gather for celebrations and cute old couples eat supper together. Â One day I will have to stop drooling over the steak options and break my budget to experience their award winning cuts of beef!
Took my 'serious about red meat' dad here last week for his bday and Bastiens did not disappoint. Â We all had different steaks and they were all excellent. Â I had the sugar steak, because it is their specialty and I figgered that was what needed to be done. Â The meat was EXCL-LENT quality, but I regretted the sugar steak decision just a little. Â I would have preferred a more traditional savory seasoning. Â The sides were ok, the meat was definitely the star (which I would expect at an old skool steakhouse). Â We started with the escargot and they were tasty. Â The cheesecakes we ordered for dessert were edible, but obviously not made in-house, probably frozen. Â
The wine list is not good, but the lemon drop martini I had as an aperitif was great and came in a nifty metal glass that kept it nice and chilly. Â Who cares if the wine list is lackluster in a joint like this. Â Bastien's strikes me as a place that you are supposed to go drink whiskey and eat a big slab of red meat. Â Mmmmm. Thank your colon for it's hard work later!
This family owned restaurant really tries to be fancy but they just don't quite know how to do it - thier wine glasses have "Berrenger" etched into them, their silverware is cheap, but their floral arrangements are amazing. Â The service section of the bar is sunken, so when you sit at the bar, you sit in a regular height chair and the bartender has to look up at you, while they make your blended whiskey sour...mmmmm! Â
The servers are all very friendly and casual. Â Though they use iceberg lettuce, I like their salads and home made salad dressings. Â The best part of Bastien's is their signature dish - the Sugar Steak, served with a baked potato, loaded. Â I always order the larger portion of steak and have some amazing left overs (which I eat much later that evening, with my fingers, cold, but that may be TMI).
I had always driven past Bastien's with a feeling of extreme curiosity. Everyone raves about how good it is, but from the outside it looks a little sketchy, especially when the older servers are standing outside the back and smoking.
Nevertheless, the evening finally rolled around when I made the suggestion to go. And it was one of my best dining out decisions in Denver so far.
The decor is sort of retro with Christmas lights everywhere and this really cool sunken bar that puts the bartender at face level when you sit in your chair rather than towering over you. They also have a piano player if you're into that.
As for the food, I've only had dinner there, but Bastien's in renowned for its specialty sugar steak. While I did try a bit of someone else's, I myself ate a blue cheese and spinach covered steak that was unbelievably delicious as was everything else I ate. And they have multiple kinds of potatoes including mashed or twice baked with jalapenos. Yum.
The service is awesome, too. When my friend and I ordered a glass of wine they gave them both to us for free because it was the last of that type that they had. So nice!
Anyway, if you go for dinner on the weekends I'd recommend getting a reservation. Even though it may not be busy other nights we had to wait for over an hour for a table once on a Saturday.
Most of the other steakhouses I've been to in Denver don't really hold up when compared to this place, at least when you consider "value" into the equation.
First, the food: I've only eaten steak here, but every time it's been great. Juicy, perfectly cooked (I always order medium rare), and some nice variations too. The sugar steak is good, but not my cup of tea. They offer some sort of peppered steak (can't remember the name) and it's quite good. The sides (potatoes, mushrooms, etc.) are comparable to any restaurant. Also, the flower garnish served with your steak is edible (somewhat fruity, interesting flavor).
Next, the service: On par with many finer steakhouses in Denver - I've eaten at the Chophouse, Del Frisco's, Morton's, and a few lesser quality places, and Bastien's is similar. It's probably a half-a-step behind the top tier, but it easily blows away other "ritzy" places I've been too (like the Cool River Cafe).
The ambiance: Cool, retro, cozy, but not too formal. Like a lot of places in Denver, jeans are OK here. However, don't be surprised to see dress pants and collared shirts. Lots of character for sure, and worth visiting for that reason only.
The best aspect of Bastien's is that you and your date can have a near-Del Frisco experience at about a third of the price. I'm usually able to buy a couple of drinks, an appetizer, and a couple of nice steaks and walk out for less than $75. If we're trying to eat right (read small steak for me and salad for my GF, no appetizer), I've gotten out of their for less than $50. It's an excellent deal.
The worst aspect, if there is one, is that Bastien's isn't really that close to anything. I live in Capitol Hill, so for me it's a quick trip, but I understand it might be out of the way for others. The other complaint I've heard is that the restaurant is in a bad neighborhood. This couldn't be farther from the truth - east Colfax isn't a place I'd want to stroll around late at night, but it's not as bad as some people think. The parking lot is well-lit, there's lots of on-street parking, and Bastien's is surrounded by very expensive homes.
I tell everyone I know about it - I think it's the best value in Denver when it comes to a steakhouse.
This is one of those restaurants you root for because it has so much character.
I've only been to Bastien's for brunch, but personally, I haven't been disappointed at all. They have a great eggs benedict, good coffee, and these crunchy breadstick-ish things on the table that are wickedly addictive (I was a huge fan of the cinnamon-flavored).
Not surprisingly, it's never crowded. It has a VERY Rat Pack feel about it on the inside, and even though there's been a no smoking ordinance for some time now in the city, you still feel like you can see the clouds hanging low over the bar.
They're always pimping their steaks on the marquis outside, but sadly, I have yet to attempt dinner at Bastien's. I certainly think it's worth your time.
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