Carte Blanche Restaurant & Lounge

Very average food.  Fun environment and really cool stage set up.  Not much of a fan though.  It's pretty far away, but even if I was in the area again, I'd find somewhere else to go.  The food was just too cafeteria style and not restaurant style.

I have been to Carte Blanche at least four times in the last 2-months.  The Owner and his employees were all very friendly.  The music is live.  I love Jazz and what is nice about this place is that the type of music is different on different nights.  For instance on Sunday is a 13 or 14 piece brass Jazz band, Thursday is an awesome dance Jazz band that plays awesome music as well.  I have not been there on Friday or Saturday when they play soul and R&B music..  There drinks are the best made drinks of anyplace that I have bought drinks.  It is the first place to make a Long Island Ice Tea correctly.  Everyplace else in Aurora & Denver that I have ordered this drink always served a watered down version and charged an arm and leg for their watered down version.  Carte Blanche's charges a reasonable price for their and it is at full strength.  I wouldn't advise driving after drinking the one at Carte Blanche.  I eatin' there once so far and plan to eat there again.  I had Gumbo and it was awesome.  It had great flavor and was reasonably priced.  I recommend eating their.  I like the music and dancing on Sunday and Thursday. but those are the only nights I have gone there so far.  Dress is classy but I have gone casual as well.

Where to begin?

Sign outside said Happy Hour 4-7pm. Did not say anything about No happy hour on Sundays.

Once inside, no one greeted us. At all.

Pony up to the bar, ask for a beer (which was on tap) and got the response, "the taps don't work" well then, "What beers do you have" I asked. He then replied, what type of beer do you like, I then asked for an Imperial stout if he wants to play this game. Fumbling he could not find that type of beer. I then asked again, what beers they have. He starts rattling off every bud/coors/miller product on the planet. (Hey bar owners, having a series of bottles on your back bar counter does wonders, no more what beers do you have questions.)

I was there for a birthday gathering, we got our seats and the music started up. Definitely wasn't jazzy and many notes were missed.

Ah, yes, onto the food!
A few of us split the Appetizer Sampler, took quite a while for it to come out, but it was actually the highlight of the evening. We then ordered our entree's. I got the red beans and rice, the lady got the gumbo. After we ordered they offered us after dinner mints. Odd. After 25~30 minutes, we were then in for the treat of a lifetime!

The gumbo. Oh the gumbo. Ever been to H-Mart or Pacific Mercantile, that delightful aroma when you walk in. Yeah. Imagine that, in a bowl, Served over minute rice. My wife also had a reversal of stomach upon tasting it. I did not think it could be that bad. I was wrong. We sent it back.

Now, the red beans and rice. Their secret is it's just Hormel Chili with hot dogs served over instant rice.

My friend go the steak dinner. He asked for medium, it came out charred on the outside and pretty darn rare on the inside. The only way to do this is if you are cooking a frozen steak. He got a side of broccoli, which was steamed frozen veggies.

No member of management came over to see why we were rejecting our orders.