Il Posto

My roomie and I made reservations here for Denver restaurant week, and it was amazing!  They change their selections daily as to whats fresh and what they have on hand.  I am pretty adventurous in what I eat and so we were willing to try whatever they think is best.  We ate the wild boar ragu and it was super tasty!  Not only was the food great but some of the best service I have ever encountered at a restaurant, and not annoying so.  My water was never empty, my wine glass either ;) definitely recommend this place, and I'm not an Italian lover!

5280 review:

Tip of the hat to Il Postio for not having a set menu for the entire restaurant week, but instead having a daily menu based on fresh ingredients and the chef's creativity.

I don't know why I've waited so long till I finally dined at Il Postio, even though I'm a regular at their neighbors Thin Man and St. Marks. I'm glad to finally discover this cute and intimate restaurant which boosts a small menu for 5280 but a lengthy wine list that is almost exclusively Italian, a hail to their unflinching fidelity to high-standard italian fare. If you're a beer drinker, expect to be downing Peroni's all night.

The interior was simple and sophisticated with low lighting and candle light tables. The kitchen is open with a chefs bar which wraps around, and I wouldn't mind grabbing a seat at the counter next time to watch the masters at work. The staff was impressively friendly and helpful, I really liked the casual demeanor of the sommelier who stopped by the table. He ended up helping me pick out a nice white to compliment my dinner. At first I was skeptical looking at their Italian-only white. I'm preferential to a west coast californian or oregon white, and have never ventured as far as an italian glass. Surprise! I now know to be less narrow minded about whites.

Food was delicately prepared and high quality with a beautiful presentation. The ricotta gnochi was fantastic in a light mushroom sauce and was not too soft or mushy. For me, the small portions were perfect and I was a happy and full camper by the time I finished.

one star taken for the noise level and cramped tables. The acoustics were poor and I almost had shout to my companion across from me. I felt horrible that I could overhear the conversation of my neighbors and they probably us.

Will have to try again when their full menu returns after 5280

It's Denver Restaurant Week.  We set ourselves up with a 5pm reservation on a Monday night at Il Posto.  Easy, right?  

We arrived at 4:50 to a completely empty restaurant.  Most staff were near the kitchen, likely reviewing the nightly specials.  Cool!   And silly us with our Open Table reservation with the place empty.  No worries, here comes the hostess (short blond hair) with her cup of hot tea in hand.

"Can I help you" - "yes, we've got a reservation for Restaurant Week at 5pm ..."  
"Well, we're not open for another 10 minutes, do you mind waiting?  There's no seating area for waiting.  There's a pregnant pause and an implication that we should step outside and wait.  My partner's blood is already boiling...

It's February 25th in Denver.  It's 35 outside.  It just snowed a foot of snow this weekend.  

I'm thinking: "How about you sit us at a table for 10 minutes until you open"?  I don't ask for this as it's clear this wasn't even an option.  

Another approach - "here, let me seat you and would you like some hot coffee, tea, while you're waiting?"  Didn't get that either.  

So, we're waiting, outside, on the sidewalk, waiting for our 10 minutes to tick-tock away.  Five minutes later, two women walk in, she grabs menus and seats them.  Uhhhh... ?

Hey if the men can stand around outside, so can the women.  Or, wave at us and invite us in.  I walked in to let her know what I thought of all this but my partner was ready to go - he was more then incensed at this point.  We got in the car and as I'm pulling away from the curb, I notice she stuck her head out and was looking for us.  Too late, dear.

5:13pm, an email arrives: "Il Posto has canceled your reservation for 2 on Monday, February 25, 2013."  Icing on the cake.  Glad to see they are quick to manage their reservation book.

Isn't the whole point of Restaurant Week to introduce you to new dining experiences, drive revenue in an otherwise slow period, and leave lasting impressions to bring people back?  I think the owner/manager of this place would do well to retrain his staff on what this week (two actually) are all about.  Because when service is lacking, people tell other people.  Lots of them...