"Nose to tail" everyone I talked to about this place recommended. Â I've got to agree, this was the highlight of the meal. Â You wouldn't think we'd be as full as we were after a cheese plate and grilled octopus appetizer, but my husband and I were already pretty satisfied when the nose to tail arrived. Â Basically, pork five ways, with sides, we savored every bite. Â We'll save room for dessert next time, we had been looking forward to the bacon flan but couldn't eat another morsel. Â Thanks for the extra special anniversary treatment! Â The service was top notch.
Review Source:Allow me to start this review by stating the most important thing that you need to know about Old Major, i.e., both the beverages and food are excellent. Â For some of you that's probably all you were looking for in this review -- Â if for some strange reason you're interested in the actual details of my experience then read on!
My wife and I started our Old Major experience at the bar. Â Unfortunately for her, she had to abstain from the alcohol because she is pregnant (she had a lime infused club soda in case you're wondering). Â I began my evening by letting the bartender both choose and concoct my beverage for me (the aptly named "bartender's choice" cocktail). Â He crafted my cocktail with only the knowledge that I like whiskey and tequila. Â The orangey old fashioned he presented to me tasted every bit as good as it looked sitting there on the elegant looking bar.
As for the cuisine, my wife and I tried the Grilled Octopus and the Chef's Ham Plate as our small plates, which served as excellent appetizers.  We split the 21 Day Dry Aged 24oz. bone-in ribeye for our entrée, which came with fries, foie gras butter, bleu cheese, and balsamic.  It too was nothing short of excellent and I relished the decadent experience of consuming it.  I also enjoyed two glasses of the "Old Major Red", a wine produced by the Denver-based Infinite Monkey Theorem, with the meal, but there was a lengthy delay in getting the wine to the table.  Our server was well aware of this and graciously offered to comp both glasses before I had to say anything.
As for the aesthetics of the restaurant, they only added to our positive experience.
My only complaint would be that the bar area is too crowded and that the wine took a long time to get to the table, but I can't really complain since they were free of charge.
This is a restaurant that anyone with an interest in good food will not want to miss.
Ya gotta love the thinking behind "Old Major." Â I'm guessing here, but follow along with me for a minute. And while this may be way too intellectual for a restaurant review, what the hell, it's kinda interesting:
So why the "Old Major?"
Remember that Old Major was the name of the chief pig in George Orwell's classic "Animal Farm," written about 70 years ago. Given Edward Snowden's recent revelations about the NSA, Orwell's getting to be re-regarded as a modern day prophet who warned about the rise of authoritarian governments.
And how's that all fit into Justin Brunson's latest restaurant incarnation? (Brunson's previously worked at some of Denver's best restaurants (e.g., Fruition, Luca D'Italia, Mizuna's, etc.), and now owns 2 or 3 of his own: Masterpiece Deli and Old Major, and I think also the Denver Bacon Co).
Hard to tell. But maybe it'd start making sense if we remembered that Old Major in Animal Farm was the pig who convinced the other animals that the farmer was a worthless exploiter of the truly valuable creatures who did all the real work on the farm . . . the animals. He convinced the other animals to take over the farm and treat all the animals as equals. He then died and his grand idea was perverted by the animals who took charge and created a farm government that was even more exploitative than before.
Back 70 years ago it was clear that Old Major was Karl Marx, a guy who had a great (?) socialist idea, but who's idea was perverted by Stalin and others into the communist disaster of the USSR.
There. Now, if I'm right, you know the back story . . .
So maybe Brunson's naming of the restaurant means that this time around the pigs are finally gonna do it right. Instead of dying, Old Major's gonna personally show us how a good restaurant can be run, with all the workers truly being treated as equals and participating joyously in the success of the venture, free from the tyranny of the controlling elites.
Or maybe Brunson's butchering up Old Major along with the principle of socialism, and dedicating the restaurant to finally burying collectivism all together under a reign of culinary capitalism.
Or maybe not. Whadda I know? Prolly should ask Brunson, if I ever get to meet him.
So, about Old Major's food . . . Truly excellent pig parts. Expensive and modestly sized portions in an arts 'n crafts industrial setting (that used to be a roller rink!), but worth it if you're looking for hand crafted food lovingly prepared and served by well trained professionals. Â Good and slightly unusual wine choices. Neat that they're marketing a locally produced Infinite Monkey Theorem brace of wines, along with some lesser known but well chosen other selections.
I had the Nose to Tail combo of pork dishes accompanied by excellent house made slaw and beans. For $29 it was pricey but unusual and absolutely delicious. Â Started with a grilled Caesar and had a couple of different Rhone wines by the glass. Both were good, the La Ciboise lighter and less complex than its syrah cousin I later had called something like De Les Amis. My honey had the scallops which she thought were very good, and our friends had the walleye which was fried with a saltine cracker crust and which they thought was wonderful.
We each had 2 glasses of wine, and it ran us about $100 per couple before tip. We didn't have dessert.
So, if you've got more than a Ben Franklin just  hanging around with nothing to do, and wanna have some politically interesting and very good tasting food, you should give Old Major a try. One of the better new spots that's opened up around food-obsessed Denver these days.
First off, this is the second time I've dined here - this is a review of our second experience. The first time, my girlfriend and I had a good experience. The food was good although the service was a bit slow (especially the drink service).
Overall, I think the flavors in the dishes are paired well together and are nicely creative. The steak tartar and the grilled octopus are delicious. Â My review is not so much on the general menu or drink selections but on my specific experience.
Our second visit was just a string of strike outs. The drink service was ridiculously slow. It took a minimum of 10-15 minutes to get a drink for the first few rounds. On our third round, it took over 20 minutes to get two whiskey's on the rocks...and one of them was the wrong whiskey (the server did not know the menu - she acted puzzled when I ordered a specific whiskey).
The apps were good, dinner was a different story. I ordered the lamb chops. I'm all for marbling. I know the fat imparts good flavor, but there is a limit to the mouthfuls of fat I can consume. The lamb chops literally had one small, thin 1/2 inch long piece of meat on them. The ENTIRE rest of the chop was fat. I'm not talking marbling with a lot of fat. Just pure fat. Like an entire 2 inch round piece of fat. The loin (i think it was loin) that was served on the side was also heavily fatty with maybe 2-3 bites of actual meat. For $34, I expect more than 5 small bites of meat. Â I called the server over and asked if this was normal (over a lifetime of lamb chops I've never seen any even close to being this "marbled"). She said it was maybe a little more fat than usual and offered to get me something else. I said that I would have a different lamb IF it was just a little leaner, otherwise I would have the chicken. She went to the chef, returned, and told me that they would be sending out another lamb. I got it and it was EXACTLY the same cut as the previous dish. I'm not sure if the chef was trying to make a point or if he just didn't care about my request. Very disappointing. The icing on the cake was getting glares from the kitchen staff from that point on (we were sitting right in front of the line).
I've worked in restaurants all my life - some of the best restaurants in Denver and Boulder, so I think I can safely say that I know good food and good service and this place, sadly, offers neither spectacularly. Â If I'm going to spend $300 on dinner, I expect the service to be excellent and the food to be high quality. For this reason, I will not be back to Old Major, and I seriously doubt the couple we dined with (it was their first time) will either.
We stopped in here for dinner on our date night and we left extremely pleased.
When we were first seated they gave us an iPad to find our drink orders on. I thought that was really cool, very innovative. We went straight to dessert though and ended up ordering the Gateau Basque, which was- almond custard tart, buttermilk ice cream
elderflower compressed strawberries; we also ordered the Ricotta Fritters which were- house made ricotta doughnuts, lemon semifreddo, honey chamomile foam. The guy who seated us with our drink and dessert menu had recommended that we get one of those two, saying those were his favorites. We ordered both. Later our actual waiter was impressed that we had ordered HIS favorite two desserts, he thought we were awesome for knowing which ones to order... he didn't know the drink guy was the one who suggested it! lol.
The Gateau Basque was sort of a thick cake with beautiful flavors. Little strawberries surrounded it and they were fantastic!
The Ricotta Fritters.. these were amazing. Seriously, I have eaten plenty of desserts in my life but this was one of the top ones. The flavor of the lemon semifreddo had me wishing for a gallon of it to dip my face into. The honey chamomile foam was so light and airy but was such an intense flavor! I piled all of the ingredients on the plate on top of half of a little ricotta doughnut and put it in my mouth and it was really like a piece of heaven. So delicious!
I can't wait to come back for dinner sometime... hopefully soon!
Old Major does not disappoint when it comes to the food they serve and the service they provide. Each member of the staff was upbeat, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. The hot out of the oven pretzel rolls were a nice way to start dinner. It's on the pricey side (our's was $150 for 2 people) but the food is well worth the price. Presentation was beautiful and the pairing of items on the dish perfect. The serving sizes are good as well, especially considering that you will eat every single piece of food on your plate. The decor is perfect - there were no details spared from the custom-made chairs and tables to the photo negatives on the side wall. Simply perfect. I had the petite lettuce salad and blackened catfish while Aaron had the caesar with the head to toe..finished off with the most amazing desert - Gateau Basque. Hands down one of the top restaurants in Denver.
Review Source:Great service and a great atmosphere to bring a date, but I was disappointed by the food. I expected a variety of pork entrees simply because of the giant pig that is the logo hanging above the door, but I found all the options were combined into a single "nose to tail" plate. That is exactly what I ordered, and it was served with everything arranged in a pile with baked beans on top. I think each cut could make a delicious entree but the flavors mixed together with the beans to create an underwhelmingly typical BBQ taste that just didn't do this food justice. I love BBQ but that is not what this was supposed to be. I might be back for a drink, but there are better places in the neighborhood for dinner.
Review Source:This place is 4-4.5 stars for me, but something was just off, and I can't quite figure out what it was.
We came in for dinner with some friends last week for the summer menu. We were seated in the front, so we couldn't see the kitchen action. The crowd was a mix of 20-30 hippish people and older wealthier clientele.
First, we had to scroll through the weird iPad drink menu to figure out drinks, and by the time we'd decided the waiter had been back a couple times - helpful or pushy? I for one hated having an iPad on the table and hope that trend doesn't catch on. Drinks were fine, not the most amazing ever. The pretzel rolls were yummy and people at our table loved the accompanying mustard butter.
For dinner, we ordered a number of smaller dishes to share -- nose to tail, smoked fish, meat & cheese plate, mussels, and fries. We were divided on the fries - not the greatest fries, but good flavor. The cheeses on the meat & cheese plate were amazing; the Italian summer sausage (which it had a lot of) wasn't great. The smoked fish was great. Hubby disliked the pickles -- he's a pickle aficionado and he said they were raw veggies without much flavor. Wish they would be a little more generous with slices of bread when it's people sharing -- bread is cheap. Nose to Tail was very good - the ribs were AMAZING.
The service is busy, with numerous servers coming by to bring things. They replace silverware constantly, which felt a little excessive, but OK -- perhaps you get to buy more fork-rental time with the rather high prices. For our first round of drinks, they gave them to the wrong people and didn't notice when we switched them, and the server couldn't remember what we'd had when we re-ordered. Then they brought my friend the wrong drink, but they let us keep it for free when they brought her the right one. When we ordered dessert, we wanted one drink and the server said it was off the menu because they were missing a key ingredient and he always forgets to tell people.
When we got our dessert, we had just started when the server swung by and put a wine glass in front of my husband without a word. We all kind of chuckled, thinking it was another odd gaffe, but in a few minutes the server came back with some sherry that he said would go great with our dessert, and it did.
As for dessert -- holy cow!!! We had the bacon caramel, which was amazing, and the ricotta fritters with lemon semifreddo, which was also amazing.
All in all, it was delicious, but to me not that special or different from places like Euclid Hall and Root Down that do similar food for less money, in the case of Euclid Hall. And I don't like to pay that much money and feel like I'd better go over the bill with a fine-tooth comb to be sure it's accurate (which, to their credit, it was). To me, it was just a little too showy to be a favorite -- while at the same time, I feel bad criticizing it because it was really very good.
A+ service and food from top to bottom. Â I had been wanting to try Old Major since it opened and finally got around to a date night with friends. Â
DON'T go here if you're on a budget. Â
DO go here if you love simple and delicious flavor profiles. Â The food really is simple but done so amazingly well, I was blown away.
We visited at the end of the Spring menu so my food review may be outdated. Â They've since launched into their summer 2013 menu which I can't wait to try.
Highlights: Â Tender schnitzel, perfectly prepared scallops and the head to tail pork dish was amazing
Their specialty drinks do take a while because they are muddled to order so be prepared to wait for drinks from the bar.
This place has had some pretty mixed reviews including some pretty negative press when they summarily dismissed their opening front of the house guy. Â I might not ever have tried it but they had the good sense to hire Paul Attardi (formerly of Fruition) to run the front of the house - good move. Â So, I thought we'd give them a shot. Â Good move on our part, although Paul wasn't here tonight, service was flawless (thanks Kim and helpers). Â Very friendly, attractive and competent staff overall.
Elected to sit back by the kitchen which was great for us because they were butchering tonight and we got to see them disassemble an entire hog. Â Quite a daunting feat indeed. Â Place was pretty busy for a weeknight and there was a great buzz but you could still have a conversation.
Had a couple of delish cocktails and their divine pretzel rolls, then dove in to the menu.
Shared:
The grilled octopus $15 - the best I've ever tasted and I love octopus when it is tender and, oh baby, this was. Â Served with green tomatoes, marcona almond sauce, house chile sauce, and herb salad. Â Maybe the best thing of the night.
Oysters on the half shell $3.50 each - beautifully fresh and lovely presentation.
Grilled Caesar  $10 - not usually a fan of grilled greens but this was terrific.
lacinato kale, romaine, white anchovy, Grana Padano, croutons.
Then:
He had the lamb chops which were meaty, tasty and perfectly cooked $29 (I think). Â Served on a bed of veggies and couscous. Â OK - but way over salted and the accompaniments were cold.
I had the whole Spring chicken - $26 served with carrots, grilled haricot verts, a very tasty deviled egg and potato salad sided with a very salty teriyaki (?) sauce. Â It was supposed to be a chicken jus but I think not. Â Chicken was superb on it's own though - sides only OK.
With a couple of glasses of wine the bill topped out around $150+ tip.
So, overall a much better end to the evening than our lousy start down the street at Williams and Graham. Â We'd definitely come back. Â Just wish they'd watch the salt and pay as much attention to the sides as they do the mains.
I have been here twice in the last month and overdue for a review.
The first time we went, we had to wait for our table despite our reservation. The staff was so friendly and accommodating that it didn't even matter that we had to wait. They gave us a complimentary glass of champagne, which definitely helped.
The food is amazing! We especially LOVED the Nose to Tail, the Schnitzel and the fries -- not to mention the desserts! YUM! The bacon creme brûlée was fantastic!
The ambience of the place is very fun. We love open kitchen concept. Bruce (the manager I think) was very helpful on both visits.
Can't wait to return!
Well ding dang. This was just the whole package. My party of two got seated immediately despite a seemingly full house, received wonderful service and left completely satisfied.
We started with the Foie Gras and a few oysters. Without any breads, etc for the foie gras the portion is daunting but stood up for itself. For our entrees, boyfriend got the Nose to Tail plate and I went with the Halibut. Pork has always been low on my favorite meats list, but they might have changed my mind with the samplings on his plate. Ham was succulent and thick, short rib crispy and salty, the fried ear, though mostly flavorless, a charming display of the whole-animal mentality that I appreciate. The halibut was cooked perfectly, the flavor combinations with the sides were such a treat.
Above anything, though, compliments to the waiter. He was quick with suggestions and wine pairings, knowledgeable without being condescending, and charming as all get out, that handsome devil.
We enjoyed our meal last night but it was not as amazing as I hoped. Also, we waited literally 30 minutes in between each course so we arrived at 715 and left at 10.....too long. The pretzel rolls are awesome and my husband's nose to tail plate was probably the best thing either of us ate last night. I hope they can figure out their timing issues because it would be a shame....we probably won't return anytime soon as there are so many amazing restaurants in Denver with good food and everything that comes with it.
With that said, our server was attentive and nice though I don't know what, if anything, he was in control of in terms of timing, etc.
You get what you pay for, and in this case it was so true. Amazing.
I could have easily just had the pretzel bread for dinner. It was a major highlight for me as i love pretzel bread, especially when it's done right.
Drinks were stiff, and very refreshing. Could have done without the duck fat fries, just tasted like regular fries to me. The pork butter was killer and so was the smoked fish plate. Only disappointment was the portion size on the fish plate. Oh well, probably won't order that again.
Meal highlight was for sure, the nose to tail plate. It was possibly, the most amazing thing i've eaten in my life. Maybe an exaggeration, but for sure top three. Save yourself the trouble of looking through the menu and just go for that, you will not be disappointed. Fatty delicious pieces of different parts of swine. It don't get no better.
All in all, just a great night with my wife. Great service, and great food. Mazel!
Lovely decor. I mean, they weren't kidding when they said farm to table. I even got a splinter within 2 minutes of sitting down.
But after 30 minutes of trying to flag down a waiter (heck or even anyone that worked there), our group never really did get to enjoy the fantastic food everyone keeps raving about. Rather, we just got to dry out in the hot sun and listen to a bunch of yuppies argue about the best type of cotton money can buy.
If only we had an opportunity to purchase some food and drinks, that would've been nice, too.
So this was a hard review to write and I will tell you why. Reasons why I am a fan:
My husband I got got seated right away on a Friday night at dinner time. They asked if we would be done by "x" time and we said yes since we just wanted to grab a drink and something to share. I guess it is pretty hard to get in, so glad we got lucky! Reason #1
Really cool vibe in the restaurant. Reason #2
LOVE that you can see them cooking in the kitchen. Keeps everything really clean. Reason #3
Gave my hubby a free drink for his birthday Reason #4
So...this is where I wasn't sure where to rate it. We ordered the lemon grass sausage. The presentation 5 stars! The sausage 5 stars! The rice one star. It was cruncy. BUT when the server asked how it was I told him that and he went straight to the kitchen told the owner, he tried it, agreed and appreciated the feedback because he threw that rice batch out. AND he took it off our bill. SO 5 stars for great customer service.
SOOOO we are really looking forward to trying again. BUT I will probably get a reservation for sure! Really cute bar area too.
NOTE: definetly not for kids. There was not one kid in the restaurant on Friday night and I asked our server if kids were allowed and he said it was not really a kid place. So keep it for date nights.
WOW. Â What an amazing experience we had at Old Major last night. Â Solid five-star experience. Â The building/restaurant itself is beautiful; very well designed. Â I really love the open kitchen where you could see the 8 or 9 chefs working away on their creations.
We were fortunate enough to be treated to dinner at Old Major and our hostess literally told our server "we will have everything on the left side of the menu." Â He was a little surprised and thought she was kidding, but she wasn't! Â
Highlights: The lobster hot plate was delicious and decadent. Â Pork butter - I've already used the word decadent but it's also very approrpriate here. Â Chef's Ham Plate - this was the table favorite. Â Perfectly salty and delicious served on homemade potato rolls. Â Holy crap good. Â Lamb orecchiette was delicious - I liked the sauce alot in this dish. Â Lemongrass sausage. Â So original. Â
We did try one salad - sprouts and shoots - not something I would order but it was really, really good. Â Wonderful textures and a delicious lemon viniagrette. Â
We also got the Nose to Tail Plate (not because we were still hungry but because it was already ordered!) and that was amazing. Â I love the concept of showing the uses of the different parts of the animal. Â
The nicest part of the whole evening, though, was the service. Â Absolutely top-notch. Â It's something that's missing from so many nice restaurants and it was a pleasure to eat good food and get good service.
Last night we went to Old Major for the first time. First, the restaurant looks great. It's industrial look is softened by the reclaimed wood walls, tables and chairs. From the moment we walked in the door the level of customer was fantastic. They host was friendly and there was another gentlemen in a bow-tie who asked if we had been in before and if we were celebrating anything. I appreciated the inquiry. The wait staff was attentive, efficient and equally as friendly. It was great!
We started with the Pei Mussels. They mussels were served in a white wine and butter broth that was fantastic! Would definitely order it again. I had the pan seared diver scallops. I'm a fan of scallops in general so I was excited to try these. Overall the dish is delightful. It's light and flavorful. You receive three medium sized scallops. My two pieces of feedback would be that they were a little too salty and a couple of bites were gritty. (If you like scallops you know what I'm talking about.)
My partner had the Nose to Tail plate. He thought it was good. It was a little too salty and although he loves pork, it would have been nice to have it balanced with some veggies.
A great experience with good food. We will visit Old Major again!
[NOTE: This is actually a 4.5 star review] Â It's been killing me that I haven't been to this restaurant after reading so many reviews since it's grand opening, so it was with great anticipation that we met our friends here for a birthday dinner last night. Â
The hubby and I rode the light rail out to Union Station and it was an easy walk from there to 33rd & Tejon. Â (I highly recommend this mode of transportation if your hubby is a total gritch like mine is about driving round and round looking for street parking anywhere in Denver on a Saturday evening.) Â When we arrived, the rest of our party (of 8) was already seated and as soon as we sat down our waiter opened a bottle of champagne and poured us our first round. Â And then someone else dropped off the most amazing soft, warm, fluffy pretzel roll with mustardy butter. Â OMG...
I love the ambience. Â It's a combination of rustic and industrial and really suits the space and tells you what the restaurant is about before you even see a menu. Â There's a glass curing room where you can see the sausages being cured right in front of your eyes, and a huge open kitchen where you can watch the chefs hard at work (and I mean HARD at work). Â Watching them was like watching a well-oiled machine churning out platter after platter of porky yumminess.
Now on to the food. Â The hubby and I shared the lemongrass sausage with ham fried rice. Â The sausage was lean and perfectly seasoned. Â And the ham fried rice was... well, ham fried rice. Â It was good but how much can you say about ham fried rice? Â EXCEPT... what elevated it above the others is that it was served with a perfectly fried sunny side up egg on top. Â I had a bite of the Birthday Girl's seared foie gras - HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL! Â (Next time I got a date with YOU, foie gras!)
For the entrée, I ordered the halibut, and it was tender and delicious, HOWEVER, I immediately realized the folly of ordering seafood in a restaurant renowned for their pork dishes when the hubby was presented with his Nose to Tail platter.  It was a huge platter covered in glorious pork in several presentations and preparations.  The hubby let me sample each one and each stood out as amazing in its own right.  I'm not even sure what everything was but I'm still savoring all the flavors and textures: smoky, sweet, salty, chewy, tender.  Love.  I looked across the table at someone's plate of beautiful seared scallops and thought, well maybe we'll order those as an appetizer to share next time and the Nose to Tail platter as my entrée.
I should say something about the service. Â It did get very busy in there and our waiter was all over the place, but he never stopped smiling and always had some witty repartee with our birthday girl who was getting pretty "festive" after a few glasses of champagne. Â He was a great sport and a total peach!
I really loved this restaurant so you're probably wondering why only 4.5 stars? Â Well friends, you know my old pet peeve. Â None of the dishes were served piping hot. Â Everything we had was lukewarm at best. Â But I'm willing to bet that it had much to do with how busy the kitchen was and I'm sure that the next time we go, we'll do so on a quieter night and they will have raised this review by that 1/2 star.
YUM. Â I looked at the menu and the yelp reviews the night before going, and decided that I *had* to get the nose to tail plate. Â Yes, it's a lot of meat for one gal, but I'd preemptively eaten a lunch of just veggies just so I'd have room. Â Don't ever let anyone tell you that preparation doesn't pay off. Â The crispy pig's ears were the highlight of the plate, though everything else was delightful.
Later, some friends joined us for drinks in the bar and Mike took fantastic care of us. Â He let us try samples of amaros we weren't familiar with, chatted about some drinks he was playing with, and served up some seriously delicious and balanced drinks.
So delicious. Â I'll be back.
We celebrated a family member's MBA achievement - seemed like the entire server team knew about it, even the valet guys! The staff couldn't have been more attentive and professional. Â
What an amazing night - delicious appetizers (cheese plate, PEI Mussels and Smoked Fish Plate). Â Our outstanding entrees included Pan Seared Diver Scallops, Pan Roasted Colorado Bass and Nose to Tail - all brought to the table steaming "hot!"
The design of Old Major is very impressive - bar/lounge side with outside seating only beckons one to return on a warm summer night - whether it be cocktails or eats. Â The dining room and OPEN kitchen model hits on all stars - simply a fun, happy environment to enjoy outstanding food and drink!
I don't know how healthy this meal was for me. Â I do but don't want to think about it ever again because this meal was such an absolute treat.
OK, part of the night was a blur so I don't remember every dish except that everyone at the table spoke volumes with our non-verbals- big smiles, utter satisfaction, and sheer delight. Â Our words made the point even stronger. Â The service was impeccable- right out of NYC's best restaurants. Â The pretzel snacks, pork butter, head-to-toe plate (or something like that), and desserts were fantastic. Â I ate things I never thought I would and wanted more!
I wish I could remember the entire meal. Â Maybe it was because it was a month ago, maybe because of the weekend, ah I think it was around April 20th. Â But with a gorgeous restaurant, flawless staff, and a kitchen turning out amazing examples of what one can do with a pig, I can't wait to return! Â Sorry Rabbi Thall and shalom.
I was lucky to join my friend and her family for this lovely meal. We were a large group of 7. The couple I was with had been here before so they stood by the quality of food but were hesitant upon service baed on their last experience. We ended up having a great meal and outstanding service.
We had to wait about 15 minutes for our table but the manager brought over complimentary glasses of champagne. Upon being seated we decided to get wine and appetizers for the table.
We had a plethora of different dishes and everyone was very satisfied with their meals. It is a place known for the pork so I ordered the "nose to tail" entree. There was SO much on my plate I couldn't finish it, and let me tell you, this gal can eat her fair share. The desserts we had were delicious as well - a beignets one, strawberry shortcake something and a banana cream number.
I want to give a call out to our sommelier, Bruce. He was FABULOUS. My friend's father told him what he was looking for and the price range and he stuck to it. He brought us wines he felt we would like and he was right. He even topped me off at the end of my meal with a Pinot to finish up my plate with - great match.
I am only in the area (Boulder) for the summer interning and as a grad student it will be pricey but perhaps I'll make it back!
I really really was expecting to love Old Major, but unfortunately that just wasn't the case. I went last night with a group of friends for our quarterly "supper club" outing. We were all extremely excited to try out Old Major as we are huge fans of Masterpiece Deli, and figured if it was like Masterpiece but a full service restaurant, it would have no choice but to be a hit.
The building is really cool, and space is really well decorated. The benches however, are really uncomfortable. Put the really uncomfortable benches together with extremely slow service, and you have somewhat unhappy diners. The service was sooooo slow. I'm not sure if it was a front of house or back of house issue, but we were constantly looking and waiting for something. The food was ok, nothing special, and because of that, seemed extremely overpriced.
If I head back to Old Major, I will probably try Happy Hour and see how that goes.
Old Major is continuing my streak of successful Colorado restaurant forays. I've been excited to visit Old Major when I first heard about their plans. I even made a reservation for opening night, but it was delayed 1 week and I was out of the country. Life goes on and I made it to Old Major. Here's what stands out:
1. Information Generosity - all their staff is very forthcoming with information and details concerning the food and beverages. Juan, one of the co-owners, was making his rounds this evening and we found out about their pigs and butchery program also.
2. Share the Entrees - If you're attending Old Major with a group of food loving friends, you'll have much more success sharing the entrees. Some of the small plates are too small. The entrees won us over, namely the Nose to Tail and the 24 oz Ribeye. The richness of their food goes a long way toward satisfying 4 hungry customers.
3. Ask Questions - evidently, they're willing to answer them. I'm only mentioning this because my friend was disappointed in her drink. It clearly wasn't what she was hoping for. It sounded delicious as described on their tablet drink menu, but it failed to satisfy. It happens.
Overall, we enjoyed our time at Old Major. They deserve much praise for their butchery and kitchen program. We will return because I want to watch the butchery live. Anyone else?
What a great experience! This is how a restaurant should be ran from front to back. I was expecting another hipster, trendy, mediocre, disappointing restaurant. Boy, was I wrong. All the food was OUTSTANDING and flavorful. Service was IMPECCABLE. Plus the kitchen was sparkling clean.
I do want to mention one thing that blew me away: My wife and I ordered a bottle of Burgundy to go with dinner. I had pork and she had seafood. After the order was put in, the manager / sommelier came by the table and mentioned the wine we chose probably wouldn't go well with my wife's dish, but it would go well with mine. Instead of pushing a different bottle on us, he simply gave her a glass of the wine he recommended to accompany her dinner. What a refreshing gesture. Little things like that is what makes good restaurants GREAT!
Will go back and will definitely recommend!
Holy Toledo I cannot wait to go back. Â Service was the best I've had in quite some time. Â This place maintains a friendly, casual, well designed environment with incredibly refined dishes and a fairly priced wine selection.
I looooooove the lobster pot pie, not sure if they beefed it up based on previous reviews but there was surely an ample amount of lobster in there, I could seriously eat this thing every day. Â The fois gras was okay, but don't listen to me on this one as I'm not typically a fan. Â For dinner I had the sea bass accompanied by a super yummy lemon risotto. Â My partner in crime had the pork pot and man that thing was full of some serious flavors!
I cannot wait to get back and try the new menu. Â This place pretty much dominates any restaurant in Denver right now.
I went there last night with a reservation, excited to try it because of its connections to other restaurants I love. I liked many things about this restaurant, but ended up very disappointed in the restaurant.
Here's the good things: the cocktails and beer selection were great. I received an excellent gin recommendation for my Negroni and liked the signature cocktails we also had. Also, the Osso Bucco was a plethora of succulent pork meat. I also liked the aesthetics of the restaurant, it's a cool location. Especially since you can see into the kitchen as they prepare food.
Here's the bad: we arrived on time at 7:45 and were seated immediately. It took 5 minutes to be acknowledged at our table (I worked in the restaurant industry, you have between 30 seconds and 3 minutes to acknowledge your table). We received the drink menu immediately but it took 15 minutes to have someone take our drink order. For most of that there were literally 3 servers at the empty table next to us adjusting the placement of the cups and silverware to make sure they were straight. I was just staring at them, waiting for someone to take our drink order, and no one did.
To give our waitress credit, she seemed like the only server doing work, which is why I can understand why it took 25 minutes after we sat down before we even had a cocktail. But it is not hard (and is expected at most restaurants) for another server to grab the darn iPad and take it to the bartender. It was 1 hour and 20 minutes before we received our meal. That's right, we sat down at 7:45 and didn't get fed until 9:05. Now the soft pretzel rolls they did bring out somewhere around 8:30 (45 minutes after we sat down) were delightful. I would go back just for them. But it is simply unacceptable to make a table wait 95 minutes to be fed.
And when we did get our food... we both absolutely loved the Osso Bucco, but hated the Lobster Pot Pie. As opposed to another yelp reviewer from a few weeks ago, it tasted like someone poured fish sauce with a heavy hand into the broth. It was so salty and disgusting I had to send it back. Honestly, I almost never send something back, it's probably been over a year since I've done that and that was only because the chicken was raw. I'm not usually a complainer, but that lobster was inedible. Luckily, by 9:05, I was too tired to even be hungry anymore, so it wasn't a big deal and our waitress was good about taking it off the bill. But when I explained all of our issues to the manager, he said, "Excuse me" and walked away. That was that.
As my boyfriend said, this place is in LoHi, it'll be packed every night regardless because it looks cool. I think it's symbolic that three servers were adjusting the placements on an empty table and no one was taking our order. That's LoHi for you!
Fruition-quality food for less! Â Nothing sets a restaurant apart more than when its waitstaff knows, loves, and eloquently explains the menu, as all of the staff here have been well trained. Â Perfectly attentive and well-timed service of all dishes.
I have had a very difficult time ordering pork chops just about anywhere that are not over-cooked and dry. Â Not only was the chop here moist and the correct thickness, it was cooked perfectly. Â The accents from the brussel sprouts, guanciale, oils and puree brought out the flavor of the meat without overpowering it. Â All of the other appetizers and sides we tried were delicious as well, the chef here has a truly refined palate.
The added touch of bringing us an ipad which we used to order our drinks was weird at first, but turned out to be kind of fun and actually convenient. Â We will definitely be coming back and will bring friends, thanks for a great experience
First visit to Old Major will definitely result in multiple return visits. Â On a Saturday night the place was packed and we managed to squeeze in a couple of seats at the bar with one person in our group standing. Â The bartenders were helpful at creating a drink to fit your tastes in addition to whatever was on the menu. Â Friendly and helpful with providing tastes of liquor to help you make the right decision.
We ordered 3 small plates to share - the pistachio sausage, fried goat cheese, and beef cheek. Â All were served with either a deliciously prepared side vegetable or a pureed vegetable. Â Rich, decadent, and filling. Â
The prices at Old Major are on the high side, so come prepared to shell out some dough for a couple of cocktails and your food. Â The dress is casual to business-casual. Â Decor feels like an old-time, western-ish type atmosphere - trendy, but well done.
A few hits and a lot of misses.
I'll start out with the good stuff; the pork osso bucco was made to perfection. You could flick the meat off the bone with your finger it was so tender. This was the type dish I was expecting from the place.
The stripped bass was slightly over cooked but came with a fresh assortment of petite vegetables and very fresh sauce. It was nice to see a local fish and lighter dish for the coming summer months.
Then the misses: basically all of the small plates.
The lobster pot pie was boring, lacking in enough lobster and under seasoned. Lobster pot pie sounds great if you are in New England and lobster is in abundance but fails when you don't put enough meat in.
The cheeks appetizer, it might have been beef, it might have been pork, when I was eating it I couldn't really be sure it was meat. Just a complete dud.
The foie gras that came to our table was an insult to food. The idea of goose liver on apple pie sounds great, I had the same dish at Redd in Napa and it was amazing. What I got on Friday was broken crumbs of a tart crust, a mushy apple filling topped with slimy inedible foie gras.
The staff was friendly if slow, which is unexplainable because they seem to have 3 employees for every diner. Overall it seemed like dumbed version of Colt & Grey without the finesse or elegance.
Went for my fiancée's birthday and had a fantastic experience. The reservations were easy to obtain (earliest we could go was after 8pm, but that was perfect for us). The moment we walked in, they took us to our seats, wishing a happy birthday w/o any prompting. We were brought glasses of sparkling white wine immediately upon sitting.
Dinner was fantastic. Lobster pot pie was chock-full of lobster (I see some reviews mentioned the lack of lobster, but this was not our experience). The diver scallops were delicious, fresh, and cooked perfectly. The cassoulet was out of this world...
Drinks were incredible. The old fashioneds we ordered were made "old" style and couldn't have been better.
For desert, they brought out a slice of chocolate mousse cake. Very rich and served as a great birthday cake. We'll be back!
Oh my! I'm annoyed by lazy, entitled, whiney Yelpers. On to my experience ...
This IS another amazing hit in Highlands. The service was attentive yet comfortable. You know what I mean... we walked in the door and were immediately enveloped in a 'Hi, how are you and it's great to see you' way that didn't make us feel stalked or scrutinized. Throughout our visit we were shown excellent service that reminded me of Duo.  The décor is natural and elegant with a fun edge.
While my visit was unplanned, I still had a plan (does that make sense?) I wanted to sit at the bar and talk to the bar staff and I wanted cocktails. My lovely adult daughter, Lex wanted food. The bar is occupied on a first-come/first-serve system (as it should be). We walked in 6 minutes after opening and easily grabbed bar stools. Yay, we got Ryan! I loved him at Euclid Hall and lets be honest, he has an awesome mustache. First, I wanted to talk virgin cocktails as my daughter is 18. Also, I wanted to learn some tricks. Then my daughter sees they have the 'good ginger beer, the kind that doesn't have any high fructose corn syrup in it' and goes with that. I ordered the Blossom because I was in the mood for gin.
Then something magical happened. We were supplied two gorgeous house-made soft pretzels with mustard butter. OHMYGAWD. Seriously, I hate bread offerings. HATE! But you never, ever turn down a soft pretzel. Then add being hungry and viola!, magical happens. Â
Next was the splendid lobster pot pie that is exactly what I was craving as soon as I read the name. It was rich, fragrant and fresh. Then Lex asks, "Is foie gras good?" and I take that as a personal challenge (since I am paying the tab ; ) We pretty much licked that plate clean. If I could describe in one word, PERFECT. So, by now I ask Ryan for a Ramos Gin Fizz because a bar with this nature must have orange flower water. I was so very happy they didn't use that powdered egg white nonsense. The cocktail was clearly of Williams & Graham caliber (and Courtney was not even present).
I'm getting tired of typing but I must tell you about the pork. I don't even know where to begin. We discussed the scallops but knew we would not have room for both. You must have the pork. Pork 6 ways if they have it (may be occasional). At this point we are nearly full and still happily eating away at belly, cheeks and ribs. Please believe me, it was glorious.
So to sum up this visit to Old Major, it's a solid addition to the neighborhood. The fact that there are 'fair or worse' reviews when it's been open less a week tells you something about the writer. My first sentence hit that on the head
Cheers!
Have you ever had a restaurant make you feel like you were lucky to let them take your money? You will if you ever have the misfortune of going to Old Major.
My husband was so excited for pork centric restaurant to open in the neighborhood but in their rush to open it seems this place forgot to train the staff. From the long wait for drinks to the soggy duck fat fries most dishes were a disappointment.
If you are not going to add enough fresh lobster to a dish then don't serve a lobster pot pie. The lobster was over cooked to a mush consistency. When we were finally able to get the waitstaff to hear our complaints, we were belittled for questioning the chefs of such "popular" new restaurant.
My husband enjoyed his pork chop but I thought it was average at best.
Oh wow and holy crap! Â Everything we experienced at Old Major last night was absolutely fantastic. Â The cocktails, food, service, wine, decor, and that sexy-as-all-get-out kitchen... we loved it all. Â The House Made Pretzel w/ Mustard Butter and the Lobster Pot Pie are worth a visit alone. Â
Another heavy hitter for the highlands, this restaurant is gonna crush it.
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