Dined here for the first time on Friday night. Â Probably would have tried it eventually, but I won a $50 gift certificate from a local magazine and it was burning a hole in my purse.
With it being the end of the semester and not sure if parents of undergrads would make a rush on reservations, I made a reservation for my husband and I for 6pm via OpenTable.
We arrived about 5:45. Â They have coat check, which is great at this time of year. Â We were immediately seated despite being early. Â There were only about 3 other tables occupied.
The inside of the restaurant is beautiful. Â The renovations to the house offer a balance of maintaining its historical integrity (our waiter pointed out that the windows are original from the late 1800s) while providing modern comfort. Â It's definitely cozy and romantic, so a lovely place to take a date or celebrate an anniversary. Â You could go casual here (I was in jeans) or get dressed up and still fit in either way.
Our waiter greeted us promptly and brought the wine list and menus. Â He also brought a small bowl of olives. Â He told us that they had just changed to the winter menu that week.
We passed on the wine list and stuck with water. Â My husband ordered the fritto misto and I ordered the roasted beet salad and arugula to start. Â The fritto misto was amazing. Â Batter was light, seafood was fresh, there are also artichokes, lemon slices, and olives in the mix. Â Garlic aioli underneath was amazing. Â We agreed that we could have eaten several plates of that. Â My salad was beautifully presented, but nothing special. Â Everything was fresh, though.
The waiter asked us if we were ready to order our entrees. Â My husband ordered the locally farmed half chicken and I had the red snapper. Â The chicken was a huge portion, perfectly seasoned and cooked, so good that my husband even ate some of the crispy skin, which he never does. Â My fish was very good, but for $25, I thought there'd be more of it. Â It was a very small filet with just a few, halved fingerling potatoes and some roasted fennel. Â The broth it was over was balanced, if a little too salty.
We decided to have dessert. Â The waiter recommended the loukamades, which are made to order Greek yeast donuts. Â They were served with a salted caramel dipping sauce and a thyme-Greek yogurt dipping sauce. Â Three donuts were plated with honey underneath. Â Seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten. Â My husband and I finished the caramel sauce with a spoon. Â The second dessert was two pieces of baklava topped with cannelles of rosewater whipped cream. Â It was the best baklava I've ever had. Â The phyllo wasn't dried out, the nuts weren't too sweet, and each bite melted in your mouth. Â I had the Greek coffee, which is poured tableside, and is a nice compliment to the sweet ending.
Total, pre-tip and tax, came to $84.50. Â Cheaper than Tallent, but the quality of food and presentation is a step below, so the price corresponds to the quality. Â I think Topos is a good introduction to fine dining for the foodie neophyte because Mediterranean-inspired cuisine is familiar. Â Still, well worth the money for a lovely evening out. Â The only thing I think they need to work on is pacing, which Tallent has down. Â We went through our three courses in about 50 minutes and I think that needs to be slowed down considerably to really get the full enjoyment from the experience there. Â We agreed that we'd return some night, if for nothing other than appetizers and dessert. Â I'm sure they'll continue to improve.
Service was solid and enthusiastic, without being overly so. Setting was cozy with moderate volume and was much more unique than many of the other restaurant spaces in town. Most importantly, the food was really good. The Mediterranean focus definitely comes through in all menu items, with some more traditional than others. The menu had enough variety to satisfy different preferences, but if it doesn't change every few weeks (this seems unlikely) then it might reduce the draw for repeat customers. Portion sizes were substantial and well prepared. The donut desert was fantastic.
Review Source:The focus is on Greek/Mediterranean food and I went with 4 others and have also spoken with several others who have went.
Food Hooray: 1) I (and every other person I have talked with) totally disagrees with the previous post where they are anti-fries...because they are great! Yes, Farm has great fries, the toppings at Farm are better but the quality of the fry is better at Topo's, 2) Again, I totally disagree about the soup - I loved it and have heard nothing but great reviews from others, 3) hooray for mature, interesting, and not syrupy-sweet cocktails!
Food Nay: 1) Vegetarian - I mean, you guys are in Bloomington...do you really not have a dedicated vegetarian main entree? crazytown! yes, I know there is a pasta dish listed up with the starters but c'mon, if you expect people to come there then you need to expect that we might bring our vegetarian friends - and they would pry like something that takes longer than 10 minutes to make at home, 2) The $ to quantity ratio for the fava bean hummus is insane - you get 1 poofy pita and about 1 1/2 tablespoons for $5 - it is completely insane, 3) Dessert/Hours - this is the sort of place that could really benefit from a great dessert menu - as I might not choose to eat dinner here but after dinner drinks and desserts would just fit so nicely here
What is Great: 1) Indoor Decor - the space has really been done nicely - the decor is sophisticated but cool - thankfully, they kept some of the integrity of the historic home that it is in and, as such, many separate rooms are created - making for a fairly large seating capacity but without one gigantic room (nice) - some of the back rooms would be great for a small group, 2) Outdoor Seating - lots of great, outdoor seating that is set back just a bit off of the street
Room for Improvement: 1) Bike Rack - you guys are 3 blocks off of the B-line and in the heart of downtown...get a bike rack - and don't have your servers complain (in front of patrons) when somebody leans their bike (out of the way) along your fence, 2) Vegetarian - as mentioned above - really need some work in this area, 3) Logo/Branding - the logo is hard to read and people are confused about the name...I get it, it is because it is in the Topologus building - but I would totally work on the sign above the door - hard to read with the busy background and swirling lines
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
