Twelve Restaurant

I don't throw around 5 star reviews very often - rarely really.  Try and say that five times fast.  Twelve was an absolute treat; everything was on point from the food, service, atmosphere, parking, wine, presentation, etc.  

I had a friend in town from LA and you want to showcase how Denver is no longer a culinary desert so I chose Twelve based on what my friends have said and I was rewarded.  This place has a very friendly yet upscale vibe to it.  The food presentation is up there with the high end joints but the price point is about half.  The taste of my dish (cioppino) was outstanding; they didn't overcook the white fish or the shrimp - thank you!  My buddy had the pork shoulder and he polished it off so I imagine I can say that dish was on point as well.

Great selection of wine, I mean great, and they are reasonably priced.  The menu itself is not large, only a handful of apps, dishes and desserts.  But I'd rather eat at a place that does their 4-5 protein dishes very well instead of a place that can't figure out how to do their 25 menu options.

The service was friendly and attentive without being under your feet the whole time.  We kind of overstayed our welcome on a blizzardy Sunday night but the staff didn't utter a peep and let us be.  Great experience - definitely recommended!

This was one of the highlights of my trip to Denver, and the best meal we all trip (an honor I was sure was going to go to Fruition, but this place surpassed it).

First off, we went on Valentine's Day, and I was a little hesitant because other reviews (both here and elsewhere) had described this place as not romantic but more almost sterile (yikes) -- I don't think they could have been more wrong.  This place was adorable, great warm lighting and really eccentric odds-and-ends on the wall -- great date night place (#winning).

The $38 prix fix was a STEAL and more food than anyone can possibly eat, and our waiter also picks the wine for twelve and does an excellent job.  We picked one of the wines offered by the glass and got it by the bottle (it was the Chateau d'oupia) -- which you always run the risk of a cheaper bottle not being super spectacular.  But it was amazing (so much so that I wrote the name of the wine down for research later), especially if you love a full-bodied red.  

Everything we ordered was solid AND surprising, which is always an excellent combination.  I got:

- The crab beignets, which were cooked perfectly and worked well with cilantro yogurt

- The pork (SO GOOD) -- I especially loved the banana-sweet potato puree, such an interesting flavor and the banana and sweet potato really complimented eachother (who knew?)

- The chocolate trio -- the only thought I can recollect at this point is I'M SO FULL WHYYYYYY, but that is only a testimony as to how good it was and how much I wished I could actually eat more than just a few bites.

Other nice touches:

- Love the option of sparkling or still as a gratis choice as opposed to "would you like to pay $15 for a bottle of sparkling water" -- they came around with both when refilling glasses, really nice touch.

- Gratis sparkling wine with dessert -- not sure if that was a V-day thing or if that's always the case, but we were touched

Bottom line - go here.  It's definitely a little off the beaten path, but totally worth it.

Twelve is the kind of restaurant where I want to be a regular. And not necessarily so they can know me, but more because I want to enjoy the deliciousness coming out of the kitchen as often as possible. I've only eaten here twice, but whether I've had fish or steak, soup or salad, veggies or dessert I have pretty much licked my plate clean.

As you can gleam from reading the other reviews the menu is seasonal, changing every month, hence the name Twelve. So while I can tell you about my meals it seems silly to go into details about items that may or may not be there by the time you get around to trying it. I will say that the menu is inventive and yet manages to have something for all sorts of tastes whether you like to play it safe or be adventurous with your meals

The service is spectacular. If you are in doubt about what to get they can provide you more details than needed to decide. For example, they can help you figure out what wines will pair best with you meal, but they won't judge you if you up and order a white to go with your beef.

They are closed on Mondays and offer a lovely prix fixe menu Tuesday through Thursday where you can have 3 courses for $38, which is a crazy steal when you consider the quality of the meal you'll be having.

Go there. Eat. Be Merry. Dooooo iiiiiittttt.