And so, in honor of the wife and I's 6th wedding anniversary this past weekend, my parents treated us to dinner at Elway's, a restaurant which is co-owned by the hall-of-fame Broncos quarterback John Elway and is located in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of the Denver Metropolitan Area. Outside of my parents telling me that it's an enjoyable place to eat (they had the opportunity to dine at Elway's some months back courtesy of my aunt and uncle), the reviews I sought out suggested that it's a casual type of steakhouse with a homey sort of feel. Once we arrived at Elway's, I found those assertions to be near complete bullshit (the place, in my opinion, is appointed rather lavishly with rich wood, large artsy light fixtures and some really attractive stone work). Outside of that outright lie, I did find that the service at Elway's was excellent, the menu (both food and drink) to be just diverse enough and the food (which is the most important part) to be top-notch. I'll break our recent Elway's experience down for you crazy kids...now:

Reservations are recommended (but surprisingly easy to make)...
Since we were dining on a Saturday evening, it was understood that we wouldn't be able to get a seat at Elway's without a reservation (actually, reservations are required every day of the week, I'm told). Luckily, straight from the restaurant's website, you have the option of making a reservation online (yes, I said ONLINE) at a neat little website called opentable.com. The process was quick and easy and, as we found out, reliable. The only reason that we had to wait any significant amount of time to be seated at Elway's was due to the fact that we showed up way early. The front-of-house staff at Elway's, in my opinion, is professional and courteous and did a fine job of sorting through the multitude of guests who were waiting in various places (including the bar, which was mostly packed and featured live entertainment) and getting said guests seated in a timely fashion.

Now, You Mentioned Something About The Menu Earlier...
Once we were seated (comfortably, in my opinion), we had a chance to take a look at the menu. I'd already glanced at it online prior to our arrival but it was still a bit challenging to select a meal. Now, I don't mean it was challenging in a "I don't like any of this stuff" way, I mean it more of a "crap, I want to try ALL of this stuff" way. Our table enjoyed two appetizers (just a tip from me to you: appetizers at Elway's are designed for 3 people. No more, no less. Three shall be the number of pieces on an appetizer plate at Elway's and the number of the appetizer items shall be three) since we numbered 4: Coconut shrimp (not bad) and lamb fondue (excellent). The coconut shrimp wasn't necessarily what you might expect (unless you've had the coconut shrimp appetizer at the Elephant Bar. In that case, it'd be exactly what you might expect). There were three large shrimp on bamboo skewers, battered in a coconut...um...batter and fried, served with a nicely spicy dipping sauce and accompanied by a half-coconut filled with some sort of fruity slaw. The lamb fondue consisted of three small sections of a lamb-rack, seasoned and cooked a a perfect rare and accompanied by seasoned croutons and roasted sweet potatoes, all of which were to be dipped into a warm green pepper cheese sauce which I found to be (frou-frou word alert) exquisite. Hell, I could've ordered a couple more lamb fondue appetizers and been set for the evening BUT...There was more to come...

When Everything is Ala Carte, WHY NOT Order Soup and Salad?..
And yes, before we go any further, everything on the menu at Elway's (keeping with the standard at your typical steakhouse) is ala carte. Faced with this, I decided to not order soup or a salad but, unbeknownst to my wife or myself, my parents slipped in their orders while ordering their meals (why the Hell not, they were paying). Dad ordered a house salad (which looked a little too "mixed greens" for my taste but he said that it was good) with bleu cheese and my mom ordered the chicken corn chowder which arrived impressively thick and (thankfully for me) a little too spicy for my mom's liking. Due to this development, I was allowed to eat most of the chicken corn chowder and found it to be quite enjoyable. Unlike most chowders featuring chicken, there were ample pieces of what tasted like mesquite roasted chicken leg meat, corn, potatoes and other chowdery things. If you're planning on making a trip to the Mile High City and have now penciled in "eating at Elway's" on your to-do list, DO NOT SKIP THE CHOWDER! Seriously, it was quite awesome...

Have I Mentioned that Elway's is, in fact, a Steakhouse?..
So following the appetizers and the salad and the chowder and the drinks (oh, I didn't mention drinks? Very nice bar list, to be sure), the logical next step would be our entrees and OH MY GOD, Elway's did not disappoint. I ordered the 22oz porterhouse cooked rare and while I won't go so far as to say it was the best steak I've ever had, it was very close to taking that title. Seasoned wonderfully and cooked to perfection, my steak was tender and flavorful. I had a twice-baked potato as my side which I found to be quite enjoyable. My dad also had the porterhouse while my wife and my mother both had the filet (and my mom did say that her steak was "the best steak she'd ever had.") Other sides at the table included the fries (significantly better than you'd think they'd be), asparagus (the wife complained that it wasn't quite cooked enough) and au gratin potatoes which myself, my mom and my wife all agreed were the best side at the table. Holding out for dessert, I didn't finish my steak or my potato but, after being boxed up by the staff, my potato (dun dun DUNNNN) mysteriously disappeared. In the future, I shall be more clear as to my potato-related intentions, to be sure...

And Speaking of Dessert...
The dessert menu at Elway's has some typical items and some which are not so typical including warm cookies with milk and assemble yourself s'mores. My dad chose the Key Lime Pie (which was actually a small individual pie, not a mere slice), mom chose the brownie lollipop (the smallest dessert I've ever seen) and the wife and I shared warm cookies and ice cream. Outside of the strangely small (*cough* RIPOFF) brownie lollipop, the desserts we sampled were very rich and flavorful, certainly a fine way to cap off such a memorable and enjoyable meal...

And Here's The Part About How We're Just Not Cut Out For Fancy Eatin' Joints...
Before we left, both my wife and my mother made a trip to the restroom. My wife arrived back at the table first and informed us that at Elway's, in addition to the unique sinks and the automatic faucets and soap dispensers, mouthwash was available to freshen your mostly foul breath. My mom, upon her return to the table, looked a bit embarrassed and said "you know, I'm just not cut out for these kinds of places."

"What, did you wash your hands with the mouthwash?" I asked, jokingly.

Turned out, she had. Her hands DID smell fresh and clean for the ride home, though...

So to sum up, if you're looking for an attractive and comfortable restaurant where you can simultaneously enjoy a great steak and impress your date with minty-fresh hands (and you happen to be in the Denver Metro Area), put Elway's at the top of your list...I doubt you'll be disappointed (unless you're just some jerk who doesn't like the Broncos and, in turn, doesn't like Johnny Elway 'cause he likely engineered a brilliant 4th quarter drive to beat your favorite team at some point...If this is the case, see if you can find a restaurant named "Kosar's" or "Favre's." Eat there, you losers). I give Elway's an enthusiastic "A" and definitely plan on enjoying their food again. Well, if they'll let my kind back into such a swanky joint, that is...

Labels: I eat food, lame stories, sports, stuff mom's done