I couldn't think of a better establishment to start off my first review with. 3 Hours and $172.10 later, I was in heaven after visiting Argyll.
It is a comfortable little joint in the Cherry Creek area of Denver. I took my Chef friend from work there to see what they had to offer. I found the place after doing an Internet search for Scotch Eggs, we'll get to those later...
We were seated pretty quick, and offered beverages right away. It being December in Colorado, we both decided on a bourbon to warm up. We had the Black Maple Hill, and a Scottish Ale to wash it down. The waiter made some great beverage recommendations, a fairly knowledgeable young lad. With the glasses of joy, he brought a small basket of fresh potato chips with a malt vinegar reduction drizzled across them. The Chef's take on Salt and Vinegar Chips. They were simple, and delicious.
The trouble began when the menu arrived, everything sounded good. I mean real good. They have a house charcuterie program that the waiter promoted with obvious excitement. Of the 17 choices on the small menu, we chose 9. Rabbit Rillete, Duck Prosciutto, Pickled Beef Tongue, Salt Pork, English Cheddar, Sheep's Milk Ricotta, Gruyere, Spicy Tomato Jam, & Colorado Onion Purple Jam. Everything was good, perfect portions and garnished correctly. The cheeses were all good & fresh. The highlight for us was of course the meat. The Rabbit Rillette was a small dish of pure pleasure. Coated with a layer of fat that warmed quickly when spread on the baguette it was served with. The Purple Onion Jam was a nice side to smooth the salty meats. The best for last, the Salt Pork. The portion was small, but just right. It was the first time in my life I actually got the chills from eating something. That small niblet of salted pig was the reason I am a Chef. Excellent food, that makes people feel good. No better way to honor that animal, taking it's meat and turning it into something beyond delicious.
The poor waiter was probably scared of us, two Chefs eating salted pork and quivering. Neither saying a word, just chewing and moaning. After me telling him how good everything was so far, he suggested the Indian Style Mussels as an appetizer. We went for it. They came out after just a few minutes in a large bowl swimming in a coconut milk broth. You could immediately smell the lemongrass, curry, and cilantro. The smell was almost as good as the taste. We made short work of a dozen or so mussels. Me being the first to make the grab, I slurped the entire bowl of broth with no shame.
By this time the piece de resistance was making it's way to our table, the Scotch Eggs. For those of you who have no clue what a Scotch Egg is, let me explain. Generally you take a cooked egg, wrap it in ground sausage, dip it in breadcrumbs, and deep-fry. After everything so far, I knew the Chef would not disappoint. How can you make it even better than the norm? Serve the eggs soft-boiled with a runny yolk! Brilliant, and extremely hard to do. The eggs were $6.00 a piece, and worth $12.00. We ordered 2, devoured them. Then we ordered 2 more. Again, the chills.
We were both on a roll, both in the middle of the best meal of our lives. Entree time. My Chef friend chose the Lamb Special; lamb served three ways, including lamb bacon. Cooked perfectly, served hot. I ordered the Steak au Poivre, prepared fairly traditional with peppercorns, double cream, cognac and veal jus. Delicious, cooked perfectly. The steak was served with celery root & potato mash. Both excellent selections, both executed as good as can be.
By now we had been there over 2 hours. The staff was starting to stare. Who were these two gents eating everything on the menu? Our waiter was starting to get the hang of things, he brought us out another beverage. A Murphy Stout for Jake, a Whiskey Grapefruit Sour for me. As we sipped and talked about everything so far, we both thought it would be nice to see the Chef behind this meal. We asked the waiter if we could have a quick visit with the Chef. With perfect timing the Chef came out just as our glasses were emptied. Chef Sergio Romero is a top notch guy. He pulled up a chair and humbly talked with us about life & the food. He came up out of New Mexico, learning alot along the way. He was the opposite of all the cocky no-talent Chefs you see on TV. His jacket showed the marks of actually working in the kitchen, a rare thing now days. We spent 10 minutes talking, he thanked us, and went on his way. The server even brought us out a copy of the menu signed by the Chef. Eating perfect food, drinking good drinks, meeting the Chef, what a great night... The waiter returned and asked what dessert we wanted to end the evening, we could both think of only one thing. We had the Salt Pork again for dessert.
My highest recommendations go to Argyll if you are ever in Denver. Our server (Bryan) was very good without being the least bit annoying. The Chef was in perfect form. An excellent (and very meaty) experience.
http://www.argyllpub.com/
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