Except for the servers' touch-screen monitors and the music, stepping into Steuben's Food Service is like time traveling to some amorphous period between the '30s and the '50s -- with a touch of the '90s. Thirties graphics go well with diner vinyl decor that looks more like the '50s. The loft-like exposed open ceiling with its trusses and ducts is late 20th century. The floor is a "modern" geometric, and functional long-tube fluorescents hang above some of the Formica-topped tables. And the food is timeless. Shrimp and grits, French onion soup, macaroni & cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, trout amondine grilled cheese sandwiches, meatloaf, root beer float, butterscotch pudding and cupcakes are among the American classics that fill the bill of fare. Draft beer comes in large water tumblers and glasses of wine wine in small straight-sided juice glasses. I'm not sure the glassware adds anything to the beverage service, but my
The restaurant, built within the spacious brick shell of a former auto body shop, is trendy because it is such a throwback to a time that few of its patrons remember -- though one elderly gentleman sat near us, soloing though the food he grew up with. The take-out counter is just inside the door. Nearby are some front tables (upper right), behind them a long bar area in the center and more tables and booths in back. We asked for an table on the patio on the east side of the restaurant and therefore shaded from the strong setting sun. Metal tables, designer molded chairs and blue umbrellas played off the putty-colored painted brick wall. The patio surprisingly doesn't catch much of the street noise from 17th Avenue -- except for the occasional roaring motorcycle, of course.
Steuben's, named after an old restaurant in the heart of downtown Boston, has been open for just about two years now, but it has taken me and my husband (or me and my friends) all this time to get around to trying it -- despite its rep. Steuben's, the brainchild of Vesta Dipping Grill executive chef Matt Selby and partners Josh and Jen Wolkon, quickly established itself on the strip of 17th Avenue that also includes the Avenue Grill, Aix, the Uptown Tavern and Marczyk's Fine Foods.
My husband came especially for the fried chicken (below) -- four pieces of crisp chicken, a smaller amount of mashed potatoes than he would have preferrred, a light biscuit and smooth country gravy that he liked so much that he asked for some extra almost licked the little dish it came in. It was a monochromatic dish that hit the spot. He also had a house salad of iceberg lettuce (Steuben's does boast about its comfort food), a tomato wedge, a couple of sweet onion rings and a pickled light green pepper of some sort.
My husband came especially for the fried chicken (below) -- four pieces of crisp chicken, a smaller amount of mashed potatoes than he would have preferrred, a light biscuit and smooth country gravy that he liked so much that he asked for some extra almost licked the little dish it came in. It was a monochromatic dish that hit the spot. He also had a house salad of iceberg lettuce (Steuben's does boast about its comfort food), a tomato wedge, a couple of sweet onion rings and a pickled light green pepper of some sort.
My vegetarian chili relleno (below) was a single, portly cheese-stuffed poblano topped with a crumble of queso blanco, a bit of crema, a few red-colored onion rings (beet-dyed sweet onion, perhaps) on a pool of ancho chile sauce, a wedge of ancho powder-dusted lime and flanked by whole pinto beans (IMO, much better than mooshed refried legumes). The menu promised pico de gallo, but I actually was happy with the combination of condiments.
Price Check: Steuben's prices, the same at lunch and dinner, are reasonable. Appetizers, $16-$12; soups, $5-$6; salads, $6-$10; entrees, $8-$22; sandwiches, $4-$20 (the last for a Maine lobster roll and fries with all others $12 or less); sides, $2-$3; desserts, $2-$6; beverages (soft drinks, coffees, malts), $2-$4. While we were waiting at the hostess station, I saw a small card offering a cheeseburger, fries and beverage (including domestic beers) for $5. By the time the hostess returned, I neglected to ask her whether that was at lunch only, but it is a certainly good value, especially since Steuben's burgers have been widely praised. The kids' menu is simple and smart. Foods are listed in three columns (main item of hot dogs, burgers, mac-and-cheese, spaghetti in red sauce, etc.; one of salad or vegetable; one of potatoes or baked beans), and young diners can pick one of each. The tab for any combo is $7, included a beverage and a cupcake.
Steuben's, which does a hefty take-out business and even offers curbside pickup for phone orders, is at 523 East 17th Avenue, Denver; 303-830-1001.
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1 comments:
Claire,
Speaking of mac and cheese, did you see this at the NYTimes site? http://tinyurl.com/b3hh8c
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