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Potager (which rhymes with the yuppy pronunciation of
Target) means kitchen garden in French. They boast a menu devoted to seasonal
ingredients bought from local, organic farms. While the produce was so fresh I
nearly had to spank it, the execution of the dishes was lacking. And when I
spend $100+ on dinner, I expect either a killer meal or enough food to keep me
away from King Soopers for a week. At Potager I got neither.
Food: For a restaurant dedicated to local, sustainable
agriculture, there sure were a lot of foreign elements on the menu. One-third
of the entrees on the early Spring menu featured ocean-dwellers. Funny, I
didn’t know we had a river called California
where hippy halibut roam free.
Because portions are small, ordering first courses is a
must. On a recent visit, I started with the homemade gnocchi ($11) and spinach
soufflé ($12). The gnocchi was tasty, but the mint pesto that accompanied it
rivaled Listerine for intensity. The spinach soufflé was light, fluffy and
well-balanced–definitely a menu highlight.
The entrée-sized prosciutto-wrapped mahi-mahi ($24.50)
was a disaster. Consisting of prosciutto, fish, spinach sauce and olive
tapenade all loaded onto a large polenta cake, there were just too many things
going on. Instead of a garnish, the very-strong tapenade drenched the mahi,
making it hard to taste anything except the capers.
Barley risotto carbonara ($15) had me saying more
carbonara, less barley please. I discovered I liked turnips via the baby
turnips cooked in a bacon cream sauce that neighbored the slow cooked pork
shoulder. Then again, bacon can make a Manwich taste like a delicacy. As for
the pork ($24), it was perfectly cooked but seasoned as if they expected a
giant slug infestation and were hording the salt.
Since it’s inconceivable that you’d be full off of their
pre-baby Nicole Richie-sized portions, you will definitely be ordering dessert.
The crème brulee and apple tart (all desserts $6.50) were perfect, but I could
have baked the brownie with caramel sauce myself. And I burn Jell-O.
Drinks: Apparently Potager only grows barley and grapes
in their kitchen garden. If you like a martini with your dinner, go somewhere
else; they only serve beer and wine. However, the wine selection and entrée
pairings are first-rate. None of the sippers at my table have been
disappointed.
Décor: Potager isn’t a hole-in-the-wall like your
favorite Thai joint. No, this place actually has holes in the wall. But don’t
offer to help dry-wall – I think it’s supposed to be “rustic urban chic.” Or
some other BS their interior decorator came up with. Apparently I am neither
urban nor chic enough to see the appeal of an atmosphere reminiscent of a hotel
room post-Keith Richards.
Vibe: Unless you like to eat at 5 or 10 p.m., you’ll find
that Potager resembles a Tokyo
subway – small and crowded with designer-wrapped professionals. Upon entering,
the very capable and chipper hostess will inform you of the wait, but she’s so
upbeat that you won’t mind being packed tighter than David Beckham’s ass into
the miniscule waiting area.
Luckily, bread will be set out at your table before you
sit down (something more Denver
restaurants should pick up on). However, that was the end of good service for
us.
Our server walked away from our table twice before we
were able to put in our drink orders. She ran off abruptly after we had ordered
just the first of our three desserts. A different server mis-named the
aforementioned turnips as radishes. When corrected, he insisted they were
radishes. Not a big deal to you or I perhaps, but it was to my friend who
hand-picked the very turnips we were eating. He walked off with a “Whatever.” I
think it’s safe to say that when you spend $20+ on an entrée, the servers
should never utter catch phrases from “Clueless.”
Bottom line: Maybe the kitchen and wait-staff were
flustered because it was a busy Saturday night. Or maybe a restaurant trying to
be high caliber should hire more people.
Potager 1109 Ogden St.
Denver, CO 80218
303-832-5788
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