08/10/05

Eat before you go! Don't expect much service.

by eatsoutoften

You will never in your life have an opportunity to pay so much for so little as you will in this way over-rated establishment. Read the common themes in the reviews....poor service (arrogant is an understatement), portions so small you think they are playing a joke on you, and you pay a small fortune for the pleasure. I was invited guest and dined at the private table in the kitchen. If you think the waiters look unhappy in the dining rooms, you can see why in the kitchen. Nobody questions the chef. It is not a kitchen, it's an art class. So, go if you want to see for yourself, but stop by Burger King on the way.

• Pros: Wine
• Cons: Service, Portions, Price

06/02/05

Mega Prices and Micro Portions.....

by revenge

Let's get one thing out of the way...we expect to be treated with a reasonable degree of warmth by the matredee and the waitpersons. Upon entering, the uptight snotty matredee sets the mood. The waiter was cold and bordering on insulting. It's over the top to serve such small portions and think people are going to oooh and ahhh! The $16.00 Squab Chop Salad barely covered the center of a saucer. The $11.00 Lobster Sausage was rubbery, bland and a small appetizer portion. I wasnt sure if it was supposed to be cold, hot, warm? And I didnt dare ask the waiter..Id already been put in my place by my wine selection.

I read a review saying Adega is Challenging diners with compelling creative food? I say, the emperor is wearing NO cloths! And I want to be fed when I dine out!

• Pros: Wine List, Location is chic
• Cons: Skimpy portions, Mean staff, Expensive

05/02/05

Where's the food?

by julietgray

I dined at Adega shortly after it opened and had a fabulous experience, so I returned with two friends last weekend. This time, I was surprised to see that the chef had changed the menu to a "tasting" menu. Everything was served in small tasting portions, to enable you to sample 2 or 3 "entrees". We each ordered several and we laughed when they arrived. The portions were microscopic (but the prices were not). Everything tasted good, but there are lots of upscale restaurants in Denver that are equally good (try Rioja!). The wine cellar is fabulous,though, and we had a good time simply because we were trashed due to the wine/food ratio. I guess it wasn't all bad. We did have to stop at Village Inn on the way home and eat again, though. Total cost for the evening: $300 at Adega and $23 at Village Inn...

• Pros: wine selection, atmosphere
• Cons: portions, service

05/01/05

Never AGAIN!

by strickfaden

Over priced trendy spot and you can leave hungry, unless you have enough time to order 5+ courses, but as it was, our 3 courses plus coffee and dessert took nearly 3 hours. For these prices I expect excellent service it certainly was there! When the food came cold and we tried to send it back the waiter was in shock and had to go ask someone what he should do. Out of the 12 different small plates ordered by the 4 diners only about 3 were acceptable.

• Pros: Nice Decor, Nice restroom, Great bread
• Cons: Poor service, $$$$ for amt of food, Very sm. portions

04/04/05

Great food but that's it

by foodie80237

We had the tasting menu with wine pairings. The food was terrific, and the wine pairings were imaginative and well-chosed (also reasonably good value at $45).

But my oh my, the service. Slapdash and careless mixed with a healthy dose of preciousness and pretentiousness.

And then there's the frat-house ambience. The very noisy bar intrudes on the dining room, and most of the clientele seemed to be refugees from Hooter's.

I won't be back, which is a shame, because the food was really really outstanding.

• Pros: food, wine
• Cons: service, atmosphere, bar noise

02/15/05

For Serious Adventure-Diners Only!

by harddriv

The unique combinations of flavor, texture and temperature you'll experience here makes Adega one of the most unique restaurants in Denver. Here is last night's five course tasting menu:

Asparagus Confit with Grilled Tangerine, Pine Nut & Bread Salad

Butter Poached Lobster with Sweet Onion Puree and Tomato-Chive Pudding

Roast Breast of Poussin with Carmelized Apple Polenta

Cube of Prime Ribeye with Roquefort & Bacon Twice Baked Fingerlings

Passionate Chocolate (chocolate cake with passion fruit ice cream)

All of these were excellent, as were the fennel & raisin rolls served with dinner. Yes the portions can be small and the prices high and the flavors very different from what you're accustomed to, but your tastebuds will get a workout and by the end of the evening you'll be full. Given the pricey wine list, the pairing option is actually a good way to go. The service was professional. Great place!

• Pros: Creative Dishes, Decor
• Cons: Pricey Wines

02/12/05

Salty food, mediocre service and a $160 bill

by misutira

Went to Adega to celebrate Valentines day. The restaurant was designed very well and speaks to an attention to detail that holds great promise for the food. Complaints: too bright (ala Denny's) and too noisy.

We ordered our first course a salad and soup. The carmelized chestnut soup was good on first taste but the sweetness and flavor was tedious by the middle of the bowl. The salad, grilled hearts of romaine was too salty.

The entrees: salmon and tile fish. The salmon on first taste was enjoyable but the saltiness of it became so unpalatable by the middle of the meal it remained unfinished. The tile fish was even more salty and looked worse than it tasted. It remained uneaten as well. After poor starts and entrees we skipped dessert, mentioned the experience to the hostess and do not plan on returning. Total bill:$160 with tip.

• Pros: Wine list, Interior Design
• Cons: Food, Service, Price

12/19/04

soooo bad

by foodie1212

Myself and my husbsand enjoy going out, and we don't have a problem spending a lot of money, but adega was the worst dining experience I've had in a looong time. The service was horrible, the food was cold/luke warm, the staff was personality challenged, everything was overpriced for what you got, everything I ate was oversalted, the decor is lame...yuck yuck yuck. We will never go back.

11/22/04

Bold designs meet imaginative food at this swanky downtown hot spot.

by Contributor

The Scene
A glass, temperature-controlled wine cellar, modern artwork depicting local scenes and an illuminated red bar perfectly complement the beautiful people dining on small plates in the bustling bar area. Deserving of a Manhattan address, this trendy eatery gives urban and modern a new definition in LoDo.

The Food
Adega's plates are all about presentation--refreshing, startling and beautiful works of art. Begin with onion consomme, poured tableside. It sinks under Parmesan foam with oxtail at the bottom of the dish. The king crab "fish sticks" are light, crunchy and addicting. For your meal, try the almond crusted squab (a sweet, sour, crumbly delight). The lingcod has a light truffle scent and a crispy skin, accompanied by delicate oyster mushrooms and diver scallops. From the tasting menu, the truffle foam will create waves of ecstasy--rich, decadent and otherworldy--it should win for the most creative plate in town.

11/21/04

Poor choice of restaurant

by scott lee

The portions were extremely small. It is very expensive for the quality and quantity of food they you get. The wine list is huge, but in general very expensive $150 plus.

It is very noisy, and hard to hear your partner. They call it fine dining, but the setting is very plane. I was very disappointed in it. It appears to be a corner bar trying to be upscale. Difinatly not a place for a romantic or even charming meal.

• Cons: , noisy, price