Il Posto

05/14/2008 Posted by gmbeid

I've been to Il Posto on a number of occasions and have been consistently wowed by the food, and up until yesterday, the service. Despite the loud room, I look forward to visiting knowing that my taste buds will be treated like royalty. The kitchen consistently executes palate pleasing dishes with fresh and sometimes unusual ingredients. Their hangar steak is so good it's a bit ridiculous. Dripped in cocca (I think) and charred to perfection while retaining a deep pink, chewy, meaty interior...a description can't do it justice. Just go eat one. BUT. Last night we were seated and were *completely* ignored by our server for 15 minutes, while he proceeded to assist a table that was seated 5 minutes after us. When he finally did stop by, he asked what kind of water we wanted (tap - don't waste!!) and produced the water. Another 10 minutes elapsed before he could be bothered to stop by again to take an order for our starters. I won't torture you with all of the details, but it was unequivocally the most indifferent and occasionally rude service I think I've ever had in Denver, let alone in a restaurant where three of us dropped $250 on dinner (and that's BEFORE tip). If I hadn't had a bit of wine in me, I would have talked to management, but as it stood we were just ready to leave (when we FINALLY got the check which we practically had to beg for and was totally mis priced. It was like our waiter just made up the prices. Had nothing to do with what was on the board. Really.) I will be back, but only because the food is so extraordinary (and I should note that the wine service is good and the chef is wonderful about circulating amongst his guests). But I hope someone from the restaurant reads this and reads their staff the riot act, because the service we received was completely unacceptable.

Pros: Incredibly good food, good wine service

Cons: terrible service, very loud room

05/10/2008 Posted by 96Buff

I have been to Il Posto several times and have always found the food extremely good and made even better by the wine pairings and attentive staff. The menu is dynamic and creative. The only challenge sometimes is with seating, as it's a very small restaurant (which can be a positive overall). This challenge has been compounded by Il Posto's growing popularity. I had an experience in which I made a reservation for 2 for my wife's birthday and we were forced to sit at the bar in spite of the reservation I made a month in advance, so you may need to be flexible if you are a party of 2 depending on the occasion. But I have only had this issue once in the many times I've eaten there. Overall, a really great place in a great neighborhood.

05/05/2008 Posted by foodmanuy123456

I heard about it, and you know when you hear about and the hype is so high you wonder. Let me tell you about the food … razor clams!!! Insane, risotto with strawberry and straccino, I think that’s the name, never taste it before … mind blowing and the service was really attentive and this wait staff know the menu’ in and out. A great experience and this one star people, are you sure you went to the right place!

Pros: food ... food ... service

Cons: not idea

04/25/2008 Posted by denverfirst

I don't know what the hype is around this place...went there for Valentine's dinner and had the worst meal I can ever remember. Started off with them having no record of my reservation (made almost a month earlier) and then being seated at a make-shift table in the middle of a walkway. Service was awful, food was bland and way over-priced ($275 for two people including a bottle of wine). I figured it was a busy night and my wife and I decided to try it again. Bad idea. Same experience as before with slightly better service. Dinner was undercooked (had to send it back), flavors were unimpressive and sides were virtually the same for a piece of fish and the lamb. Baffled why people like this place. The only good thing I can say is that we had good wine both times we were there. I'd honestly recommend saving your money and going to Olive Garden.

Pros: Decent ambience and good wine

Cons: Food quality, service and overall value

04/06/2008 Posted by bsn8

I should have turned and left, when I saw "a fusion of Asian pear" scrawled on a chalkboard menu of this Italian restaurant. However, my friend wanted to try it out, and we proceeded to break my cardinal restaurant rule of "avoid anything fusion." It's a sign the chef doesn’t have the conviction or skill to deliver fine food from any region. The calamari appetizer was inedible. I expected fresh squid deep fried in a delicate batter with an excellent sauce, but we received rubbery, steamed, old calamari stuffed with carrots and something else. I detested it, but my friend liked it enough because he's used to frozen food at home. My tagliatelle pasta had a horrible paprika and olive oil sauce. I left it alone and ate the delicious mussels and snap peas that garnished the plate. I had no idea the pasta came with mussels, and I never order seafood in Denver unless I know the restaurant, because the sea is too far away to have fresh fish. I guess the mussels held their freshness due to the protection offered by their shells. My friend's risotto looked like Indian dhal and rice. It was the most unappetizing presentation of risotto I've ever seen and it tasted like cheesy Rice a Roni. The chocolate banana cake desert came in paper thin slices of banana and some sort of loaf cake with a shooter of Hershey’s chocolate syrup and milk on the side. I ate it because I was still hungry, but I think Sara Lee does a superior job. The wine was good, but they didn’t make that. The waitress became severe and snippy when I voiced my opinions about the food, and I began to think that she was a fool to not address my concerns or attempt a resolution. However, when the check came she said that she deducted my entrée from the bill, but I still paid too much for frozen food trying to pass for haute cuisine.

Pros: Good location

Cons: Horrible food

03/27/2008 Posted by gordocubano56

Seems that just arriving puts me in a good mood. Perhaps that has something to do with the rotating and always beautiful group of hostesses. I love a glass or 2 of vino and Dan always knows just what to suggest with the dinner you're planning. He has never let me take a second sip if he can see that what he brought wasn't my favorite. Barbera, Nebbiolo, and Amarone have become good friends under his tutelage. I can honestly say that I have eaten here over a dozen times, never having the same dish twice and always been impressed and craving more. From baby octopus that makes you feel like mama octopuses' better get back to work cause that baby is awesome, to a prosciutto that is aged for 24 months and leaves you thinking, "did that actually melt slowly away in my mouth or did I just refuse to chew?" Even the monk fish tastes like it tricked a lobster into giving up its flavor for just one night. The best dish however is the osso bucco. I break the non-repeat rule for this one. Only on Wednesdays and thank God for that, otherwise I would have serious issues staying away. I have had this devil of a dish numerous times and Andrea's mini-me gets it better every time. The most tender and delicious veal I have ever had. The risotto milanese (or mac on steroids as I have come to know it) accompanies the meat perfectly, and the marrow almost flirts with you as you peek at it knowing that it will take this already amazing dish up a notch. The peach panacotta has had me waiting for this years harvest ever since last year. After dinner, a little grappa or amaro will have you wanting to do the whole thing over again. Sure I have been to il Posto a lot, but the reasons for my trips remain constant. An ever-changing and always delicious menu, my vino lessons and an opportunity to enjoy an evening with new friends and the ones waiting for me at Il Posto.

Pros: food, vino, and service.

Cons: That I can't go on Sundays...yet.

03/20/2008 Posted by cmarcel

Don't expect a typical Italian restaurant here. The service is slow, but attentive. Our waiter was very knowledgable. The food was very good, but don't expect homestyle Italian. I come from NJ, so this was comparable to more of trendy Italian than deep down homestyle. I'd go back again, but not looking forward to the crowds and tight space.

Pros: Good location..

Cons: Tight space and too loud

03/17/2008 Posted by robertdenver

THIS IS NOT A RESTAURANT. LET' S START WITH THE SERVICE: HORRIBLE, SLOW AND UNPROFESSIONAL. THE FOOD IS THE WORST I TASTED IN MY LAST 40 YEARS. OVERPRICED. MY RISOTTO WAS BOILED, NO TASTE, COMPLETELY RAW, I THINK THEY BUY THE FOOD AT COSTCO IN CAN AND THEN MAKE APPETIZERS. THE MENU IS ON A CHALKBOARD, IMPOSSIBLE TO READ. VERY, VERY, VERY NOISY. THE DESSERT YOU CAN GET IT FROZEN AT KING SOOPER. IF YOU WANT TO GET A BETTER DINNER GO TO L' ATELIER.

Pros: FOOD FROM COSTCO

Cons: EVERYTHING

03/11/2008 Posted by LadyEla

Please, let's get real here, who would judge a restaurant based on the experience during Restaurant Week. I am not going to pretend i did not take advantage of the deal but of course I wasn't expecting the best service or the best food (and it wasn't) of the restaurants i went. You get what you pay (reality 101). Restaurant Week is like Saturdays in NYC, you never have dinner on a Saturday in NYC unless you want to run into a lot (LOT) of tacky people.Of course, if you want a big plate of pasta with tomato sauce and meatballs you better go to Olive Garden (i heard a woman right next to me asking for such "delicate" meal, imagine the face of the waiter, it wasn't arrogance, it was surprise and I found it myself a little bit insulting and disturbing!). I promised to myself that i will not go out ever again during Restaurant Week no matter how cheap it is. So i dont blame the restaurants, i blame the people that dont get the point. As far as Il Posto goes, i have to confess that lately, unless it is a business meal, i only go to IL POSTO to have a memorable meal. The food is simply delicious (simple for me it is nowadays the best compliment you can give). I could try to describe the experiences i had but i will not reveal the secret and let people discover what real Italian cucina means. I never pick the wine myself because any wine they bring it is absolutely delicious, they know what they are doing, that's for sure. I love the fact that the Chef comes to your table and asks you about the food. The service is always excellent, nice chats. I always learn something new about italian cuisine. They really take their time to explain in detail each course on the menu. Great experience if you are willing to appreciate the effort, the knowledge and the love behind every single meal!

03/06/2008 Posted by JermainePennant

My wife and I ate dinner at Il Posto for the first time last week. We were delightfully taken a back. The food was the real thing; it had strong ties to Northern Italy, but maintained its originality. It wasn't reinventing itself, but each dish had something truly exceptional that heightened the senses: risotto made with red beets and lavender, the swordfish was thinly sliced and smoked; the effect was delicate sweet and faintly aromatic taste over the richness of swordfish. The hanger steak I ate reminded me of the days I worked for a French Butcher in New York. It was one of the best hangers I have ever had. We ordered a wine form the Cinque Terre, on our server's recommendation. Between that wine, the swordfish, and the sardines I swear I could smell the Mediterranean Sea. The energy is fresh and warm, but with a cosmopolitan flare that is worthy of any city we know (my wife is from Madrid). I think that a kitchen must love and appreciate what they produce to serve what we consumed and whoever purchased that wine for the restaurant is clearly proud of what they are bringing to the table. It seemed the staff felt they had something special and indeed they did.

Pros: Service, Food, Wine, Atmosphere