Ore House

I am notorious for my forgetfulness, and love to eat out. To keep from accidentally eating twice at a place that I didn't like, I decided to start "reviewing" the restaurants we visit while we're here in Colorado. If you're ever passing through, maybe we can take you to one of our favorites :)

Last night Mike and I joined a bunch of his coworkers for dinner at the Ore House. They're primarily a steak house, and not an inexpensive one. I was disappointed they only had one chicken dish. They did have half a dozen seafood dishes, but I'm not a fan of seafood (especially when I'm pregnant and can't verify the source of the fish). Also, if you're like me, and you like to check the menu online before going to a restaurant, be aware that their online menu isn't current. I got myself all worked up about a Spinach and Wild Arugula salad on their online menu (it said it was made with candied pecans, strawberries, chevre, aged balsamic, and olive oil). Well, they didn't have it on their physical menu. Oh it just makes me sad and hungry thinking about it. That is my BIGGEST pet peeve (for restaurants, anyway). It feels like false advertising.


Anyway, because we were eating as a group (there were 15 people in our party), we ordered quite a bit of food, some of which I tried. The sides ordered were Asparagus with a béarnaise sauce, Crab Macaroni & Cheese, and regular Macaroni & Cheese. The asparagus was very tenderly cooked, and the sauce was good. I didn't try the crab mac, but Mike said it was yucky - expensive for no good reason. Because Mike was unimpressed with the crab mac, neither of us tried the regular mac. But really, who wants to pay $7 for a small serving of homemade mac and cheese? Mike ordered his signature virgin mojito and was so disappointed. For a restaurant that advertises a full bar, it's unthinkable that they used mojito mix instead of fresh mint and lime. Mike didn't even finish his mojito (which is saying something). I also ordered their loaded baked potato. It was good, served with a generous amount of butter, sour cream, white cheddar cheese, crispy crumbled bacon, chives, and green chiles. I didn't put the chives or chiles on it, and it was very good. You can never go wrong with a baked potato. However, I don't think it was worth the $7 it cost.


The majority of our group (13 people) ordered a steak of one kind or another, one person ordered the lobster, and I ordered a chicken breast stuffed with artichoke, parmesan and sundried tomatoes, topped with a cream sauce. I can imagine it's very difficult for a chef staff to prepare 15 meals (each with different "done-ness" and preparation) and still get the meals out all at the same time. I was really impressed that we were all served at the same time. Unfortunately, the consensus was that none of the meat was done the way it was asked for. Each steak was off in done-ness by a mark or two (for example, Mike ordered medium-rare and his was medium, and our host, Sebastian, ordered his medium and was served a medium-well steak) and my chicken was very over cooked. I'll admit, I would prefer it over-done than under-done, but when I have difficulty cutting through my chicken with a steak knife, it's a problem. That said, the filling of the chicken was delicious, as was the sauce. From what I overheard, it seems as though the flavors of each of the steaks was satisfactory.


Dessert made an attempt to redeem the meal. I ordered the Butter Pecan Rum Cake, which was good enough to finish even though I felt full. Mike ordered the Crème Brûlée Duo - two ramekins of crème brûlée, one Irish Creme flavored, the other Chai Tea flavored. Mike really liked the Chai Tea flavored one because it tasted like pumpkin pie. I liked the Irish Creme flavor because it was a very delicate flavor, not too overpowering.


I don't think we'll choose to go back to the Ore House on our dime, but it's possible that if you're looking for a flavorful steak and you're solo or on a date, the Ore House may work for you.