Restaurant Roundup: Guard and Grace, Denver

February 26, 2015  •  Restaurants

guard-and-grace-denver-logoWhen I heard that Denver Chef Troy Guard’s new venture was to be a large downtown steakhouse, I couldn’t help but wonder why we need yet another steak house in a town full of steakhouses. And I was more than a little curious as to how a chef known for more nuanced food at TAG would stake (pun intended) his claim in this overcrowded space. All it took was one visit to answer both questions.guard-and-grace-denver-hamachi-crudoYou might not think of a steakhouse serving hamachi crudo like this, but that’s the first way Guard and Grace distinguishes itself in a crowded market. It’s more of a surf and turf place complete with a raw bar (gorgeous counter if you want to sit there to eat) and a wide selection of seafood. Think of it as Stoic & Genuine meets Del Frisco’s.guard-and-grace-denver-speck-and-burrataBut it also has an impressive list of charcuterie and hand made cheeses to choose from to start your meal. The minute I saw burrata, speck, and grilled bread on the menu, I knew what I had to order. The burrata was creamy, the bread perfectly toasted, and the speck salty like it should be. Heaven together.guard-and-grace-denver-house-saladguard-and-grace-denver-casear-saladguard-and-grace-denver-wedge-saladIt’s always great to have a salad at a steakhouse, and Guard and Grace offers a nice selection: the house salad features four types of greens, fresh herbs, sunflower seeds, and their house dressing; the Caesar has a twist on it with a nice wedge of avocado hiding under that lovely parmesan crisp; and of course, no steakhouse is complete without a wedge salad offering, although my husband seems to always be the only one who is thin enough to afford to eat that many calories.guard-and-grace-denver-petite-grassfed-been-filet-with-roasted-carrotBut what really sets Guard and Grace apart from all of the other steak joints in town is the selection of steaks. First, you have your choice of beef: PRIME: the highest select grade of meat based on marbling, robust flavor – raised in Colorado; ANGUS: slightly less grade and marbling than prime, naturally raised in Colorado; or GRASS FED: no growth hormones, no antibiotics, no feed lot…taste the difference – raised in Colorado. Get the idea? Great meat, raised in Colorado. Next you have your choice of size: 4 ounce (the very best idea ever put on a menu at a steakhouse in my opinion), 8 ounce, 12 ounce, 18 ounce, or 22 ounce; bone in or boneless. This little 4 ounce piece of succulent grass fed beef might very well be the best steak I’ve ever had at a steakhouse in town. They also offer 7 different sauces if you feel the need to dress up the meat (I didn’t): red wine mushroom, tarragon hollandaise (that’s béarnaise), brandy peppercorn, chimichurri, crab oscar, foie butter, or bleu cheese butter.guard-and-grace-roasted-broccoliguard-and-grace-denver-brussels-sproutsThe sides are decent too. While the menu features other decadent things like truffled gnocchi or loaded baked potatoes, we opted for the post-New Year’s healthier oak roasted broccoli and crispy Brussels sprouts with apple. Both were interesting, prepared well, and full of flavor.guard-and-grace-denver-banana-cream-pieBut lest you think we are dietary saints, we did manage to share a banana cream pie dessert between the four of us. I’m not a fan of dessert, and especially not banana cream pie, but the others gobbled it up. I think Guard and Grace has done a nice job of creating a unique space within the steakhouse market here in Denver – I hope they are here to stay as I’ll definitely be back!

Details
Guard and Grace
Modern Steakhouse
1801 California Street
Denver, CO 80202
303.293.8500
Website

Hours:
LUNCH MON-FRI {11-3}
SOCIAL HOUR MON-FRI {3-6}
DINNER MON-THU {5-10}
FRI-SAT DINNER {5-11}
CLOSED SUNDAY
Complimentary valet / Reservations accepted

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