Oh, Humboldt Farm Fish

Wine, you sly dog, you.

Winning my heart before I even
had a chance to taste your food
with the siren song of Compli-
mentary Valet music to any
urban foodies ears. For a new
restaurant with a lot to prove,
the free valet service is a clever
ploy. Theres nothing that kills
the appetite more than getting
into veritable knife fights with all
the other hungry hipsters in the
Denver metro area just to have
a few bites of bao bun.
The not yet 2-month-old
restaurant at 17th and
Humboldt stands in the place of
the iconic restaurant Strings,
which, for nearly three decades,
had been a fixture in the
uptown neighborhood of
Denver and a trendy gathering
spot for politicos over the years.
Humboldt is a creation of
Concept Restaurants, the
company that also owns Ignite,
Via Baci and Woodys Tavern.
The kitchen is headed by exec-
utive chef DJ Nagel and chef
de cuisine Kollin Gately. Nagel
was formally the executive chef
at Udis Pizza Caf & Bar in
Arvada, after working at
Madison Street in Denver and
Rustic Oven in Fort Collins.
Strings left big shoes for
Humboldt to fill when they
opened in October. Perhaps
thats the reason for the
outgoing service and valet
parking. But, dear readers, this
review shant be biased
because of how quickly my
husband and I got inside the
restaurant. Or how we easily we
got a reservation during prime
time on a Friday night. Or how
we were seated immediately.
Ok, well, maybe a little. But no
matter how top-notch the
amenities, swanky the
surroundings, or atten-
tive the servers, the
most important element
of any restaurant is the
food.
Humboldts schtick
is farm-to-table, with a
focus on rustic seafood
and meat dishes served
with hearty vegetable
sides and paired with a
variety of wines. As any chef
knows, great dishes start with
the very best ingredients; and
Humboldt makes a point of
serving sustainable seafood
and high-quality grass-fed beef.
Starting off, we chose the
Crispy Broccoli ($8), a menu
choice that shows me
Humboldts owners are up on
the trend of taking largely
disliked vegetables and deep-
frying them. The broccoli is just
as the name says crispy
due to the light coating of flour
and the frying process. Sprin-
kled with Grana Padano cheese
and swirls of pepperoncini aioli,
this dish is just well, for lack
of a better word, awesome.
Our broccoli was so good
that it almost overshadowed, or
at least came in neck-and-neck
with the Calamari ($11), which
was served with pickled
pepper-tomato sauce, tempura
lemon, shishito peppers and
aioli.
Moving on to our entrees, the
Humboldt Burger ($14) was
heavy and luxe, comprising
about three light meals in a mix
of eggy brioche bun, an
extremely rich beef/bacon mix
patty, and toppings (crispy
onion, Tillamook cheddar,
roasted garlic/onion jam).
I bypassed the Kennebec
fries that the dish is usually
served with for a more exotic-
sounding side: Avocado-
Mango Salad, $5 a la carte.
This was not my favorite part of
the meal. Simply seasoned with
cilantro and s&p, the dish was
too simplistic and seemed out
of place with the other earthy,
very non-tropical dishes. In
retrospect I realize I shouldve
just gone with the fries.
Our other entre came off a
special menu of various
seafood selections, including
our pick: swordfish steaks.
Also slightly larger than life, the
dish packed a punch with two
thick portions of swordfish and
a side; my companion chose
sauteed brussels sprouts off the
same special menu.
While I love brussels sprouts,
this particular preparation
wasnt very memorable and
definitely not as good as the
versions offered by Ace Eat
Serve and Steubens, both just
a hop and a skip down 17th.
Despite one or two missteps,
Humboldt does a lot of things
really well, especially
their preparation of
meat and seafood. The
burger I ordered
medium came out
pinker than anything
Ive ever eaten, but I
was pleasantly
surprised how juicy and
tender the meat was.
The swordfish was
equally well-cooked;
not overly dry as fish
easily becomes. You
might call it a carni-
vores transition dish
from turf to surf.
Though turf-lovers and
traditionalists have
several good options:
Filet Mignon ($33) with
red wine demi-glace,
potato puree and
cipollini onion; Steak
Diane ($29), a center-
cut ribeye with brandy
peppercorn sauce; and
the most budget
friendly, Steak and
Fries ($19). Humboldt also
offers a selection of oyster
dishes, as well as preparations
of pretty much every other
variety of shellfish.
With our appetizers devoured
and a good dent made in our
entrees, we were too full to
consider the desserts, which
include Key Lime Pie, Molten
Caramel Chocolate Cake,
Crme Brle, Classic Brioche
Bread Pudding and Apple
Cherry Cobbler, all $7.
We opted for nothing but a
large bag of leftovers, which
would have made a fantastic
Saturday brunch had we not left
our doggie bag at the table.
Perhaps we were momentarily
stunned by Humboldts
fantastic service; or maybe we
were sedated by their big-boy
portions. Whatever the reason
for our forgetfulness, we left
happy, full, and planning our
next visit to Humboldt.
Maggie Tharp is and always
will be passionate about
eating good food and writing
about it. She lives with her
husband and kitten in West-
minster and has dined in
Denver, Boulder, Longmont,
Vail and beyond. Thoughts?
Suggestions? Maggie can be
reached at Maggie@colorado
statesman.com.
BY MAGGIE THARP
!"#$ & '(#$)
!"# %#& '() *% +"# ,-*.'/
012,*-)+ 3452 3(6" 7(%#
HUMBOLDT FARM FISH WINE
1700 Humboldt Street
Denver, CO 80218 303-813-1700
www.facebook.com/humboldton17th
humboldtrestaurant.com
LUNCH: Daily, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
DINNER: M-Th, 4-10 p.m.;
F&Sat, 4-11 p.m.; Sun, 4-9 p.m.
HAPPY HOUR: Daily, 3-6 p.m.
BRUNCH: Sat & Sun, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
The back hallway of Humboldts 17th Street restaurant
lends a bistro feel to diners experiences.
PHOTO COURTESY OF HUMBOLDT FARM FISH WINE
FOUNDED IN 1898 !VOL. 114, NO. 47 !DENVER, CO !NOV. 22, 2013