Hickory & Ash — Restaurant in Broomfield

The short: Great food, wonderful wait staff, terrific bang for your buck.

The long: My girlfriend and I had dinner here for the first time on Saturday night and we were impressed. At first we were seated in a table in the center of the room with wooden chairs (they were comfortable), but my girlfriend prefers the softer seating of a booth and asked if we could be moved to a half-booth on the other side of the room. The hostess checked with her manager whether she could split one of the tables at a half-booth, then did it and moved us over-- she was very congenial despite our special request. My girlfriend wasn't in the best spirits when we arrived and was a bit critical of the menu, saying she didn't see anything on it that she would want to eat. Bryce was our waiter and was a delight-- he was ridiculously friendly and helpful and had already started putting my girlfriend into a better mood about things. He asked if we had heard of this restaurant or its related restaurants and we hadn't-- he took a few minutes and told us, in detail, all about the various other restaurants started up by the same group... we were impressed with both his zeal and knowledge of his employer and their other business interests. I ordered the beet hummus and roasted cauliflower as appetizers, with plenty of special requests: I asked no nuts or pesto (contains nuts) on the beet hummus, and asked no raisins or nuts on the roasted cauliflower-- Bryce made sure to get the order just right. I ended up with a pint of draught porter and my girlfriend got a glass of cabernet... both were delicious... and in the meantime I ordered the hanger steak frites and my girlfriend ordered an appetizer-as-an-entree of some kind of balls made of fish meat (sorry, the name escapes me). The appetizers came in and Bryce came over to explain that with the pesto removed from the beet hummus, the chef had decided to replace it with some type of salsa that he felt would maintain the flavor profile of the dish... that's fine by me... one bite of the beet hummus and I was audibly moaning because it was so good and my girlfriend agreed. The roasted cauliflower was also very good, but would've been perfect if just drizzled with some garlic-infused olive oil before serving. The complimentary bread and butter tasted too good and we asked for more. Our meals came and the hanger steak with chimichurri sauce was the best hanger steak I've ever had-- and this is a dish I do order with some regularity (hanger steak is also known as a butcher's cut because it's such a tasty cut of meat that often butchers will keep it for themselves instead of selling it)... every bite was absolutely delectable. My girlfriend said the fish balls was the best fish she'd ever had and she likes fish. In the end, she said that this is her new favorite restaurant, even more so than the Black Cat down in Boulder. One key difference is that at the Black Cat we often have a hard time getting out of there for under $250. At Hickory & Ash, we paid $80. It felt like such a bargain and we will definitely be back. The entire experience was...

Over the years, I have come to set zero expectations when trying a new restaurant as I have been disappointed far too many times. That being said, tonight my family and I discovered Hickory & Ash on google maps when looking for a place to eat near the hotel my father was staying at and per usual I was curious but not setting myself up for disappointment. Whelp... I realized that after Sam our waiter had begun to describe items on the menu that this was not going to be a typical experience and the food was, for a lack of a better word, phenomenal. Sam detailed intriguing deconstructed interpretations of some familiar and other unique dishes, all of which begged to be ordered. We (group of 7 with 2 children and 1 toddler) ended up starting with the table bread and salted butter plus the ‘green eggs and ham, as well as the short rib pastrami. Dear lord! The beginning of this journey was starting on the right foot. The pastrami reminded me of burnt ends with the subtle smoke speared with tiny spats of grainy mustard, and the jar of my dr. Seuss favorite had me ditching the bread and just spooning it into my mouth carefully mixing each layer of the jar with each dip. Then came the main event of our experience; my father enjoyed the braised short rib, which he pulled apart with his fork and continually commented on its delight through mouthfuls of chewed beef. Both kids ate well, one had a delicious angus burger and the other juicy hand-breaded chicken tenders with triple fried fries-what! The ‘picky’ toddler gobbled up the Mac and cheese, my wife had the roasted chicken which arrived skin on to her delight, she even said “ the plate looks beautifully put together and actually tastes amazing too!” And I dove into the glazed pork chop, conveniently sliced into strips without being dried out on top of grits that full on tasted like milk and butter in its truest form! Finally after gorging ourselves on unique plates taking us on a culinary extravaganza I made the mistake of asking Sam about the desert menu. And here we go again...Sam detailed to me plates created with imagination and ingenuity that left me speechless and asking for practically one of everything. So we had the ‘spilled milk’ for the kids and all I kept hearing was ‘this is our favorite restaurant Ever!” My wife had the carrot cake and she couldn’t stop talking about it on the way home and how fantastic the pineapple chutney on top paired with the cake itself and how the portion was just perfect and I had the whiskey kissed butterscotch pudding with sour cherries and marshmallow. The cherries did a marvelous job taking the edge off of the whiskey and again I found myself shoveling the contents of a jar into my mouth not wanting it to end. Needless to say my family was honored to have experienced this restaurant and even though we live just over an hour away we have already begun discussing our return, thank you...

I found this place via Google search about a month ago while visiting the Broomfield area, but unfortunately, I didn't have the time to visit during that trip. However, on 6 Sep 2025, I was in the area again and this time, I made it a point to try this restaurant with my family. We made a reservation ahead of time and when we arrived, there was a slight mixup with our reservation - it resulted in our reservation expiring due to the system not updating our reservation time change we requested several hours in advance. Regardless, the employees were able to accommodate us and escorted us to an empty table right away.

When I sat down, I immediately noticed two main things: (1) the chair was a lot more comfortable than it looks - oftentimes, when you see what appears to be an uncomfortable seat, chances are, it is indeed uncomfortable...clearly this wasn't the case in this restaurant; and (2) the décor was really nice - it provided a relaxing yet modern feel and look, respectively. The service was impeccable, mainly provided by our server, Kyle. He was extremely attentive, personable, and communicated very well with respect to the specials, drink ingredients, and food expectations (Re: Lobster Bisque - informed us that it wasn't prepared the traditional way). And I would be remiss not to give an honorable mention of the employees who accommodated us when we first walked in the restaurant.

The menu was simple, yet offered a variety of eye-catching entrées. We ordered The Mayor, Y3 Cabernet Sauvignon, Anker Beard Amber Ale, and Lyre's N/A Amalfi Spritz for our drinks; Lump Crab Hushpuppies and Lobster Bisque for our appetizers; Hanger Steak Frites w/Fries, Braised Short Rib w/Broccolini, and Hickory Grilled Salmon w/Asparagus for our entrées; and Crispy Brussel Sprouts and Twice Baked Mac & Cheese for our sides. Everything was wonderful with the exception of the Salmon and two sides. Although, they weren't horrible by any means, they just didn't give that "wow" factor while eating it. The salmon texture was adequate and the flavor was average. The flavor in the Brussel sprouts was magnificent; however, it wasn't crispy at all, as advertised. Also, I know that everyone has their own opinions on what "good" mac & cheese tastes like, and for me, I'm no different - I can honestly say I've had better at other restaurants in this country.

Overall, the price-to-quantity/quality was reasonable, and if you consider the location, ambiance, and service as well, you definitely get your money's worth at this business. If there's any value to providing a specific rating (with decimal points), I rated this place 4.5 stars; however, since the .5 stars don't count, I just rounded up to 5 stars. Needless to say, this restaurant wasn't a true 5 stars, but still 5 stars nevertheless. I highly recommend this restaurant...