Danielle's Scratch Kitchen — Restaurant in Colorado

The place looks nice. Not really upscale, but more than casual. All in all a nice looking place.

To bad the looks didn't match the service. Upon walking in there's plenty of chairs to sit in while waiting for the hostess. That's good, because we waited for several minutes and after standing that long you need to sit. Numerous wait staff saw us standing, then sitting in the chairs. Not one person acknowledged us or told anyone that we were there. Finally someone came and sat us at a 2 top table that was so long I thought we would have to use smoke signals to communicate. My fiance asked for us to move and we were accommodated to a round table in the bar. I was on a phone call the entire time and the bar tender waited until I was done, unfortunately he waited a little too long before asking what we would like to drink. We decided to order our food with the drinks to get things moving again. Water and crab cakes for her and iced tea and chicken marsala for me. Food came quickly, things might be looking up?

Well sorta....

Her crab cakes were 2 in total, $15 and small. They reminded her of hush puppies. Both in texture and looks. Whatever crab was in them was more than hidden by the breading, thus making it more like a hush puppy. NOT worth the money. The server told me the chicken marsala $24, was good, so when it arrived the marsala looked like a very dark and dense gravy. BUT, the taste was actually very nice. The "gravy" was rich and deep in flavor. The vegetables were perfect in texture and flavor as well. The mashed potatoes had been pipped onto the plate looking more like a deposit of albino poo, but they tasted great. Smooth in texture and nicely salted. Unfortunately that was the only positive for the evening. My tea, long ago empty, sat waiting for more for the remainder of the time. The couple next to us had a different waiter but the same issues. Empty glasses and no one to help.

We waited for even longer than the entry with empty plates and empty glasses. Clearly we were not still eating. In fact, I eventually stacked the plates and topped them with our napkins. Looking for attention.

It eventually came and I asked for the bill. I can't speak to the desserts because I was not going to wait any longer and no one offered anyway.

I must say that if we had not been using a Groupon I would have been livid for the money spent. The bill was $42 for 1 appettizer, 1 main dish and 1 ice tea.

It was cold outside and the service was glacial at best. We won't be back. Not because of the food but due to the (lack of) service .

It's overpriced and under performing.

And for those who think maybe the place was busy, it was only half full, and I've never seen so many servers for a place. So that excuse won't apply.

It's a 3 star for the chicken marsala. Otherwise...

Let me preface this review by saying that, in my own experience, the vast majority of people are fairly understanding of the reality that restaurants get busy sometimes (I was in the industry for around 15 years myself). That said, setting customer expectations and keeping people informed is absolutely critical to managing those times, and quickly separates the good places from the bad. And that takes us to our experiences here...

We’d heard great things about this place, which is a beautiful location in Castle Pines Village. We made brunch reservations by phone a week in advance (this detail becomes important later), and arrived at the restaurant about 5 minutes ahead of schedule. The apparently panic-stricken elderly hostess ignored us (despite multiple attempts to get checked in), and - after about 10 minutes or so - looked up our name and mumbled something under her breath before turning her back on us and walking away. Without any further indication of expected additional wait, she then left the front of the restaurant unattended for the better part of the next 30 minutes while a considerable number of additional confused guests piled up. Empty tables were everywhere in the restaurant, including several that remained covered in dirty dishes for the entire wait. We were finally seated about 45 minutes after our reservation time, without any sort of acknowledgement of the inconvenience. Then another 10 minutes of waiting for our server to come by the table, followed by him informing us that they weren't actually serving breakfast any longer…so brunch without any actual brunch (strange…we call this "lunch" where I’m from). Then 40 more minutes passed before our food actually arrived. Although the meal was mostly on par with typical brewpub fare, most of it had obviously been sitting under warming lights for some time, and was definitely nothing extraordinary - especially for the price. All told, we were there for over two-and-half hours that day for what should have been a simple brunch.

Our entire party left flabbergasted at having been through what was one of the worst dining experiences we've ever encountered. Anywhere. This place was a comical sh*tshow of patently poor service, disorganization, and clueless management. A shining example of how mediocre food and a great location won't keep your doors open if everything else is a complete and utter train wreck. Avoid this place like...

I can't believe it took me over 3 years of living here to go to Danielle's Scratch Kitchen. I have wanted to try it the whole time but never prioritized it. I'm so glad we finally did.

I did have a couple issues, I'm ngl the appetizer was a little lackluster. We got the five cheese stuffed mushrooms and it was basically deconstructed pizza. It came with marinara and pesto and garlic bread. I have no desire to build my own pizza at the table or even to eat pizza-like flavors for my appetizer. I thought that I was ordering something different because most of the appetizers are pizza-like. I would say the mushrooms were only okay and I did not like the appetizer selection. It kind of set me up to think that the entrees weren't going to be that good. Many of the restaurants in Castle Rock seem to be bars more than restaurants and the vibe at Danielle's Scratch Kitchen is very much fancy bar. However I needn't have been concerned because the entrees were amazing.

My husband got the fried chicken with bourbon cream gravy and I got the Pork Osso Bucco. I would describe mine as your mother's pot roast but elevated. The meat was falling off the bone. It was so tender and so juicy and so flavorful. But my husband's Fried Chicken was actually the star of the show and I will definitely be back just for that chicken. There was something special about not only the gravy but the breading as well and there were flavors in there that I'm not used to tasting in fried chicken but it was so amazing. So delicious. That chicken is craveable.

For dessert they only had a creme brulee and they were already sold out of the cheesecake and I'm sure that cheesecake would have been delicious. I loved the creme brulee. They also had fresh coffee with a cute little cream dish. But for me I would be looking for a dessert that is a little bit more of a special treat. So if I could improve Danielle's Scratch Kitchen I would add some different appetizers and desserts. But the entrees were to die for. I highly recommend the fried chicken. Even with a few minor complaints I still have to give them five stars because the entrees were that good. I don't have a appetizer to recommend though hehe. Highly recommended for the main dishes to anyone in the area however. I know I will be back for that...