Work & Class — Restaurant in Denver

I have lived in Denver for 4 years now and am consistently shocked by how disappointing the food scene is here. However, my experience last night at Work and Class may just take the cake for most disappointing culinary experience during my time on the front range. So much so actually that it’s inspired me to write my first ever google review. My party of two showed up at about 7:15 and got our name on the list (they don’t take reservations which is fine but worth noting I guess). When we arrived the place was already bumping and I have to admit, I was starting to get a little excited about the meal; I’d seen this place on just about every “top 10 restaurants in Denver” style list. Well dear reader, fear not, that excitement quickly diminished once we were finally sat. The menu itself is, in classic Denver style, essentially what all menus in Brooklyn looked like in the year 2010: illustrations of power tools above punny descriptions of meat heavy dishes - “heckin doggo” energy. In all honestly though, the menu is a little confusing. It’s sort of build your own style with several meat options and a bunch of sides, but then there are also appetizers that seem basically identical to the side options but just more expensive…? We ended up getting the one appetizer that seemed slightly different, two meats and two sides. The appetizer was a salad that I am 100% certain was boxed spinach from Safeway, essentially no dressing and 4 pieces of fried broccoli. The two meats were short rib and chicken. The short rib was maybe the most dry I’ve ever had and the chicken was completely flavorless. On the opposite end of the spectrum, one of our sides was sweet potato fries, which seem to have been dipped, dunked and smothered in smoked paprika. The other side was mac n cheese which was good but c’mon it’s literally mac n cheese. Now, I know this is a RiNo restaurant so obviously it’s going to be loud and expensive, but if you’re going to have loud music why would you chose what sounded like a 2014 EDM remix of a mariachi band? It just doesn’t make sense? The total was like $110, which again, I know that’s just what it costs to eat at that kind of spot right now, but regardless of the state of the economy, charging over $100 for that experience is nothing short of an unconscionable act of fraud. I guess the main reason I’m writing this is because every body else in the restaurant seemed to be 100% pleased with the experience, and I believe that is only because they do not know how bad it is. Do not go here! Go somewhere on Federal, or buy a cook book! Or travel to any major metropolitan area other than Denver, CO and go to a similar style restaurant and see how much better it can be! This was...

Omg just wow! Such a great dinner run With my Husband and toddler this past Saturday evening. We went around 7pm and the place was super lively but also very child friendly for my 20month old to dine there. Our server Ryan was phenomenal!!!! He saw us with a baby and saw the time and knew the drill! He said he could take it as fast as we would like and also slow it down if the baby held up well throughout the dining process. We really appreciated his understanding of time and how hard it could be to dine with a baby at that hour. GUESS WHAT! Thanks to Ryan’s super friendliness to her and the amazing food that we ate we allllll loved it. Our daughter was so well behaved and enjoyed herself so much. The crowd was super vibey and appropriate at the same time. We were in town from New York exploring neighborhoods in Denver. My heart has set itself on RINO. So I wanted to get a feel of what the food scene might be like in the evening hour which is why I picked this place to dine aside from their rave reviews, and oh boy did they not disappoint and made me really Fall in love with the pulse of the neighborhood. It’s sort of giving low key Williamsburg vibes in Brooklyn, which I love love love. So food…..it’s was bombbbb….i ordered like everything lol. The lamb (perfectly seared and cooked to perfection sprinkled with some salt)the lemon chicken (came with two or three sauces/dip) …we ordered a quarter chicken for the portion size, just so we can try), the MAC was just delicious with that famous green chile Sauce that Denver seems to Be big on, I ordered a biscuit, the cornbread and the shrimp and grits. For my toddler she had chicken tenders (she ate all three…nice quality chicken used for it as well)it came with a kids size Mac and cheese that my husband and I overly taste tested. Big shout out to Johnny (the manager of the spot) for coming over to check on us and introduce himself as well. We will Be regulars here, thanks For the warm welcome and hospitality. Great spot… didn’t take pics because we devoured the food when it...

This place is a (not so) hidden gem. In a cute hipster area of Denver, they offer unique foods, prepared with such attention to detail, for an incredibly fair price. Literally I was blown away by the amount of food I got for $40. I ordered three hearty items!!!! The food was so delicious. Some of their items feel like a creative twist and soul food. 1) I ordered the whole fish, which was a trout. Amazing! 2) I ordered shrimp and grits, dreamy! 3) And I ordered the mustard greens, delicious! I cannot believe all of this came to $40!!! What?!!? It’s honestly incredible! Since I spent so much less than expected on dinner, I had to top it off with dessert. The toffee pudding was such a treat. I also loved the wine selection. Not many places have Orange wine. But equally as impressive as the delectable food, was the staff. I was waited on by Leah. So sweet! So attentive! So patient! …Then I had a unique question about some other things to do in the area, as I’m visiting from LA. Leah went the extra mile, and got Matt. He is another super awesome server at this restaurant. He literally pulled up a chair next to me and passed me a hand written list he had already drafted about other things to do in the area. I was so impressed by the amount of thought they put into making sure I had a good time, even outside of their establishment. Matt went into extreme detail about each place on his recommendation list. He literally did not have to take the time, he wasn’t my server, he wasn’t getting tipped for it. But he did. This just speaks volumes about the character of this place, and the people that work here . Also, I didn’t get his name, but the young man who was the host, who seated me was very kind as well.

When I come to Denver, this is going to be one of my top of list go-to spots for sure. I love the Work and Class food and...