Vice Kitchen Wine Whiskey — Restaurant in Golden

First the good: house made Lotus burger patty was delicious. Really impressed.

Unfortunately my dining experience was made uncomfortable after an incident with the bartender. I ordered the Respect Your Elders cocktail which has a elderflower, Prosecco and grapefruit - things I love and often get in cocktails. I expected this drink to be sweet, effervescent and smooth. That was not the case. It was so bitter and tasted like skunk water. I was shocked. I’m not one to send things back but this was undrinkable. I wanted to be nice about it so just said that it wasn’t what I expected and could I get a different drink instead. He said sure but that he was charging me for both. I was a bit taken a back, I’ve never had a restaurant do that before. I explained that it didn’t taste right and he offered to add more sugar to it, but I knew that wasn’t going to help. It honestly tasted like the grapefruit juice was bad or a really unripe grapefruit was used. I told him to try it which he refused. I declined getting another drink because I didn’t want to pay for 2. I was just going to eat the loss, and see if my friend who was arriving later might want it. She also tried it and agreed it was not right. She had him add sugar and surprise surprise it was still bad. He kept insisting that there was nothing wrong because other patrons in the bar ordered the drink and they had no problems. People in the bar were turning to stare at the interactions I was having with him which made me feel uncomfortable. We order our food and I’m ready to just move forward. He keeps insisting that he can make me a different drink so that my friend isn’t drinking alone. I keep declining because I don’t want one. At the end of the meal he says he did take the bad drink off, and said that they are just a small family business and can’t afford to do that when people don’t like what they order, and that if it was truly rancid or something then that would be a different story. I tried to explain that it did taste rancid or wrong and he again pointed around the bar at other people saying they liked theirs, so there must be nothing wrong. He was defensive and argumentative and wouldn’t let me finish a sentence. I was hoping this could be a new spot for my friends and I to meet before Red Rocks shows but after this incident I’m just not sure if feel comfortable going back or recommending it. I’m all for support local/small businesses but this experience really put me...

Ambiance: This is a fairly small, but not crowded, space with a typical Colorado industrial-chic build. The decor might lean a bit too much to the Western, Colorado tourist vibe, but it is right next to a hotel, and is by no means overdone or tacky, so I’ll give it a pass. There is some pretty cool art on the walls.

Service: It was seat yourself tonight and pretty busy, but I felt well attended. I was never lacking and never felt bothered. All my questions were answered politely and professionally.

Menu: Options spanned from classic appetizers to top-tier elk and bison steaks. Decent variety for the size of the establishment. Definitely catering to the Colorado theme. Happy hour includes some reasonably priced pizzas.

Wine and Whiskey: With them on the sign, I was expecting something notable. I was not disappointed, though also not overly impressed. The menu listed 30 of each, with the whiskey having a heavy showing of Colorado offerings. WARNING: you will receive an extra charge for a neat or rock pour (mine was $2) because these come with an extra bit of whiskey. I would prefer the menu note larger pours and list that price, but at least the explanation was acceptable.

Cocktails: We tried their “sazerac” and the “old fashonista.” Neither holds true to their namesake, but were still enjoyable. The sazerac, made with orange bitters, was a bit too sweet and did not highlight the herbal notes of the absinthe. The old fashionista was aptly describes by Sarah as a “whiskey sangria.” Delicious, just not an old fashioned.

Food: The burgers were cooked perfectly to our asking. Top quality ingredients. The green chili was very flavorful, but surprisingly got lost in the full flavor of the beef. I am not a huge fan of string fries, but theirs were expertly seasoned and quite enjoyable. The mac & cheese was penne pasta in a more béchamel style sauce with excellent flavor. We got a bourbon brownie with cinnamon ice cream...which was superb. I highly recommend this option, and will likely return just for drinks and dessert.

Overall good experience and will most...

The owner is a raging psycho. When I asked what cheese was on the side salad she immediately pointed out I didn’t tell them anything different. Fair point, except side salad don’t normally have cheese. Side Cobb, side chef, maybe. As an owner when you make non-traditional changes don’t be rude when the customer who has food allergies doesn’t know to ask for something different. Then when they are trying to pay don’t rip the receipt out of their hands and tell them they can leave anytime.

If you have whiskey in your name, you should have more than 10 options. You should also have glasses that don’t look like they were bought at the thrift store 5 years ago. Then when someone points it out don’t tell them we only have a few and promptly put it in the dishwasher. That glass had more scratches and chips than a 10 year old Colorado Windshield. If you want me to spend my money here have nicer glasses than mine at home.

Edit: When I asked what cheese was in the side salad I’m told mozzarella and immediately, you didn’t tell us anything about that. Well when it said side options it didn’t list cheese in the salad. Subbing cow cheese for goat cheese on a burger should be a great clue.

So after leaving this review and before I get to sign the receipt it was taken from me, not signed or tipped, and I was told I could leave any time because I was asked to pay $53 for a basic whiskey in a thrift store glass and half a meal I couldn’t eat and I left an a fair review. Oh and thanks to the regular who came out to my car and flipped me off. This is a really high class establishment.

If you’re the owner, please feel free...