Panzano: So So

For February, my fine dining club went to Panzano in Denver. The boys really liked the experience while the girls found it only so so. This is not a place I will be racing to get back to even though there were a few tasty items.

The group started with the antipasto platter, which was quite large. It contained olives, haystack goat cheese marinated in olive oil, baked garlic, and a variety of pestos. There was plenty to share and the items were different from your standard antipasto, which I always find appealing.

The best part of the entire meal was Panzano’s signature grilled Caesar salad. I actually ordered this by accident and was so glad I did. The head of Romaine is placed on the grill and scalded. Who knew that burnt lettuce could taste so good? I wonder how they figured this one out? Did a waiter accidentally drop the lettuce on the grill? Voila! C’est magnifique! Next time I burn something at home I’ll have to give that one a try. “Really, I am just trying to come up with the next burnt masterpiece…really.”

Our entrees consisted of an organic NY strip on a bed of pesto, pasta, and a red sauce. It came with a truffle-oil custard that was more interesting than the steak itself. This entrée was the special and was the best we ordered. I ordered lamb cannelloni that sounded inviting with its pomegranate seeds, walnuts, and goat cheese. In reality it was marginal. None of the flavors blended being discreet chunks of things. The portion was too small to split as well. Four bites and I was done. Our final entrée was the veal scallopini, which was generous in its portions. It came with mashed potatoes. Our officially Italian diner raved that it was the best he had had. I found it bland, which confirms that you need to read these reviews with a grain of salt. There is something for everyone out there.

We ordered 4 desserts, a gelato collection, a sorbet collection, a chocolate tart, and a tiramisu. Both the sorbet and the gelato were home made and flavorful. The tart was uninspiring even to a chocoholic. The tiramisu was by far the best and normally I dislike that dessert. I only got a bite because the owner was hording it all for himself, but that one bite was creamy and sinful. I can almost forgive him for hording…almost.

Panzano’s ambiance is non-descript with tables and booths stretching back in a long rectangle. The walls are covered with small hand painted oils. We ended up at a large circular table near the open kitchen. Here the girls and the boys again differed. The girls found this location to be noisy, full of traffic and unpleasant. The boys enjoyed feeling like they were at the center of things and reveled in the bustle. Our waiter seemed condescending to me but the boys found him charming.

Panzano consistently gets great reviews for its northern Italian fare. I am quite picky and rarely rave over Italian food so my critique may be terribly biased. Ask for a quiet table and choose carefully and your experience may have been better than mine.