Dinner in a bank vault- The Broker
I have a lot of connections to Denver, Colorado. First, my dad went there on occasion for business when I was a kid. One time, he brought back a corduroy Denver Broncos hat. I have been a fan ever since. Then, I served my mission there. I only loved Denver more after that. Since I spent 9 months in metro Denver itself, it is fair to say I have more experience with Denver than anyone else in my family. However, my little sister and dad had experienced something in Denver I hadn't - the Broker.
The Broker has achieved mythical status for me, because I have heard about it a number of times, but hadn't ever experienced. I had to go to Denver recently to defend an expert deposition, and made sure I didn't miss out.
As you have probably noticed, The Broker is in a bank vault. I ate inside the vault you see below.
In my opinion, The Broker is like Brett Michaels was in the early 90's. Noone really cared about him, but acknowledged he was cool in the 80's. Of course, he came back in the 2000's in a big way. I feel like the Broker was a big deal for a while, probably quite a while, and is in an awkward phase of its lifespan. The decor is not quite classic, a bit kitschy. In a few years, it will probably feel appropriately classic. The food is really good, but not mind-blowing. In fact, now that I say all that, the Broker is just like a teenager in its awkward phase. It needs to figure out what it is, and be it. Is it a fine dining restaurant? Then it needs to be one. Is it a novelty restaurant full of history? Then it needs to be that. I liked the Broker, I just felt like the broker was having an identity crisis.
The food! The experience! That's what we're here for, right? Ok, I was seated by a waitress with an Eastern European accent. She was nice and reasonably attentive. I sat in a very small booth alone. I assume the booths are small because bank vaults were never intended to be roomy restaurants.
When I got to my table, there was a bowl of peel and eat shrimp waiting for me.
Problem - I realized when I sat down that I had never eaten peel and eat shrimp before. Being in a bank vault meant I had no cell service. However, for reasons that escape me, the Broker had wifi. A quick internet search and I was peeling and eating my shrimp. Another new experience in the experience bag.
For an appetizer I went with my favorite - a cheese plate.
I have to say I was a bit disappointed with my cheese plate's presentation. If you look at my previous cheese plate postings, they have all been very well presented. Beautiful to look at and great to taste. My Broker cheese plate was a little below my expectations.
I got a standard small chunk of brie, a bit of gouda and a bit of muenster. Tasty cheeses? Sure. Unexciting at an exotic bank vault restaurant. A bit. In the Broker's defense - I appreciated the bit of raspberry syrup (sabayon?), it added flavor and class. The grapes also deserve comment. I don't know what kind they were, but they were delicious. They were small, not too tart, and very flavorful. But, the crackers don't look like anyone cared how they were arranged and the cracker to cheese ratio is shockingly low. It was good, but 30 seconds more of attention with a bit more green on the plate would have made this a more superlative experience.
While I am talking about negatives - here is the roll. It doesn't look evenly cooked, but tasted ok. Nothing major wrong with it, but it doesn't reinforce any positive notions about the identity of where I am eating.
Next came the soup. I ordered a seafood chowder. Did I know what to expect? No. Thus far, I had some peel and eat shrimp that seemed like they belonged in Vegas, not Denver. I had a cheese plate that seemed somewhat amateurish, but tasted good. I really had no particular expectation when it came to the soup.
No matter, it was delicious. Creamy, rich, and very flavorful. There was a lot of seafood meat and flavor. It was very good. This soup would have fit in well with the old-time steak house/chop house feel, if the Broker wanted to go for that.
The menu, to me, was indicative of the Broker's identity crisis. There were a lot of classic dishes - steakhouse or chop house type things, but then there was the southwest beef wellington, which seemed a little more appropriate to an eclectic, modern or southwestern restaurant. I ordered it, but it didn't seem to fit the old-school meat theme of the rest of the menu.
In the final analysis, what is more important about a restaurant? It's theme or its food? Well, as perplexing as the Broker was from a thematic standpoint, that question can be answered by going to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the Olive Garden or just about anywhere in Disneyland. Theme is nice to look at, but food wins the day. At The Broker, my southwest wellington won the day.
Truth be told, I haven't had a regular beef wellington. I made a pork wellington that I loved and I have had the southwest wellington at The Broker. I assume a beef wellington has the conservative savory flavor of my pork wellington and the beef of the southwest wellington. Either way, they are all pretty kick-ass in the deliciousness department.
The Broker's southwest wellington had the savory, salty flavor of roasted beef, with the smoky spice of roasted peppers. It, with the roasted chile "gravy" that was served next to it was simply divine. It was comfort food with a bit of a kick. The potatoes were also amazing. They were not gluey, had great flavor and really tasted like mashed potatoes should. The corn/pepper relish was also very good.
But wait, there's more: this is an expensive restaurant. I thought my entree was on the pricey side, but, it wasn't a la cart - it came with potatoes and the corn/bean/pepper relish or succotash or whatever that was. It turns out, it also came with DESSERT! It still was an expensive meal, but all the extras certainly helped lessen the blow.
Lately, I have eaten a lot of cheesecake. My cheesecake run began in late November at the Cheesecake Factory in Utah, extended to Maggianos in Vegas, was continued at the MRKT in North Las Vegas and includes the cheesecake at The Broker. The funny thing is, that the worst on this list of VERY good cheesecakes, was the Cheesecake Factory. The rest were very similar in quality and flavor. Very rich, easy to eat and satisfying. I was also intrigued by the confidence the chef had in the cheesecake - no need to include crust, the cake stands on its own.
The Broker has achieved mythical status for me, because I have heard about it a number of times, but hadn't ever experienced. I had to go to Denver recently to defend an expert deposition, and made sure I didn't miss out.
As you have probably noticed, The Broker is in a bank vault. I ate inside the vault you see below.
In my opinion, The Broker is like Brett Michaels was in the early 90's. Noone really cared about him, but acknowledged he was cool in the 80's. Of course, he came back in the 2000's in a big way. I feel like the Broker was a big deal for a while, probably quite a while, and is in an awkward phase of its lifespan. The decor is not quite classic, a bit kitschy. In a few years, it will probably feel appropriately classic. The food is really good, but not mind-blowing. In fact, now that I say all that, the Broker is just like a teenager in its awkward phase. It needs to figure out what it is, and be it. Is it a fine dining restaurant? Then it needs to be one. Is it a novelty restaurant full of history? Then it needs to be that. I liked the Broker, I just felt like the broker was having an identity crisis.
The food! The experience! That's what we're here for, right? Ok, I was seated by a waitress with an Eastern European accent. She was nice and reasonably attentive. I sat in a very small booth alone. I assume the booths are small because bank vaults were never intended to be roomy restaurants.
When I got to my table, there was a bowl of peel and eat shrimp waiting for me.
Problem - I realized when I sat down that I had never eaten peel and eat shrimp before. Being in a bank vault meant I had no cell service. However, for reasons that escape me, the Broker had wifi. A quick internet search and I was peeling and eating my shrimp. Another new experience in the experience bag.For an appetizer I went with my favorite - a cheese plate.
I have to say I was a bit disappointed with my cheese plate's presentation. If you look at my previous cheese plate postings, they have all been very well presented. Beautiful to look at and great to taste. My Broker cheese plate was a little below my expectations.
I got a standard small chunk of brie, a bit of gouda and a bit of muenster. Tasty cheeses? Sure. Unexciting at an exotic bank vault restaurant. A bit. In the Broker's defense - I appreciated the bit of raspberry syrup (sabayon?), it added flavor and class. The grapes also deserve comment. I don't know what kind they were, but they were delicious. They were small, not too tart, and very flavorful. But, the crackers don't look like anyone cared how they were arranged and the cracker to cheese ratio is shockingly low. It was good, but 30 seconds more of attention with a bit more green on the plate would have made this a more superlative experience.
While I am talking about negatives - here is the roll. It doesn't look evenly cooked, but tasted ok. Nothing major wrong with it, but it doesn't reinforce any positive notions about the identity of where I am eating.
Next came the soup. I ordered a seafood chowder. Did I know what to expect? No. Thus far, I had some peel and eat shrimp that seemed like they belonged in Vegas, not Denver. I had a cheese plate that seemed somewhat amateurish, but tasted good. I really had no particular expectation when it came to the soup.
No matter, it was delicious. Creamy, rich, and very flavorful. There was a lot of seafood meat and flavor. It was very good. This soup would have fit in well with the old-time steak house/chop house feel, if the Broker wanted to go for that.The menu, to me, was indicative of the Broker's identity crisis. There were a lot of classic dishes - steakhouse or chop house type things, but then there was the southwest beef wellington, which seemed a little more appropriate to an eclectic, modern or southwestern restaurant. I ordered it, but it didn't seem to fit the old-school meat theme of the rest of the menu.
In the final analysis, what is more important about a restaurant? It's theme or its food? Well, as perplexing as the Broker was from a thematic standpoint, that question can be answered by going to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the Olive Garden or just about anywhere in Disneyland. Theme is nice to look at, but food wins the day. At The Broker, my southwest wellington won the day.
The Broker's southwest wellington had the savory, salty flavor of roasted beef, with the smoky spice of roasted peppers. It, with the roasted chile "gravy" that was served next to it was simply divine. It was comfort food with a bit of a kick. The potatoes were also amazing. They were not gluey, had great flavor and really tasted like mashed potatoes should. The corn/pepper relish was also very good.
But wait, there's more: this is an expensive restaurant. I thought my entree was on the pricey side, but, it wasn't a la cart - it came with potatoes and the corn/bean/pepper relish or succotash or whatever that was. It turns out, it also came with DESSERT! It still was an expensive meal, but all the extras certainly helped lessen the blow.
If you have about $70 per person to spend and are in the Denver area, go to the Broker. I am certainly not aware of any other bank vaults you can eat in without being a hostage first. The food is quite good, in spite of the thematic inconsistencies. Maybe, with time and thought, the Broker will become a seamless blend of theme and food. Until then, just enjoy the food.
Comments
Hilarious! It does sound kind of random. I think I was so in love because I was coming from Bullhead when I ate there. You are coming from gourmet international. I am happy to see the Broker post finally!
The word verification is PETATER. Sounds like I am from Alabama saying "potato."