=" /> The Mile High Eater: Nov 6, 2010

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Argyll: Highs and Lows

Hi all thanks for stopping by www.milehigheater.com

We dined recently at Argyll: A Gastro Pub in Downtown Cherry Creek. We found out about the Argyll when we attended the Cherry Creek Food and Wine Festival this summer. So, we took a couple of friends to expand our palette.
The Argyll’s food is based on English pub style food, but raising the bar a bit (not to dis pub food).

Sadly due a camera mishap the first few items we dont have pictures for.

They do their own House Made Charcuterie Selections, which is in house curing of meat. We chose the Rabbit Rillette, Gruyere, and Colorado purple onion jam.

She Says: As you know, I love rabbit. And this rabbit was nice and smooth and delicious. Paring it with the Gouda and the red onion and bread was a nice bite. I could have had more and been very happy.

He Says: This is one of the highs. It tasted really good and the combination of the Rillette, cheese and the red onion was just fantastic. I could have done a whole meal of this. If you end up going, they have a list they give you of several different Charcuteries cheeses and “sauces” that you mix and match you should SO try it.

Jonathan ordered one of the drinks of the day and one of our friends ordered one of the others and of course we all shared They were

He says: The lemonade drink was very tart which I found refreshing and good over all, but if you like sweet lemonade you would want to steer clear. The one I ordered was basically a mulled wine and I was very, very happy with it. It was one of those drinks that makes you want to curl up next to a fire sipping this and settle down to read a nice book.


The second appetizer we tried was a traditional Scotch egg.

He says: Well here is where the pendulum swings down. The egg was very well cooked but the overall flavor was extremely greasy and this may be a case of high expectations (the last one I had was YUM). This one was just not. In fact, I was the only one at the table who wanted a second bite.
She says: I didn’t even have a first bite after everyone else gave their opinion, so I was spared.

They also have a house chip they serve before your meal which was made with malt vinegar gastrique reduction and dried thyme and parsley.

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Oh OHH I liked these alot at first I could not figure out what the dark thick sauce was on the chips but I knew I loved the taste. These were such a winner and would be great to just munch on while you are enjoying a drink.




Onto the menu!

Barb had the Confit Chicken Pot Pie - Confit Chicken, Bechamel, Carrots, Parsnips, Potatoes, Celery, Leeks & Pie Crust
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She says: I have to admit first, that Jonathan makes a mean pot pie from his Gran’s recipe. And I ask him to make it a lot. But, if I were closer to the Argyll I might have to stop in there more often. It was creamy, with the right amount of ingredients. The crust was beautifully made and melted in your mouth.

He says: This was good; ok yeah no disrespect Gran but this may be better than yours (but not much really). If you like a pot pie you can’t go wrong with this, it is very creamy and the vegetables and meat inside are about as perfect as you can get. As far as a traditional pot pie goes I don’t think you can get much better.

Jonathan had the daily special which was House cured Duck Confit with Parpadelli Pasta, Carrot Puree Cream Sauce, Colorado Peaches, Chives and Chantrelle Mushrooms.


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She says: You know how much I love duck, but it seemed to be missing from the dish. The noodles were good, but it just felt incomplete somehow. I was high hopes for this dish, but was let down.

He says: Ok when the server read this I got more and more excited hearing about it. Peaches, duck, and Fruition Farms Ricotta, so of course I had to try it and I was expecting something special. What I got was a bowl of noodles with a little sauce but not enough to keep the whole thing from being a bit stuck together and seeming a bit dry. The flavor was actually good however the duck was almost nonexistent and if there were peaches or even a hint of peach flavor there I know I never tasted it. Overall, with this dish I thought I had been promised a Lexus and got a K-car.

Our friends had:
Sea Bass: Herbed Sea Bass, Goat Cheese & Tarragon Gnocchi, Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, Tomatoes & Chioga Beets
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She Says: She says: The sea bass was thick and delicious, and eaten with the gnocchi and beet became a taste sensation in your mouth.

He Says: The fish was good, well cooked but really nothing all that special. However, the vegetables that surrounded the fish were just wonderful. Had this been a vegetable dish not a fish dish I would of raved about it as it the vegetables were good enough to still make it a overall enjoyable dish.

And Hickory Smoked Venison: Smoked Venison Flank, Roasted Tomatoes, Colorouge Cheese Fondue, Anson Mills Grits
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She says: The venison had great flavor and was tender and delicious. But I only had a small bite as I was loving my pot pie.

He Says: Hmmpff! Leave Barb to give a one sentence description to one of the best things in the meal: The venison was perfectly cooked and tender with a flavor that made me want to steal it outright from Elena (but no way she would of given it up for my noodles darn it).

We also all shared a small portion of their award winning Argyll Shrimp MacCheese: Mini-Rigatoni w/ 5 Cheese Sauce, Braised Shallots, Oyster Mushrooms, Bacon, Peas, Parmesan Breadcrumbs & Prawns


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She says: This was a smart choice as we could all have a bit, but not get too overloaded, because it would have been so easy to eat the whole bowl and order another. I can see why it’s won awards!

He says: Wow this is not the Mac and cheese I grew up with. It was so rich and creamy that it just made you smile when you took a bite. But be warned when I say “so rich”. I should say SOOO RICH! If you order a full portion of this you had darn better be hungry because each bite just coats your stomach with its creamy cheesy shrimpy goodness.

Considering the entire meal even if not everything was a hit, enough of it was to make it a place worth visiting. Even if they do hit a few foul balls, when they get it right it goes all the way.

Thanks as always for stopping by our Denver/Colorado based restaurant and food review/blog. If you have any questions of comments feel free to leave a comment here or email us at jonathan or barb @ milehigheater.com

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