Denver, Colorado-Little Ollie's

What: Little Ollie's

Where: Cherry Creek-Denver, Colorado

Overall: Little Ollie's is a Chinese restaurant located in the Cherry Creek North shopping and dining center. It resides in a spacious, floor-to-ceiling windowed location that provides for a wonderful dining experience. It is open Monday-Thursday from 11am-9:30pm, Friday from 11am-10pm, Saturday from 11:30am-10pm, and Sunday from 11:30am-9:30pm. You can call ahead for reservations, or they provide fast, free delivery. In addition, they also provide free valet everyday from 5pm-9:30pm. Lastly, Little Ollie's came highly recommended. They have been voted "Best Chinese Food in Denver" for the past 10 years, and they have been in business for 15.

The Menu: They offer the traditional Chinese entrees including sesame chicken, mu shu pork, and mongolian beef, but they put a gourmet spin on everything they serve. The portions are large, and are meant to be shared "family style" as in the Chinese culture.

The Service: Our particular waiter was not super-friendly or outgoing, but the owners of the restaurant came over to check on us a couple times. Overall the service was fast and efficient, which was nice because we were trying to dine quickly.

The Food: We started off the night by ordering the Crispy Crab Cheese Rangoons, and they were delicious. They had a sufficient amount of equal parts cream cheese and crab. They were light and fluffy and were not heavily fried. I (Riar) ordered the Thai Basil Chicken, which is off the beaten path from my usual, Sesame Chicken. I thought the Thai Basil was a good change-up, however it left me wondering what the Sesame Chicken would have been like, because it wasn't spectacular. I (Erin) had General Tao's Chicken and it is always an excellent choice. The sauce was outstanding, leaving my taste buds salivating for more. There were chili peppers added to the dish for an additional kick, which both Riar and I enjoyed. The chicken was great, and not overcooked like many other Chinese restaurants tend to do. 

Overall Rating: 8/10

Denver, Colorado-Max Gill & Grill

What: Max Gill & Grill

Where: Wash Park-Denver, Colorado

Overall: Max Gill & Grill is a raw bar, rotisserie, liquids specializing in the freshest seafood and raw bar (flown in) along with the finest rotisserie smoked and BBQ grilled cuisine. It is located on North side of the Gaylord Street strip of restaurants, close to Japon. It is open Tuesday-Thursday, Sunday from 4pm-10pm, and Friday-Saturday from 4pm-11pm. They also have a fantastic brunch from 11am-2pm on Saturday, and 10am-2pm on Sunday. They are closed on Mondays. They have a fantastic happy hour, and weekly specials such as $1 taco Wednesdays. *Keep in mind, Wash Park has a terrible parking situation, so utilized the free valet parking in the middle of the block.

The Menu: The menu offered a wide-array of Seafood dishes (from Lobster, to Oysters from the Raw Bar), as well as your traditional steaks. They also have a Gluten Free menu and vegetarian specials. We typically go on Wednesday nights for the taco night or starting in April they have Friday night crawfish boils which are excellent. (Review to come). 

The Service: The service at Max Gill & Grill is always terrific. We recommend getting a reservation, because this place is packed 6 nights a week. The hostesses as well as the waitstaff are friendly and helpful every single time we go to Max's.

The Food: We went on Wednesday for taco night. We ordered chips and guacamole to start. The guacamole was great; very robust flavors with a little bit of a kick at the end. I (Riar) ordered 4 chicken tacos and 2 beef tacos. The tacos are excellent, but need to be eaten fast or they tend to get a little soggy from the marinade they put on the meat. I personally like the chicken tacos better, but they are both very good. *Side note: I was still hungry after 6 tacos. I (Erin) had 3 chicken tacos. I really like the chicken because the marinade they cook the chicken in taste far superior to the other tacos. I also ordered the white sangria (which is $3 on taco Wednesday-the only night they have the Sangria) and it is always an excellent choice. They make it the morning of, and put a ton of fresh apple slices and strawberries in the drink mix. The sangria then comes out very delicious and fruity-but fairly strong-so be careful! Taco Wednesday was a success and our total bill was $30 with 9 tacos, 2 beers, and a glass of sangria. GREAT VALUE.

Overall Rating: 7/10

Westminister, Colorado-Que Bueno

What: Que Bueno

Where: Westminister, Colorado

Overall: Que Bueno is located on the south side of the Westminster Promenade. It is open 11AM-11PM Monday through Wednesday, and Thursday-Saturday they offer late night food until 12AM. In addition to their daily happy hour from 3-6pm, they also have a 7 days of value menu. Start off the week with Margarita Mondays where they serve $4 'Ritas all day long, and finish the week strong with Salsa Sundays from 6-10pm whilst having 1/2 priced Margaritas, Mojitos, and Martinis, 1/2 priced appetizers, and $5 off Tequila flights. Another perk of Que Bueno, besides the fun, upbeat atmosphere is that the decor on the walls and ceiling is remarkable! They've done an excellent job of staying true to the authenticity of a Mexican restaurant.

The Menu: The menu offered a vast variety of tradition Mexican food. There was everything from Quesadillas to Carnitas Burritos, and it was well organized and easy to navigate. 

The Service: Upon walking in we were greeted by a less-than-friendly hostess, and she directed us immediately to the bar area. (It was after 9pm). The bartender, whom was also our server, was very polite and accommodating. He checked on us often and made sure our drinks were full and we were taken care of. He also placed our order right away, and we were in and out within 45 minutes-very quick service if you are in a hurry.

The Food: Note: This is not a TexMex restaurant. They offer authentic Mexican cuisine.* At the beginning of our meal, they presented us with a trio of salsas. I preferred the green chili sauce, and Riar preferred the red chili sauce. The pico de gallo (which was the third salsa) was decent as well. Then we ordered the calamari to start with. When the calamari came out of the kitchen, it looked delicious and was plated nicely, but the taste was super bland, and the sauce was simply flavorless. Then I (Riar) order the Chicken Enchiladas, and was quite satisfied with the taste, however, I enjoyed the tortilla bowl with the refried beans more than the actually meal. And don't bother with the Mexican rice that they serve on the plate; it was horrible. I (Erin) had a bowl of the tortilla soup. The presentation of the soup was exquisite. All of the fresh ingredients (chicken, guacamole, tortilla strips, cheese, and so forth were in the bowl already) and the server came out with a hot pit on and the broth in an alternate pot to pour into the bowl of fresh ingredients. The broth had a great, robust flavor with a little bit of zest from the guac and the chicken, but overall, I was not entirely impressed with the soup on the whole. 

Overall Rating: 3/10

Denver, Colorado-The Local

What: The Local

Where: Wash Park-Denver, Colorado

Overall: The Local is a diner located on the east side of the Gaylord Street strip of restaurants. It is only open Friday from 7am-4pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 7:30am-4pm during the winter months. The Local is appropriately named due to the fact that they try to make as much of the menu items as possible from locally produced contents. They have locally roasted coffee, locally made hot dogs, their hamburgers are a proprietary blend of locally raised beef, their buns and bread are locally made, their ice cream is made in house, and so-on. Another perk of The Local is that you can leisurely dine, or you can order your food on the fly if you’re in a hurry. The downside was it was a little grungy.

The Menu: The menu offered a wide-array of breakfast foods, including specialty items such as chorizo breakfast tacos, mini Belgium waffles, and border benedict. 

The Service: Upon walking in we were greeted and seated immediately by a very friendly guy in his mid-twenties. While we were waiting for our food, we discussed how quaint the restaurant was compared to the other surrounding Wash Park haunts (which we actually enjoyed). The food arrived in a timely manner, and the service was overall excellent.

The Food: I (Riar) order the Breakfast Burrito Entree, and I thought that the (be hungry) statement next to the item was a little misleading for guys with big appetites. I was expecting to have a massive burrito put in front of me, but was relieved to see a burrito that was just satisfying instead of stuffing. The chorizo inside the burrito was spectacular as was the green chili that smothered the burrito. It added a bit of heat, and was a great combination with the chorizo. I (Erin) had two of the Build Your Own Breakfast Tacos. They come with eggs, lettuce, and red salsa in a flour tortilla. I chose to add chorizo, and it was absolutely delicious! The eggs were so fresh and (of course) locally raised. The chorizo was (again) amazing. And the tacos overall were outstanding.

Overall Rating: 6/10