Good Beer, But Sub-Par Food

Govnr's Park

Last weekend Natasha and I took a trip up to Denver. I hadn't been there since I was a kid and she'd never been further west than that putrid sinkhole known as Wichita, so upon finding a good deal through Frontier airlines, we decided a trip there was just the thing we needed.

Our flight got into Denver at around 9 pm, and after the usual rigmarole of the airport and getting a rental car (a sweet Volvo S60), we finally headed for our hotel around 9:30. Denver, however, is not conducive to out-of-town drivers and it took quite some time to find our hotel, a Marriott off of Speer. After this stressful undertaking, we were both starving, yet leery of venturing out in the dark via car again, lest we become lost. A recommendation of the guy working the front desk was Govnr's Park, just a few blocks away, easy walking distance.

Denver is full of cool little sections and Govnr's Park was in the heart of a restaurant and pub district just south of downtown. We found it with little trouble, though it became readily apparent that this place was a night spot first, and an eatery second. Nevertheless, we were hungry and just about anything sounded good at this point.

Natasha staked our claim to a booth in the back while I ordered beers at the bar. The draft beer selection was good, and I grabbed a couple of Newcastles in short order, while skillfully deflecting the irritated glances of the rather rude girl sitting at the bar in front of me. Now I don't like people invading my personal space any more than the next person, but if you're sitting at the bar in a crowded establishment, you've got to expect people to stand behind you while ordering drinks. Nevertheless, I was polite and didn't call her any of the nasty expletives I was thinking...

After grabbing the beers I found Natasha at the booth in the back and we got the attention of the waitress. The menu offered standard pub fare, burgers, steaks and the like, but it seemed that the specialties were the sliders, which were featured prominently on the front of the menu. We both decided to give these a try; I choose the little Havanas, miniature sandwiches of pulled pork, ham, jack cheese, and sweet pickles, while Natasha opted for the Southwest sliders of pulled pork, raspberry chipotle sauce and grilled onions.

After placing our orders, we were left with several minutes to examine our surroundings. Apparently the place had witnessed the victory parties of two Colorado governors, and was quite popular with the young urban professionals. The walls were covered with photos of patrons in various stages of inebriation celebrating a wide range of events.

Eventually our food arrived, and I was quite underwhelmed. The sliders were average at best, and what rankled me the worst was the fact that someone in the kitchen had decided to put a burnt slider on top of my basket. Had they buried that one near the bottom, I may not have minded so much, but as it was the first thing I tasted at the place, it immediately set a poor tone.

Flavor profiles were okay, I liked the concept behind both sandwiches, but execution was sub-par. Now my expectations were not very high, based on the fact that this first and foremost a drinking hole, but somehow they managed to disappoint even this low standard. Natasha echoed this sentiment. But on the bright side, prices were reasonable. Our sliders were around $7 for five, and 20-oz Newcastles were only $4.

While this is clearly a cool place to grab a drink on the weekend, I'd advise any Denver visitors to eat first and just go for the good beer.

Scorecard
Food: 2
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 3
Menu: 3
Price: 3
Total: 14
Average: 2.8

http://govnrspark.com/