Etc Eatery | Denver, CO | 3.2 Dishes
Find casual global comfort food at this neighborhood spot in Platte Park @etc.eatery.denver
Eggplant Parmesan with Fresh Mozzarella and ETC branded Crostini
Food | 3.1 Dishes
ETC. Eatery has a small, eclectic menu that features comfort food from all over the world leaving guests with tough choices like; Japanese style fried chicken (Karaage), wasabi caesar salad, Birria Lamb Tacos or even chicken Tikka Masala. You can really find anything on the menu to satisfy any craving you might have.
My wife and I went on a Wednesday night because we were enticed by our #denverpassbook to check it out. We started our evening with Shishito peppers, fried and served with a sweet miso glaze and lemon and lime wedges which was a nice touch. The Peppers were perfectly cooked and the acid from the citrus provided a wonderful compliment to typical friend pepper. Next we shared the wasabi caesar salad, a simple, yet delicious play on the basic salad featuring a wasabi flavored dressing, crispy sesame croutons and and crunchy walnuts. It was a creative change from the typical caesar salad at a local spot. @etc.eatery.denver started out strong!
For mains, I ordered the eggplant parmesan that came served in the rustic dish that it was baked in with a side of bread that was etched with a "ETC," Logo which was a nice touch. The eggplant was cooked well and came with melted mozzarella and was served in a basic red sauce with onions and garlic and chunky tomatoes. While the dish was good for a vegetarian option, the sauce was nothing to write home about. In my opinion it had the ability to make or break the dish and I felt like they could have used a can of @Rao's sauce and it would have been excellent. My wife had the stuffed peppers that was prepared with Longaniza sausage, Spanish rice and placed on top of Guajillo pepper sauce. It was well cooked and flavorful with a pico de gallo garnish. Honestly, the dish was pretty basic - yet still good.
Shishito peppers with sweet miso sauce and wasabi caesar salad
Drinks | 3.2 Dishes
It was Wednesday night and I'll be honest- I needed a night off of drinking. I enjoyed a fresh brewed iced tea that wasn't served with lemon and we nursed water for most of our meal. @etc.eatery.denver features a petite drinks menu with a couple of Mules, Prickly Pear Margarita, Aperol spritz and Sangria to compliment the global menu. They have a basic beer menu that has some local favorites like Dry dock and Upslope craft lager and Guiness and Stella. The wine list features wines from Italy, Spain and the U.S. that kudos to them, are all available by the glass. All the bottles are priced to move and you can actually find great value on the list with some great bottles to appease any level of wine drinker.
Service | 3.5 Dishes
The staff was welcoming, kind and wanted use to have a great time. You can tell that they certainly care about taking care of their guests. Our waitress was attentive and on available whenever we needed her. For a casual eatery on a Wednesday, the staff did a wonderful job. It wasn't too busy and we were able to eat dinner in around an 1 hour 15 minutes, with food perfectly coursed. While they were friendly, they could use a bit more polish. Little things like my wife mentioning that she didn't want the dreaded cilantro on our her peppers and it arrived garnished with it or my iced tea arriving without lemon and more sugar that a human could need piled on a plate with it.
Ambiance | 3.2 Dishes
ETC. Eatery features a modern settling with tons of comfortable outdoor seating on their expansive patio that wraps around the restaurant and includes a prime table underneath the stairs that lead to the rooftop bar. The small, yet artistic bar grabs your eye as you walk in and features all the bottles nicely placed on shelves up to the ceiling. I like the look of this restaurant. Even though it was a Wednesday night on the slow patio around the side of the restaurant, there wasn't any music playing or vibe created back there. You could easily hear the conversation of all the tables around us, which was not many on a weeknight. I'd recommend trying to sit on the sidewalk of Pearl street if given the choice to have the sights and sounds of the busy neighborhood to create an ambiance.
Stuffed Peppers with Longaniza sausage, Rice and pico de gallo
Overall | 3.1 Dishes
I'd recommend this place if you can't decide on what to eat or if you're looking for a casual glass of wine or cocktail for happy hour and are looking to get a quick appetizer to soak up the booze. It's a fun atmosphere and carries some great options for restaurant goers to blend different types of cuisine at the same restaurant. The food is good. Nothing special, just good. They offer multiple global cuisines and without the focus on one single style of comfort food, they end up being pretty simple on each flavor, producing good food- but not great food. I know its still the pandemic, but for a restaurant with 18 items it was weird that they were out of the Lamb tacos and coctel de cameron. With such a limited menu, its tough to be out of popular items on a Wednesday. I think this place would work better as a bar with casual food, spicing up the drink list and narrowing down their focus.
You can book this restaurant on @Opentable and find them in the @denverpassbook or just show up for a cocktail and some Wisconsin style cheese curds! https://www.etcdenver.com/
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