A few months ago, the unthinkable happened – twice.
The Park Meadows Supercalifragi-Capitalistic Expiali-Atrocious Retail Resort deigned to allow a non-chain restaurant to plant itself along the outer perimeter of the mall’s hallowed parking grounds. Even more surprising, it turns out that the lucky restaurant in question, High Tide Fresh Seafood Grill, is a very good fish house.
In Colorado, no less. This is where dead fish that were really bad when they were alive are sent to flounder in a sort of sea purgatory, a half-hell that involves bad freezing techniques and poor cooking skills. Better one should swim with the fishes than become a seafood meal in this landlocked part of the country.
But High Tide is a keeper, a joint venture between Steve Ross, who also owns the three Lazy Dog Sports Bar & Grills (in Denver, Boulder and Aurora), and Gene Cooper, an old college buddy of Ross’. In fact, the newest Lazy Dog went into the space in Aurora that had been High Tide until Ross moved it to Park Meadows. At that incarnation, Ross’ staff had struggled with production problems and uninspired preparations, but the coup of landing a Park Meadows space (this is the only locally owned eatery to sit on any of the parent company’s 52 mall properties throughout the country) and the installation of talented head chef Jerry Hise, seems to have boosted High Tide to full-speed-ahead status.
Its insides are a cross between the hull of a boat and an upscale industrial nightclub, with plenty of ocean-evoking blues in the lighting fixtures, walls the color of water-rusted metal, and the odd copper diving apparatus and ceramic fishies strategically placed here and there. And, of course, the requisite hundred-gallon tank full of dinner’s distant relatives, including one large specimen that seems perpetually to be meditating on the meaning of life.
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The answer: Eat or be eaten.
And it’s so much better to be the eater at High Tide, especially when you start with the New England-style clam chowder ($3.95), a dreamy concoction that contains enough cream for a silky consistency and plenty of fresh clams, some still intact, swimming in the soup with soft pieces of potato and fresh flat-leaf parsley that releases its peppery flavor into the heat of the brew while you’re eating.
The chowder is so luxurious that the ample – and amazingly well-priced-portion is just right. But for those times when half would do, High Tide offers partial plates of many of its other appetizers, including a cute little tasting bite of its rich, oily smoked salmon ($2.95), which comes with a chipotle-kissed cream cheese blob, the kind of zippy extra touch that Hise throws in to keep things interesting. Another is the poblano in a cream sauce that comes with the crabcakes ($7.45 for a full order), which fall into the category of messing a bit too much with the crab (it’s really better when there are whole, sweet lumps), but still offer a golden, crispy shell and the earthy flavors of red and yellow bell peppers and plenty of fresh herbs.
Other starters take on world-eats tastes, such as the Mediterranean-styled mussels ($3.45 for a half order) in a tomato-tart, saffron-sweet broth punched up with a basil pesto, and the French-inspired baked escargots ($8.45) in a light, garlic-scented butter. More unusual is a starter of grilled and then chilled shrimp ($6.45 a full) that come flavored with honey, lavender and candied pistachios, a combination that works shockingly well. As does the bruschetta ($3.95 a half) topped with shreds of duck confit and Brie, with a tart cranberry relish.
But, really, the reason to come to High Tide is for the Fresh Catch, their signature offering that involves whatever’s fresh that day, at market prices, the description of which is available on the blackboard in the foyer. From baby Coho salmon to sea scallops to Colorado-raised trout, the item is flash-grilled on their wood-burning grill, which gives each item the quality of having been cooked outdoors. The beauty of this would be lost on anything not tip-top fresh, but I never ate anything on two visits that wasn’t. Each time the seafood came out flawlessly cooked, from salmon ($18.95) whose skin sported an almost achingly sweet char to brown-edged sea scallops ($16.95) that still had translucent centers.
The Fresh Catch entrees come with a choice of two sides, the best of which were the soft-smashed, garlic-infused mashed potatoes, the skinny spears of al dente aasparagus and the vanilla-luscious rice pilaf. Regular entrees come with whichever sides seem to complement, such as the mashed potatoes with the delectably salty, mushroom-flavored New York strip ($17.95) and the vanilla rice and asparagus with the papaya-fruity, coconut-covered shrimp skewers ($17.95).
If there’s any room left, put a slice of smooth, citrus cheesecake ($4.95) into it. All of the desserts are made in-house, and while they aren’t all perfect – chocolate mousse ($4.95) was runny in the center, a Key lime tart ($4.95) was topped with an overcooked meringue shell – they get points for trying. As does the staff, which was efficient and helpful, even when they were trying to sell wines from a boring but well-priced list.
Think global, but for heaven’s sake, eat local.
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High Tide Fresh Seafood Grill
Address: 8345 S. Park Meadows Dr., Littleton
Phone: 303-662-1100
Style: American, Seafood
Food: ***(out of four)
Service: ** 1/2 (out of four)
Atmosphere: ** 1/2 (out of four)
Price: Items from $8 to $22
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Credit cards: All major
Number of visits: 2
Parking: Parking lot
Noise: Loud when busy
Wheelchairs: Yes
Smoking: Bar only
