This is the time of year when, barring hail and blowing winds, there are few things more delicious than al fresco dining.
Throw in a burbling creek, and we’re talking music to the ears, which is exactly what can make a meal at Rhapsody’s at Clear Creek in Golden such a dramatic delight.
Sit on the spacious patio just above the banks of Clear Creek, at tables well covered with umbrellas that can be maneuvered for extra protection from the sun’s harsh late-day rays.
The metal chairs are actually comfortable, and the setup allows for views of cloud movement along the hills, as well as the Coors brewery, the couples who smooch and the kids who play in the park across the creek, and after the sunset, the lights that change color on the bridge.
Inside, one elegant dining room sits just on the other side of the patio, with windows that afford the same views minus the elements, while a more casual eating space in the front is noisier and more bustling but gives a sense of being in on the action.
And this place does get a lot of action, and sometimes maybe too much. The downside of Rhapsody’s is that it can’t handle being full, with service suffering to the point of diners languishing with hot food and no utensils, no drink refills for what seems like forever, and meals that take at least an hour longer than they should, especially if the eatery is having a special event while also trying to do regular dinner service.
But on a normal night, Rhapsody’s can be a harmonic convergence of elegant dining and boldly flavored food.
Owners Petra and Kurt Schramm are veteran restaurateurs who came to Colorado from South Africa; chef Kurt cooks with heavy influences from his German heritage, and he hired chef Chris Miracolo to help deliver his vision.
Together they offer a menu that changes at the beginning of each month, a simple roster that includes one soup of the day, a couple of salads, two or three starters and a half-dozen entrees, heavy on the meat.
What’s special about Rhapsody’s food is its integration of everything on each plate, with the ingredients assembled so that the tastes flow into one another and layered in ways that call to mind intricate puzzles.
For instance, instead of a starter of Scottish smoked salmon ($11) in which the salmon sits next to a pile of greens and there are maybe some other components sprinkled around, here the salmon had been carefully laid one slice atop another in a hexagon, with a cylinder of mesclun in the center interspersed with dates, crisscrossed with thin slivers of fresh green apple, perfect avocado slices arranged in a pattern around the greens, with a semicircle of goat cheese purposefully set at a jaunty angle.
An even more intensely flavored example was the jumbo lump crab cake ($12), buttery and golden on the outside, with the crab pretty much left alone in the middle, the fat patty set atop a dark tomato-fennel confit that had lost all of its fennel but was still strong, with the angry richness of a Pommery mustard and cayenne butter sauce alternated with a tarragon oil.
Where the kitchen here got a little carried away was in its heavy-handedness with the soups. A perfectly luxurious, satiny fennel soup of the day ($7) came with too many chunks of salty ham submerged in the bottom, and the same fate befell a spicy roasted pepper soup ($7) choked with big wads of smoked chicken. Both times, a smattering of tiny diced pieces of meat would have made for more refined finishes and gotten across both the flavor and texture elements.
Rock shrimp rolls ($11) were more subtle, crunchy-shelled and filled with steamy-hot shrimp, a mango-sweet slaw and sweet-and-sour peanut-hoisin sauce for dipping on the side. The house salad ($9) was almost too much of a good thing, the inspired combination of warm greens paired with blue cheese and asparagus, hazelnuts a sweet element and a fresh orange vinaigrette a little sour, but all of it so large a portion for one person.
The entrees were even more generous, and in typical German fashion, on the hearty side. Two soft-shell crabs ($26) arrived gently encrusted in semolina, crispy but still juicy, set against risotto cakes that had also been crisped until their insides had turned almost to cream. A sherry-sparked tomato-pepper coulis had just enough sharpness to counteract the risotto’s richness, and the sauce also served as a dipper for the crabs. Parmesan that had been crisped into a large half-moon-shaped shell sat like a wall around the whole dish for a stunning presentation.
Other entrees that were just as beautiful included medallions of New York strip ($31) strewn across a shallot-crimini mushroom ragout and garlicky greens, two triangles of creamy-centered, crispy-edged polenta on the side and two crusty onion rings on top, and seared pork tenderloin ($21), which had gone well beyond seared and way into dried territory, but was still tasty, especially with the creamy cheddar potatoes underneath and a smoky gravy made with cooked-down posole.
One dish that looked good but tasted like a salt lick was the Maine scallops and yellowfin tuna ($29), the seafood set around asparation, also known as broccolini, a cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. A veal reduction had been slicked all over the peppery green vegetable and its accompaniments of pearl onions and wild mushrooms, but we couldn’t figure out what gave the dish such a saline overdose, but it quickly became inedible.
As was the rosewater panna cotta ($7) for dessert, a molded custard so gelatinous it was like eating rubber.
Exactly the opposite was the coconut soufflé ($7.50), so good we ordered it again on the second visit. Like a semifreddo, this was a frozen mousse that had been rolled in coconut and was absolutely delectable. Also in that category was a chocolate mousse cake ($8) with a flaky, crackly pastry crust.
Get those service issues worked out, and Rhapsody’s can play it again for me any time.
Dining critic Kyle Wagner can be reached at 303-820-1958 or kwagner@denverpost.com.
*** Rhapsody’s at Clear Creek | GERMAN, AMERICAN
1027 Washington Ave., Golden, 303-279-6671
Atmosphere: The best places to sit are either in the elegant back dining room, preferably at the windows with a view of the foothills and Clear Creek, or, in nice weather, on the patio.
Service: If they are slow to medium-busy, it’s fine, but when the place is full, expect to wait a long time between courses and to have repeat your request for things.
Wine list: Extensive and fairly priced.
Dinner entrees: $21-$31
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5-9 p.m. Monday-Friday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Details: All major credit cards; parking garage; medium noisy; no smoking; wheelchair accessible; reservations recommended.
Two visits
