Sitting at the bar inside Potager, it felt like I was back in Europe. The smells. The aesthetics. The informality and lack of pretense. The bartender’s casual friendliness. The staff’s unfussy way of going about conducting business, working.
I got there a solid 10 minutes before Merrily, so I ordered a wine flight – three short pours of Big and Bold Reds – and took the space in. To my right, the staff sat around a large table and chummily talked while snapping green beans for a good 15 minutes.
That’s a lot of green beans, but more impressive was how natural and unhurried the repartee was. They seemed like they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company, and it’s amazing how that alone changes the atmosphere of a place. When Merrily arrived and ordered a flight of her own – white wine, of course – we caught up and gossiped, and I felt more comfortable than I’ve felt in a bar in a long time.
It helps that Potager reminds me of my own home. The design is open and unadorned, with exposed ducts and semi-peeled wall work overhead. It’s easy to be comfortable, especially with attentive bartenders filling your glasses, and stemware that begs to be loosely held as your feet dangle from the bar chairs. The giant windows look out onto Ogden Street, and it’s a nice portrait with heavy residential foot traffic and bikes and scooters parked on the sidewalk.
Eventually we were joined by Courtney and Billy, and we retreated to the back patio, which on that night was even more of a miniature heaven. We sat underneath a vine-tangled pergola, and the light from the lanterns hanging above was just enough to make the menu legible. They ate, I didn’t as I was due across town.
But over a glass of red zinfandel and a lot of menu jostling (“Will you share the spaghetti with me?”/”Only if you get that beet salad and lemme have a bite.”) we enjoyed a thoroughly pleasant evening.
Staff writer Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
Potager
1109 Ogden St., 303-832-5788
Funky: Every wine by the glass is available by the half-glass. With the many small plates on the menu, you can quickly learn about pairing wine with food.
Skunky: Even many Capitol Hillers don’t know of this gem, which is tucked away from the bustle of Capitol Hill’s main thoroughfares.
