Racines has been a Denver fixture for as long as I can remember. The Sunday-morning waits and call-in chaos say something about its popularity. The exposed-pipe and plush-banquette interior design seems to work for this eatery on the edge of downtown. The problem is, the décor is so generic, it could fit any restaurant. There’s not much room for character.
Still, predictability is a draw for Racines. It’s the first place I thought of going for dessert after First Night, the ideal brunch spot after Easter Sunday service and a safe go-to when the folks are in town. Brunch is probably the hottest meal of the day, offering lots of omelettes and a lengthy list of pancake-esque comfort foods that come in two sizes: enormous and gargantuan.
Flavorful, creamy and spongy, the monstrous banana pancakes overwhelmed the syrup entirely. Don’t even think about trying to soak up the syrup that rolls off the top; you’ll just push it around on your plate.
Beyond breakfast, the menu abounds with salads, sandwiches and Mexican-, American- and Asian-themed appetizers.
Dinner choices are as overwhelming as any other meal here. From salads to entrées to sides, just making a decision left me famished. The Solitaire Salmon Salad is a hearty combination of good-for-you greens (not iceberg), a generous mound of moist salmon and a side of intense orange- balsamic vinaigrette. I prefer to drench the salad myself, so the offset dressing was a welcome touch.
Quesadillas are a bit dry, though they come with mounds of salsa to balance the stand-alone moisture deficiency; sandwiches are tasty, if too big to fit in your mouth; and entrées are simple, expertly cooked and pleasingly plated. At least you can ask for a doggy bag if you don’t finish your prime rib.
Racines’ desserts finish a meal with a lukewarm hurrah. Size does not always trump quality, though the effort was evident in several of the restaurant’s sweet menu offerings. I’ve always been on the fence when it comes to devil’s food cake, and Racines’ put me over the edge in the wrong direction. It was dry, artificially sweet and tasted like plastic.
But the flourless chocolate cake stood deliciously rich on its own, if only because that combination of sugar, butter, chocolate and eggs could never possibly find a critic. As with everything else here, try to find someone to split your pick with you – it’s rare that someone can handle the sugar dose on one dessert plate.
Jeff Steen is a Denver freelance writer and graduate of the Johnson and Wales University culinary arts program.
Racines
American|650 Sherman St. (intersection of Speer Boulevard, Sixth Avenue and Lincoln Street), 303-595-0418; racinesrestaurant
|$.99-$19.99|Breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch. Open 7 a.m. Monday-Friday; 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday; close midnight Wednesday-Saturday, 11 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday.
Front burner: Huge menu, entertaining crowd.
Back burner: Huge menu, waits can be long.
