I admit it. It was the come-on of “World’s Largest Selection of Draft Beer” that drew me into the Yard House that evening. Here I was, spirals-deep in the middle of the Marrakesh-like labyrinth that is the Colorado Mills shopping complex, nerves already well-rattled by the not-for-sissies sport of parking.
Nothing at that moment (as at many moments in my life) sounded better than beer. A cold one.
I had been to the Yard House once before, for lunch, when I’d overfilled myself on an entree-sized “appetizer” of four generous beef sliders, griddled and greasy and good and served with a side of, naturally, bearnaise sauce, then polished off most of a margherita pizza, hot (if slightly underdone) and topped with tomato wheels and roasted garlic.
It was a fairly good meal, except for the overwhelming so-called Mac and Cheese dish, baked as it is with chicken, bacon and mushrooms then splashed with the obligatory (and in my estimation, the ever-increasingly infuriating) truffle oil. I acknowledge, this sounds good to a lot of people. I say knock yourselves out.
Me, I’ll have the exquisitely, sloppily decadent roast beef dip sandwich, a classic French dip complete with horseradish and au jus and a big pile of fries, one of the most beer-friendly meals imagineable.
Have yours, like I did, at the bar in the middle reaches of the afternoon, before the Happy Hour-ers arrive and while you can pick the otherwise undistracted bartender’s brain about what beer to get.
It’s not a task to be undertaken lightly. With scores of beers to choose from, you might as well take whatever informed assistance you can get, and in my experience, the bartender knew his product. Talk him through your likes and dislikes, but try something you’ve never had before. (And if you have had them all before, maybe it’s time to take a day off.)
Bottom line: The Yard House can feel corporate, impersonal, even cold. It’s more of what I expected to find in the mall, not as elevated in concept or quality as California Cafe. But the food is big and hot and not too expensive, and nothing combats corporate chill better than a refreshing beer from the tap.
Tucker Shaw: 303-954-1958 or tshaw@denverpost.com
Yard House
American 14500 W. Colfax Ave., 303-278-9273Good/Very Good
Atmosphere: Massive, television- studded sports bar-slash-pub. Large central bar.
Service: Well-managed, for the most part, clearly tempering boredom.
Wine: Uh, try beer. Well over a hundred drafts.
Plates: Starters $6.25-$8.25. Sandwiches $10.25-$16.25. Entrees $15.45 and up.
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday- Thursday; 11 a.m.-midnight Friday- Saturday.
Details: Parking lot outside. Patio in warm weather. Credit cards accepted. Can get loud at happy hour.
Three visits
Our star system: : Excellent : Great : Very Good : Good
