Anniversary dinner! My girl and I were traveling all day and picked a random dinner spot, but we…read moregot LUCKY. I'll be separating this review as I do all my others!
Food:
I thought it was going to be just so-so, Olive Garden level italian food. I was wrong! I first asked our waiter, Brian, for recommendations and he said they were known for their Mama G's classic red sauce. We ordered the bruschetta and I got the linguini and meatballs, which has the famous red sauce. My gf got the lasagna and the greek salad.
The bruschetta was delicious. I really hate it when restaurants throw diced tomato and basil on toast and call it bruschetta, Greco's did not. The crostinis were perfectly toasted - crispy but didn't crumble everywhere and didn't cut up the inside of your mouth. The balsamic reduction over the bruschetta was delicious, but I think the tomatoes, red onion, basil and garlic were mixed with some balsamic vinegar or something similar before being added to the crostinis and glazed. Vinegar should always be used to brighten veggies, not overpower them, and Greco's nailed the vinegar-tomatoes proportion. It was fresh, crisp, flavorful, and had the perfect amount of salt to enhance the tomato flavor.
My girl's greek salad was huge. I didn't taste it, but I trust her opinion, and she said it was delicious. She didn't finish it but did take it back to the airbnb and is already snacking on it again :)
The lasagna was delicious as well. The noodles were thin, so it didn't feel like we were biting into a chunk of pasta toast with sauce and ricotta as the butter, which happens often with lasagnas. This lasagna had the best ricotta cheese I have ever had. I asked the waiter if they used a bechamel sauce in the lasagna because of how creamy it was, but it was just the ricotta! They do not make it in house, I asked, and I wish I knew where it was from. Gf still won't stop talking about the lasagna and called her brother to tell him about it, lol.
The star of the show: The red sauce. Our waiter wasn't kidding when he said it's delicious. I genuinely got mad when I tasted it because I've always been proud of my red sauce, and no sauce has ever beaten my recipe, but now I'm determined to scratch my recipe up and recreate this one. Sauce is the most important part of a pasta dish, so a plain sauce always means a plain dish, and you have to depend on parmesan to make it better. Not this one! It was a beautiful, bright red, fresh, tangy, with the smaaaaaaaaaallest hint of spice. I'm wondering if they add a splash of balsamic reduction for the tang? Not sure, but sure as heck wish I knew. It literally tastes as vibrant and bright as it looked. If there's one thing you try at this restaurant, it has to be a dish with the red sauce.
Lastly, we got a free cheesecake with a homemade strawberry sauce. I didn't know the sauce was homemade until I bit into it and I literally wanted to throw my spoon down and stand up out of pure bliss like that guy on TikTok who checks meat for tenderism. It was so good. Strawberry sauce is often overpowering, just a thick, nasty, too-sweet syrup, but this sauce tasted more like a jam. I loved it.
Drinks:
I got water. Gf got riesling. She really liked it!
Environment:
Warm. As soon as you enter, it feels like you're walking into a cozy, golden little restaurant. They do have TVs all over, so if you're into sports, good for you! The lighting was not bright but not dim, it felt....gold? That's the best way I can describe it. It wasn't too loud in the restaurant, so you didn't have to speak up and you couldn't hear other people's conversations, but it also wasn't dead quiet and we did go when there were only about 4 other tables being used. So I really don't know about how loud it is when it's packed! It was also warm in there, which is nice for a Texan like me who isn't a fan of the cold ;) Overall the environment was very warm and welcoming.
Price:
Fair pricing! Actually, pretty affordable for such fresh and local ingredients! Our bill was about $100 for what we ordered and the two glasses of wine. I think that's pretty fair!
Staff:
I didn't catch the name of the guy who took us to our table, but he was very welcoming and kind! We chatted about what we're doing here in Colorado and he let us sit at the booth table right next to the window. He said it was the best seat in the house ;) He was great! We also LOVED Brian, our waiter. He was so welcoming, kind, attentive, he knew all about the menu, he was incredible. He literally made our nights from how much of a doll he was. This was my first night up here in Colorado ever, so he was the first Colorado-ian that I spoke to! I truly hope everyone else here in this state is as great as he was. Brian was the perfect introduction to the beauty and kindness of this state. The red sauce was great, but he was the highlight of our dinner.
