Racine's Restaurant Concepts. - Denver

Racine's is an example of what a restaurant should aspire to. We go weekly for Sunday Brunch and absolutely love the food! They serve Starbucks coffee, nice and strong. The host staff is friendly and efficient, despite the throngs of people waiting up to an hour to be seated. The service is friendly and the food is always good. I have never had a bad meal. We love it! Be prepared for a LOOOONNG wait on Sundays and holidays. The only con is that they still allow smoking on their patio.

I used to frequent Racine's at their old location. They have had many great menu items but my favorite was always the club sandwich...it was the best I have ever had. The new location is a much nicer building, with an elegant but casual atmosphere. I have noticed, however, that the food quality has suffered to some degree. I have visited twice, and each time the club sandwich has been very disappointing. The bread, which used to be crunchy and delicious, is now chewy and bland (and under-toasted). The bacon, which I ordered well cooked on both occasions, came back not even warm...and very undercooked. I asked for well done fries...and I could tell that the cook had thrown some already made fries back into the fryer, resulting in high grease saturation. I hate to write a negative article about this restaurant, but the quality of this item, and perhaps others, has definitely come down a few notches. I hope they read this and make the necessary changes.

Racine 's ;serves ; food until 12 midnight. However on the date of my last visit we placed our order at 11:45 PM. Food was served at just after 12, at which point lights were turned up, music was shut off and the cleaning crew started their nightly vacuuming. Not a pleasant way to eat a meal out. I was appalled at the low quality of service. I hope whoever made that decision doesn 't expect Racine 's to stay a Denver favorite.

We were in Denver on business and decided to check out a place that a friend had suggested to us. It was truly everything he had described and more. First, the place is very supportive and accepting of those with alternative lifestyles. From the staff to the customers everything was very comfortable. It is difficult in the ;gay scene ; to find a place that has complete acceptance, comfort and class. This place I would classify as a ;classy ; yet casual place, the decor very warm and complimented the accessory furnishing nicely, the atmosphere upbeat but the noise level didn 't overpower conversations, customers were intermingling with others and the staff appeared to be known by many of the locals, which was nice to see in a big city. We started with the Creamy Artichoke dip with Pita Bread for our appetizer, absolutely delightful. Followed by dinner salads, fresh mixed greens, ripe, juicy cherry tomatoes and creatively sliced thick cucumbers all served in a fun creative manner. Lastly, the main course served piping hot, I had the Prime Rib French Dip which practically melted on the palate and she had the Eggplant Parmigiana which was excellent as well. The serving portions were perfect; neither of us could finish our meals. This is great for lunch the following day. Our waiter, Luis, was fantastic. It 's difficult to find a waiter that can balance in a busy atmosphere being aware of how their customers are doing and if they need anything without being overbearing and at times a nuisance or the opposite, not attentive to your needs at all. He was great and with us being from out of town, a little overwhelmed with so much to do and not enough time to do it in, not to mention being unfamiliar with the area, he was extremely helpful. He gave us many ideas on where to go as well as how to get to each location. He is definitely what one would call a First class waiter. If you are in Denver and would like a great place to eat, don 't miss this one. Bravo!

I am a regular at Racine's, and for a reason. No place in Denver has a wider variety of options, each as good as the last, in such a comfortable yet classy environment.