Or: 1600 15th Street
When: Open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday
For more information: Visit a5denver.com
A5 opens in the former home of Morin and Wazee Supper Club on November 18.
Molly Martin
What we saw: With pops of green — including a succulent-lined back bar and greenery-covered wallpaper — Culinary Creative’s new restaurant decor is inspired in part by the fern bars of the late 1960s and early 1960s. 1970. Clean lines and sleek seats and cabins also offer a nod to retro. But there are also references to cows strewn throughout, including a set of framed images of cattle dressed to the nines and ready for a night out.
A traditional, button-down steakhouse, this is not it. Juan Padró’s Culinary Creative, which also owns Señor Bear, Bar Dough, Tap & Burger and more, originally opened French restaurant Morin in the space in October 2018. Prior to that, it operated as Wazee Supper Club – under four ownership groups spanning sixty years. But Morin closed when the pandemic put a stop to indoor dining in March 2020.
After using the Morin Kitchen for the rest of the year to help feed the community and prepare meals for pop-ups, a new concept has begun to take shape under Chef and Culinary Creative Partner Max MacKissock. “This won’t be just any steakhouse,” MacKissock said. Westword. “The restaurant is going to be pretty fun and funky and all over the place. It will be driven by seasonality and just fun ingredient ideas. It’s unlike anything out there. »
Now he has delivered on his promise with A5, which officially opens on November 18. While Denver was once known as a steakhouse town, that reputation gave way more than a decade ago as the food scene tried to shed its cowtown image. But A5 is not a backward step. Instead, it strikes the right balance between retro-inspired design elements and a modern approach to sourcing. “The ethics of opening a steakhouse is something we really wanted to understand,” says COO Kevin Burke. “How do we use our power and responsibility as buyers and curators of this selection to ensure that we channel our guest economy to responsible growers and agricultural professionals?”
The question resulted in an ethics of traceability. “We really didn’t want to work with a product that we couldn’t tell the story of and really trace it,” Burke notes. From steaks, whose sources are listed on the menu, to Ben Wolven’s oysters from Oyster Wulff – which come largely from personal connections in his home state of Maine – the meat and seafood on the menu are meant to reflect what Burke calls it an “ethical steakhouse.”
The A5 Wagyu Strip, Oysters, and Wedge Salad are all great options to start your meal at A5.
Molly Martin
What surprised us: This steak isn’t the only draw. Yes, it’s a menu staple, with cuts ranging from $28 to $90. And yes, you should order the ridiculously tender and flavorful four-ounce Japanese Wagyu A5 striploin served with ponzu and charred onion at least on your first visit; it is recommended as a starter because it is so rich that it is better to taste it before filling up on other items. But you can also come to A5 and have a great meal without heading for the steak.
Just oysters ($5 each or $49 per dozen) and the wedge salad ($15) – half an iceberg “disc” loaded with a crunchy mix of seeds, avocado, sundried tomato, pickled red onion, thin Crispy slices of guanciale and Roquefort vinaigrette – would be enough for a satisfying dinner. The Beef Tartare Katsu Sandwich ($18) offers another way to enjoy red meat; served on soft bread with a quail egg strategically placed in the middle, it’s always an indulgent choice. Or there’s the ultra-saucy burger ($18) made with Waygu beef and topped with butterkasse cheese, grilled onions and yellow squash-based pickles; it will go perfectly with Kennebec fries ($6) or mac and cheese croquettes ($10).
An aperitif and some side dishes accompanied by a cocktail is another way to get to know A5. The drinks menu is divided into three sections. There are classic cocktails ($14 or $50 for service for four): a martini, Manhattan, Negroni, and old-fashioned, each served with a small carafe over ice for extra pours without the watered-down results you get. with classic style service. where the shaker is left behind. The bar — it’s still large and in the middle of the room rather than along the wall like in Wazee’s days — also offers seasonal drinks ($14) and a range of tropical-inspired libations ($14 at $16) that are in line with the leafy design.
A5 is ready for special occasions and all-you-can-eat meals on a budget, but it’s also suitable for an after-work drink, so don’t be intimidated by the “steakhouse” label. This new addition is something you’ll want to bite into, whether it’s some sort of doorman night or you just need a well-made Manhattan.
