John H.
Yelp
*Update: the management has reached out and I'm waiting to hear what comes next; stay tuned*
Second time here, probably the last. The issues discussed below regarding service attentiveness and staff awareness were problematic the first time, so if you want to know about the first iteration read "The experience" below and read it again.
This probably would have been 2* review, but the mouse at the very end of the night livened things up enough to bump it up to 3* - if that isn't enough to tell you what follows, I don't know what will be.
The drinks: costly ($14-$16), average quality, nothing to write home about. Potential abounds, but the attention to balance and pizzaz given to the social media presence is far greater than the attention to the end product. We had the: Mushroom Margarita, Mole Negroni, Mezcal Sun-Risa, and Wild Thang! (exclamation point is part of the name, not part of the feel of the drink).
Mushroom Margarita: mushroomy, I suppose? It tastes sort of like a black jelly bean without sweetness. The color was interesting, but the excellence stopped at the visual appearance.
Mole Negroni: promises a great deal - mole in a drink! - but it underperforms.
Mezcal Sun-Risa: Mezcal is an oft utilized and too-frequently overpowering smokeshow in a drink, which is about the right assessment here.
Wild Thang!: excellent presentation, the yellow Chartreuse comes through, but overall it's a lot of hope for a less-than-impressive cocktail that underdelivers in flavor despite the beautiful appearance.
The food: Wild Mushroom Nachos $16; more useful than the $10 chips and guac ($10!); not bad, the chips are interesting and whole-grain feeling, and the volume of nacho is acceptable as it ought to be. Alright to okay, but not enough to salvage the whole experience.
The experience: unmotivated. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly the major malfuction here is. It wasn't crowded, there were 2 staff on - a bartender and a server - and you get the sense that table service is kind of the goal. Sort of? The vibe is fun, definitely a non-conventional feel for the Denver drinking scene. It's located in a building adjacent to Union Station and you can exit through the Station facing side but cannot enter that way. Entering requires you to go around the buuilding to the Wewatta facing entrance and to walk to the right through some hallways to get to the door. The lighting, tables, visual appearance, and booths are kitschy and fun.
But the service. The service! The service. How to explain. I attempted to make eye contact with the server who walked directly past us at least 6 times, and not even a glance askance was provided with which to interact. I ended up ordering from the bar directly. The attitude and energy were just completely milquetoast. As though there was a soporific diffuser spreading sleep and apathy through the air. No conversation of any sort from any of the 2 staff. Very little in the way of interaction at all. No smile, no specific greeting phrases such as "Oh hey, thanks for coming in! How can I help you?" Just expressionless, slow, reluctant interaction. And I've worked in food service, I've owned bars, I've bartended myself. It doesn't take much. But even that little glimmer of a hint of a spark of energy was absent the entire time.
The mouse that was running around the bar was quite entertaining though. Small, fuzzy, and energetic. He/she/it was by far the liveliest member of the staff. So here's to you, mouse, and thanks for brightening up what would otherwise have been an exceptionally dull, detached experience.
Go to look at it. Expect little from the staff. Have an overpriced cocktail. Eat before or after you go. And keep an eye out for Mr. Peepers (the mouse) - he'll be sure to give you a little bit of bounce.