Sunday, April 26, 2015

Hideaway Steakhouse

Hiding away in Westminster


Getting There


Contrary to the restaurant's name, The Hideaway Steakhouse is not difficult to find.  Located on West 112th Ave just east of Federal, this upscale restaurant offers ample parking and a large, hard to miss sign out front.

The Atmosphere


As soon as you walk through the front door, you know you are in a special place.  The decor is a beautiful balance of natural and contemporary textures and refined features.  In addition to the natural stone that graces the floors and the sleek lighting fixtures, the seating options are lovely.  Booths form alcoves that provide diners with a wonderful sense of privacy.  Hideaway Steakhouse offers seating in their amazing dining room as well as a full bar complete with bar and table seating.  In addition, they have an amazing outdoor patio that faces an open space allowing patrons to enjoy the beautiful Colorado weather.

The Eats


I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "Start each meal with liquor."  Well, maybe not; however, we sure did.  Turner, our amazing server, suggested the Manhattan for our Whisky connoisseur and for our wine lover, he suggested a beautiful glass of some really tasty red.  What a wonderful way to start an evening!  As our drinks were served, Turner regaled us with interesting facts and stories about the restaurant and its history.


In an incredibly kind and unexpected gesture, the owner of the establishment brought us an amuse bouche to start off the night.  This was a beautifully presented piece of fresh, buffalo mozzarella wrapped in salmon and served on an ultra thin slice of cucumber.  It was then drizzled with balsamic vinegar and garnished with fresh radish sprouts.  What an amazingly fresh and light way to "amuse the mouth"!

From the menu, we chose the Beef Tenderloin Wrapped Enoki. The Enoki mushrooms served several purposes for this dish.  First as a delicious, meaty compliment to the delicate tenderloin, and second as the handle for dipping the entire thing into the spicy aioli. 

Next we tried the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes.  We are huge fans of crab and we find crab cakes are a good indicator of things to come.  If the crab cakes are good - meaning lots of crab and adequate seasoning and fillers - we know the establishment cares about what they serve.  If the crab cakes are not good - meaning more breading and seasoning than crab - well, you know the rest.  Let's just say that these crab cakes were REALLY good.  Plenty of meat and lots of flavor.

The Roasted Tomato, Corn, & Chicken chowder was our last choice for an appetizer.  According to Turner, this soup started out as an occasional soup de jour; however, due to it's popularity, the restaurant had to add it to the menu as a permanent option.  It was incredible.  Actually, it was our favorite appetizer.  The chowder was hearty and flavorful.  Large pieces of chicken and tomato mixed with spices and had just a hint of sweetness from the fresh, crispy corn.  This was just so good!

Being the meat eaters we are, we selected the 18oz Cowboy Bone-In Ribeye,  Blackened Nieman Ranch Bone-in Pork Chop and the 12 oz Boneless Buffalo Ribeye from the list of specials.

The buffalo was served with a mixture of seasonal vegetables and smoked gouda-bacon new potatoes.  While the steak was delicious, the potatoes were the highlight of the dish.  Cheesy and decadent, the potatoes were the perfect pairing to the lean cut of buffalo.
The beef ribeye was well prepared and served al a carte as most of Hideaway's steak offerings are.  The steaks offered at The Hideaway Steakhouse are aged for 21 days utilizing a wet aging process to enhance flavor and texture.  The seasoning on the ribeye was not overpowering and would definitely be able to stand on its own without the need for any sauces or additions.  We added a bearnaise sauce, crab oscar, and shrimp scampi as well as a family-style side of creamed spinach. 

The creamed spinach was delicate and lightly dressed in a rich cream sauce and the shrimp was fresh and flavorful.

Our favorite dish of the evening was the pork chop.  Thick cut with a perfect sear on the outside, and a moist interior.  This was a blackened chop, and thankfully it was not overly seasoned as blackened dishes often are.  The chop had just the right amount of seasoning and spice to make each bite delicious.  It was served  with parmesan asparagus, saffron rice, and pineapple chutney salsa.  The asparagus was supple yet didn't lose its snap and the parmesan added a creamy, rich flavor that elevated this simple offering to a very delightful side dish.  The rice had a really interesting flavor profile that we still don't quite know how to describe without using the common phrase of "yummy".  The pineapple chutney made a great counterpoint to the pork and added a delightful, tropical twist.  What is it about pork and pineapple?  Delicious.

Dessert at The Hideaway Steakhouse was somewhat of a spiritual event.

The special for the evening was a Red Velvet Cheesecake. In addition we selected the Creme Brulee, Pumpkin Pineapple Carrot Cake, and Nutella Phyllo Triangles. Yes you read that correctly, Nutella!

The phyllo triangles were similar to baklava in texture.  Phyllo dough was filled with nutella, fried, and drizzled with chocolate sauce.  They were just warm enough to keep the nutella slightly melted and were simply amazing.  The ice cream served with these triangles was a simple vanilla but partnered well with the triangles.  Although most of us where perfectly happy just eating the phyllo.

The Cheesecake was made in classic New York style with the addition of cocoa.  However, not too much cocoa to make it a true chocolate cheesecake but not too little to lose the delicate chocolate flavor.  Rich and dense, this cheesecake could easily be a dessert for two.

The Creme Brulee was your typical creamy custard topped with a thin, perfectly caramelized sugar.

Last but certainly not least was the Pumpkin Pineapple Carrot Cake.  It was sweet, spicy and warm. Truly like an autumn evening by the fire.  This was topped with ice cream and slightly tart apple slices.  We were surprised by this dessert since pumpkin, pineapple, and carrot does not seem like a likely combo; however, it was a wonderful find.

The People 


We cannot say enough about our server, Turner.  He was definitely one of our favorite servers to date.  He was attentive, knew the menu like the back of his hand, and was completely capable of handling all the crazy we tend to bring as a group.  It truly is a gift finding people who are so caring and interested in ensuring we have the best possible experience.  He not only introduced us to the owner of the restaurant but also the chef.  When one of us got up to use the powder room, he offered his hand to help her out of the booth and walked with her to show her where the facilities were.  Such a simple act is so memorable and unusual in this day and age.  He truly is an awesome guy.  Thank you so much, Turner for such a wonderful, interesting, and informative evening.  You are awesome!

Summing Up


We enjoyed our visit to The Hideaway Steak House very much.  The items are quite pricey but the service and ambiance made up for it.  If you have a special occasion to celebrate or if you are looking to impress a loved one, we recommend The Hideaway.

They offer incredible happy hour deals as well as live music in the bar area. 

For a wonderful evening, we give The Hideaway Steakhouse a fork.





The Officially Unofficial Voting Legend
Take it with a grain of salt, we're not professionals.
Awesome place, we’ll shovel more food in our face!
It was okay. Not our favorite, but we’ll take another stab at it.
Didn’t make the cut.