Epicurean Encounters: The Hideaway Steakhouse, Westminster, CO

What could be a more fitting celebration of my husband's retirement than an old school steak dinner for an "old guy", (his words)? I could think of no rival. So, when he suggested The Hideaway Steakhouse in Westminster, I demurred even though I am skeptical of its suburban location. There are a plethora of excellent steak joints in Denver, but Westminster? I vowed to keep an open mind.
Contrary to its moniker, the Hideway sits on a visible suburban thoroughfare. The newish building and decor are pleasant enough albeit without character like so much of suburbia. Don was expecting something more like historic Bastien's on Colfax but it was more reminiscent of an upscale Applebees.
The hostess led us to a spacious booth and inquired about our celebration to which I proudly announced my husband's much deserved retirement. To my chagrin, this did not procure any special treatment or complimentary dessert, although the adjacent table received a creme brûlée with a candle for their birthday celebration. I guess only birthdays are recognized here.
I was pleased to see elegant stemware and solid cutlery with some heft, especially after perusing the eyebrow raising menu prices. Sure, I have paid as much elsewhere, but it was commensurate with the locale. Guess folks are more affluent in Westminster than I thought.
The servers work as a team, so one person may take your appetizer order while another takes the order for the rest of the meal. I did not realize this and thought I was "cheating" on the first server. The wine menu is extensive enough although most were California wines. I had a glass of cabernet that was quite good for the value. Big, bold, and fruity, it would complement any red meat. Don had been looking forward to his gin martini with three olives ala Don Draper of Mad Men, and was not disappointed.
An interesting observation regarding the staff is their loyalty to the food, no matter the quality. One waxed poetic about the butter, which was whipped and sprinkled with pink Hawaiian salt. It was fine, but nothing that you would crave as he so effused. The salt was so scant, you couldn't even taste it. One would expect outstanding bread to complement such a revered accompaniment, but the bread was so dry and crumbly, it didn't even soak up the butter. We rarely leave good bread, but this was borderline inedible. When someone finally cleaned the trail of crumbs from said bread, I apologized for the mess but the bread was so crumbly. To my astonishment, she replied, "but it's so good"!
We each ordered a salad. My caesar were two artfully stacked hearts of Romaine, nicely trimmed. The dressing was served on the side and appropriately salty. Don's Bibb wedge was also nicely presented and happily with more blue cheese than my stingy sprinkle of parmesan. The dressing was an interesting balsamic blue cheese. It was tangy but I found it wanting for salt.
I considered ordering a non-steak entree, however, did not feel shrimp papardelle warranted $40, even for jumbo shrimp. Pasta costs dollars to make. So, I opted for the 10 oz prime New York strip. The premium USDA grading for steak is "prime" which means the most marbling and thus flavor. Always opt towards more rare, otherwise, save your money. It doesn't pay to spend so much if you are going to cook it to death. Don smartly chose the most costly buffalo ribeye at $46, but was rewarded with a most flavorful, tender, and juicy meat that he won't soon forget. Thankfully, sauces are not an additional charge unless you want more than one. The port wine brandy peppercorn was gorgeously glossy with a bite from the green peppercorns. It paired perfectly with both meat and our wine. The lemony bernaise was less successful but still enjoyable.
The highlight of our meal has to be the side of truffle fries. I don't usually order fried foods, but even though the other sides all sounded decent, why should I order something I can make at home? An inviting crockpot full of meticulously cubed yukon gold potatoes were crisp on the outside and steamy hot on the inside. Add heady truffle oil and flakes of salty parmesan, this is one sexy side that may just outshine the steak.
Service was spotty here. It was attentive and prompt initially before the crowd. But once the restaurant was full, you were left on your own. We waited several minutes for our to go box and finally had to flag someone down. We were too dejected to order dessert. I really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately I will not soon return, if ever.