Epicurean Encounters: Fine Dining Part II, Madera Grill, Louisville, CO

Madera Grill opened this summer in old town Louisville in the space formerly occupied by Rex. I was hesitant to try it due to the pedestrian and poor fare offered by its predecessor. After reading some promising Yelp reviews, we invited some foodie friends to try it out.
Madera, which means "wood" in Spanish, indeed leans heavily on grilling. It attempts to inject Louisville with a dose of fine dining in an otherwise family oriented food scene. It starts off promising enough. The ample space has been completely renovated. Instead of a college bar vibe, it is now elegantly appointed with dark wood, high ceilings and generous bars. White table cloths adorn the tables. The servers don formal crisp white shirts with dark pants and long aprons. Flatware and cloth napkins are preset for each guest. So far so good.
On a Saturday night in Louisville, the place was curiously empty. We had reservations and were seated upstairs. One caveat with the dining room, the adjacent doors to the patio are open, thus you are pestered with flies all evening. Before we could enjoy our cocktails, we had to relocate to a more secure booth, the first one actually leaned into our guests as soon as another party sat behind them. They do offer some interesting creations such as the Cucumber Tini made with a splash of sparkling wine. It was a bit sweeter than a classic martini but still refreshing. A handful of beers and a more extensive wine list are also available.
We started with some small plates that appealed to my Spanish and Mexican friends. The stunning grilled artichoke arrived whole with a lovely balsamic and olive oil. Rather than leave well enough alone, a ramekin of incongruously thick sun-dried tomato dip was served alongside. The garlicky aioli totally masked the freshness of the artichoke. But if you ignore this mis-step, the appetizer was quite good.
On the enthusiasm of our server, we ordered the goat cheese and crostini starter. The goat cheese is locally sourced from Haystack Farm, which is always a plus. A medallion of goat cheese, lightly breaded in fine bread crumbs was fried to a golden crisp. It was a delicious appetizer, but rather chintzy in size.
Much to our chagrin, the stuffed Pasilla pepper turned out to be the more common Pablano. When we inquired about this mis-label, the food runner, who is of Mexican descent, replied that Americans don't know the difference. Wrong answer. I have nothing against Pablano peppers, and it was cooked quite well. However, I am a stickler for truth in labeling. This carelessness indicates a lack of knowledge. The common place oozy cheese also demotes the dish. The piquant tomatillo sauce was the one bright spot of this dish.
We ordered some wines by the glass with dinner. It was a bit of a turn off that they were served in such coarse stemware as the cheap ones I used in college. It would behoove them to invest a little money in nicer stemware to fully release the wines' aromas.
I was happy to find my skirt steak cooked to order and full of flavor. Lightly marinated in a mustard-soy sauce, it was juicy and tender and garnished with toasted sesame seeds. Curiously, it was served alongside an unappealingly limp sweet potato patty. They would have been more appealing as nicely crisped fries. Or how about some crisp stir fry veggies to compliment the Asian accent.
The lamb chops, the priciest item on the menu, were well executed and beautifully plated. Three seasoned chops were propped against a mound of polenta which complimented the lamb well. It was served with a herbed pesto which provided a bright accent. Some string beans or other green vegetable would have been welcome.
Sadly, the Flat Iron Chicken was a bit of a visual mess. The chicken was completely obliterated by a layer of herbs which blended with the brussels sprouts. The bite of chicken I tasted was rather dry, but might have been better with the accompanying herb butter. The brussels sprouts were soggy and uninspired. The crispy home potatoes were the best thing about this dish.
The Mocha Creme Caramel dessert was pretty enough but had a mousse-like consistency rather than the flan we were expecting. It was tasty though, and we ate it all.
I really wanted to like this place. For the price, I expected more than it could deliver. If you read the website invitation, you would expect to be greeted warmly by the management and inspired to return often like a second home. Regrettably, this may be a one time visit for me.