Solitaire

This is such a beautiful venue! I had come before when it was Highland Gardens and much better.
The food was delicious, with a nice presentation, but overpriced compared to similar restaurants. We had a wonderful bottle of wine, but were disappointed that they were out, when we tried to order another.
The most disappointing thing was the service. We had reservations, but when we arrived and noticed the place was about empty on a Thursday night, we asked if we could sit outside. The answer was no, as they had already set the table inside, REALLY? Few customers came the entire evening.
The waitperson was very poor at «reading» when it was appropriate to interrupt an important conversation. It seemed we needed to meet her schedule and dining timing rather than our own. We were not allowed to enjoy our cocktails, but were «pushed» to order, before we were ready. It didn’t feel like a relaxed dining experience.
Sadly, I will not return or recommend to others.

5 star Happy Hour. We ordered the rock shrimp, the mozzarella in carozza (think deep-​fried grilled cheese) and the arancini. All were delicious. HH wine was very nice, and our service was perfect. The patio is beyond beautiful. GO THERE.

Four of us — 3 over 70 and 1 in her 60’s — had a reservation to dine here Sat night. Waitress asked for id’s when we first ordered drinks. The ladies NEVER have an id with them. They refused to serve them. We asked for the Manager who became very defensive and then offensive when she told us we were breaking the law by not having an id on our person. She basically went into a rant and stated that Colorado Law requires a person to have an id at all times. Quite an embarrassing scene. We left never to return, and went to a very close competitor and had a nice dinner with a bottle of really nice wine!

Great location and atmosphere. Awesome patio. Slow service or they forget about you all together, small portions and over priced for mediocre food. Server not trained on new menu items and have no idea what they are bringing to the table. Drinks are interesting but at $ 15, not that interesting. There are better options in the neighborhood to dine and drink for a $ 150 evening besides this disappointment. On a positive note the bartenders have always been informative and quick with service and if busy at least acknowledge you. I look forward to you guys stepping up your game to check you out in a few months.

This place is pretty cool. The space is awesome. We decided to try somewhere new for happy hour. The outdoor space is great for the spring weather. The food was very good. Drinks were mixed well. The bartender was welcoming and attentive. Overall a great experience.

I have to say this is a lovely restaurant. The service was wonderful. They were very friendly. The food tasted wonderful, but unfortunately it ended with my boyfriend getting food poisoning. We ate all of the same items, except he had the bolognese. He said it tasted amazing — but something was wrong with it apparently.
They have locally sourced food, and a great drink menu.
The other food was amazing– except the salad had a bread stick– and it was burnt black– and they still served it that way– it was not edible– so I hope they were just going for an addition to the plate for plating purposes.
If he didn’t get sick off the food it would be a 4 star review. I am very sad that this happened as I really enjoyed our experience there over all!

Adorable. Superb food, truly excellent service, and a warm, inviting atmosphere in a converted house. One of the best restaurants in the Highlands area, and an argument could be made for Denver itself.

Eat dinner before you come here otherwise you’ll be starving when you leave.
Flavors and food quality were good but portions were too small to fill any of us up.
Service slow. Price high. We went out for a 2^nd dinner after spending $ 100 /​couple on drinks and food.
If they would increase their portion size I would change my rating to 4 stars but was just astonished by the $ ²⁵⁄₄ bite plates.

The service was fantastic, but it could have been because we were the only ones in the restaurant on a Thursday evening. This should have been a warning sign that Solitaire doesn’t deliver on its food.
We started with the tuna tartar, which was full of flavor, but lacked a significant amount of tuna; it was mostly rice, which muted the flavors of the star of the dish. I was also confused on why they gave another starch to the dish, mostly burnt crackers. The $ 17 price in dining room was overpriced, especially since I could have had the same dish in the bar for $ 10 less.
After trying the first dish, against my good judgment, we decided to share the quail and waffles, which on paper sounded good. The quail was not crispy, and lacked salt. The waffles were soggy, because it has been sitting in the red chili Vermont maple for too long.
This restaurant is in such a great space, and I know it has wonderful potential, but as I walked down 32^nd and saw lines out of other restaurants, I can only wonder if I went on an off night or if the empty restaurant was a sign that they need to up their game and come up with a new plan.

Ate at Solitaire the other night and really enjoyed our meal and craft cocktails. It’s definitely not cheap ($ 50-​$ 100/​person), but they do play some good classic rock to add a bit of casual ambience, though ;) The menu is organized in order of the size of the dish, from smallest to largest (and pretty much cheapest to most expensive) with appetizers on the top, small plates next and entrees next. None of the portions are huge though, so definitely have to get an app. Definitely get the stuffed poblano chile relleno app– I loved it! We also heard other diners raving about the tartare and the waiter told them he thinks it’s their best app. For an entrée, the 4 of us loved the salmon. It is very lightly cooked, close to sashimi consistency. The hanger steak was good, but I thought it had a bit of a barnyard taste that I wasn’t real into.
I believe the menu changes often.

Visited during restaurant week. Enjoyed every course. The white asparagus was amazing, the pork cheeks were amazing, and the dessert was really good too.
I was most impressed with our service though. Our waiter had great energy and was excited to be with us that evening. Kudos to him and the restaurant management.

Went here on Wednesday night (³⁄₂) during Denver’s Restaurant Week. .
Let me talk about the food first. The tasting menu set up for Restaurant week was fantastic. The White Asparagus was a great start, the Osso Bucco was tender and in an amazing Green Chile broth with hominy and the butterscotch pudding was a complete treat. If we could stop here this would be a 4 or 5 star review. Unfortunately, the service ruined the night.
Celebrating the end of a big work project and wanted to start the night with a cocktail before getting a bottle of wine. Was naively upsold on a bottle the owner «was selling at cost». Wanted the cocktail before the meal started, and took 45 minutes, for it to get there. With the wine, started drinking, and was not thrilled with it, so start googling, and discovered we could by it for 50% the owner’s «at cost» price at a local liquor store. When asked about this fact, the waiter got defensive. Throughout the night, service was slow, no apologies for the incredibly delayed cocktail.
I’m sure other have had much better experiences, and will continue to. But I don’t plan on returning having given them plenty of extra dollars for a BS «at cost» wine.

Based on recommendations from our friends, we decided to visit for date night. We checked out the menu and everything sounded fantastic… but to our dismay, each plate served was extremely disappointing.
We ordered an old-​fashion and some pinot grigio as our drinks, and those were great! The meal made a quick downturn from there.
Our first dish was the uni and quail egg shooters. We weren’t sure what to expect, but we weren’t expecting shooters of ponzu sauce with a raw quail egg floating atop. The server told us to throw back the whole thing and pop open the yolk in our mouths. Apparently caviar and uni were supposed to be in the shooter, but they were lost in the salty ponzu sauce that filled my mouth. I couldn’t taste anything aside from the ponzu – which made the $ 9 shooter an expensive and disappointing start to our meal.
Our next appetizer – the oysters – were equally disappointing. They were the smallest oysters I have ever had, and were served with a tapioca pearl. The tapioca was a weird touch that was oddly enjoyable because the sauce on the oysters were salty, so the blandness of the tapioca balanced it out.
On to the entrees. I ordered the tea-​steamed Tasmanian salmon. The entire dish was one texture: mushy. No sear on the salmon at all. In fact, I was questioning if it was even cooked because the inside was so dark, mushy, and flavorless. The potatoes, edamame, and little amount of mushrooms were equally underwhelming – adding no flavor, nor texture to the dish. The sauce added the most flavor to this dish, and unfortunately it tasted exactly like the two appetizers – salty.
I had a bite of my partner’s quail and waffles. It was literally a fried quail on top of a waffle – with ALL of its little bones. My mom makes quail like this, so we don’t mind the bones – but other restaurants in the same price range will at least give larger cutlets of meat from the quail, rather than frying and throwing the whole bird on top. Furthermore, the vegetable chunks were way too big and didn’t add flavor to the dish at all.
We actually ordered a dessert, but we asked the waiter to cancel the dessert because we were so disappointed from our meals.
Overall, I think the menu sounds great, but was poorly executed. Like they decided to throw all these trendy foods onto the menu and hoped it would succeed. There really was no focus, and ⁴⁄₄ dishes we had were overwhemingly salty (soy-​saucey maybe?), overpriced, and truly disappointing. It’s no wonder the restaurant was empty when we walked in. I wonder what has happened in the months since these great reviews.
On the bright side, the setting was beautiful and the servers were kind. We wanted to apologize to our stomachs for the meal, so we opted for Blue Pan pizza across the street – which ended the night on a positive note. Go there instead, as I don’t imagine how Solitaire could stay open with the experience we had.

So I really wanted to give this 3.5 stars, but you can’t do that so I had to round down on this one. The atmosphere is nice, but there was a crying baby. This is not a place for kids. Not the restaurant’s fault, but still ruined the experience. The food was really good. However, after spending $ 120 on food (no dessert), we were still starving and considering hitting the closest fast food. I don’t eat a lot either. If I spend that much on food, I don’t need to be stuffed, but shouldn’t be fainting from lack of sustenance either.

I’m a little squeamish about giving negative reviews to neighborhood restaurants because I really want to support those that are serving a need for our neighborhood. Since Venue moved out a couple of years ago Highland’s Square has had a real shortage of fine dining options. But I found our dining experience to just be on the «pretty good» side when I was really hoping for great.
Let’s start with the Pros:
–Everyone was very friendly. Server was attentive and kind. Presentation of the dishes was well-​paced
–Ambiance was a mixed bag but what I did like was the lighting and overall feel
–Some of the dishes were really good
–I appreciate the concept behind the food and the frequency of menu changes
The Cons:
–Somewhat of an identity crisis. What could have been romantic dining was hampered by the music. Really, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Kansas? I love these groups but they should be reserved for the churn and burn settings and NOT a fine dining restaurant
–Pet Peeve. Reservations for two. Seated at a four topper in a somewhat empty restaurant next to a table of 7 with kids. My husband and I get out maybe 3 – 4 times a year without kids. Was hoping for better.
–If you are going to charge a LOT (even by small plate standards) careful attention should be paid to the preparation of the food. I popped one of the sliced tomatoes into my mouth (Caprece) to find that it was the top of the tomato with the stem and the leaves still on and had to spit it out (pictured). A moment later my husband had the same experience with one of the baby tomatoes.
–Pricey. Again, even by small plate standards. The dishes were nice and there were some stand-​outs but $ 15-​$ 25 per small plate is on the high side. Two drinks and two small plates per person ranges in the $ 60-​$ 70 per person bracket. And you might not feel full when you leave.
I’m hoping that the restaurant continues to evolve and offers more of a fine dining experience or they consider lowering their prices to reflect more of a casual dining experience. But right now there feels like a disconnect between the two. Even more disheartening is that going back now through past Unilocal reviews it appears that the negative reviews are very thematic (music, pricing, menu) but the evolution does not seem to be taking place.

This is one of our favorite places. The quality of food you are getting here is superb. You can see that it is a work of art and the kitchen takes great pride in the work. Its level of sophistication will not disappoint. The staff is always excellent. The food is never disappointing. They have a great selection of wine. Also love the atmosphere and décor. I feel as if every room or section of the restaurant has it’s own vibe. The outside seating is REALLY awesome on a nice summer day. They have herbs out there too.
It want to to check out a place that has the right stuff go here. If you are in the mood for an average place that isn’t thrilling… then go elsewhere. This place is top notch.

Ok so the reviews are great but me and my husband
And parents were not happy with our meal or service
Just a few tips before you go to Solitaire. Take a cushion to sit on because the chairs are uncomfortable and bring a magnifying glass. The food is really in small portions
The food is good but not a wow in my food world. I had like a fish soup and it was nice. My husband had lasagna and he said it was ok just a tiny portion. My dad had fried chicken and his wife had I think a lamb dish. We also had a salad and pizza. Desserts were good. Peach pie and a rhubarb dessert. My dad ordered coffee and they brought my husband a cup and supposedly a 30 ounce carafe of decaf. Big
Cups .Tiny spoons. And 14.00. I don’t think so plus 40 ounces no way. We won’t go back sorry to say

Came here to celebrate my birthday with some friends and I have to say, I was extremely impressed! The ambiance was fantastic. The outside is a warm and welcoming appearance of a house and once you get inside, the feel is still just as warm and welcoming. I’d like a chance to sit out in their romantically lit patio but it wasn’t open that night.
Every dish I got was memorable and delicious!
We shared Hand Cut Pappardelle Bolognese, Charred Spanish Octopus, Duck Ramen, Flank Steak and the Butterscotch Pudding. Might have shared something else too ahah but I don’t remember anymore. :(
The menu here changes all the time, so the items I ordered are probably not all on the menu anymore. Every dish had great flavor and could not be comparable from one to the other. The pasta in the Bolognese was the perfect texture and if I had massive bowl of it, I probably would have not stopped eating it, leading to me eating too much and having food coma. Luckily, since everything was in smaller portions, I really had to portion control as I was sharing with everyone else.
I LOVE OCTOPUS. I don’t know why, maybe it’s the chewiness or the sweet flavor but every time I see octopus, I just want to eat it! Their Charred Spanish Octopus was done well as everyone else has stated on their reviews. The combinations of the shishito peppers, chorizo and aioli really gave it a nice flavor.
The steak and ramen dishes were great as well! Both meats were cooked well. The ramen was not what I expected but I definitely still enjoyed it and it’s slightly tart broth.
Overall, the pairings for all the dishes were fantastic. I enjoyed every bite. My only complaint is that I still left hungry since the portions were quite small and I couldn’t afford to indulge any further. Will probably be back when I have the money to spare.

We had one of the best dinners in Denver here. The host pleasantly greeted us at the front door as we arrived for our reservation. We were early, so we took a seat in the entry «fireplace room» and had a drink in the cozy, and swanky, chairs. We realized then that the setup of this place is like a charming house, with each room a different atmosphere. The ambiance is so inviting, warm and cozy, but also chic and hip at the same time.
The vibe inside is so welcoming, we witnessed a group run in trying to find relief from a crazy April snow storm. Later in the night, a couple sitting at a quiet table caddy corner from us got engaged!
This is definitely a new favorite place. If only I had someone to fund it, i’d be here every Friday night. If you start drinking and like to try a lot of food like we do, it gets pricey fast. That being said, it’s definitely worth the money to try it out at least once and see for yourself. The flavors in the food, although possibly dainty on some menu items, are burst in your mouth good.
The menu is setup progressive style where the top lists smaller portions and gets to larger portions towards the bottom. I would say it’s «tapas style» but, it’s classier and much higher in quality than any tapas place around. I guess you could say it’s «tapas style tricked up 5 notches.» Most options are not huge portions, but perfect to split with one person or small bites to try lots of stuff with a group. If you’re not into that, there’s a couple items that are more «entrée portions» towards the bottom of the menu.
The drink, wine and food menu have lots of variety. We were able to make out well with friends with all dieting restrictions: Palio, pescetarian, gluten free and meat lover alike. We all started with a different cocktail, all amazing, and moved on to try château Margaux and sassicaia by the glass. Using a needle that pierces the cork, we were able to order a a 1oz pour of wine that we never would have been able to afford for $ 15/​ounce.
The service is fairly formal where they clean the table and plates in between courses. It’s basically a white linen service without the white linen.
My recommendation is; if you’re a foodie and like the fine dining experience, while staying true to the casual Colorado vibe, give this place a try.

We have a group of friends who head out for «fine dining» ever month or so. Solitaire was our choice for this month, we dined there on Tuesday 5÷5÷15.
This is definitely a foodie heaven. A very limited menu — perhaps 20 or 25 items — from apps to salads to entrees and desserts.
The hostesses were polite and welcoming.
The décor is very pleasant.
Every dish we had was excellent. The wine was superb. The specialty gin and tonic very tasty. The service (with the exception of the wait for the desserts) was efficient. We had the lamb, the hanger steak, and a pasta dish; photos included.
Why not five stars? I can’t give a restaurant 5 stars on a first visit. Consistency and longevity is critical in my book (unless it’s just such a great bargain, or Unilocal helped me find a hidden gem).
And the following:
When a waiter, obviously under 40 years old, refers to the women at our table (50 years and older) as «young ladies» it’s not cute, or complementary, it’s condescending and awkward. Please stop doing this.