We first went to Narrative for a media preview just before it officially opened inside the then-new Jacquard Hotel in Cherry Creek North. We were impressed with the thought and intention that went into the food and drink. We loved the atmosphere too because it was so different from pretty much any other restaurant; one wall is made up of white shelves and white book covers. The furniture and tableware were earthy and serene, letting the food and drink tell the real story without feeling cold and sterile. We recently returned for their “fall/winter menu” which is available through the end of March.
Narrative (nar-ra-tive), noun meaning 1. A spoken or written account of connected events, a story. 2. The narrated part of a literary work, distinct from dialogue. 3. The practice or art of telling stories.
Narrative, the restaurant, true to the definition of the word, connects food and drink offerings with people, telling a delicious story. Here’s what we experienced:
The Atmosphere
The same white wall was there with the accent of a red glass cherry, a salute to the restaurant’s home in Cherry Creek North. Narrative was ahead of their time when they designed the place, what with Pantone’s calm, white Cloud Dance Color of the Year for 2026. The biggest color pop is from the indigo blue hobnail drinking glasses so, subtle and unfussy.
The Drinks
While my husband had a glass of wine from their just-right-sized list, I went straight to the cocktail menu, as I do. My eyes fell on Pink Pony Club ($18). How could I not order that, what with the fun name (we see you, Chappell!) A drink and a snack in one, the fruity drink made with Aperol, Absolut blue, peach, strawberry, lemon and sparkling rose had a fruity candy looped around the straw. At first, the cocktail was a bit too sweet for me, like a boozy juice box. But, after getting just a touch diluted by the ice, it was mighty fine and I enjoyed it to the last, embarrassing slurp.
Jumping ahead to the end of the meal, we were treated to a little pour of Madeira, Historic Series from the Rare Wine Co. There were four styles, each slightly different, based on the historic east coast port where Madeira was first brought, way back when: Baltimore, Boston, Charlston and Savannah. Do yourself a favor and have one.
The Food
Those who must have bread to tide them over at the start of a meal, or to accompany it, will like the Milk Bread ($12), four pull-apart dinner rolls that are tender and fluffy inside, the better for slathering with the whipped honey butter that accompanies it. If you can hold off though, there are so many good things to come, you might want to save some stomach space.
Take, for instance, the Smoked Carrot Dip ($16) which knocked our socks off. The smokiness comes from a touch of Aleppo pepper pureed with the carrot, served with a pistou sauce made from the carrot tops (clever!). For a change in texture, there’s a crumble of Marcona almonds. Take a swipe of all three and spread it on the seeded lavash for one of the best starters we’ve had. It was even excellent the next day at home. Don’t miss getting this dish!
Next came a Tartare Trio ($35), smaller portions of the three main Tartare offerings (we found it really interesting that Narrative had a selection of tartares to choose from and were glad there was a way to try each one). Our favorite was the Tuna ($21 if we’d had it on its own) with ahi, cucumbers, avocado, chive and lemon vinaigrette. It’s served with fragile waves of seasoned rice crackers. Creamy, cool and fresh, it makes the most of ahi and avocado, equally. The Tomato tartare ($12 on its own) is a salute to a summer garden with heirloom and green tomatoes, shallot, chive, sherry vinegar and subtle horseradish crème fraiche, served with sturdy triangles of brioche toast. Of course, the irony of this offering is that the “tartare-ness” of it is merely that the ‘maters are fresh and raw. Our least favorite, sadly, was the Wagyu Steak ($18 on its own). This would be a great “gateway tartare” though for someone squeamish about having raw meat. It was very flavorful – almost too much so. With wagyu sirloin, caper, pickle, Dijon, roasted garlic aioli and egg yolk, served with brioche, it tasted like an excellent burger. But covered up was the delicate flavor that normally comes with steak tartare, especially, I’d imagine, with Wagyu beef.
The Burrata Toast ($18) presented a heartiness and variety of textures. Atop the creamy cheese was pear chutney and streams of burnt honey (I asked and honey is cooked down until it begins to caramelize), plus pink peppercorn and arugula on sourdough bread. Frankly, I could have been perfectly happy with the Burrata Toast, Tartare Trio and Smoked Carrot Dip and a drink. It would be a great, light dinner before a movie or the next round of shopping.
Did we stop there though? Heck no!
Next, we had the Sweet Corn Soup ($12), presented with flair. Charred corn and poblano relish sat alone at the bottom of the bowl before being covered in the warm creamy soup. Having the variety of textures was great but I found the flavor of the soup just a little lacking.
The Chicken Avocado Chop Salad ($24) could easily be a meal unto itself with romaine, corn, tomato, almond, goat cheese and slivered dates plus delicious grilled chicken slices. It’s then topped with green goddess and lemon vinaigrette that perfectly balanced all of the ingredients. I really loved the sliced dates that provided a hint of sweetness and a nice bit of chew.
From the Plates part of the menu, Diver Scallops ($41) rest on butternut squash puree swiped onto the plate with the back of a spoon I suspect, topped with a pinky-beige tuile cracker that I could have sworn our server said was made with sweet tea (but don’t quote me on that). Lifting off the little lid, diced parsnip and apple were nestled in the center with a drizzle of cider gastrique to cut the richness. The flavors were great and could only have been made a touch better with a little more sear on the scallops for a contrast in texture.
The Wagyu Sirloin ($55) was the other major highlight of the night in addition to the Smoked Carrot Dip (and that’s saying a lot since everything was so good). Served medium rare at our request and sliced, this very shareable dish was served simply with tallow potato cake triangles, a half a braised Vidalia onion and a bourbon black pepper sauce. Now, while that sauce sounds like it could have a really strong flavor and, potentially, be overwhelming, it wasn’t. It was perfect and only enhanced the tender, absolute deliciousness of the steak. This is the best steak we’ve had in a long while (and we recently ate at two highly-respected steak houses, so there).
We knew we’d hate ourselves in the morning but we had to order the Sticky Toffee Pudding ($11), a dessert that screams “winter.” It was served uniquely, as two, cute and caramelized blocks with a big scoop of ultra-creamy vanilla ice cream from God Save the Cream (whose tagline is “Rebelliously Rich and Righteously Royal” – yeah you are!). Truth-be-told, I practically had to arm wrestle my husband over the choice of dessert because our server, Cami, told us another couple had come in specifically to have the Cookies & Cream ($11) they loved on their last stay at Jacquard two years ago. It’s a brown butter, chocolate, toffee, sea salt creation served with vanilla ice cream. I mean, really, a cookie good enough to stick in your mind for two years? But, alas, we were very happy with the very holiday-ish Sticky Toffee Pudding and vowed to return for that cookie another time. TIP: Order the Madeira, above, to go with this for a real gild-the-lily way to complete a great meal.
The Service
You know when you go out to eat and the server is clearly just going through the motions? By contrast, you know when you go out to eat and the server is fabulous, connects with their guests at each table, is warm and friendly and takes excellent care of you? It makes such a difference to feel some warmth and personality from the person who is your personal guide through the meal.
Major kudos to our server, Cami, who was just wonderful. The entire staff at Narrative was great too, from the host who sat us to the people bringing out the food and keeping our water glasses filled. At first, we thought maybe it was just us getting some special treatment, but, no, that level of attentive, friendly service was happening all around us, all night long.
Throughout our meal, we kept saying, “You know who we should bring here?” listing off friends and family. Like a good book, Narrative is a place we want to revisit again and again.
Narrative, within the Jacquard Hotel, is located at 222 Milwaukee Street. Learn more about them and make reservations on their website.
-Story and photos, except where noted, by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher & Managing Editor, InGoodTasteDenver.com
Please note, as is common practice in our industry, we were hosted for this dining experience to help facilitate this article. However, as is always our policy, our opinions are our own and are for the purpose of informing our readers.
Comments are closed.