Tucked in the back corner of a parking lot on South Broadway, is an entrance into a world that’s a little bit Tulum, a little bit American southwest, slightly glam, simultaneously intimate and polished. The Goldfinch is inspired by a goldfinch songbird, known for its “spirited nature and light-hearted cheerfulness, restlessness, sociability and untiring activity.” And so, The Goldfinch aims to strike a balance between being playful – with grace. You’ll feel like you’re entering a secret world, a little oasis in the city off of gritty Broadway.
The Goldfinch is locally- and independently-owned by Denver hospitality veteran Iain Chisholm (Dada Art Bar and Americatus “Amerigo”), who told us he lives just a few blocks away. It’s always nice to meet a restaurateur who opens a restaurant in their own neighborhood, committing to, and enhancing the area. And you can run home to let the dog out or just to regroup on a crazy day.
With décor described as being Hollywood Regency (I had to look it up – “glamorous, flashy and statement-making”), Chisholm told us the décor is a little bit of a work in progress that may morph as they see people interact with it. Rich and pretty darned sexy at night, in our opinion, Chisholm noted how pretty the space also is during the day, for brunch and happy hour, with sun coming in through the big, paned windows on the east-facing wall. We love those kinds of windows, the ones synonymous with warehouses and lofts, that look delicate but with decades of dirt that will never really come off!
An enclosed patio is adjacent to the entry, with a rectangular fireplace and giant black and white tiles that extend from the interior. They said they may cover it to make it all-weather, which would be great.
The food at The Goldfinch:
The Goldfinch’s menu has items perfect for sharing, if you want to, with influences from Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Examples are Shakshuka ($12); Green Chickpea Falafel ($14); or Bavarian Pretzels ($10), a big soft twist with Boursin cheddar spread, cornichons, grain mustard and Maldon salt (a nice DIY touch since not everyone wants a super-salty pretzel); and Korean Pancakes ($9) with carrot, watermelon radish, scallion and shoyu dipping sauce.
When we visited for a preview, the day before the official opening, we ordered the Diablos Rancheros ($13) arriving on a long plate with chilled Yukon potato hash with achiote deviled eggs, blue corn crips, Guajillo white bean puree, salsa verde, cilantro, jalapeno and cotija cheese. The dish had great flavor but, with the stiff, crispy corn strips on top, it was unwieldy, and we had no choice but to pop the whole thing in our mouths lest it all collapse mid-bite. It’s a big mouthful but a tasty one.
The Wakame Salad ($10) with mixed greens, carrots, cucumber, green onions, radish, ponzu vinaigrette, crispy wonton and furikake was the highlight. The dressing was perfect and didn’t overwhelm. Although it can certainly be shared, we recommend keeping it all for yourself. It’s that good.
The Crab & Brie ($16) was a nice surprise. At first, in the dim lighting, we couldn’t appreciate how much Blue Crab was spread over a wedge of baked brie, augmented with pomegranate molasses and honey roasted pecans, served with crackers. This was a very good dish with great flavor, perfect for sharing.
We also had the one dessert, Bread Pudding ($10) with a mixed berry compote and vanilla bourbon custard sauce. Not your typical version, spoonable out of a casserole dish, this bread pudding was actual, thick wedges of bread, verging on being more French toast-like than the traditional dessert. The flavor was good but share it among everyone at your table – it’s rich and dense.
Although we didn’t have anything from the Brunch menu, I can report that they serve Cowboy Quiche ($14) with smoked brisket, a vegetarian Breakfast Skillet ($14) with potatoes, leeks, cremini mushrooms, tomatoes, haloumi cheese, baked egg and kale salad. The Diablos Rancheros and Bread Pudding are there two, although Chisholm said the brunch bread pudding would be a slight variation of what you get at night.
The drinks at The Goldfinch:
We love a cocktail menu with clever names and The Goldfinch sure tickled our fancy. There’s the Juanny Appleseed, Fellini Martini (a nod to Hollywood), Lady Chatterley, and the Cuban Connect. They range from $14-$16.
On the Zero Proof menu, we tried the Cacti Cooler ($12) with prickly pear, yuzu and sparkling soda. Frankly, it was disappointing, needing more prickly pear despite us stirring it well. But The Goldfinch cocktail ($10) was wonderful, more than making up for its menu-mate. With roasted yellow pepper syrup, pineapple essence, citrus and egg white, this cocktail was a winner. Not only was it pretty and had a nice mouth-feel to it, the flavors were yummy and there was just enough heat to give it some oomph. It was a really unique cocktail without being fussy. Be sure to order it!
Although cocktails are their thing, there is a substantial wine list, by the glass or bottle and bubbles too, including a $595 bottle of Lois Roederer Cristal ’15 from France. Because, you know, sometimes that’s called for in life.
Because we had a little trouble finding the place, we’ll give you these hints: The Goldfinch is located at 1842 S. Broadway #103. If you’re heading north on Broadway, you can pull into the parking lot (assuming there’s a space). But if you’re coming from the north, heading south, you’ll have to turn left on the street after and either park in the neighborhood or turn around to enter the parking lot off of Broadway.
The Goldfinch is open Tuesday-Thursday 4-12pm, Friday 4pm-2am, Saturday 10am-2am and Sunday 10am-4pm with weekend brunch served 10am-2pm. See all of the menus and their upcoming events on the website, here.
-Story and photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher & Managing Editor, In Good Taste Denver
Please note, we were hosted by The Goldfinch for the media preview to facilitate being able to write about the restaurant. But, as is always our policy, our opinions are our own.
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