Gelman's

Met three friends for dinner at Gelman's before a play at a co-workers suggestion for the first time.Gelman's opens at 5:00 for dinner.We were the first to arrive and were seated by the windows and it was cold! Today is 2/20 /10 , snowing and one of my friends is diabetic and slender.After about 10 minutest I got up and asked if we could reseat to a warmer area and overheard the staff mention that they'd just turned up the heat.(Note to Gelman's,temperature control might be addressed,say,30 minutes before opening) The waitress was really charming and I liked her lots but as as we were the only one's in the place I shouldn't have had to signal that I'd like a second drink while waiting for our food ..As for the food I'll start with the not-so-good.Saved room for dessert at the end which I very seldom ,really never,do.I'd read a number of favorable remarks about the desserts..Ordered the bread pudding with pecan sauce to split 3 ways (which our waitress kindly accomodated without hesitation) Problem was,the 4X4"" pudding pretty much came without the advertised sauce,perhaps a tablespoon or two at most. which didn't begin to penetrate/augment the pudding and I counted perhaps (at times like these I'm inclined to count! Sorry) 3 pecan fragments.It was really hot also. Not blisters hot but too long in the micro hot. I mentioned our naked pudding to our server and she did offer more sauce but we were ready to leave shortly thereafter..Maybe I missed it on the description on the menu but it also came with sliced bananas on top which was fine...but 6$? I was disappointed big-time.The three of us ate about 1/4 of it. --Got the mushroom/swiss burger for an entree and it was cooked to order but had a single,thin slice of cheese that I could barely discern and ,if the 'shrooms ever had any contact with wine I couldn't find it. Still OK. As an entree side got the fish chowder as did one of my dining companions.We both agreed it was wonderful.l! We loved it. I'd give this place 2 1/2 stars if that were an option but will go back through Gelman's doors for the soup alone and to try my again luck on a featured entree.--One final thought.This was the first night of $52.80 week(s) and if we'd elected the offered deals,considering the menu prices,they would only have made sense if we'd ordered the most expensive item on the menu and for more food/appetizers than we would have eaten.I wonder how often this happens? Hey Westword... Pros: Fish Chowder Cons: Uneven quality more

I don't get the negative reviews - this is a great place to eat - nice service and really good food for a great price.. Pros: Great food and great value more

The original concept was a good one and they should have stuck to it. It seems to me that Gelman's now has something of an identity crisis because it's truly no longer a market or gourmet. We stopped in recently to try out the new concept, which I guess is meant to be more upscale, more bar-oriented. And of course, with that switch, the prices have also escalated and the menu has changed. In any case, we were there early on a Saturday night, somewhat dressed up and ready to go out downtown to a performance. We thought it would be nice to get a decent glass of wine and some tapas before heading out. We sat at the bar and waited quite awhile to be waited on, by a fairly dimwitted waitress/bartender. I ordered a white, about which she knew nothing and then waited until she could locate a bottle, which was lukewarm. Our appetizers were good but we sat next to one other couple at the bar, who never actually spoke to each other and for some reason, were given the remote to operate the television. A TV has no business being in an upscale restaurant and bar. It was very, very distracting and definitely detracted from the romantic mood the place was trying to effect with jazz music and low-lighting. Overall, we were very underwhelmed. Pros: Decent food if you get served in a timely fashion. Interesting wine list, when available. Cons: Ambience, identity issues, TV at the bar, inattentive wait staff more

We had heard how excellent the food is at gelman's so we gave it a try. What made the delicious meal even better was the superior service. The waiter was extremely knowledgeable about how exactly the food was prepared. Returned several times to gauge our satisfaction and refill drinks, he was personable, friendly and all around adorable. The hangar steak was marinated perfectly and the chicken was crispy and moist inside. Superb food , perfect service, a great date night destination. We're so happy we stopped in. I don't run home to write reviews but I had to this time as the cranky guy who wrote a long review was so wrong. more

I ordered the bagel sandwich only to find it served on a rubbery, generic ""lender's/thomase's/sams club"" style bagel. I got it to go so I couldn't send it back. This may seem like nit-picking but at $7 from a place that calls itself ""Gellman's Gourmet market"", I find it in excuseable. There are plenty of places in denver to get a halfway decent bagel, (moe's, sunflower mkt, whole foods, even safeway/Sooper bakery makes a better bagle than the one I was served), I guess they just wanted to cut costs. Pros: Service was fine Cons: $7 Rubber bagel from a ""gourmet "" market more

Gelman's is my favorite place in Denver. My girlfriend and I eat there at least once a week, usually splitting an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert, leaving overwhelmingly full. We sit at the bar and feel like the service is not always the quickest, but good things come to those who wait. I have not had anything on the menu that I disliked, just make sure you save room for dessert or you are really missing out. Pros: The food is always fantastic. Cons: Service can be slow at times. more

The food and atmosphere was as great as any New Orleans Bistro, but the servers and hosts literally embarrassed us. After travelling many countries, I can say I've never been treated like that, even in Europe. Truly unbelievable and shameful. Pros: food Cons: service was nothing short of hostile more

this little restaurant is a little out of place at the end of a strip mall, but my boyfriend and i usually go on tuesdays to get the half-off gelman burgers, which are delicious! the menu is a little pricey, and so are the drinks, but the food is definitely worth it. in addition to the burgers, we've had the shrimp quesadilla and roast chicken (which i don't believe they offer anymore). service is slow, but i believe it's because there is only ever one waitress, and she has never been anything but polite and helpful to us. we've never had to wait extreme lengths of time (over half an hour) to have our orders taken or our food brought to us. Pros: great food, atmosphere, polite wait staff Cons: out of the way, slow service more

Amazing food and ambience. Sea bass is incredible & calamari app is to die for. WIne list selection best i've seen around & prices are spot on. Qu... more

This is a pretty good take out place, the lunch sandwiches are good, but the service is slow and rude. I sat and ordered a martini one night waiting 20 minutes for my called in take out order. I think the drink was $9.50. The burgers are good, the beer on tap can be really cold, but it might be too much to ask to have the tables cleaned when you sit down.This place certainly isn't LoDo, but you can get good food and attitude to match at this place in a tiny strip mall. \r more

I had heard a lot about this restaurant and finally checked it out for Saturday brunch. The food has the potential to be great... interesting menu items, tantalizing food combinations HOWEVER the service was so slow! It took us about 15 minutes to even order our coffee. Once we ordered our food (2 of the 3 dishes were cold, smoked salmon platters), we waited for our food for over 45 minutes. The restaurant wasn't crowded, by any means - and when we asked for an update on our ordered, the server was incredibly rude. I can tolerate slow service - especially when the food is good (which it was) - but the attitude was too much for me. Pros: Lunch menu looks great Cons: Service: slow and rude more

I'm confused about the setup - clearly there is no market in this little place on the end of a short strip mall, just a small shelf section with a handful of items for sale. Otherwise, what I do see is a small and friendly restaurant with local art on the walls and hand painted tables. \r \r We started with a cheese plate that included three Artisan cheeses and several slices of really good bread (you know, the kind with the big holes in it that melts in your mouth), along with a handful of strawberries and grapes. I had a dinner salad featuring a chicken cutlet that was moist and free of grease, while my companion gobbled down a portobello sandwich on ciabatta bread. Both were tasty and showed careful attention to flavorful details. I regretted being too full to try one of their fresh baked desserts, but tomorrow is another day.\r \r But what really knocked our socks off was the nightly booze special - on Tuesdays and Wednesdays you can get a bottle of decent wine for 10 bucks! Such a deal. Pros: Interesting selection, great specials Cons: Market? What market? more