Ocean Prime @ Denver

I was in Denver for business and participated in a company dinner in this chain steakhouse which didn’t suck at all.

Ocean Prime is a white table cloth steak and seafood fine dining restaurant chain that has an excellent outlet at Denver Tech Center.

It came with a full service bar that made a really mean Martinez, which is similar to the Manhattan which a reverent downtown Denver bar is excellent for. Made with equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, plus maraschino liqueur and bitters, this old-school variation of the Manhattan is often said to have inspired early iterations of the Martini we know today.

The interior decor is tacky at best, and suitable lit at the table for taking some excellent food porn. Other than that goodness, there’s nothing impressive about the dining experience. Except for three private rooms, the rest of the dining tables are in open areas visible to all.

East Coast Oysters On The Half Shell

East Coast oysters, or Crassostrea Virginia, are native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the US. Despite the hundreds of different brand names or “varieties,” except for Belons, all East Coast oysters will be from this species. East Coast oysters are generally more salty, a bit bigger, chewier, and have a longer, paisley shape.

West Coast Oysters On The Half Shell

Olympia oysters, or Ostrea Lurida, are the only oyster species native to the west coast. Due to habitat loss, the wild Olympia oyster is protected by law. On menus, you’ll see farmed Olympias, usually from the Puget Sound area in Washington. Their shells are some of the smallest, often measuring less than two inches across. West Coast oysters have a signature cucumber or melon note, and mild in salt. Their shells are cultivated to have beautiful fluted edges and are more round with a deep cup.

Between the two, the East Coast oysters exhibited more complex flavour profile and a better eat overall if you are accustomed to the briny, metallic flavours of oysters that spent a longer time cultivated.

Dynamite Roll, Tempura Shrimp, Spicy Mayo, Sesame Seeds

I didn’t expect a steakhouse to offer Japanese sushi rolls as appetisers. Of course these are Americanised maki rolls, like this cheesy named Dynamite Roll (yes, there’s cheese in some of them), it came with prawn poppers on top of tempura prawns sushi rolls drowning in a spicy mayo sauce.

Point Judith Calamari, Sweet Chili Sauce

Another appetiser inspired by Asian cuisines, this deep fried calamari was dressed with a Thai-style sweet chilli sauce. It would be just as good to skip the sauce. Now internationally recognised for top-shelf squid, Point Judith, Rhode Island was established as a popular “hub” for squid fishery in the early 80s. Along with its unique harbour-side vacation sites and activities, Point Judith was the first port on the East Coast to have an influx of fresh squid supply.

14oz New York Strip, Garlic Shrimp Scampi

Now for the main course, I picked the 14oz New York striploin with add-on of garlic shrimp scampi. The New York striploin is a tender, flavourful cut of beef that comes from the short loin, which is located on the back of the animal. It comes from a muscle that does little work, making the meat tender.

Usually the steaks in US are quite dry on the outside and I would add some flavoured butter, like this black truffle butter, to add some moisture. But it was totally unnecessary as the steak with shrimps turned out to be dripping wet.

Nevertheless the butter added some truffle flavours onto the meat to give it added smokiness and depth. A very good steak, I have not been disappointed mostly with steakhouses in America.

Smoked Gouda Tater Tots

America’s infatuation with all things potatoes can be seen by the variety of spud-derived products. Tater tot is a registered trademark of the American frozen food company Ore-Ida, but is often used as a generic term grated potato in a cute, cylindrical shape. Not a fan of potato.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Roasted Brussel sprouts are my favourite steakhouse sides. These slightly bitter sprouts with crispy bacon bits are perfect compliments to the steak.

Jalapeño Au Gratin

Hands down one of the best dishes of the night were the Jalapeño Au Gratin potatoes were the best sides of the evening. These had such a nice creamy cheesy texture with just a hint of heat.

Asparagus & Hollandaise

One of the perks of going out with a large group is getting to try a little bit of everything. Asparagus and hollandaise sauce are another steakhouse classic. I took only the asparagus as is.

American steakhouses at this level are quite uniform in quality and taste. It is difficult to fault, nor is it easy to find anything that’s worth remembering. Ocean Prime falls into this category. While the service and food quality were all above average, but for the price point it was the minimum expected.

Ocean Prime @ Denver Tech Center
8000 E Belleview Avenue, Suite C10, Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Tel : +1 (303) 552-3000

Visited Apr 2024