
Co FloGoogle review • 3 months ago
Google
Had dinner last night at The Wolf’s Tailor, the Michelin two-star restaurant located in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood. The setting is unique and attractive.
The restaurant was very accommodating regarding my son’s dietary restrictions. The staff immediately adjusted the menu without hesitation. That level of flexibility and hospitality was appreciated.
The eight-course tasting menu followed a sea-to-land-to-farm progression, highlighting ingredients from the ocean, the land, and a close collaboration with a local farm. Corn served as a recurring theme throughout the meal, reflecting the chefs’ focus on a recent harvest and their relationship with local agriculture. The concept was interesting and several dishes were very well executed.
One of the highlights of the evening was the restaurant’s homemade bread paired with duck liver. I’m generally not a fan of duck liver, but this preparation completely won me over. It was beautifully executed and one of the most memorable bites of the meal.
Not every course was a home run. One dish featured caviar alongside the restaurant’s featured corn and shaved egg yolk. While I understand the chefs were intentionally highlighting the corn harvest and local collaboration, the corn completely overwhelmed the caviar. When I asked about it, a server explained that this was intentional. While I appreciated the explanation, I personally believe flavor should come before theme, and in this case the caviar was largely lost.
We chose not to do the wine pairing and instead asked the server to recommend a glass that would work with most of the courses. The selection was a local 2024 Albariño, which was delicious and paired very well with the menu. However, I was surprised to learn that the wine retails for roughly $28 a bottle while the restaurant charged $35 for a single glass. That pricing felt more appropriate for a premium Napa wine and struck me as somewhat out of line. We also enjoyed a 2008 Brunello di Montalcino that I felt was priced much more fairly.
As expected, this is not an inexpensive dining experience. Our dinner came to approximately $440 per person, which I felt was extremely expensive, even for a Michelin two-star experience. While the meal was enjoyable, the value proposition didn’t quite match the price point for me.
Service was attentive throughout the evening, but I found many of the servers to be somewhat stiff and overly serious. I tend to enjoy a dining room with a bit more warmth, personality, and relaxed interaction, though others may prefer the more formal approach. We had an 8:00 p.m. reservation, and at times I couldn’t shake the feeling that the staff was ready for the evening to end. Whether that was actually the case or not, it created an atmosphere that felt less welcoming than I would expect from a restaurant operating at this level. At more than $440 per person, guests should feel equally valued whether they are dining at 5:00 p.m. or at the last seating of the night.
One aspect that particularly rubbed me the wrong way occurred at the end of the meal. A 22% service charge had already been automatically added to the bill, along with an additional 1% surcharge benefiting a charitable cause that I don’t recall. Despite this, I was asked whether I would like to leave an additional tip. Personally, I think once a substantial service charge has already been included, the staff should simply present the check and allow guests to decide on their own whether they wish to leave anything extra. Being asked directly felt unnecessary and left a disappointing final impression.
Overall, I’m glad I experienced The Wolf’s Tailor. The food was creative, the accommodations for dietary restrictions were excellent, and several dishes were outstanding, particularly the bread and duck liver and the Kobe beef supplement. However, considering the cost, wine pricing, service style, and overall experience, it’s a one-and-done destination for me rather than a restaurant I would return to regularly.