RARE Steak Championship (6/20/24)
If there is one thing I can say about Denver, CO, it is that it is a city that’s full of fun and food, and my previous night at the RARE Steak Championship was solid proof of that.
Held at the Sculpture Park, the RARE Steak Championship brought together over 30 restaurants, distilleries, vineyards and more for a night of food, drinks, live music and a ton of fun packed into one evening. While I would love to go into detail about each and every restaurant’s dishes that I sampled, I don’t want to be sitting here writing all day, so I’ll be giving my 8 favorite dishes and restaurants, plus some of the drinks that I tasted.
Going in no particular order, up first we have:
Hickory and Ash
The first restaurant that I will be highlighting for today’s article will be a modern steakhouse that has been making residents of Denver and Broomfield rethink what a steakhouse can be, Hickory and Ash. Run by Ryan Taylor and celebrated Denver chef Kevin Taylor, Hickory and Ash offers a Colorado-inspired modern American steakhouse menu and cocktail list that people go nuts for.
At the RARE Steak Championship, Hickory and Ash offered up a very flavorful creation of grilled carne asada topped with smoked beef bacon and served with creamed corn and a serrano chimichurri.
I found that the beef itself was incredibly tender with a nice amount of char-grill flavor, the corn underneath was very creamy and had a ton sweet corn flavor, the chimichurri wasn’t spicy but still brought a nice level of acidity and bright herbal notes that tied everything together, but the best part of the plate had to have been that salty, smoky beef bacon that was crumbled on top.
It wasn’t my first bite of the festival, but it was definitely one to remember.
Guard and Grace
Up next we have another modern steakhouse that has been taking the country by storm with locations in Denver and Houston, Guard and Grace. I have actually experienced Guard and Grace in previous food festivals like the Heritage Fire festival in Snowmass, so it was very nice to taste something from them again.
But for anyone who doesn’t know, Guard and Grace is a modern steakhouse run by Chef Troy Guard that prides itself in serving up prime, certified Angus, local grass-fed beef along with fresh seafood and thousands of wine selections that make it a true destination restaurant.
In a competition full of amazing restaurants, you really do need a way to stand out among the crowd, and Guard and Grace did just that with a unique grilled NY strip taco served on a locally sourced corn tortilla, bone marrow salsa macha, tomatillo mojo sauce, cilantro and radish.
To say that this little taco was a flavor explosion would be understating actual explosions. The tortilla had a fresh corn flavor that is a bit harder to find in the US, the steak was juicy and flavorful and the fresh salsas and radish was nice to cut through that richness.
Growing up in Texas, I am always on the hunt for great tacos and this hit the spot.
G-Cue
Up next on this marvelous steak adventure, we are now at a restaurant that I have definitely mentioned on the blog before more than a few times, the wonderful G-Cue BBQ located in 3 spots in and near Denver. I don’t know what it is but it seems like anytime there’s a festival full of meat and fun, G-Cue is bound to show up.
For the festival, G-Cue offered up a beautiful, incredibly succulent smoked beef tenderloin that was about as packed with smoky, juicy goodness as just about everything else G-Cue cooks up, especially since they seemed to brush on the chopped beef with butter before sending it out to the hungry festival goers.
And the people of Denver seemed to agree as G-Cue ended up being in the top 3 for Judge’s pick and customer votes, proving that G-Cue simply can’t be stopped.
EDGE Restaurant and Bar
Up next we have another stunning steakhouse that has taken global influence in their culture and cuisine for an experience that few in Denver have to offer, EDGE Restaurant and Bar.
Lead by Four Seasons Hotel Denver’s own Craig Dryhurst and Alec Bruno, EDGE restaurant uses top quality cuts of beef, locally sourced Colorado game and local produce to craft up flavorful seasonal dishes that makes it one of the most unique restaurants Colorado has to offer.
For RARE Steak Championship, as is the case with all of the other restaurants that visited, EDGE seemed to pull out all the stops by grilling up a wonderful beef tenderloin topped with an onion marmalade. I found that the sweetness of the marmalade paired wonderfully with the smoky, charred flavor of the beef in a simple but delicious way. And to me that kind of food is sometimes the most delicious, simple flavors done the right way.
Cheers!
Ok, I’m about to take a break from all this steak and talk about some of the incredible drinks that were served at RARE, because what’s better to wash down 20+ pieces of steak than a tasty cocktail? I didn’t quite get the names of the booths that served each of these drinks, but I’ll just tell you about each drink.
The Pink Panther-An and aromatic blend of gin, orange liquor, Aperol, watermelon and pink Himalayan salt for a drink that had a very unique blend of bitter, sweet and fruity.
801 Chophouse-Again, I forgot the name of the drink but it was a somewhat tropical blend of coconut oil washed gin, pineapple juice and lime juice that was both easy to drink and very refreshing
Pineapple Paradise-A unique mocktail of pineapple, hibiscus, pink peppercorn and agua fresca. I was so fascinated by the sweet, floral flavors of this drink that I didn’t even care that there was no alcohol in it.
STK Steakhouse
Continuing with the steak train, we now head to another modern steakhouse that blends a dynamic fine dining experience with the high quality of a traditional steakhouse, a concept that can only come from STK Steakhouse.
Being one of the newest additions to the LoDo or Lower Downtown neighborhood of Denver, STK stands out form the crowd with it’s vibrant mix of stylish dining and lounge spaces that, when paired with a world-class menu, makes it a steakhouse that Denver locals are already lining up for.
Now I did expect the unexpected prior to attending RARE Steak Championship, but at no point did I expect to see a skewer of grilled beef tenderloin and a tater tot topped with a drizzle of steak sauce.
Where do I begin with this incredible dish? The tender beef, the crispy tater tot, the slightly salted and rich flavor of the sauce; alone each component was stellar, but when combined, it is like a party in my mouth, a party that landed STK in the top spots for the competition.
Monarch Chophouse
Now taking a turn into the fancier side of things, we now head to a restaurant in Black Hawk, CO, that gives it’s customers the fine blend of elegance, sophistication and luxury, Monarch Chophouse and Casino. A visit to Monarch is like leaving all your woes behind to experience a luxurious lifestyle and some of the finest food in or near Denver.
Hearing this, it would be hard to believe that Monarch would do anything but bring their A-game to this competition, and you would be correct as their offering was a beautifully done grilled strip steak served with an artichoke cream and a parmesan cheese foam.
I found that the steak was as tender as a strip steak can be, the artichoke cream underneath provided a nice amount of freshness and a bit of creaminess, however I will say that I had a hard time identifying the parmesan in the parmesan foam.
Otherwise, the dish was nicely executed.
Black+Haus Tavern
Coming up next for this exciting steak extravaganza, we now head to a restaurant with 2 locations meant for gathering with friends for fresh, flavorful food and drinks that include sustainable, ethically sourced ingredients, Black+Haus Tavern.
Black+Hause pulls no stops by delivering chef-driven seasonal ingredients that combine into simple, handcrafted dishes that the kitchen serves up night after night.
I said what I said for STK’s dish about the unexpected, but what I certainly did not expect to find was a little savory tart filled with an onion jam and topped with tenderloin cubes. Among other items, this little tart was one of the things that blew me away the most, a crispy tart shell loaded up with sweet onion jam and tender bits of steak that made it a truly unique bite of food.
Seasoned Swine BBQ
And now, readers, I have saved the best for last.
This last dish from the festival comes from a barbecue joint restaurant in Golden, CO, knows how to smoke their meats to juicy, flavorful perfection, Seasoned Swine BBQ.
Owned by Jacob Viers since 2015, Seasoned Swine started out as a food truck as Jacob found himself missing out on the fantastic barbecue that he grew up eating in Iowa and made it his passion and goal to bring that love to Colorado plates, and it reached such success that a brick and mortar was opened up in 2020 for even more barbecue lovers to dig into.
Picture this, a large live fire grill loaded up with beef tenderloins being grilled up to juicy, charred perfection before your very eyes. Said beef is then sliced up and is brushed on with a flavorful butter using what appeared to be a bunch of herbs to impart the beef with even more rich, flavorful goodness. And as if that wasn’t enough, the beef is then topped with a umami filled sauce that, once the first bite hits your tongue, fills up your taste buds with absolute delight.
It was this bite that won the RARE Steak Championship judges over and landed them as the winner among the judges, and for good reason, as like all of the other steak bites and drinks served at RARE Steak Championship, was nothing short of perfection.
