You could count on one hand, maybe not even using all your fingers, the number of restaurants in Denver with the staying power of Racines.
Over the past couple of decades (OK, 27 years, but who’s counting), Racines (formerly of Bannock St., currently at 650 Sherman St. between 6th and 7th avenues) has proven itself a reliable and steady fixture, dependably drawing crowds three meals a day, seven days a week, thanks to a consistent kitchen and a well-managed floor staff.
The food is nearly always good, sometimes very good. Same goes for the service. Experience and design afford Racines a remarkably smooth efficiency, and while nothing about it is revelatory, nothing is overthought, either. This is easy dining at its easiest, and rare is the customer who walks away disappointed.
At first glance, Racines appears to violate one basic rule that guides a restaurant, or any consumer-oriented business for that matter: Have a distinct point of view. But generalism is the point of view here. The menu is big and broad, and it dispenses with the opacity that infects fancier menus, eschews the campiness that struggles its way off of less-confident menus — instead, it zeroes in on yummy-sounding, value-focused salesmanship:
Flat Top Burger
All natural, fresh burger, seasoned and grilled on our “flat top” grill. Served on a sesame seed bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickle. No charge for cheese. $8.99
Who wouldn’t want that? Or this:
Housemade Guacamole
Made fresh daily from ripe avocados, cilantro, jalapeños and onions. Served with crispy chips. $7.99
Both deliver solidly on their modest promises, and if the guac seems pricey, it feeds the whole table.
The menu breaks out into slightly more creative directions: Sonora Egg Rolls. A fusion of seasoned chicken breast, green peppers, red onions, carrots, celery, black beans, cilantro and white cheddar cheese. Served with ponzu dipping sauce. But for every stretch, there’s a pullback: Buffalo Chicken Wings. Served with bleu cheese dressing, celery and carrot sticks.
Racines’ kitchen, in keeping with the overall apparent philosophy of the restaurant, produces high-quality, inoffensive food for a range of palates. Aiming neither too high nor too low, the food here represents the great middle of American family cuisine: Essentially Midwestern (burgers and potato skins) with vague notes of Mid-Atlantic Italian (chicken parmesan), Tex- and New-Mexican (fajita platter) and Cal-Asian (ahi tuna wrap).
Not enough can be said about the value of staying open all day long, and late, which has been part of Racines conceit from its beginnings in 1983. Every neighborhood needs an anytime fallback place that serves three meals; not every neighborhood has one.
Parking is cheap, free actually; most times (except, perhaps, on weekends at brunch), you’ll find a spot easily in Racine’s attached parking garage.
If there’s little to complain about with Racines, there’s little to effusively laud, either. Racines, as successful as its been, won’t likely win any great culinary awards, or find itself on the top of any best-of lists. Occasionally, dinner will disappoint (a recent plate of cedar-plank salmon was dry and well-overcooked) or service will fall short (three times reminding the waiter to bring a glass of wine is three times too many). But Racines doesn’t really gun for the best-of list, and usually, everything’s just fine.
Racines, more than most restaurants, just is what it is: The kind of place to go for a laid-back bite with the family when you don’t want to overthink dinner. Simple fare, served well, offending no one.
Twenty-seven years later, it’s looking like not a bad business plan.
Racines
American. 650 Sherman St., Denver, 303-595-0418, racinesrestaurant.com
(Very Good)
Atmosphere: Well-managed, laid-back, spacious room. Usually fairly busy; absolutely crushed at weekend brunch.
Service: Staff generally hits its marks.
Wine: Fair wine list, decent cocktails program.
Plates: Nothing over $20, most entrees betwen $10 and $18.
Hours: Open at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Close at 11 p.m. Sunday-Tuesday, midnight Wednesday-Saturday.
Details: Reservations not usually necessary, but helpful at peak hours. Free parking garage. Valet parking. Wheelchair accessible.
Several visits.
Our star system: : Exceptional. : Great. : Very Good. : Good.
