Restaurant Review – Bang!

I have heard for a couple years now that Bang! restaurant in Denver’s Highland neighborhood has the most delicious comfort food and yet, I had never been.  Well, that is until today when I went for a lunch meeting and I was completely impressed by the amazing food I had. 

Bang! might throw you off when you first arrive because the front of the restaurant is actually the kitchen.  You don’t use the ‘front’ door at this place but instead, walk down the alley to the ‘back entrance’ of this 1889 residency that was converted into a restaurant. 

I had the grilled salmon that was served atop a bed of jasmine rice, a wasabi cream sauce and then garnished with a marinated cucumber salad.  The salmon’s natural fattiness was offset perfectly with the slightly sweet taste from the jasmine rice and the wasabi cream which had just a hint of heat and a velvety consistancy.  The dish was simple and yet, each component was prepared flawlessly so the dish sang with finesse and flavor. 

Other items worth mentioning were the jalapeno corn bread and the meatloaf with Bang’s signature ketchup.  The corn bread has great texture yet could have used a bit more jalapeno flavor to live up to its name.  Nevertheless, the meatloaf was rich in comfort, flavor (maybe because it is draped with bacon before it hits the oven) and consistency.  While I am not a condiment lover in any sense of the word, this ketchup is worth trying.

The hands-down favorite for the table was the gingerbread cake that packed the essence of fresh ginger, cinnamon and cloves into a light and airy cake that I could not stop pecking at.  The cake is made in house each day and served with fresh whipped cream.  Don’t believe me that this cake alone is worth checking out Bang!, well then just ask Food Network’s Guy Fieri.  He featured this restaurant on his show, ‘Diners, Drive Ins and Dives’ back in 2010.  I even took a picture of his mark on the wall (I was such a dork when I saw this too!). 

If you are a lover of simply delicious home-cooked food then Bang! is one to definitely add to your dining bucket list.   I am already looking for an excuse to go back.