The Oceanaire Seafood Room

This week, celebrating Denver’s Restaurant Week, Jim and I visited The Oceanaire Seafood Room.  This seafood restaurant is located in downtown Denver right across the street from the Denver Performing Arts.  You could even park in the parking garage for the theater and walk across the street to The Oceanaire.  We learned that many ballet goers grab something to drink or have dinner at The Oceanaire before heading across the street.

Upon arriving twenty minutes before our reservation, Jim and I were greeted by a friendly staff and told that if would like to wait at the bar, they would love to come and find us when our table was ready.  We ordered drinks, gloriously five minutes before happy hour was over, and sat to enjoy the cool blue atmosphere of the bar and the interesting crowd pouring in.

The person who recommended The Oceanaire to us had described the atmosphere of the restaurant to be like a classy diner.  That created quite the interesting picture in my mind and I was definitely a little skeptical of whether or not this place would have any class.  However, when the hostess led us to our little red booth situated right beneath a matte-finished, round diner light I realized the simile my coworker had created was, no doubt, right on.  It also reminded me of a diner you might find on an old ocean liner.  So cool!

Because it was a $52.80 night, Jim and I went straight to the multi-course menu to start picking out what we would eat for the night.  You can see our dinner menu below.  Before choosing, our waiter informed us that The Oceanaire is known for its crab cakes and that Denver’s 5280 magazine recommends that anyone who visits Denver should come order the crab cakes at The Oceanaire.  Right away I saw the crab cake slider on the starter menu and I do have to say that it was my favorite food of the night.

All of the food, from the slider to the melt-in-your-mouth cheesecake, was beautifully plated and tasted incredible.  The salmon was perfectly cooked and was creatively placed on a smoky corn salsa.  I was actually surprised by the little fiesta underneath my fish.  The wait staff was so informed and very professional and our water glasses were never empty.  I did, quite literally, try to beat the bus boy at his own water-filling game by drinking it down quickly and seeing how many seconds it would take for him to come fill it.  It was never more than thirty seconds.  Yes, I am that mature and they are that good.

The Oceanaire, though pricey and somewhere Jim and I can’t visit too often, has now hit our list of great restaurants in Denver.  If you are planning a night on the town, and are willing to spend some money for it, head to a musical or the ballet but definitely leave plenty of time to dine at The Oceanaire before you go.  What a classy night!

Our menu of the night: $52.80 for two people…

• First course: Crab cake slider and clam chowder
• Second course: The Scottish Salmon (we both ordered this one)
• Third course: Chocolate mousse and cheesecake

Tips and Info:

• Like many other seafood restaurants, the menu at Oceanaire is created and printed daily based on what specials they have and what fish is fresh.  In fact, at the top of the menu is a list of the fish that Oceanaire serves, accompanied by checkmarks to let you know which fish is fresh for the day.
• Sourdough bread and the most delectable butter is served before the meal, along with a dish of relishes.
• Happy hour is from 5:00-7:00 PM

Make a $52.80 reservation at The Oceanaire Seafood Room.  Because restaurant week is already underway, it might be hard to get it.  I would suggest giving the restaurant a call and trying to visit on a weeknight.

Visit The Oceanaire online.