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Siena at the Courtyard - one out-of-the-box crayon

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Contributed by: Anthonette Klinkerman on 12/3/2006

Restaurant critics, you have my sympathy. I don't envy your job one bit. Well, yes, I do. Who are we kidding? You get to go to all the fabulous restaurants around town and really eat! And have dessert without guilt because it's your job! I should be happy I took up teaching as I don't think I could afford the personal trainer. My family is genetically predispositioned to put on weight just smelling butter.
But that doesn't mean I can't try my hand at a restaurant review. It's writing, after all, of the persuasive and descriptive nature.
Siena at the Courtyard is one of the newest additions to the restaurant scene in downtown Castle Rock. Located at 333Perry Street, Siena is bathed in warm and earthy colors, and boasts a large bar area, a private dining room, and the opportunity to sit at a chef's table close to the kitchen. However, it doesn't appear there's much of a view of the action from that spot as it is blocked by a raised bar where patrons can also sit. We were originally to be seated there but decided to wait for a table.
Siena is a mere three months old and offers a variety of Italian entrees from pizza to pasta and everything in between. It's the "in between" that will prompt a return visit. As my husband and I dined, the mouth-watering scent of the Siena Steak, shoulder cut, topped with Gorgonzola, balsamic syrup, and white truffle oil, kept us turning our heads toward the kitchen. Bricked chicken, baked with prosciutto, and portabella mushrooms looked delectable. The specials, as presented by our absolutely wonderful waiter, Jody, sounded delicious, however I had my eye on the Four Cheese Ravioli with diced butternut squash, mushrooms, and a hazelnut brown butter sauce.
We started with a split spinach salad with grilled pears, walnuts, and crumbled Gorgonzola with champagne vinaigrette. There was too much dressing for my taste, but the flavor kept me going.
Our entrees arrived on top of the remains of the salad, and it was a little trouble to perch all the plates on the pub table. My husband had the sausage pizza with Colorado Sausage Factory spicy sausage, provolone, tomatoes and caramelized onions. The crust was thin and baked just to a golden hue. The sausage itself was quite possibly the best we've ever had. It was great the following day as the pizza, served originally on its wooden paddle, was enough for two.
My ravioli was remarkable. In fact, the remark was "Oh, my!". The pasta was, I'm convinced, homemade as it didn't have that rubbery texture common in the frozen variety. The cheese filling was rich to a fault; I had to remove some of it toward the end. The few pieces of butternut squash were tender, but perhaps could have used a brown sugar glaze to mellow the salt of the cheese and greens on top. Hazelnuts were a welcome change to the usual walnuts included with squash dishes.
Stuffed, but knowing that to be a true critic I'd have to take one for the team, we ordered dessert. A pumpkin and ginger Crème Brulee. Pumpkin anything wins me over, so this was a natural choice to follow an exceptional meal.
It was served in the biggest dish I had ever seen used for this dessert. As Jody pointed out, looks were deceiving as the brulee dish was very shallow. I'm not complaining - this left for more of the torched sugar topping. The spices were delicate and the ginger was a nice underlying note. Its consistency was much courser than I am used to as we make it a point to sample this particular dessert around town. It was accompanied by ripe strawberries instead of the raspberries that are par for Crème Brulee. Again, a nice surprise.
Castle Rock's Courtyard setting, lit up for Christmas and covered in snow, rounded out a very satisfying experience at Siena. Prices are moderate, ranging from $8-$12 for appetizers, entrees priced up to $19, and specials topping out at $22. Reservations are recommended as we could see many patrons eating at the bar. Call Siena at 303-688-2622.
I could hear some trouble going on around us with bills and the like, but it wasn't about to spoil my fun in constructing a review. And what do you know - I didn't use the phrasing "braised, cooked, seared, grilled, or sautéed to perfection" even once.

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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments

Submitted By: paul sloan

posted on 10/21/2007 @ 4:14:58 PM

(Not Rated)

you should keep teaching, you are a restauranteurs nightmare, would be critics should critique there own house and food not a proffesionals job, any food critic without the knowledge or skill factor should be thrown out od restaurants.

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Submitted By: Charmaine Robledo

posted on 12/5/2006 @ 2:26:33 PM

Rated Story

Thanks for the restaurant review, Anthonette. It's now on my list of restaurants to visit.

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Submitted By: Michael Robinson

posted on 12/4/2006 @ 11:24:54 AM

Rated Story

I really enjoyed Ms. Klinkerman's Review.

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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments

CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Anthonette Klinkerman

Castle Pines North

Anthonette Klinkerman has posted 71 stories and 43 comments since joining on 4/14/2006. Anthonette Klinkerman 's average story rating is 4.94.

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