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reviewed on: January 8, 2010
Success in the restaurant business is largely a matter of…well, who knows. It’s being in the right place at the right time with the right product. It’s having deep enough pockets to stay afloat until the adoring masses find you. It’s being able to attract and keep a wait staff that knows how to relate to diners and make them want to come back. Open a restaurant in a small prairie town with one other place to eat, and chances are good you’ll make it. Open in Denver where there are thousands of competitors, and you’d better have a standout product.
And, as if to underscore just how difficult it is to find success, even restaurateurs with multiple wins under their belts will occasionally strike out. Such was the case with the Arvada Grill a year ago which sank like the Titanic shortly after it opened. Now the space occupied by the Arvada Grill has reopened as the Archive Room, a simpler concept which, initially, has all the earmarks of succeeding. Man is definitely a herd animal, and the first thing that strikes you about the Archive Room is the view through the street-facing windows of a room full of people obviously having fun. Nothing frightens people away faster than the sight of an empty room. The second thing that’s sure to send casual diners running in the opposite direction is a posh atmosphere that says, “…make sure you’ve brought lots of money.” Again, the first impression of the Archive Room is that this menu is going to be wallet-friendly.
Once inside, your feelings are confirmed. The room’s been opened up quite a bit, the colors are more earthy and relaxing than the eye-popping blue it was before. It’s obviously a room where people don’t feel the need to get dressed up to visit. There are twenty-somethings gathered with friends, families with young children, and older couples, and they all look comfortable and right at home. On a weekday night the place is packed, and the two of us end up sitting at a table for six—the only spot available.
Carrying through on the comfortable feel of the room, the menu offers a variety of straightforward, non-threatening dishes which top out at $13. There are soups and salads and sandwiches, as well as more substantial entrees, so what and how much you order is entirely up to you. Sandwiches run the gamut from a Philly cheese steak to burgers to the ever-popular Reuben, while the entrée list includes Meatloaf, Turkey Pot Pie and honey-glazed pork chops among others. While the list is not a huge one, everything sounds so good, you’ll still be torn about which dish to order. We finally settled on the Fish & Chips, a popular dish with KEZW listeners, and the Chicken & Dumplings just because it sounded so good. Both dishes were ample and very good and, for an additional $2.95, you can add a salad to any entrée. It’s listed as a “side salad,” but the portion was more than adequate--we ended up splitting one and still had more than enough to eat.
Another “don’t miss” on the menu is the Blarney Puffs appetizer—little breaded and fried nuggets of mashed potatoes mixed with scallions, cheese and corned beef. They come with a tangy Guinness cheese sauce.
The Archive Room also offers a kid’s menu priced at $5.95 per entrée, and does an ala carte brunch Saturday and Sunday. Parking is on the street.
The Archive Room
5601 Olde Wadsworth Blvd. (corner of Grandview and Olde Wadsworth)
303-432-0400
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