Simms Landing Restaurant

11911 West 6th Avenue
Lakewood, CO 80401
303-237-0465
Map

www.simmslandingrestaurant.com/

Not Recommended

OK, the view is great and I like the sort of dark and dated atmosphere with the vinyl covered chairs, paneling everywhere and lobster tanks with critters suffering from altitude sickness but that is where my positive comments stop.

If you must go here, do so for a couple of drinks and maybe a plate of fried calamari but that is it. Keep away from the rest of the menu. I went with a party of 8 and none of us could report a successful meal. I ordered raw oysters for my appetizer and got served a plate of shabbily shucked, shell riddled, flavorless and textureless oysters from Connecticut. I have never eaten Connecticut oysters and (hopefully) will never repeat the experience. What I don't understand is this: Here is a restaurant sitting at the center of the country. It isn't like they are selling local product. So if they are going to go through the expense of selling shellfish that has to be flown in from halfway across the country, why not buy shellfish from Massachusetts or Oregon or somewhere else that has palatable oysters. Did the chef not try the oysters before putting them on the menu? Does the chef not know a good oyster from bad? As for the poor presentation; it is inexcusable. For a plate to get to the table looking as poor as what we were served means that there is no quality control in the kitchen or on the floor. The shucker should not have allowed his/her work to go out in that condition, the chef or expediter should have caught the poor condition of the shellfish and, failing that, the server should never have allowed the plate to reach the table.

My entree was as simple as it could be; grilled salmon, medium rare. The salmon came out medium well, not seasoned and totally lackluster. The grill was obviously not hot enough to actually "grill" the fish so it didn't have any grill marks to speak of and no resulting crust of flavor. I also should have read the menu a little closer because I was surprised by the mashed potatoes on my plate, under my fish. My surprise was quickly replaced by disappointment. These gluey, pasty, overly seasoned spuds just detracted from the already disappointing meal. The vegetable (zucchini with sugar snap peas) were worthy of a Swanson Hungry Man Dinner but that was about it.

The rest of my party reported similar issues with their meals. One diner had over cooked halibut, the other's meal was "not worth the investment" and another shrugged and said "Eh" when I inquired about the success of their meal.

Simms Landing's food should be served to souls trapped in Purgatory.