Wyman's No. 5

Wyman's No. 5 is a Chicago-themed bar and restaurant situated in the Capital Hill neighborhood of Denver. I have enjoyed nights there drinking beer and shooting pool with friends, but where they say (on their menu) they are: "A Chicago-style neighborhood bar for food, drinks, & friends!", I disagree about the food. We walked into Wyman's on a Friday night just as the theme song of the Blackhawks, Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis, began to play, notifying us of their victory that night! As expected, the tables and bar seats were full as we walked between the two rooms on either side of the wrap around bar. Fortunately there was a booth available for the three of us to sit at right by the door. The big hard booth was a slightly tight fit for my dad's pony-keg sized beer belly, so we moved the table to give him a little more room. Like most any neighborhood bar there is no hostess, no server or bussers. There were two bartenders working and Eric came over within 10 minutes. I asked for menus which he returned quickly with, but didn't notice a beer list. It was listed on the paper napkin holder sitting on the table. I ordered a Chicago craft beer to have a taste of home, the Goose Island Seasonal (Ted Hills Pale Ale, $4). We had our drinks within a few minutes and I ordered our meal, Smoked Buffalo Wings ($12) and Pepperoni Rolls ($6.99) to start. A Caesar Salad (small $4.00) to share and a Chicago-style deep dish L-Train (small $18) for everyone as well. The beer was my favorite consumption of the night. The Smoked Buffalo Wings were on par for what they should be. Thankfully, two sides of bleu cheese automatically came with since I forgot to specify when I ordered them. Sadly, the bleu cheese was so thin it dripped off my wing like water off a duck's back. The Pepperoni Rolls were decent, homemade dough wrapped with mozzarella and pepperoni like a cinnamon roll served with sides of sauce and ranch. The dough tasted a bit on the yeasty side but overall, not bad. The Caesar Salad was as generic as any bar wanting to serve salad would have. Most disappointing of all was the L-Train, resting solely on the fact that it was a poor representation of Chicago-style deep dish. The "deep dish" pizza crust was merely pizza dough set in a deep pan that didn't rise or taste like any of the many deep dish pizzas I have eaten in Chicago. When I lifted the pie from the pan to plate it, strings of cheese didn't waterfall off the sides of the slice like they do in Chicago. The sauce was uncommonly and overbearingly spicy and the ingredients (chicken, spinach, roasted red pepper, no artichoke) didn't hold much either. I probably would have liked it more as a thin crust pizza and if the sauce wasn't so spicy, but next time I'll likely just stick to drinks. I love Wyman's when thought of as a Chicago-style neighborhood bar, just not so much as a Chicago-style restaurant. I give Wyman's 1-star.

Wyman's No. 5
Address: 2033 E. 13th Ave.
Hours: M-F 2pm-2am Sat-Sun 11am-2am
Phone: 303-996-0842
Reservations: No
Parking: Street
Payments: Cash and all major credit cards

Music to the Mouth

Challenge: Taste food, relate the food to 3 music genres

Food: BBQ beef brisket, baked beans, hamburger bun

I situated the brisket and beans between the bun like a piano trio getting ready to begin their ballad. As I sank my teeth into my sandwich the flavors of the bun hit my palate like the uncomplicated chord progression of a country song. As the BBQ brisket rosined its bow, slow.. resonant blues sang along, creating a new tune. The chorus struck up as the boisterous beans jazzed up this funky ballad like filling a cup. I barely took a breath to get through the next verse and before I knew it the last refrain had told it's tale. I had finished the last bite.