How Ember & Oak started
Ember & Oak opened in 2004 in a former saddlery on Wazee Street, with eight tables, a borrowed grill and one supplier of beef from the Western Slope. The aging room came in 2008, when we stopped trusting anyone else to do it.
Twenty-two years on there are forty tables and the same supplier. The grill is bigger and burns the same oak. The bar still makes the cocktail sauce by hand.
What we insist on
- Prime beef only, dry-aged at least 28 days in our room
- Colorado oak on the grill, nothing else
- Every steak rested five minutes before it leaves the pass
- Sauces made from stock that has simmered since morning
Who cooks
A kitchen of nine. Two on the grill, one on the aging room and butchery, two on sides, one on pastry, three on the line. The grill cook has held the tongs since 2011.
Good to know
What temperature do you recommend?
Medium rare for ribeye and strip, rare to medium rare for filet. Past medium the dry-aged flavour fades; we will cook it as you like, but we will say so once.
Can I bring my own wine?
Yes, at a corkage fee of 25 dollars a bottle, waived if you also order a bottle from our list.
Do you take reservations?
For the dining room, yes, by phone or through the contact page. The bar and the six seats at the aging room window are walk-in.
Is there a dress code?
No. Most people dress a little for dinner here, but nobody is turned away for a jacket they did not bring.