Old country, wooden accents of Old Major give the entire space a rustic feel. It’s what you’d expect from an elevated farm-to-table restaurant. The incoming light from the floor-to-ceiling windows casts golden rays to sparkle the glassware and highlight different hues of brown in each piece of wood.
In the back lies a fully exposed room with glass doors that can’t be much bigger than a coat closet. However, this is where segments of aging pork wait until they are cured and ready for carving. This dry aging creates an exemplary taste because it releases excess moisture to concentrate the flavor. Those are accents that are critical to the composition of their most beloved dishes.
Old Major succeeds in taking you straight to the farm. They have nothing to hide, as the kitchen is open for patrons to see the artistry that usually lies behind closed doors. Here, the chefs demonstrate transparency in their wholesome practice and create dishes that ensure every piece of an animal is used.
After seeing their meat hanging elegantly from the ceiling like a diamond chandelier, you might as well get it on their wooden board charcuterie appetizer. While the options often rotate, the provisions tend to include salty prosciutto or thinly sliced ham with a marbling of fat running with that deep pink coloring. If it were any thicker, the piece wouldn’t be able to melt in your mouth. Additionally, the salami is far from the flavorless slices from the deli. Instead, it is tender with bits of spice and pork flavor.
With its lovely red and orange tint, their soppressata can be thought of as a spicy middle ground between salami and pepperoni. The ham is displayed in quaint, carved pieces that hold a hint of honey-flavored sweetness. Alongside the board are thin crackers strong enough to hold the meats but rich with texture when they shatter in your mouth. The pickled vegetables give a much-needed acidic flavor, and the fig preserves make for the irresistible salty/sweet combo. Finally, the strong dijon mustard is always a must. It takes two commonly paired items, mustard and pork, but gives them a high-end feel to the ham sandwiches and yellow mustard that was packed for lunchtime.
In addition to their meats, Old Major prioritizes sustainable sources of fish as well. The oysters are the perfect bite when looking for some reminiscences of an oceanside scene. West or East coast options always find their way onto the menu with a mignonette or cocktail sauce and a squeeze of lemon.
A staple starter is their ham and biscuits. Beautifully carved ham is stacked generously on the buttery biscuits that uniquely get a crisp exterior from the final sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Old Major also makes sure to add a bit of surprise with red pepper jelly, which covers each flavor profile—salty, sweet, bitter and spice—to make sure that even their simplest dishes achieve balance.
Though it’s a bit unexpected, Old Major’s newest addition is pork dumplings. They are a classic rendition of gyoza, the potstickers that can be found at all Chinese take-out places. The thin outer lining of dough is just the right thickness to act as a soft, protective shield for the inner ground pork. The pork melds with a sweet scallion flavor, tasting fresh in a wonderfully unexpected way. The four little dumplings sit peacefully in a soy-based sauce with equal salt and spice, creating an earthy, umami flavor typical of Asian cuisine.
For their main course, the restaurant keeps the dedication to their craft with more locally and responsibly-sourced proteins. When the lobster risotto comes to the table, you immediately see the beautifully browned scallop placed delicately on top. At first, you might assume they brought you the wrong dish or you forgot what lobster looked like. But fear not, because in the first bite of rice the sweet light flavor of lobster comes through instantly. To make this dish, the shells have been cooked down to release all their flavor into the stock used to make the entire dish.
What others might perceive as leftovers, Old Major makes a point to remind us that they are essential in their own way. You won’t find any shells on the plate, but the essence of lobster certainly will be. Chunks of lobster can also be found in the mix of the rice to add pops of flavor; it provides yet another slight saltiness to make the sea come alive in the dish. This dish isn’t heavy like cheesy risottos tend to be. Instead, it harnesses a full body of flavor in perfectly cooked rice.
The reason most people crave a reservation at Old Major is for their nose-to-tail dish. It stands as a relic for their entire concept because it sets a reminder of how an animal has more to give than just its prized cuts. This dish shows adventure and whimsy in the creative approach to creating a winning dish. When ordering this dish, all you need to do is think of the beautiful pig beneath the Old Major logo and you might think you know what you are in for. Sadly, a ginormous roast with an apple in its mouth is not what would arrive. Instead, it’s a delicately placed, artisanally crafted plate that broke down a huge creature into a lovely dish.
Old Major does the pig justice in every element of pork. The fennel sausage has tons of spice that cuts through the fattiness. This spice gives the whole dish an earthiness and hints of licorice—but not like the ruby red candy at the store. It adds bitterness instead. The casing on it snaps, but the inside is velvety and smooth. This repackaging avoids the typical mistake of meat that’s ground and overworked.
The next thing you find is the pork rib that has meat barely hanging onto the bone. It looks like shredded carnitas, and the bright pink color is just as beautiful as the rich flavor it gives off. The sticky glaze resembles a Chinese spare rib and the sweetness is the perfect compliment.
The pork belly is a showstopper, a thick piece of meat waiting to be devoured. It’s simply the thickest cut of bacon that a restaurant could serve, and it’s everything you would wish for. The rendered fat melts to coat the meat with more flavor.
While pork is definitely the star here, the roasted vegetables are not forgotten. They are roasted until completely caramelized, and cutting through each carrot or turnip is easy, even with a butter knife. An unexpected element is the delicate orange triangles giving dimension to the dish. They are made of garbanzo bean flour and have the appearance of cornbread. Instead, a pillowy custard hides within the fried exterior. It has the nuttiness from the beans and a hummus flavor with notes of garlic. It’s completely revolutionary and something that deserves to be on menus across the country. I expect nothing less from a restaurant that pushes the boundaries with ingenuity.
However, the presentation of the pork belly dish is incomplete without a crispy chip of sorts standing straight up on top. This chip features no potatoes; rather, these beautiful, crunchy elements are pig ears that have been finely cut and fried into swirls. This commonly discarded item is revolutionized and made irresistible by simply frying it.
Old Major’s butcher section is also renowned because it is where the chef gets to show off the respect the entire kitchen has for the animals they serve. Whether it’s the prized Wagyu steak or ribeye, both glisten pink among each slice and the herbed butter cannot help but slowly melt into a sauce on top. Then, if you really want to hit it home with an ode to pigs, you’ll have the pork fat fries for a side. Their crispy and rich flavor won’t be achieved in the oven, air fryer or even vegetable oil; the potatoes need animal fat to inject extra flavor into every crisp bite.
Old Major brings out the gastronomic tricks or unconventional ingredients from the ends of the earth. They elevate the food that we have seen thousands of times and show you that there is yet one more way it can be displayed. Their ingenuity is ever-present, and their dedication to their craft is unwavering. Good thing the kitchen is open so you can greet them on your way in with a smile of excitement and thank them generously on the way out. They remind us that old dogs can do new tricks.
**Since the restaurant is not currently open for service, make sure to check out their alternative options. They have artisanally prepared food waiting to be picked up at Leevers Locavore. They also have a butcher company that sells bacon, sausage and fresh cuts waiting to hit the pan at home. In these dire times, it is important to continue to support local small business in order to keep their livelihood as a unique asset to the city of Denver.**
