Our effusive server unleashed superlatives like cannonballs. One by one, the adjectives flew from his mouth: "Phenomenal!" "Outstanding!" "The best in Colorado!"

Enough already!

Prime 121 is a steak house: A carnivore's castle. It is not, however, the prime cow palace in Denver.

Oh, the requisite steakhouse elements are all here. Visitors will experience everything in abundance, delighting in a menu that proffers plates of prime rib, a hefty porterhouse weighing nearly 2 pounds and a full rack of lamb. The dark-wooded dining room is predictably clubby and full of moneyed Cherry Creek socialites and well-heeled couples camped out in crimson-hued, curved booths. Leather, of course.

Servers, attired in starched, white jackets, black trousers and ties, dash through the dining room seasoned with the scent of charred beef. Affable proprietor Scott Fickling, the former GM at The Palm, glides from table to table fishing for compliments.

"Everything's great, right"?

Here's where things get awkward.

True, the shrimp cocktail ($13) trumpets four colossal crustaceans, each dramatically draped over a shot glass pooled with a horseradish-laced cocktail sauce, but the flesh is woefully, inexplicably mushy. Even more disappointing is the Rhode Island calamari ($8), a sloppy mound of unforgivably limp, flash-fried calamari steak strips puddled in oil.

Order the steak tartare ($15) to witness your waiter flamboyantly cracking a raw egg yolk over a lemon-ringed dune of too-thick chopped meat, but be prepared for a tepid taste experience - even if he tells you "it's phenomenal." It's the same story with the underseasoned beef carpaccio ($11), an elaborate display of overdesigned flourishes that falls listless on the palate.

If you choose the beefsteak tomato and onion salad ($8), your server may ask: "How are the big, beautiful tomatoes tonight?" You'll undoubtedly agree that the thick slices are the size of a tractor-trailer wheel, but you may wonder why they're served arctic cold. Refrigerate a tomato, and you've promptly just killed its glory.

Server says the Maryland lump crab cakes ($15) are "the best in Colorado." In reality, Del Frisco's does them better, but if you're looking for a formidable competitor, you'll be happy with these plump, round specimens chockablock with crab and molded together with a whisper. The fried oysters ($12) are respectable, and the champagne brie soup ($7) is richly decadent, like molten velvet.

To the meat of the matter. Most of the standard cuts are available and the beef is prime. The bone-in rib-eye ($39) is a thick-cut, beautifully marbled slab of steer, while the New York strip ($34) ballyhoos a nicely charred crust and ruby red flesh. The filet ($27, 7-ounce; $35, 10-ounce), however, lacks flavor, and to my taste, the steaks could all benefit from a light slap of salt. Prime rib ($24, 12-ounce; $28, 16-ounce) arrives on the thin side, but it's a fine piece of flesh, nonetheless.

Surprisingly, the best dishes aren't from pasturing cows at all. I found the rack of lamb ($37) to be startlingly good, and the wild salmon ($26) is quite possibly the loveliest parcel of fish I've ever eaten.

As with all beeferies, side dishes are integral. Skip the too-sweet, sweet potato mash ($7) unless you want dessert first, and don't bother with the completely forgettable macaroni and cheese ($7) or the ridiculous heap of onion rings ($6), a mess of tiny, fried shoestrings that will leave purists - like me - intensely disappointed. Do go grabby for the excellent creamed spinach ($7) and smoky collard greens ($7) tangled with bacon.

If you can stomach dessert, choose the chocolate-espresso sheet cake ($6) a three-tiered tower of endlessly rich calories.

Not that you were counting.

Prime 121

• Grade: C

• Address: 121 Clayton Lane, Denver

• Hours: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Mon.-Sat.; 4-9 p.m. Sun. and Mon. and 4-11 p.m. Tues.-Sat.; 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday.

• Food: Steakhouse

• How much: $7-$26 starters; $6-$14 soups and salads; $4-$8 side dishes; $18-$47 entrees

• Reservations: Recommended, but not required

• Noise: Moderately loud in the dining room; buzzing in the bar

• Information: 303-398-2627; prime121.com

• Parking: Complimentary valet

Do you know your Thai from your chai?

We don't expect you to know how to pronounce khow neeow or tow tchiow, but a cheat-sheet of the most popular ingredients served in Thai dishes will help you to navigate the menu.

• Chai: black tea, fragrant spices and honey

• Ka-ti: coconut milk, used in most Thai curries, is the creamy, rich liquid from the flesh of the coconut

• Kha: Galanga root, which can be bought both fresh and dried, comes from the same family as ginger and is often used to flavor Thai soups

• Khow neeow: A short grain, sticky rice used in a variety of Thai desserts, usually mixed with coconut milk and served with fresh mango

• Nam prik kaeng dang: Red curry paste

• Nam prik kaeng kheu wan: Green curry paste

• Nam prik kaeng khali: Yellow curry paste

• Nam pla: The cornerstone of Thai cooking, nam pla is essentially fish sauce made from fermented anchovies, tiny fish and salt. The odor is not particularly pleasant, but it blends beautifully into Thai dishes.

• Pad: Stir-fry

• Ped: Very spicy!

• Prik: Chili peppers, usually serrano or jalapeno

• Tom kha gai: Hot-and-sour chicken soup with coconut milk

• Tom yum: Spicy-and-sour shrimp soup

Lori Midson is a Denver-based writer specializing in dining.

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