Denver Dining, Etc.

Dinner last night in the hotel lounge while I worked was grilled chicken quesadilla and tamarind pork riblets, the later with a molasses BBQ glaze, chopped peanuts and French fried sweet potatoes. It was as artsy looking as it was delicious.

Notable mention for breakfast goes to the hotel's Carnitas Rancheros, a pulled pork and frijoles quesadilla topped with two eggs and salsa. And absolutely amazing. Here's what that looked like:

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Dining In Denver, Redux

I totally forgot to mention that last night the Marketnews crew and I had a fantastic dinner at the Trinity Grille, on Broadway across from the Brown Palace. Since I'd dined there last year, the group accepted my recommendation, and we had a wonderful meal.

I've been on a big caesar salad kick this week, and Trinity Grille's concoction was head and shoulders about all the others. The main course was peppered venison with portobello mushrooms, port wine demiglace and parmesan risotto. The venison was superb.

The only downside to the evening was an incident of cultural misunderstanding: maybe it's normal here, but we were shocked that the server hand wrote at the bottom of the bill "suggested gratuity = 18%." Our host was incensed at her temerity, and while the service was adequate, let's just say she suggested her way to a lot less than 18%.

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More Dining In Denver

Contrary to every possible negative expectation you might have, Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co, a chain restaurant with a Forrest Gump theme, is actually surprisingly good.

I'll be honest, I only went because it was right across the street from the Hyatt, where my last class of the day (Advanced Network Design for Kaleidescape) had wrapped up at 5pm.

Regardless, the New Orleans Shrimp were as blackened and as Cajun as I could have hoped for, and the caesar I started off with was markedly better than the one at my hotel the night before.

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Breaking Your Fast In Denver

Regular readers will know that when staying in Denver, you have to have breakfast at Sam's No 3, uniformly hailed as the best breakfast joint in Denver, if not the whole of the U.S. Whether your jones is for steak and eggs, or a burrito the size of your head, Sam's is the place.

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Dining In Denver

I was so incensed yesterday about being banished to the wilderness of the Denver Tech Center that I forgot to report on the cuisine of Zink, the hotel's restaurant, which was a mixed bag.

The caesar salad was a disappointment. Despite being described as using herbed foccaccia croutons, shaved parmesan and creamy caesar, the dressing was waaaay too heavy on the lemon. But since I hadn't eaten in twelve hours I ate it anyway.

The Cowboy Ribeye must have come from a different kitchen, because it was spectacular. Served with tobacco onions (whatever those are), a pinto bean bacon ragout, and cabrales butter, it was heavenly, and much appreciated after a long day.

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Dining In Denver: Doubling Down

Denver is a great city for dining. Here's some more great choices:

Gumbo's Louisiana Style Café

Gumbo's offers Denver diners a selection of the best Cajun and Creole cuisine in the city. Located in the historic Sugar Building in Denver's Downtown LoDo District, Gumbo's is a club-like dining favorite for a business lunch or a citified night of cocktails and fine dining—Louisiana style!

The gumbo is indeed very good, but their beef tenderloin is to die for! Besides, any restaurant that keeps Aberlour on their scotch list automatically gets into my good graces.

Rialto Cafe

At Rialto Cafe, we create unique recipes, mix drinks to your tastes, perhaps even have some advice on what to do next. And at the end of your meal, we’ll wish you well until your next visit.

Rialto has a pretty good buffet breakfast. After hours watch out for their Pink Diamond Martini. It's easy to underestimate. At first.

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Dining In Denver: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

Sam's No. 3

By far the best breakfast joint in downtown Denver, and possibly one of the best in the World.

Everything is great, but if you feel brave take a crack at the "Poppa's Big As A House Burrito." It's too much for me, but if you feel like eating something bigger than your head, take a stab at it.

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Dining In Denver

Trinity Grille

The Trinity is located in a historic downtown location, next to the Navarre Building and across from the Brown Palace. We offer an incredible variety of appetizers, soups and salads. Trinity Grille also boasts a full menu of fresh seafood, steaks and succulent sandwiches. Enjoy our innovative nightly specials in a warm comfortable atmosphere.

I had perhaps the best Caesar Salad ever, which made me feel less guilty about the blue crab and avocado dip, which is so creamy that it should be illegal.

And the Filet Mignon was astounding.

God bless vendor dinners.

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