Savor the Flavor

Ok  folks, it’s time to get down to the business of food. I’m in Denver now, attending a library conference, so for the next few postings I’ll be concentrating on Denver restaurants.

My first night in Denver I decided to eat at my hotel’s restaurant. The hotel, The Brown Palace, is a grand old historical hotel. Their “fine dining” restaurant is The Palace Arms. It is in the tradition of the hotel itself, elegant and “refined”. The service is attentive, yet not fawning. One of the criteria by which I judge a restaurant is how a woman dining alone, or 2 women dining together is treated. This restaurant passed with flying colors. I was given an excellent table and treated with respect.

On to the food. I started with a crab cake, recommended to me by my server. It was an excellent choice. The cake was probably 98 per cent crab and just enough bread crumbs to hold the succulant crab meat together. One was able to appreciate the full flavor of the crab. It was served on a bed of lemon grass, basil & micro salad, with baby vegetables on the side.

My entree was “Colorado Bison Rossini”. It could have been sublime,  but I think the dish was just over the top. The piece of meat was delicious, well-prepared at medium rare. The fillet was served on a  bed of brioche & swiss chard, in a sea of a wine/berry reduction. That should have  been where the chef should have stopped. But wait – there’s more. The  bison was topped with a piece of foie gras and a light hollandaise sauce. Yes, the foie gras was delicious, but along with the topping sauce, was completely unnecesasary. It made the dish much to rich. More is not always better.

Although I really shouldn’t have endulged, I enjoyed the dessert of fresh fruit sorbets. They were the perfect dessert after the over the top entree.

The wine list at the Palace Arms is extensive and tends to be on the overpriced side. On the plus side, they do have a decent selection of wines by the glass and half bottles. I had a BR Cohn, Olive Hill Vineyards, Sonoma, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004. It was decent, and after being decanted and left to breath, it opened up. (Wine Spectator gave it an 83).

So – bottom line for The Palace Arms? It’s expensive but an elegant and worthwhile dining experience.

Savor the Flavor – a bit off topic

Before I start blogging about food & food related stuff – I MUST relate this great story that happened to me just a couple of hours ago.

Right now I’m staying at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, attending a library conference. The hotel is great with impeccable service. As I was putting on a new suit this morning, one that I bought back in New Jersey, I noticed that the plastic  security tag was still attached. I went to down to the concierge to find out if there were a Nordstrom around. (The suit was purchased at a Nordstrom in Jersey.) Michelle, the concierge, told that there was one, but it wasn’t local. She first called around to some local stores to see if they could help me out. Then she called Nordstrom at the Cherry Creek Mall. The store wasn’t open yet, but James, one of the security people at the store, told her that he would meet me at the main entrance to the store. Michelle then got a hold of the driver of the hotel’s courtesy car (a Mercedes SUV, no less). I was then driven to Nordstrom where James met me with a portable security “thingie” and detached the tag. I was then driven back to the hotel where I thanked everyone profusely & made my way in to breakfast.

Both the hotel staff and the Nordstrom staff demonstrated what true customer service is. I intend to write to the management of both places to register my complete satisfaction with their staff.

My first post

I love irony. And for those of you who know me, the design theme is truly ironic. I absolutely HATE bananas – in any shape, form or size.

Anyway, I’m new to blogging. Actually, that’s not quite true. I read them, and I’ve actually taken a workshop, but this is my first real blog attempt. I’m planning to blog during an upcoming conference in beautiful Cleveland, Ohio, so I thought I’d try it out & make a fool of myself beforehand.

Hello world!

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