Denver
Headed out to Denver on United for a conference. I haven't been to Denver in awhile. Unfortunately, the snowstorms did not grace Colorado and skipped over to Utah. I found a great rate at the Le Meridien Denver Downtown and checked in relatively quickly. It appears that Denver is growing their CBD area as this is a new location and also shares the block with the AC hotel. This is interesting given that Marriott and SPG recently went through a merger and wondered if this was intentional.
Prior to checking in, I had looked at TripAdvisor to check out opinions on the Le Meridien. The reviews were positive in the décor, location, and food from Corinne. The negatives were focused on the staffing and size of room. I found the staff pleasant and had no complaints. The room was very minimal in décor and reminded me of typical European style rooms including size. I wasn't sure what expectations are for Le Meridiens. My experience has normally been outside the US and in places where real estate is inexpensive. The one in Chicago is now a Conrad and I feel unfair to use as a benchmark for US locations now. Overall, it was small but it seems suitable for a downtown city location.
The breakfast at Corinne's is extensive and the options for breakfast is very good. I found the choose your own entrée as your breakfast voucher redemption really nice. On the first day, I had the corn cakes benedict and my companion ordered the Brussel sprouts appetizer with yogurt and granola. Not a combination I think for breakfast but I did find the Brussel sprouts tasty with a slight sweet edge to it. I would be back at Corinne's often in the next 36 hours because my companion found those Brussel sprouts so addicting.
Normally, I am not impressed with conference receptions especially at museum venues. For this conference, the Denver Aquarium was the welcome reception and I found the food quite tasty. The desserts were ok. I was pleasantly surprised in the overall quality of food presented. Later that evening, went looking for pies for dessert and stumbled upon Wednesday's Pie. Not understanding the restaurant concepts, I learned that the pie shop is not a standalone place but inside Russell's Smokehouse. In reviewing their website, it appears that the chef owns a number of restaurants around Denver and the Pie Shop is his "dessert" station. Overall, I enjoyed my pie, salted caramel pecan. It had a nice crunchy caramel edge and was not overall too sweet. The bourbon vanilla ice cream was ok, maybe I can't really enjoy boozy ice cream.
The next day, I was back at Corinne's for breakfast, afternoon snack, and dessert. I ordered the biscuits and gravy. The entrée was filling and balanced with the fried egg. I also ordered one of their gourmet juices which was pretty good. Later on in the day, I would return with my companion who ordered the Brussel sprouts and the buffalo cauliflower. The cauliflower was actually chopped up, breaded, fried and tossed in buffalo sauce. For some reason, I thought it would be roasted with buffalo sauce seasoning. Even though not what I was expecting, I found the appetizer appealing. Returning later that evening, I enjoyed the deviled eggs as an appetizer and the chocolate peanut butter pie was suitable. I was hoping to have the banana pie but they were sold out. In the middle of the afternoon, I opted to stop at a Red Robin Express for a quick meal.
I moved to a different hotel and checked into The Curtis hotel. A little further than the Le Meridien to the Hyatt, I found the boutique hotel interesting and the atmosphere seemed livelier and homier. The rooms in the hotel can be themed and each floor of the building carries its own theme/décor in the public hallways. I was on the top floor - "need for speed" - and found the room spacious. The Corner Office is pretty hipster.
Dinner was a mix of appetizers - pao de queijo, Brussel sprouts, garlic cauliflower soup - and a mix of all the desserts - tiramisu, biegnets and apple cherry strudel. Overall, the food was ok. The best items were the cauliflower soup and the biegnets (only because I was too full to try the strudel). After finishing my meal, I passed the front desk and started talking about the restaurant food. I told them that the pao was not authentic and that the Brussel sprouts appeared overly fried (it was brown) and I was surprised at the depth of cooking. They were nice enough to give me back some of my money on the food charge and I liked their initiative to improve on the food.
The next day, I was back at the Corner Office for breakfast. Similar to the Le Meridien, the breakfast was a choice of any entrée and drink. I opted for the French toast and found it satisfying. Later that evening, dinner was at Panzano. I couldn't decided between two entrees and the waitress was nice enough to give me both entrees at half portions. I really enjoyed the service! For dessert, I tried the budino, crème brulee, and bread pudding. Overall, I enjoyed the desserts except for the raisins in the bread pudding. On the bright side, at least the raisins were golden which I find more appealing than regular. If I had to choose again, I would say the crème brulee is the top choice.
On my final day in Denver, I ordered the red velvet waffles at the Corner Office. It definitely tasted like I was eating cake. It would be nice if they had browned the waffles a bit more in the oven to crisp it up but overall the meal was good. I also made a pit stop at the Denver Biscuit Company before heading to the airport. I remembered the food and wanted some food to go. I grabbed two cinnamon rolls with bacon and the Franklin sandwich and took off for the airport.
On this trip, I liked the way the hotels treated the complimentary breakfast. I liked the option of choosing an entrée and it was considered "continental." I haven't seen any US hotel operate their breakfast for the elite or frequent guests.
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| Le Meridien Denver |
Prior to checking in, I had looked at TripAdvisor to check out opinions on the Le Meridien. The reviews were positive in the décor, location, and food from Corinne. The negatives were focused on the staffing and size of room. I found the staff pleasant and had no complaints. The room was very minimal in décor and reminded me of typical European style rooms including size. I wasn't sure what expectations are for Le Meridiens. My experience has normally been outside the US and in places where real estate is inexpensive. The one in Chicago is now a Conrad and I feel unfair to use as a benchmark for US locations now. Overall, it was small but it seems suitable for a downtown city location.
The breakfast at Corinne's is extensive and the options for breakfast is very good. I found the choose your own entrée as your breakfast voucher redemption really nice. On the first day, I had the corn cakes benedict and my companion ordered the Brussel sprouts appetizer with yogurt and granola. Not a combination I think for breakfast but I did find the Brussel sprouts tasty with a slight sweet edge to it. I would be back at Corinne's often in the next 36 hours because my companion found those Brussel sprouts so addicting.
Normally, I am not impressed with conference receptions especially at museum venues. For this conference, the Denver Aquarium was the welcome reception and I found the food quite tasty. The desserts were ok. I was pleasantly surprised in the overall quality of food presented. Later that evening, went looking for pies for dessert and stumbled upon Wednesday's Pie. Not understanding the restaurant concepts, I learned that the pie shop is not a standalone place but inside Russell's Smokehouse. In reviewing their website, it appears that the chef owns a number of restaurants around Denver and the Pie Shop is his "dessert" station. Overall, I enjoyed my pie, salted caramel pecan. It had a nice crunchy caramel edge and was not overall too sweet. The bourbon vanilla ice cream was ok, maybe I can't really enjoy boozy ice cream.
The next day, I was back at Corinne's for breakfast, afternoon snack, and dessert. I ordered the biscuits and gravy. The entrée was filling and balanced with the fried egg. I also ordered one of their gourmet juices which was pretty good. Later on in the day, I would return with my companion who ordered the Brussel sprouts and the buffalo cauliflower. The cauliflower was actually chopped up, breaded, fried and tossed in buffalo sauce. For some reason, I thought it would be roasted with buffalo sauce seasoning. Even though not what I was expecting, I found the appetizer appealing. Returning later that evening, I enjoyed the deviled eggs as an appetizer and the chocolate peanut butter pie was suitable. I was hoping to have the banana pie but they were sold out. In the middle of the afternoon, I opted to stop at a Red Robin Express for a quick meal.
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| Curtis Hotel King Room |
I moved to a different hotel and checked into The Curtis hotel. A little further than the Le Meridien to the Hyatt, I found the boutique hotel interesting and the atmosphere seemed livelier and homier. The rooms in the hotel can be themed and each floor of the building carries its own theme/décor in the public hallways. I was on the top floor - "need for speed" - and found the room spacious. The Corner Office is pretty hipster.
Dinner was a mix of appetizers - pao de queijo, Brussel sprouts, garlic cauliflower soup - and a mix of all the desserts - tiramisu, biegnets and apple cherry strudel. Overall, the food was ok. The best items were the cauliflower soup and the biegnets (only because I was too full to try the strudel). After finishing my meal, I passed the front desk and started talking about the restaurant food. I told them that the pao was not authentic and that the Brussel sprouts appeared overly fried (it was brown) and I was surprised at the depth of cooking. They were nice enough to give me back some of my money on the food charge and I liked their initiative to improve on the food.
The next day, I was back at the Corner Office for breakfast. Similar to the Le Meridien, the breakfast was a choice of any entrée and drink. I opted for the French toast and found it satisfying. Later that evening, dinner was at Panzano. I couldn't decided between two entrees and the waitress was nice enough to give me both entrees at half portions. I really enjoyed the service! For dessert, I tried the budino, crème brulee, and bread pudding. Overall, I enjoyed the desserts except for the raisins in the bread pudding. On the bright side, at least the raisins were golden which I find more appealing than regular. If I had to choose again, I would say the crème brulee is the top choice.
On my final day in Denver, I ordered the red velvet waffles at the Corner Office. It definitely tasted like I was eating cake. It would be nice if they had browned the waffles a bit more in the oven to crisp it up but overall the meal was good. I also made a pit stop at the Denver Biscuit Company before heading to the airport. I remembered the food and wanted some food to go. I grabbed two cinnamon rolls with bacon and the Franklin sandwich and took off for the airport.
On this trip, I liked the way the hotels treated the complimentary breakfast. I liked the option of choosing an entrée and it was considered "continental." I haven't seen any US hotel operate their breakfast for the elite or frequent guests.
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