Meritage

Winers Welcome 

Wouldn't you know the start of Denver Restaurant Week was welcomed by the largest snow storm so far this winter.  After a foot of snow was deposited on the Front Range, we ventured out to our first restaurant week dinner when most folks where sitting cozy in their homes.

Why Denver Restaurant Week?  Because it is an excellent opportunity to try higher end, local restaurants, not to mention several chain restaurants, at a reasonable price.  However, The Meritage is not as pricey as some other restaurants and is well worth the trip even when restaurant week is over.

Getting There

The Meritage is located at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield.  It can be a little confusing to find for those who do not know the way around the Flatiron Crossing area so be sure to use your GPS.  Since the restaurant is located in the hotel, the parking is ample and free. 

The Atmosphere

The Meritage has a warm, contemporary atmosphere with earthy, natural colors and welcoming touches such as a beautiful fireplace and large, open windows that on a much less snowy day would offer a wonderful view of the front range.

The Eats

We started our meal with a warm slice of sourdough bread accompanied by fresh butter with a hint of salt and herbs.  We appreciated the fact that they served the bread by the slice and not by the whole loaf.  This was an excellent way to keep us from filling up before we even got started.

The wonderful sous chef, Steven, brought us an amuse bousche which translates to "amuse the mouth".   Traditionally, this is never something that is offered on the menu.  It is something that the chef prepares and serves to the patrons before the appetizer arrives.  It's meant to give an idea of what's to come during the meal.  Steven told us he created this dish based on a family recipe from Italy.  It was made with , pepperoni, salami, prosciutto and three types of cheese layered between bread and was served with fresh tarragon, pickled apples, pickled celery, and pickled Dijon.  This was an amazing start to an equally amazing meal. We're hoping this lovely morsel will find its way onto their menu in the near future.
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We also ordered the Dungeness Crab Cakes.  This was not,an item featured on the restaurant week menu, but was too tempting to pass up.  The crab cakes were served with charred green tomato relish, lemon basil aioli and a sweet yet spicy and tangy red sauce.  The sweetness of the aioli paired perfectly with the spicy sauce and the tomato relish only added an extra zing of flavor.  The crab cake itself was fabulous.  It was almost all crab with very little filler.  Cooked perfectly and served at the perfect temperature.  Absolutely amazing!

We also tried the Garlic Potato Bisque.  A bowl of crispy potato skins, bacon, and blue cheese were placed in front of us and then the creamy soup was poured over the bowl's contents.  This was a hearty, flavorful soup but was not overly garlicky.  We always enjoy recipes that are made tableside.  Aside from adding an element of fun, it also ensures the dish to be fresh and flavorful.

For dinner we chose the 1/2 chicken and Bison tenderloin.

The chicken was served sous-vide style (the chicken is placed in a plastic bag, vacuum sealed, and then submerged in temperature controlled water that is circulated over a 36 hour period).  The meat fell off the bone and was juicy and flavorful.  This dish had no special sauce and just a small amount of seasoning but it was incredible.  It was served with heirloom carrots that had a subtle, sweet glaze and pristinely prepared mashed potatoes.

Bison tenderloin was our second choice.  This is Colorado bison served with a slightly spicy glaze, brussel sprouts and chiorizo salad, and grits served in a banana pepper.  For those who haven't tried bison before, we suggest you follow the restaurant's recommendation and order the bision medium rare.  The cut and preparation resulted in a juicy, tender meat that was similar to a Fillet Mignon.  The grits that accompanied the bison were creamy, cheesey, and spicy.  If you try this dish, be sure to try the grits with a bite of the bison.  This combination makes for the perfect bite..  The Brussel sprout salad  had a crunchy, nutty flavor.  It was shredded and was almost the texture of a slaw.

Dessert included two selections from the menu.  The Warm Chocolate cake and Panna Cotta.

The Warm Chocolate cake was a perfectly proportioned and a perfect end to our meal.  It was simply adorned with fresh berries and whipped cream.  The cake itself had a well balanced flavor, not too sweet and not too bitter and had a light, cupcake-like texture.  It wasn't a molten cake so there was no gooey chocolate center.  Also, there were no mounds of ganache or frosting.  Just a lovely, warm, and perfect cake.

The Panna Cotta was served with fresh mint, candied grapes, crisp brittle-like almond cookies, and wafer thin crunchy orange slices.  Panna Cotta is a creamy, gelatin dessert.  It had a delicate orange taste and when tried by itself tasted exactly like a creamsicle.  The fresh mint mixed with the grapes was an interesting and flavorful mixture.

The People 

Everybody at The Meritage was incredible.  Our server, Jennifer, had the good luck to have us come in on her first day out of training!  She was excellent and answered all our questions with good humor and a lot of knowledge.  Francis was her trainer and introduced Jennifer to us right off the bat.  Steven, the sous chef came out to talk to us and introduce himself.  We have blogged about a lot of restaurants, but no other chef has come out to greet us voluntarily.  He was our first chef.  That was an amazing and unexpected treat.  We also spoke to the manager, Anita, who was just delightful.  We were very impressed by how fun and pleasant everybody was.  Thank you to everybody at The Meritage for making our first trip a memorable one!

Summing Up

There is something special about The Meritage. The decor, the food, the wonderful staff, and the graciousness of Chef Steven were just a few of the reasons why we presented the golden spoon to manager Anita with pride.  Denver Restaurant Week is a great way to dicover places like The Meritage.  We look forward to visiting again in the near future.

Fun Facts

"Meritage" is a wine term that refers to Bordeaux-style red and white wines made in the United States.  Wine is a important element of The Meritage.  In fact, they have over 400 bottles of wine on hand at a time.  They offer a Wine and Cheese Happy Hour every day from 5pm to 6pm.  This includes a wine flight with chef selected cheeses. 


A wine pairing was offered as an extra option to the Denver Restaurant Week menu and was a great way to sample their vast selection of wines.

They offer an "Art of Breakfast" buffet every morning.  Fresh fruit and an omelet bar are only a few of the highlights of their breakfasts.

Another cute and quirky thing we loved were their "ergonomic" salt and pepper shakers  It's always fun to find unusual things on a table.


March's 2nd Pick - Hideaway Steakhouse

The Officially Unofficial Voting Legend
Take it with a grain of salt, we're not professionals.
	Awesome place, we’ll shovel more food in our face!
	It was okay. Not our favorite, but we’ll take another stab at it.
	Didn’t make the cut.