Forest Room 5

Forest The Love of Pete!!!

Getting There

Forest Room 5 is in located the very popular Highlands area of Denver.  They do not have their own parking lot; however, the street parking is free so no need to worry about those pesky parking meters.  Finding the place is very straightforward and although they don’t have a huge sign out front, it is hard to miss the trees and the forest setting in the middle of the sleek and trendy bars, restaurants, and boutiques of the area.

The Atmosphere

Forest Room 5 is above all else, a bar.  It is best summed up as an “industrial cabin” and looks as though David Bowie had a baby with Paul Bunyon.  The booths are tree trunks with padded seats and wooden benches with backrests made of padded flannel.  The tables are made of massive slabs of wood and add to the eclectic, rustic feel.  There is a small eating area in the main room by the elaborate bar.  Behind the bar is a large movie screen that shows beautiful scenic views, colorful sunsets, and at one point a front row seat showing two Grizzly bears getting cozy, if you know what I mean.  The bartender’s dogs wandered in and out of the bar and patio area casually greeting each visitor as they walked in.  This may be off putting to some; however, it seemed to add to the atmosphere of the bar.  We felt like we were at a watering hole up in the Colorado Rockies.

The centerpiece of Forest Room 5 is the patio area.  They have managed to bring the mountains to the city.  There is a stream running through the patio, fire pits, tables, and beautiful lighting when it gets dark.  An interesting and beautiful setting to meet a group of friends for drinks and good conversation.

The Eats

Because it is a bar, we decided to get a couple of the specialty drinks listed on the menu.  First we ordered The Grizzly.  This is made with cazadores blanco, apricot and cayenne simple, and grapefruit spritzer. 

We also tried their Bear Heaven which is a mix of whipper snapper Oregon whisky, St. Germain, lemon juice, fresh thyme, and bitters on the rocks. One thing we can say about Forest Room, they don't skimp on the drinks.  They were...pungent.


We started with the Smoky Mac and Cheese.  Cheesy and filling this was tasty beginning to our evening.  It was made with roasted mushrooms, gouda, and bacon.  The bacon mixed well with the smoky, creamy gouda and instead of the typical elbow macaroni, this was a cavatappi pasta (corkscrew shape).  The sundried tomatoes added s sweet, chewy texture and rounded the dish out nicely.

We also tried the Green Garlic Soup made with achiote creama, fresh garlic, and fire popped heirloom corn.  This was creamy and had an intense garlic flavor that paired well with the sweetness of the corn.

The Smoked Bison Tacos were tasty and straightforward consisting of shredded bison seasoned perfectly with corn salsa and red onions all tucked away in soft flour tortillas.

Herbed Truffled French fries are all the rage right now and that is why we ordered them at Forest Room 5.  These were served with shaved parmesan cheese and  truffle aioli.  The fries were very fresh, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  The aioli was not our favorite but was adequate for a truffle sauce found in a bar setting.

Our most unique find was without a doubt, the Grilled Watermelon Salad.  Slices of Watermelon were grilled briefly to form an almost carmelized coating on the outside while preserving the chilled, juicy melon on the inside.  It was served with both honeydew and cantaloupe melon balls, feta cheese, pistachios, and fresh arugula.  It was then drizzled with a fresh arugula sauce.  We would never have thought to mix melon with arugula but the flavors meshed perfectly and made for a light, whimsical salad.

We decided to try the fried chicken off the large plate portion of the menu.  The chicken had a very good coating, crunchy and crispy without drying out the chicken itself.  The meat was juicy and flavorful.  It was served with a light summer slaw, puffed wheat, and fresh honeycomb.

The flat iron steak was served with grilled baby vegetables, farro ( a type of grain), roasted carrots, and mushrooms.  This was simply prepared with no fancy sauces or glazes.  As with many items at Forest Room, this had a distinct smoky flavor to it.

Duck Confit is a favorite with us at MenuManiacs and we were a little surprised to find this on the menu in this type of setting so we just had to give it a try.  We were surprised at how good it was.  It was fall off the bone tender, served with an arugula, feta and goat cheese, pistacio, and strawberry salad.

The last item we tried was the bison short ribs.  These were served with fry bread, baked new potatoes, and wild asparagus.  This was served with an unctuous sauce that was basically the drippings from the meat.  This was another table favorite.  The meat had the texture of a pot roast and was very succulent.

On to desserts.  First, the dark chocolate brownie served with spruce tip and smoked peanuts.  This was an extremely rich and extremely dark chocolate brownie that had the texture of a flourless dessert.  So much so that we were unable to finish it. 

We also tried the S'mores.  Smoked marshmallows, graham cracker crumble, and dark chocolate.  This was a tasty dessert as a whole; however, the graham cracker crumble was the star of the dish.  It was more like a cookie than a graham cracker and was delicious when dipped into the chocolate.

The People 

As we stated, Forest Room 5 is a bar.  That being said, when you visit them don't expect stellar service.  The employees are basically bartenders and really cannot be compared to the wait staff at fine dining establishments.  Our server Roxy was helpful and kept our food coming and our drinks full.

Summing Up

Forest Room 5 gets its name from the 5 large rooms you can reserve for larger parties.  They are set up for live entertainment and dining service.  Call if you have interest in booking these for a get together or office party.

They have options for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free items on their menu.  They have a nice, varied menu and offer something for everybody. 

Forest Room 5 is a nice little bar with a unique setting in a very popular part of the city.  A good place for friends to get together after work for a drink.  Because of this, we award Forest Room 5 a fork.

Thank you for a truly unique dining experience.

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.