The Corner Office

No Red Staplers Needed...

We here at MenuManiacs HQ are fastidious about our blog dinners.  We randomly select a restaurant and do very little research before we go.  Mainly because we want to experience the restaurant with an open mind and not be swayed by other reviews or opinions.  This particular trip we failed.  This outing was a birthday celebration which meant it was the birthday girl's choice.  In the course of figuring out which restaurant we would be visiting, she discovered The Corner Office was the winner of OpenTable's 2016 Diner's Choice Award.  Unfortunately, this little nugget of information led to us having higher expectations than we should have had. 

The Corner Office has an awesome atmosphere.  Attached to The Curtis Hotel, it has a great contemporary feel with beautiful decor and high attention to detail.  For instance, using file folders as menus was just adorable.  They have a varied martini bar and some very creative cocktails of both alcoholic and buzz-less varieties.  One of the table favorites was the Honey Pot containing sage, local honey, lime, grapefruit, sparkling water and pomegranate juice.  If anything, we would recommend The Corner Office for their happy hour or as a place to meet a group of friends for a drink after work.

Every Sunday, they have a Disco Brunch.  This is probably the most popular event offered at this restaurant.  We have heard how fun this is; however, after our experience, it will probably be a while before we return.  Ugh, it really pains us to say these things.

Their dinner menu is broken up into five sections:  Breads & Spreads, Sides, Bites & Snacks, Salads, Large Plates, and Noodles & Bowls.

From the Breads & Spreads menu, we started by ordering their Brazilian Cheese Bread made from tapioca flour, manchego, and parsley as well as their Hungarian Flatbread with surryano ham, Gouda, and canalized onion.  In addition, we tried the house made garlic hummus.  These were all very good, especially the Hungarian Flatbread.  It is difficult to go wrong with Ham and Cheese.  From the Bites & Snacks section, we ordered the Pouline, French fries smothered in duck gravy and cheese curds.  We also tried the Local Sausages and Fries.  This included two different types of local sausages, black garlic and Belgian beer mustard and herbs.  As far as appetizers go, we had no complaints.

Then, things took a turn.

Fillet Au Poivure

We moved on to the Large Plates section of the menu.  We ordered the Fillet Au Poivure.  This was served with a brandy reduction, horseradish aioli, giant onion rings, and olive oil whipped potatoes.  Oh wait, no.  Instead of the whipped potatoes, we were brought plain French fries with no explanation.  When we asked our server about this, we were told they just didn't have any whipped potatoes.  There was no offer of an apology or even suggestions on possible replacement sides.  We had already had fries with the Poutine and Sausages so we were hoping for something different.  Tikka Masala was the next item ordered.  The traditional marinated chicken, peas, jasmine rice and Naan was flavorful although a little bit too salty.

Strozzapreti Bolognese

One of the better dishes ordered was the Strozzapreti Bolognese which was slow cooked Heifers beef and hops with smoked bacon and Grana Padano.  Unfortunately, the next and most expensive dish turned out to be the biggest disappointment.  The Double Cut Pork Chop "Cubano" was a nice presentation and the description of a pork chop served over a savory ham and Swiss bread pudding with crispy yams, mustard, and cornichon sounded amazing.  Unfortunately, the meat itself tasted like it had gone bad.  It had a rank flavor for lack of a better term.  In addition, the meat was incredibly salty.  Almost like they were trying to cover up the flavor of the substandard meat.  We don't normally say this type of thing but it was just plain awful.  It brought the party to a halt fairly quickly. 

Sizzling Rice Bowl

We were really interested in trying their sizzling rice bowl of marinated steak, egg, zucchini and hosin.  This was spicy and was really a beautiful dish.  The Bacon & Egg Ramen bowl comes with egg noodles, tender belly bacon, a 62 degree egg, rapini, and hash browns.  Unfortunately, as good as this sounds, it fell flat and was pretty tasteless.  We all felt the broth tasted strange and we were left unimpressed.

Bacon & Egg Ramen

We also ordered sides of the roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower gratin.  They were OK, nothing special or exceptionally unique.

In the past, there have been a few places that were saved by the dessert menu.  The Corner Office is one of those places.  Good save, The Corner Office.  Good Save.  The favorite thing from this menu was Cotton Candy.  Freakin' Cotton Candy, people.  In addition, we ordered Tiramasu, Dark Cherry and Poppy Seed Streusel, Salted Caramel Affogato cake, and New York Plain Cheesecake.  The "Old Fashioned" Pots De Crème was probably the favorite dessert of the evening.  This was really good made with chocolate, candied orange peel, bourbon infuser, brandied cherries, and whipped cream. 

Pots De Crème

By this time, we were less than happy.  We aren't sure what the problem was that night, but the service was not good.  It was incredibly slow.  We had trouble finding our server for drink refills and to remind him that we needed our food.  After a long absence, he finally reappeared completely reeking of cigarette smoke and complaining about having a bad night.  This is a no-no for the MenuManiacs.  Basically, they stepped in it and tracked it inside.   In fact, some of the things we ordered that night never even made it to the table.  The manager did come by the table; however, he seemed confused about our complaints and acted like he didn't know what to do or how to act after we told him about our bad experiences.  To his credit, after much discussion, he did remove the charge for the pork chop so at least that's something.

Honestly, if it hadn't been for the cocktails, appetizers, dessert, and ambiance, The Corner Office might have been our first ever knife.  However; these things elevated them a level to be awarded a fork...barely.

MenuManiacs would not recommend The Corner Office for dinner; however, it is a fun place for happy hour, appetizers, and possibly coffee and dessert after a good show at Comedy Works or a play at the Denver Center. 

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.