Volume 4, Issue 4
February 21 - March 6, 2001
by Rob Williams
320 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, Colorado
303-830-7050
Think about red walls, grey marble and rustic steel wrapping you in a warm friendly hug that says "this is a place to have a cocktail."
That was my first impression of The Red Room. It's a stylish looking place. The dark red walls are offset by adobe colored ones covered with large colorful surrealist paintings by local artist Christopher Lewis. The ceilings are far above and sport crazy white tube lamps that throw ambient light downstairs. Your artsy friends will love it.
That doesn't mean you have to be wearing a Jean-Paul Gaultier mango-colored thong dress to fit in. The lunch crowd is usually local business folk and the occasional visitor from the Capitol Building. After 6, the crowd changes over to the after-work blue collar set and by 10 the room is mixed with just as many jeans as suits. It's a good mix. Seating is cafe-style. It's open enough to feel cozy, without feeling you have to shout at the next table when you have something interesting to say.
Shannon liked the big red booths, which I heard were inspired by the old White Spot. Oh, if those booths could talk...
The Red Room is part pub, part cafe and that's just what Manager Brian Sommatino wanted when he set out on this venture. He corralled local talent Andy Stutz to manage the bar and Luke Harrison to run the restaurant. They look as happy as a bunch of dorm kids with a newfound keg, running around with their hair dyed bright red to match the walls and glowing red globes. The staff is readily identified by red shirts with black accents, but I noticed a strange trend. Many of the patrons are sporting the color too, as if they dressed the part. Service is friendly and prompt, even when the place is busy. That's the kind of thing that earns my tips.
Upstairs can be a tad noisy but the view is fantastic. You won't easily miss a friend arriving late for a snack or beverage du jour.
Speaking of snacks, you won't find the ordinary bar food fare here. I don't want to step on Bobby's toes but the food is worth talking about. The menu is unpretentious and served with just enough flair to make it pretty. The menu created by head chef Craig Luckman will make your mouth water and your belly warm. The portions are a tad large for lunch, and just about perfect for sharing as a light dinner. My date Shannon and I split a baby spinach salad ($6.50) that was tossed (not drowned) in a shallot vinaigrette and features big crumbles of bleu cheese that literally melt in your mouth. Craig adds candied pecans to the mix for that 'something extra". We next tore into an order of crab cakes ($ 8.95), which was almost enough to be a meal in and of itself. The creamy remoulade sauce and capers finished off the creamy crab meat with panache, and the "garnish" they lay upon is more like a tiny salad. We downed a glass of Pedroncelli Red Zinfandel and shared a club sandwich ($7.95). Not your ordinary club--we are talking a three inch thick castle of turkey, black forest ham, cheeses and chive mayo on a surprisingly light foccacia bread that was delicious.
Our appetites sated, we turned to the cocktails. The wine list favors the domestic, but we did find the wine accessible to the non-snob, as well as the aficionado.
Shannon liked the jukebox selections, which included the White Stripes, BRMC, Modest Mouse and DJ Shadow, but the juke was only half full and 3 plays for a quarter seems a tad pricey to me. I made several trips to the Red Room during its opening weekend and overall I liked what I saw. Good food served up pretty, a great vibe and a crowd that mixes well. The Red Room gets an "A" for design and execution.
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