These are the things, in order, that I like best about Summit, the newest restaurant at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs:
1. The service.
2. The food.
This is not to say that the food is lacking. Far from it. Summit’s food ranges from very good to sublime.
But it’s the utterly exquisite service that stands apart, and this is what makes Summit one of our very best restaurants.
The all-pro front-of-the-house team delivers a brand of understated but respectful, urbane but unstuffy, present but not smothering service that recalls the early days of Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe in New York City, which, over the past 20 years, have reset the standard in contemporary American dining.
Servers are sharp, friendly and knowledgeable, and their choreography around the room is practiced and on point. Clearly empowered by the kitchen and sommelier, and clearly lovers of food and wine themselves, they are able to discuss the food and wine selections with intelligence. They’ve tasted every dish and most of the wines, and they have the vocabulary to describe them.
Orders are accepted and delivered with few mistakes. Water glasses are carefully watched. Cutlery is swapped out seamlessly. Crumbs are cleared with a whisper. And most important, timing is impeccable.
Speaking of time, the best time to arrive at Summit is early for a predinner drink. The star of the cocktail menu is the Perfect 10 Negroni, a flawless combination of gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and orange.
Have one at the bar, which, like the restaurant, has an edge-pushing but elegant architectural conceit: a bold, sophisticated construction of crystal-clear glass panes built around a massive exposed wine-storage mechanism. (If only they’d get rid of the two flat-screen TVs, which sully the scene.)
Throughout the restaurant, design details, from upholstery to central waiter stations, are modern and unexpected, yet comfortable and elegant.
Which suits the food just fine. Dishes are deftly prepared and cleverly assembled, and if not always perfect on the tongue, they are consistently plated with clarity and whimsy.
My favorite appetizer was the fricassee of butternut squash gnocchi and black trumpet mushrooms, a deep, earthy treat with pillow-light gnocchi, brown butter, frizzled sage leaves, sweet pearl onions, and, oddly but brilliantly, crisp snow peas.
Another favorite appetizer was the lobster salad “à la Russe,” a lovely old-school preparation. The meat was removed from the shell, chopped into cubes, tossed with diced green beans, carrots, turnips, and celery in a light dressing, then returned to the shell.
Shrimp wrapped in bacon with rosemary, while not unique or provocative, were decadent and irresistible. A subtle bacon vinaigrette barely kissed the roasted beet salad.
The less-successful foie gras sandwich carried too little foie gras and too much cloying cranberry-chestnut compote. Also falling short: the arugula Caesar salad, much too aggressively dressed, and on my most recent visit, plagued by less-than-perfect leaves.
Main courses also befit the room and the occasion. They range from the simple (herb-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes) to the complicated (pan-seared diver scallops with foie gras).
Drama drips from the Angry Trout. The unimaginably fresh fish, left whole then turned back into itself with its tail protruding through its mouth, came propped on a pedestal of braised Swiss chard studded with bacon lardons and pine nuts. Each tiny bite of clean, succulent flesh, particularly from the head and cheeks of the fish, zapped my buds with butter-laced mountain stream flavor.
The subtly gamey roasted quail, stuffed with peppery arugula and musky mushrooms, played a quiet game of tag with a pile of cinnamon-glazed turnips. Potato-crusted halibut with soft leeks was a relaxing exercise in texture. And the hanger steak with green peppercorn sauce, if not a groundbreaking plate, was a well-selected and carefully cooked piece of beef.
Think twice before ordering the braised veal short ribs provençal. When I had it, chewy, stringy meat compromised the beautiful balance of French-Mediterranean flavors (herby liqueur Pernod and thyme and olives). And monkfish “osso bucco,” served on the bone over a bed of polenta, was clumsy and dense, with too little tang from its gremolata condiment.
You’ll be offered a citrus carpaccio, or a boozy Italian cassata laced with Gran Marnier, or a chocolate cake, but dessert at Summit calls for housemade ice cream. Flavors change frequently. If you’re lucky on the night you visit, they’ll be serving the zingy mint version.
The wine service at Summit is straightforward but inspired, with a large but not unwieldy list that changes a bit from season to season. Some bottles are more expected than others, but there are plenty of surprises on the list, and much of it is actually affordable. More than a handful of bottles are priced under $40.
Engage the sommelier with questions, and look for gems like the 2004 Müller Catoir Kabinett Riesling from Germany or the 2003 Edmond Cornu Burgundy, a pinot noir from France. And after dinner, a glass of the sweet 1999 Kiralyudvar Tokaji from Hungary.
Prices aren’t exactly low at Summit (entrees range from $18 to $26, which is not out of line with most of Colorado’s finer restaurants), but because the overall experience here can be so flawless, you’ll feel rewarded, not ripped off.
Dinner at Summit proves beyond doubt that going out to dinner, particularly on a special occasion, is about much more than the food on your plate. Eventually, the memory of exactly what you ate will fade, no matter how good it was.
But gracious, intelligent service, executed with pinpoint accuracy and a friendly bearing, is unforgettable.
Dining critic Tucker Shaw can be reached at 303-954-1958 or at dining@denverpost.com.
Summit American
19 Lake Circle, Colorado Springs (adjacent to the Broadmoor hotel), 719-577-5896
*** 1/2 | Great/Exceptional
Atmosphere: Beautifully designed and carefully appointed restaurant with a comfortable, stylish bar area.
Service: Nearly flawless. You’ll be taken care of here. Sharp, efficient, friendly servers are well equipped to answer all questions about food or wine.
Wine: Solid, accessible wine list with affordable and extravagant juice from around the world. Prices range from the high twenties to several hundred dollars.
Plates: Appetizers, $6-$15. Entrees, $15-$26.
Hours: 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.
Details: All major credit cards accepted. Reservations encouraged. Valet parking. Great for a special-occasion date or business meal.
Three visits
Our star system:
****: Exceptional
***: Great
**: Very good
*: Good
No stars: Needs work
