Baur’s Restaurant and Listening Lounge
Banana Doughnuts – Crème Brulee Custard, Nutella, Strawberries, Hazelnuts
Crème Brulee French Toast – Bananas and Berries, Maple Syrup, Chorizo
Established in 1872, but currently in the process of redefining itself with turnover in the kitchen and Brunch hours expanded to include Friday, downtown Denver’s “Baur’s Restaurant and Listening Lounge” was sort of a mixed-bag experience, the food quite good considering the reasonable prices while the service was inexplicably slow despite the restaurant being completely empty – the waitress either new or completely uninformed as relates to recent changes on the printed menu.
Surprisingly sizable considering the dearth of patrons, dinner and weekends reportedly busier as a result of live music, expanded menus and a chef’s counter for charcuterie as well as daily specials, it was at a large booth parallel to the bar that seating was offered and finding out that the “famous” pastry basket had recently been discontinued a three-part order shrank to a duo of items, 25 minutes preceding the appetizer with entrée arriving hot on its heels.
Taking the opportunity to browse the heavily wooded space as I waited – booths, banquets and tables filling several rooms with a performance stage to the left and wine cellar at the right, Baur’s undoubtedly shows signs of its age in terms of décor and degree of dreariness, the overhead tunes featuring Rock from the last forty years with a menu that thankfully spins more modern including an opening act of Banana Doughnuts undoubtedly worthy of “destination” status with Bruleed Fruit Custard stuffing each cavity as a pile of five is stacked atop Nutella and caramel with a handful of chopped Hazelnuts and fresh berries.
Making sausages and chorizo on-site, the later redolent with spices though not as hot as some, those looking for something meaty to offset sweetness would be well advised to opt for a few extra slices in addition to those served with the Crème Brulee French Toast as each custard soaked slice is grilled to a light crunch beneath Bananas, Berries and Pure Maple Syrup – the end result so sugary that it poses a challenge to even the most pronounced sweet tooth.
www.baursrestaurant.com
