Denver Life Magazine: Hungry? Here’s Where to Eat in May
“If you’ve never been to the fine-dining mecca Flagstaff House, you might think you’ve taken a wrong turn when you start the twisty road to the top of Flagstaff Mountain. But once you arrive, you see what all the fuss is about: an elegant edifice with huge windows overlooking miles of Boulder. Its location is the first reason Flagstaff , owned by the Monette family since 1971, has earned a Forbes Travel Guide four-star rating 40 years in a row, AAA Four Diamond status 29 years in a row and Wine Spectator’s Grand Award every year since 1983.
The second reason? The food. “Chopped” champion Chris Royster has been in the Flagstaff kitchen for six years and, with his recent elevation to executive chef and partner, has worked with the Monettes to create two experiences: a traditional three-course menu, $88, also available à la carte, and a five-course tasting menu, $118, with optional wine pairings from Flagstaff ’s 16,000-bottle collection, $74. “My favorite thing to do is jump into different restaurants and grab small plates,” he says. “It was great to do the menu with that same creative progression.”
We loved the melt-in-your-mouth Hamachi Crudo, $16, a perfect bite of fish adorned with baby radishes and sesame crisps, and Magret de Canard, $48, duck breast with strawberry, basil and pink peppercorn. But it was the rich Hudson Valley Foie Gras, $24, and flambéed s’mores, $18, with a chocolate dome melted table-side over a graham cracker blondie, that we’re still dreaming about. —Kendall Kostelic”
