I had a tough time meeting deadline this week, mostly because I accepted an invitation to a press luncheon at the Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs.
I almost didn’t go. The one-hour drive from Denver, the event itself and then the drive back would eat up a big chunk of my day. But when I called Allison Scott, director of communications for the nearly 600-room hotel, she promised me the news would be historical.
Later that afternoon, as I was sipping Riesling and munching on appetizers that included foie gras ballotine with caramelized apple butter in the Broadmoor’s fine-dining restaurant, the Penrose Room, I was glad I made the trip.
There really was news.
Even though the Broadmoor resort has been a recipient of the AAA’s Five Diamond Award for 31 straight years, none of its restaurants had ever received the same rating from the auto club. Until now. The renovated Penrose Room, atop the resort’s south tower, has the distinction of becoming the first restaurant in Colorado to receive the AAA Five Diamond accolade. Only 60 of the more than 60,000 hotels and restaurants AAA rates were accorded the honor for 2008.
Congratulations, I told longtime food and beverage director Craig Reed, raising my glass of French burgundy in a toast.
The Penrose Room took several major steps last year towards garnering the award. First was the renovation. The Broadmoor added a glass-enclosed, 24-seat private dining room, a 16-seat chef’s table off the kitchen, four more chandeliers and custom-made golden tablecloths. They spent $45,000 on silverware alone and another $40,000 on glassware, Reed said.
Beyond the physical changes, the Broadmoor brought in veteran chef Bertrand Bouquin to run the Penrose Room. Bouquin, who had worked for New York chef Daniel Boulud, had run the Mobil-Five-Star-winning Maisonnette in Cincinnati.
I complimented the Broadmoor’s executive chef, Siegfried Eisenberger, on recruiting Bouquin. For the lunch, Bouquin prepared halibut slowly cooked in black olive oil.
Another addition was executive pastry chef Rémy Fünfrock, who joined the Penrose Room last year from the Four Seasons Palm Beach. Fünfrock gave a nod to the award with five sugar crystals embedded in a chocolate parfait. Sommeliers for the lunch, Evan Faber and Wendi Walk, paired the desserts with a Hungarian aszu wine.
Both wine and table service also have to be meticulous for a restaurant to earn five diamonds. Maitre d’ Duane Thompson, who has been with the Broadmoor for 30 years, told me training is ongoing, with morning classes and preshift sessions.
While pleased with their accomplishment, everyone mentioned the pressure is on to keep the five diamonds. I hope they can, although I can’t promise to come to another press luncheon if they do. Well, maybe.