The Kimpton Claret Hotel and its two new restaurants, Saverina and Halo Rooftop Bar, are easily accessible from I-25 and even more easily from the Belleview Station Light Rail stop. Good things await at both restaurants, as we discovered when we visited not long after both spots opened.
Saverina is located just off the lobby serving Italian cuisine with the seasonality of Colorado. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Halo’s menu is based on shareable bites perfect for enjoying while taking in expansive views, including of Colorado’s spectacular sunsets. Both concepts are overseen by popular Denver Chef Christian Graves.
What to Expect at Saverina
We started off with a bang with the Chop Chop Salad (pomelo, hazelnuts, farro, currants, avocado, gorgonzola, sunflower seeds, celery leaves and oregano vinaigrette) for $15. It was fantastic and we could have happily made an entire meal out of it. We loved that it had so many things in it, providing great flavors and a variety of textures. Oddly, it is presented filling only one half of a bowl, prompting the people next to us to whisper “where’s the other half of that salad.” We wondered that too but still found it to be an adequate portion.
I had high hopes for the Roman Style Baby Artichokes (Meyer lemon, arugula), $19, because I love artichokes so much and had most recently had some amazing fried baby artichokes in Italy. Unfortunately, this dish was a swing and a miss with outer leaves that were literally sharp and so tough they couldn’t be chewed. Normally, one can eat every bit of fried baby artichokes, leaves and heart. We suspect this batch was just cooked a little too hard because the center was overly soft, almost a paste, countered by the tough leaves. Hopefully that was just a fluke. Thankfully, this was the only real disappointment of the night.
When we read Angel Hair Slippery Noodles (Dungeness crab, Meyer lemon, green onion, Parmigiano Reggiano and urchin butter) for $18, we were expecting, you know, noodles that would slurp their way into our mouths. The dish arrived, looking not terribly substantial, on a rectangular plate with the pasta stuck together a bit. There didn’t seem to be much slippery about it, as though the sauce had been mostly absorbed by the noodles that stuck together. Thankfully, the actual eating of the dish removed any hesitations we were having. The texture was great, the flavors were delicious and there was plenty of crab well-distributed throughout. The meal was delicate, letting the crab shine and turned out to be a perfect portion.
As an accompaniment to the pasta (because otherwise it is a plate of rich pasta that kind of needs a veggie break), my husband ordered the Charred Long Stem Broccoli (almonds, lemon, bone marrow butter) for $8. While the florets were perfectly-cooked, the thick stalks were almost too tough to cut. Had they been cooked longer, the florets would have been mush. Perhaps cutting the stalks in half lengthwise would have resulted in just the right amount of crisp-tender throughout. The toasted almonds, lemon and bone marrow butter on top were divine.
We chose one of the sourdough crust pizzas, the Duppa, $19, because it was meant to satisfy “supreme pizza” lovers, which is absolutely me. With Castle Veltrano olives, sausage, onion, mushroom and pasilla peppers, it had just the right seasonings and amount of heat. The Hen of the Woods mushrooms were the perfect touch both visually and texturally, bringing a unique, earthy flavor that far surpasses the average button mushroom most pizzas have. I was eager to try this pizza because of the sourdough crust, made with 00 flour from a company in Boulder. Although I didn’t pick up on any tang, it was still a really good dough and the entire pizza was tasty and sizeable too. Frankly, I’d go back to Saverina and share a pizza and the Chop Chop Salad and be perfectly happy. In fact, both are on the Happy Hour Food menu, served daily from 4-6pm at a reduced price. Bonus!
For dessert, we ordered the Almond Financier Cake, $12, with cherry gelato atop a dense cake with plump tart cherry halves and a maraschino-Armagnac syrup sauce. Although everything had a great flavor, the cake, which needed to be dense, was a bit too dry. The Chocolate Custard, $12, (caramel, poppy seed, white chocolate crunch) was a chocolate-lover’s dream, served in a jar, topped with a thin layer of caramel, served with a white chocolate “cracker” with poppy seeds. It was delicious although it should be served with a small spoon, not the soup spoon I was given.
Lest you think we were subsisting only on water during our dinner at Saverina, we were not. We took advantage of their creative cocktail menu and ordered the most intriguing thing we saw on the bar menu, the Cacio e Pepe Martini with parmesan infused vodka and “pepe blend” for $18. Our server explained that the few drops of olive oil floating on top were to enhance the flavor. We could get behind that, having seen olive-oil in cocktails before. The first sip or two were a little off-putting to my husband who, despite the name of the drink and the parmesan vodka, was expecting something a little sweeter. But by the third sip, he was in love and reveled in how unique it was to have such a unique, savory cocktail with a meal.
My cocktail on the other hand was the exact opposite on the savory versus sweet scale. The Blueberry Limoncello Spritz with blueberry syrup, limoncello siciliano, Aperol and prosecco was colorful and so pretty and summery – but too sweet the first few sips. I let the ice sit and melt a little to dilute the drink a bit and then it was just right – refreshing, fruity, and just the right amount of sweetness. Now, if I could have just prevented the little berries from constantly getting stuck in my straw!
Overall, dinner at Saverina was a success and we would return to try other dishes. The service was fantastic and at exactly the right pacing. The seats are comfortable, thanks to cushions. The restaurant’s color palate is pale and serene and the open kitchen seemed lustrous from pearly tile and calming colors, something I’m sure the staff will appreciate as Saverina continues to get busier and busier.
During this visit, we were too full to partake of food or drink up on the 19th floor at Halo Rooftop Bar (next time!) but we did take in the beautiful views and the vibe. Food items there include Dungeness Crab Fried Rice, Crack Wings, Duck Liver Mousse and Grilled Steak Frites. Cocktails include the Geisha Martini and Vietnamese Espresso Martini. The spot is something more to look forward to at the Kimpton Claret Hotel which is located at 6985 E. Chenango Ave., Denver. Visit them on their website, here.
-Story and photos, except where noted, by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher & Managing Editor of InGoodTasteDenver.com.
Please note: As is common practice in our industry, we were hosted for this visit but that never influences our opinions which remain our own, honest and true.
