Beckon — Restaurant in Denver

Ok, time to update my review... A little over 4 years ago in October of 2019 I had my first Beckon experience. My review at that time was "amazing". One word, plain and simple, and oh so true. Now, I will go into an over wordy explanation.

In that beautiful pre-covid era all they offered was the chefs counter and I am so grateful that was my experience. All I can definitely remember of that dinner was that my husband and I sat on the right side of the counter in the two seats closest to the stovetop and that one of the dishes included these absolutely perfect and beautiful little cherry type tomato thingies that looked exactly like watermelons. One of the chefs noticed our fascination and did tell us what they were I'm sure, and I'm pretty sure he also gave us two of them to try on their own... I can't remember any specific courses (aside from the danish picnic which I'll get to later), but we had booked the early seating and were so captivated with the meal and determined to enjoy each and every single bite that we ran over time. I mean truly we were so encapsulated with the experience that suddenly when our server came over to let us know the issue we looked up and realized everyone sitting around us at the counter was a different person than had seen sitting there all night! At the time they offered two dinner seatings, early and late, and when we looked up we could clearly see our late night counter parts waiting... but did the staff give us the boot? No, they joyfully sat us at the fireplace (now gone) and served us our dessert, extra wine, and coffees on the patio. And while we weren't in our original seats, and those still taking care of us on the patio were having to pull double duty in doing so, they absolutely made us feel not just welcome, but they made us feel like they were glad we were there. My memory fades but what I'm trying to capture was the whimsy of the situation. We left feeling inspired and fulfilled both in mind and belly.

Since then we have been back to dine at Beckon at least annually. We did the patio and garden casita tent things during COVID, and while it didn't offer the personal interaction that the chefs counter afforded - the food, wine, cocktails and service never faltered a bit. Yes, the portions are smaller than what you get when you order something directly from the menu, but cutting that portion in half, dipping a pinky in the sauce while the plate is being described, cutting those halves in half again, and maybe even a third time to try all of those carefully crafted elements together and separately... That's (in my long winded and humble opinion) Beckon is all about.

Ok, so, since 2019 I've experienced every seat chart, tried Major Tom's (definitely don't skip the pork chop), done their wine dinners hosted at Major Tom's, and their what is wine daytime classes on the same patio where once stood the fireplace that truly made me fall in love with the Beckon staff.... Every bite has been delicious and thoughtful, but I'm wrapping up now so I'll try to be brief... The staff is phenomenal. Jake and Justin's wine selections have become the best part of my meals at home. Duncan's dishes have inspired me to try new and bold ways of looking at my ingredients, and caused me to buy a special pan just for the picnics (I'm getting to it). Allison has gone out of her way, even so far as to help me get caviar to try to recreate Duncan's genius at home. They are all utterly wonderful and passionate people and it always comes through no matter what Beckon experience I'm looking forward to enjoying. Ok.. once I get started it's hard to stop. Amazing. That still really sums up every visit I've had at Beckon. The only advice I'll leave is this... Always get the danish picnic. Seriously, always do it. Caviar because you've got to, and I will tell you now, the aebleskivers are made of clouds, love, and magic. Sit at the chefs counter if you can and talk to the chefs. They are truly loving it as...

We spent 1000$ for this dinner… I really wanted this to be the perfect night. Alas, the chef counter we had originally booked was no longer available for the date of the original reservation, and we could not reschedule, given the dinner date was to celebrate an anniversary. When we walked into the garden patio, we were welcomed by extreme heat, with insufficient ventilation and no air conditioning. The flower decoration we had reserved showed up after three courses as an improvised vase that was reportedly housing a handful of sad flowers randomly stolen from some neighbors’ front yard. This initial negative impact was actually mitigated by two excellent welcome cocktail/mocktail, and an amazing starter with lobster/crab and caviar. The relief did not last long, since the lovely cup of hibiscus granita that followed was served without a spoon or a straw, not by design, since the tables next to ours did receive a fancy metal straw that we were given - with apologies - after five minutes of staring at that thing trying to figure out how to partake in the experience. Alas, the second course was literally a sad, peeled tomato (note – singular) with a drop of olive oil, a course that embraced all the stereotypes of pretentious, wannabe high-end diners. For comparison without leaving Denver, the very same course at the Wolf's Tailor comes with a tomato foam, a tomato granita and multi-color, different cultivars of tomatoes that is a feast for the eyes, nose and tongue. From there on, the courses were a sequence of hit or miss, with some notable hits – e.g., the duck confit with peaches or the main dessert, featuring a Palisade peach on a bed of vanilla. In the interim, a long series of small, irritating missteps. A wine pairing that shows up a course too soon and sits in 98 F for 10 minutes, while a new wine, more appropriate to the course at hand, is being served. Mocktails (from the garden) that started strong and progressively turned into fruit juices from an all-inclusive resort breakfast buffet. The most infuriating part of it all, when the extremely polite and kind waitress asks us whether we want to partake on an a’ la carte delicacy not included on the chef’s menu (wait, didn’t we pay over 850$ for two all-inclusive menus already?!): 2 ounces of Wagyu beef for an extra 95$ (excluding wine pairing, mandatory included tips and taxes – i.e., 128$ ). Well, since we are here to try the full experience, we say “why not” and go for it. Good choice, since it was one of the highlights of the whole dinner, but the mystery remains as of why it wasn’t included in the menu to begin with. Long story short, the dinner ends exactly 2h 30min from sitting down (kudos for the perfect timing on that). Overall, the feeling we had was that it would have been an excellent experience for a fraction of the price, but for 1000$ dinner, you’d better step up the game.

PS Luckily enough, this is our 15th Michelin star restaurant we have had the pleasure to visit in the last 3 years. Some of the 2 Michelin Star restaurants we have experienced in Italy (for a third of the price), managed to have air conditioning in a Medieval castle (check Da Caino in...

We made reservations well in advance for my birthday. While yes, it is probably the best restaurant in Denver and probably worth a Michelin star, It fell a bit short of expectations for both of us. Pros: Every dish was cooked perfectly and was on point with texture - from the Al dente rice in the soup to the palate cleanser. The Scandinavian bent was great, especially the fish dishes which were amazing!. The GF seeded bread was amazing! The service was very attentive. The ability to see the kitchen at work was awesome. I appreciate they were prepared ahead of time for food sensitive so that we can still share in the experience. Cons: the acoustics in the restaurant were very strange. You could hear a conversation happening from across the chef’s table, yet couldn’t hear any of the chefs or servers when they’re right in front of you. The service was almost too attentive and we felt awkward carrying on a conversation with 10 staff hovering around. Next time we’d not sit at the chef’s table for this reason . There were some dangerous misses. When we first came they knew I was GF and DF but they still asked if butter was ok. This was very alarming to me. Why would butter be ok? Then luckily I was paying attention to their long explanation of each dish because they tried to serve me something with butter in it. It was at this point I lost trust in the experience completely. Meaning I couldn’t fully enjoy it without worrying I might be going home sick. Not a feeling you want to have at a restaurant like this. I felt there was something missing from some of the dishes. Maybe they lacked a color element (the dishes were very monotone and brown)? Or maybe a unique flavor (only some of the dishes I would say had a unique flavor or creative touch)??? Then there was another faux pas - they served my venison still with the cooking twine wrapped around it - only I didn’t know it was there, and only after struggling to cut through it for a few minutes did I realize I was trying to cut through twine. So it ended up a grizzly mess. This should not happen at a restaurant like this. The venison which was surprisingly not gamey, came with an unimaginative honey nut squash which was flavorless and too hard. As this was the main savory course, it was a big miss. The GF DF dessert started out very nice but then had a rancid vinegar taste at the end. It was weird. They also didn’t steep my tea long enough and it was very bland. Nor did they offer enough hot water. In the end, The most memorable dishes were the GF bread and the palate cleanser (which was a mouth explosion of texture and creative taste). When the best dishes aren’t even the highlights of the menu, and they outshine the other items, it’s probably a sign the menu isn’t quite working how it should. We are both undecided if we...