Black Iron Kitchen + Bar — Restaurant in Mountain Village

A Disappointing Experience at a Five-Star Hotel Restaurant

Our recent dining experience at a restaurant located in a prestigious five-star hotel was, unfortunately, far from the exceptional service and quality one might expect from such an establishment. Despite having a 6:30 PM reservation and arriving punctually, our evening was marred by a series of missteps that highlighted systemic issues with the restaurant’s service and operations.

Upon arrival, we were greeted promptly and seated. However, the hostess attempted to place our party of five adults at a table with only four chairs, a move we had to correct by requesting a larger table. The hostess wanted to pull up an extra chair for a table that was only large enough for four. While our request was accommodated, this set the tone for what would be a disorganized and frustrating evening.

After being seated, our server introduced herself and we were offered water before taking our drink order. Unfortunately, it took approximately 20–25 minutes for some of our drinks to arrive, with the remaining drinks following. This delay was a precursor to the prolonged waiting times we experienced throughout the meal. The chocolate martini ordered by one of our party was served in a wine glass and was not what was ordered.

Our appetizers, consisting of soups and a bread roll, arrived only after we flagged down a manager to inquire about the delay. When they did arrive—an hour after ordering—the soups were cold, and the bread was initially forgotten. The manager, who informed us it was only his second day on the job and he was brought in to fix some of the issues the restaurant was having, apologized and acknowledged the service issues. He stated that he was brought in similar to the tv show Bar Rescue.

The main course fared no better. Four out of five entrees were served after an hour and a half wait, with one hamburger missing entirely. The entrees were cold. Another 10–15 minutes passed before we flagged down a person who identified himself as the hotel manager, identifiable by his distinctive attire. He personally ensured the final entree would be out shortly. The final entree was delivered along with another apology.

Throughout the evening, it became evident that we were not alone in our frustrations. The neighboring table experienced similar service issues, with missing appetizers and delayed entrees. While the staff’s apologies and the eventual comping of our entire meal were appreciated, they did little to salvage the evening or justify the restaurant’s high prices and five-star hotel reputation.

The staff at this restaurant were clearly not trained to provide the services expected for a restaurant attached to a five star hotel. One example of this was when we asked one of the wait staff assistants who was refilling our water glasses for a wine menu. This was a simple request, but his reply was “I’ll get your server!” Our server was already running from table to table and clearly overloaded.

In summary, while the setting and atmosphere of this hotel restaurant hinted at luxury, the execution fell woefully short. Poor service, cold food, and excessive delays overshadowed any potential highlights of the evening. For a restaurant in a five-star hotel, the standards, food, and service should be...

We stayed at the Madeline Hotel and each morning, this was the restaurant where breakfast was served for hotel guests. Our only experience dining here was for breakfast and it was just ok. Main reason for the below than average experience each time we were here was the staff. Even though there seemed to be plenty of staff members, somehow it always took at least 10-15 minutes after we sat down before we were even greeted by our server. This could certainly be excused if every table was full but when you’re only one of about 6 tables taken, it was hard to believe how long it took someone to come over to us. It’s hard to have any kind of pleasant experience anywhere when you sit down and feel like you’re an inconvenience for being there. I’m sure that wasn’t the intention although that’s how the delayed welcome made us feel…two days in a row. It just feels like a restaurant who is associated with a luxury hotel would have better effort from their staff to provide excellent service. Even while we sat there and waited for our food, we hardly ever saw our server. The food itself was fine. I made a poor order the first morning with the chicken and waffles. The waffle part was good but the chicken on top didn’t look like a good piece of meat - it was tough and fatty without much taste. I didn’t eat much of the chicken so luckily the waffle was good. My wife enjoyed her lavender blackberry pancakes but said the flavor got a little strong near the end. The presentation was nice but we’re talking about breakfast here, there’s not much need to dress up the menu items too much. The next morning we played it safe - I got their Rocky Mountain Morning (eggs, bacon, toast, potatoes) and my wife got the Palisade Peach Oatmeal Bowl. It’s hard to mess up my order so it was good and my wife did enjoy her oatmeal. But again, poor service throughout breakfast. Hopefully the servers during the dinner hour are better but I wouldn’t waste your time here for breakfast, especially with the prices being so high. Maybe if the service matched the prices you’re expected to pay but it really made it hard getting the bill each time knowing how unwelcome our servers made us feel. Can’t imagine we’d come back, even if we were given free breakfast through the hotel - it just...

We had an ugly experience at Black Iron Kitchen last night. We arrived for an early dinner, no-one else in the restaurant so being busy is no excuse. We considered ordering a shared beef meal however the waiter became patronising when I asked for the meat to be cooked ‘medium well’. “Madam, it is dry aged beef...” he began so we quickly changed our minds and ordered individual meals. I had the baked spaghetti squash that arrived under a flurry of lettuce leaves and my husband ordered the individual serving of elk which was $50. I put my credit card on the table when we'd finished and the waiter quickly took it away and brought it back with the bill ... payment already processed. I didn't take too much notice and signed but my husband noticed the total and questioned it. We'd been charged $160 for his $50 elk. The waiter quickly disappeared and his supervisor in black suit arrived to tell us it was our fault. "Didn't you notice that you had the large meal" he said. How could we notice a difference in size without seeing a comparison? We'd never dined there before. My husband replied with "Are you blaming us for this oversight? I ordered the elk and if there were two price points for elk the waiter should have clarified" and black suit man then began negotiating a refund of the difference stating that he couldn't refund the whole difference. It was awkward, embarrassing and we agreed on a $60 refund rather than $110 which we deserved. Black suit man came back and said he couldn't refund as the payment was already processed with the bank (before I saw the bill) and "a refund would take 5 days to process". That was the most ridiculous response to restaurant error we've ever heard. I own a business, we understand how refunds work. We felt like we were being played and couldn't get out of the dirty scenario fast enough. The food was OK but if you decide to eat here definitely don't let them process the payment before you check the bill. So many other lovely options in the Mountain Village and we're saddened that we chose to do...