When Kim Moyle leaves her job as executive chef of the Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, she often goes home to cook some more. It’s something she really likes to do, she said, and it shows through the five concepts she manages for the hotel.
For starters, Ship Tavern has been through a revamp, which helped bring the 90-year-old spot back to the original New England pub style with Seafood Chowder ($12) and Lobster Grilled Cheese ($38). The small coffee shop at the front now carries fresh pastries made right in the hotel’s bakery (the Earl Gray Lemon Cookie is amazing), and crafted a solid beverage program too.
Earlier this year, the elegant Ellyngton’s also got a fresh look. Though the space received a small renovation, the main push was to modernize the menu and make the lavish brunch buffet a holiday-only affair. This opened the chance for a la carte dishes to showcase what the chef can do.
“We want to try to incorporate some fun into the menu like peanut butter and jelly French toast, and sausage bites that are more like an appetizer thing that you can share, a lot of shareable kinds of things now,” added Moyle. On the breakfast menu other standouts include Breakfast Sliders ($21), Barbacoa Benedict ($24), and Caviar Waffle Bites ($35).
Even though the changes appear subtle, some long-time fans of the hotel have pushed back on the modernization. One big outpouring of support for the old came when the property decided to close Palace Arms, which has graced the lavishly decorated space since 1950.
“It was a business decision and then the public kind of was like, ‘no, no, no’,” said the chef, who listened to the pleas and helped bring Palace Arms back. “We did a grand opening again and used the time to do some serious deep cleaning and write a new menu.”
The chef decided to make the menu heavy on Colorado ingredients. For example the Foie Waffle ($25) with foie gras mousse, locally harvested huckleberry, and shaved maple. The Bison Filet ($82) comes with potatoes, asparagus, and a rich carrot demi-glace; and the Rocky Mountain Trout ($52) features vegetable farro, caramelized leeks and fennel, and Palisade peach au jus. Now, she added, those people who bemoaned the closing of Palace Arms should come in and check it out, and so should everyone else.
Diners should also check out where the chef likes to dine when not in the kitchen. Unlike the towering tea trays, high-end breakfast, and elegant dinner services, Moyle prefers to eat out on the simpler side of the plate. When not cooking at home, these are some of her favorites.
Italian Cuisine Hits Home
Yet another chef has mentioned how awesome they find Tavernetta (1889 16th St. Mall, Denver), Bobby Stuckey’s Union Station restaurant (Troy Guard also recommended the spot). For Moyle it’s the solid Italian fare, which harkens to her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“The small area where I was from was like the Italian district, and Tavernetta has very well done, authentic Italian food,” she said. “It’s not as Americanized [as red sauce joints], but they do put a twist on it and it’s delicious.”
Moyle added she also loves a good pizza. While she mostly makes pies in her pizza oven at home, she does love getting a slice from the walk-up window at Famous Original J’s Pizza (715 E. 26th Ave., Denver). The East Coast style pie of her dreams is classic pepperoni ($28 for a whole pizza). Pineapple, she added, has no place on a pizza.
Handheld Foods For the Win
Easy meals tend to be what the chef gravitates to. For example, she loves a good sandwich and recently started frequenting Snarf’s Sandwiches (various locations) after one opened near her in the suburbs. Her favorite is the Chicken Cordon Bleu, which uses rotisserie chicken as the protein. It comes as a seven-inch ($12.75) and 12-inch ($16.80), and when it’s not on the menu the Chicken Swiss is the next best thing.
One reason Snarf’s hits all the right notes is due to the bread, said Moyle. Not only does it taste good, said the chef, but it holds the guts in while you eat.
Also on the finger food side, the birria tacos at Kike’s Red Taco ( 1200 W. 38th Ave., Denver) remain a go-to order. One taco runs $3.95, and comes with a choice of protein. Go even more classic with a traditional birria de chivo, or goat stew.
The Outlier and a Taste Of Childhood
Denver isn’t known for having a robust Polish culture, at least when it comes to restaurants. However, Moyle divulged one spot she loved was Cracovia Polish-American Restaurant & Bar (8121 W. 94th Ave., Westminster) in Westminster.
“Pittsburgh’s kind of like the original melting pot because of the steel mills, so they had all different kinds of cultures coming in,” explained Moyle. “There’s a Polish district with sausages and sauerkraut, stuffed cabbages, and perogies and all those delicious things.”
When the chef went to Cracovia she was transported back to her hometown. The menu highlights traditional foods such as Zupa Ogórkowa, or pickle soup ($8 per cup, $13 per bowl), and Placek Zbójnicki, or potato and onion pancakes with mushroom gravy ($26).
But if you want a little taste of a lot of things, Moyle suggested getting one of the platters. For example, the Sausage Sampler ($15) with kielbasa and white pork sausage, caramelized onions, and Lester’s spicy mustard; or the Krokiety Sampler ($16), a plate of breaded and fried crepes, one with seasoned ground pork and one with sauerkraut, mushroom, and onion. It also comes with a cup of classic beet soup.
Have you tried any of chef Moyle’s favorite spots? Or, have you had the iconic high tea at The Brown Palace yet? Make reservations or pop into these places, and let us know what you think.
