What's old is new again (and better) 🍽

The Broadmoor's pinnacle Penrose Room has reopened after a years-long hiatus and major makeover. Take a 25-photo tour with Side Dish to see why it should be your next special occasion destination.

I thought about penning a ponderous piece this week about the Penrose Room’s rebirth at The Broadmoor. I did. But I’m not going to.

My colleague at Springs Magazine, Jeremy Jones, already wrote it, and you should scroll back here to read it once you’ve taken-in my photo gallery (with detailed captions) below. He thoughtfully covers the space’s history and legacy as well as contemporary context from current management at the resort. He and I both attended a media preview last week, dining with a dozen others at an intimate community table inside the newly created Polo Club speakeasy in the rear of The Penrose Room. To sound appropriately stuffy about it, it truly was a splendid affaire, as memorable as an evening out can be.

I first dined at the former iteration of the upscale penthouse restaurant (atop the property’s South tower) roughly 15 years ago, reporting for the CS Indy on the hype of its AAA Five-Diamond designation at the time. I’ve visited sporadically for special events since, always enjoying the opulence, but finding it increasingly dated as time passed in need of the overhaul it’s just received. (Goodbye ant-lines of servers unveiling silver cloches.)

Jones’s description of a Victorian/Art Deco mashup “that ushers you into the opulence of early 20th century steamships and railcars” is spot-on. It strikes me as a worthy set-piece for a future Wes Anderson movie. Broadmoor VP of Sales and Marketing Scott Flexman sums it up succinctly by calling it “an amazing transformation.”

If you never experienced the old Penrose Room then these details may be less of interest to you than the present offerings and potential for your next special occasion. So let’s start our tour:

The entryway as you step off the elevators. The display cases hold historical artifacts from the Broadmoor’s founders Spencer and Julie Penrose. Hence the name The Penrose Room if you’re new to town and don’t yet know their legacy, which continues today under philanthropic work of the El Pomar Foundation. The travel theme inherent to part of the new Penrose Room’s decor begins with the stories these carefully preserved items tell.

To the right of the entryway you'll find the bar/lounge area with truly spectacular West-facing views across the Broadmoor's property. Area rugs have a Pendleton/Southwest design that remind me of the Southwestern/Art Deco mashup at The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. That building also holds a history tied to Julie Penrose, who donated the land where it is situated. Peer through windows in the lounge into a climate-controlled wine and whiskey room, and you'll see rare, allocated whiskies, such as Pappy Van Winkle 23-year family reserve.

Moving from the lounge toward the main dining room, that bar commands attention and perhaps a pre-meal cocktail or post-meal drink if you’re not attending for dinner and coming from elsewhere.

Lead Bartender Jacob Smith might be familiar to you from his two years each at the hotel’s main bar and La Taverne. He tells Side Dish he had his sights on The Penrose Room since talk of it reopening began. Smith headed up the making of the cocktail menu with support from Director of Restaurants and Beverage Jake Zubrod. The two got final edits from VP of Food & Beverage David Patterson, who reinforced the “culinary approach” to the cocktails’ creation, says Smith.

Here's a fun scavenger hunt for you: Find the original piece of artwork on display in a prominent space at The Broadmoor which informs the template on this edible drink garnish. The cocktail is named the Broadmoor Clover Club, and is made with Breckenridge gin, Cocchi Americano, raspberry, lemon and egg white. On the right, the taller glass holds the Top Floor Margarita, made with Don Julio blanco, 400 Conejos Mezcal, lime, agave and honey with a black lime and yuzu salt rim garnish. The Seafarer is made with coconut fat-washed Roku gin, cashew cherry blossom and blue spirulina for coloring. The decorative tuile is made with coconut oil, rice flour, charcoal and orange dust and intended to evoke sea foam.All cocktails are $24.

Left and middle: The PenRose, with Purkhart Pear Williams Eau-de-Vie brandy, Cocchi Rosa Pomegranate, lime and rose petal garnish. Right: the Inari Sour with Kikori Whiskey, yuzu, lemon, matcha and matcha garnish.

Our private table adjoining The Polo Club speakeasy (in the foreground). Dinner is served.

Say what? There's sushi now? Yes, we were treated to samples of several rolls, including my favorite, the Eagles Nest Ranch Wagyu Beef Tataki Roll, with tempura asparagus, horseradish crema, scallion, cherry blossom shoyu reduction. On the left: the tuna tataki, with aji amarillo and soy sauce, charred onion and Persian cucumber relish.

Brioche Gulf shrimp toast with scallion, ginger, sesame, hot mustard and a sweet chile sauce. This is described to our party as inspired by Korean street food.

Executive Chef at The Broadmoor, Justin Miller, has been in the prominent role for the past two years, serving as Executive Sous Chef for five years prior. Speaking to our party, he describes the menu as must-have classics plus fusion mashups and different plays on popular items, “with quirky things in between.” In other words: not stodgy, but still serious. That’s reinforced by items meant to be eaten with your hands, like the aforementioned sushi bites. But also tableside service like Caesar salads, cocktails and desserts. “It feels special when it’s happening at the table,” he says, also noting an emphasis on local ingredients across the menu. Bethany Fahey, has been named Chef de Cuisine for The Penrose Room, formerly operating as CDC for the Main Kitchen. Miller tells Side Dish he largely wrote opening menus, “but this is all Bethany’s moving forward.”

Smith chills glassware while serving from a tableside cart, making martini variations by request.

White miso-glazed Pacific Halibut with fingerling potatoes, sautéed spinach, Fresno chiles, ginger and chile oil. Beautifully prepared fish.

Pistachio and za’atar-crusted Colorado lamb loin with toasted farro risotto, baby squash, mint labneh and lamb jus. A spectacular flavor experience.

Broadmoor-made macrons as a petit fours course.

Tableside flambéing of a Baked Alaska, which isn't a boring traditional version, but instead an Asian-inspired rendition, made with Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream, mango sorbet, lemongrass-infused lady fingers, a mango passionfruit coulis and Italian meringue. There's a whole other story to the fine Ginori 1735 china on display, told to us by VP of Sales and Marketing, Scott Flexman. The Broadmoor reps visited Bergdorf Goodman in New York and commissioned their own custom design which adorns all The Penrose Room dishware. It's elegant and highlights the food, making me think of something served in a tea house or on a luxury cruise ship like one the Penroses would have traveled on. Transparency note: In a departing gift bag given to media attendees, Flexman generously gave everyone a piece of Ginori porcelain.

Your meal may end here, at the entrance to the Polo Club speakeasy, behind the faux bookshelf. Or you can venture there without dining at The Penrose Room. There’s a smaller bar inside with both counter and lounge seating, and the views are just as impressive as at the other end of the penthouse next to the wine and whiskey rooms. One tradition that has been upheld despite the contemporary refresh is jackets and slacks or dressy denim are required for men, and ladies are advised to wear “appropriate cocktail attire.”