Restaurant Review - Encore

This past Sunday I relaxed with my husband and our friend Brian through the last few hours of the morning over a delightful brunch in a sun-kissed dining room at Encore on east Colfax.  Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood has been home to Encore for many years and they are a staple for great American food with a twist.  While dinner is fab-u, I prefer to visit Encore for their scrumdiddlyumptious brunch!

The dining space is clean and sleek, facing east to soak in the morning sun.  The bar greets you as you walk in, dotted with fresh flowers and low-shades; sexy and yet approachable as it is mixed with antique accents.  I love the charming metal letters spelling out 'eat' and 'vino' on the walls.  There is also an open kitchen which is a favorite of mine because it leaves little room for mess or mistakes.

In my mind, the best judge of any brunch is a restaurant's Bloody Mary and then a small nibble to get your palate going.  Well, Encore did not disappoint in both of my challenges which had me jazzed after only 15 minutes of walking in.  The bloody's have heat but not overwhelming spice and the accouterments enhance the drink without it feeling overdone.  (Yes, I love a good garnish but sometimes I feel like bloody's are a bartenders chance to 'cook' by throwing everything possible onto a toothpick).  We also ordered the Telluride jalapeno poppers which packed my favorite combo into one - savory, spicy and sweet.  The peppers are stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in apple-wood smoked bacon and then grilled for a light char.  They come to the table with a sweet and very spicy ancho-chili jam that will get your sinuses cleared in a flash.  Warning, the pepper is not what packs the punch, it is surprisingly the jam. 

I chose to order the Vegetable Scramble with roasted tomato, Colorado mushrooms, spinach and Jarlsberg cheese for my meal.  It was a lighter dish but the addition of the mushrooms added a meatiness to fill me up.  Ryan had their lamb pisole that was both hearty and rich; it had a much different texture than pisoles I have had before but the flavors were spot on.  Brian had their monster breakfast burrito that was smothered in green chili.  It was comparable to most but Encore gave the burrito a lively oomph with the addition of fresh cilantro.

I am walking away from Encore with a full belly.  Nonetheless, here is my 1 BIG issue with our dining experience... I found 3 hairs on my plates/in my food!!!  This might not be a big deal to some but for me it is a huge pet peeve that I thought was worth mentioning in this review, regardless of how great the food was.  At the end of the day I would still dine here again.  I am truly craving another one of their delicious bloody mary's and would like to take a stab at making the Telluride jalapeno poppers at home.  I just hope that my next visit to Encore is hair free.