Bistro Vendome

I wanted to like this place and went back again after a so-so experience the first time . . . and it was so-so the second time, as well. Sat at the bar on both visits and the bartenders both times were, by far, the best I've encountered in Denver, though that's not saying too much because I've found that the craft of bartending is dead in Denver -- far too many people who have no idea what they are doing. Anyway, started with the French onion soup the first trip and it was OK, but no better than the FOS one would find at the many, many pubs, grills, and chain restaurants that now serve FOS. A French restaurant that can more

Wow, okay, So I'd made reservations, through opentable, the evening before we'd wanted to go here. Sure my party and I were excited, we'd heard good things. well, when we got there I was like ""wow, sure seems packed"" So I check in with the hostess and she couldn't find our reservation. the hostess, Rachel I believe, said ""sorry, but I'm not responsible for what opentable may have done""- in a VERY snooty tone. This treatment was quite unexpected after dining at chef jens other restaurant, rioja. at least they treat you like a person, they don't make 'mistakes' and if they do then they do everything humanly possible to appease the patron- quite unlike the host at bistro vendome, Rachel more

For mussels it?s amazing. Their salads are fab too, but some entrees are heavy on the oils and butter. If you are at all concerned about your weight or on a reduction diet, stick to the mussel and skip the butter and bread. Their salads with mustard vinaigrette are flavorful. Add a piece of salmon or chicken and you are good to go. Decent wine list, but nothing outstanding. Service is always top notch. They never rush you and are politely efficient. The ambiance is sweet, but their terrace could be improved with some flowers instead of the weedy looking plants. It just has such potential for the perfect scene. A little higher than Le Central. more

When the waiter suggested the Galette de Confit de Canard because it was ""the french version of a grand slam breakfast"" my mouth started to water. Duck, potatoes, fried eggs and a lavendar sauce sounded delicious to me. When the meal arrived it was overcooked and dripping with grease. But, because we had waited over an hour for a table (even though we had a reservation) I was starving and I devoured the entire greasy mess. I have been sick to my stomach for the last 24 hours. Two other members of our party were also sickened by their meals. This was probably the worst brunch experience I have ever had. The hostess was rude and disorganized, the manager was even worse and the food literally made us all sick. I will never, ever visit Bistro Vendome again. Pros: convenient, adorable location Cons: terrible service and bad food more

Bistro Vendome, it appears that most people frequent this place at night and not for brunch - if you have thought of trying this place for brunch i would suggest you look elsewhere. We have been to this restaurant twice for brunch and to celebrate family and friend's birthdays and have been utterly disappointed with the experience. First time we went the kitchen forgot our order and left us waiting 45 minutes, then when they finally did bring out the food it was not served to our table at one tme which at a restaurant is totally unprofessional. The second time we came for brunch it took an hour to get seated, despite having made reservations due to our party being 5 people. During our hour long wait and seeing parties of 4 people being seated quite quickly, we were left sitting waiting with no kind of apology The general manager was unhelpful and really appeared to have no control over her staff or any kind of acknowledgement that there had been a mistake. To accomodate us one of the staff put a chair at a table that was set for 4 right at the end of the hallway and we ended up seating ourselves. Even our waiter who was finally assigned to us was more responsive to our frustrations than the hostess or the general manager. So on to the food - overpriced for the quality, incredibly greasy, the eggs were overcooked, the potato pancakes burnt and presentation of the food was mediocre. As it was now nearly lunchtime I ordered their burger, again incredibly greasy, tasted more of cooking oil than meat with ""sweet"" tasting french fries. Overall for brunch I would say this place has a long way to go and the atmosphere is more like the mad hatters tea party - brunch is supposed to be a fun non stress time and for the price we paid i think there are a lot better alternatives with attentive staff and food that does not appear to have all been cooked in a deep fat fryer. Pros: Dessert Cons: Poor Service, Greasy and overcooked food more

Decided to eat here after reading a lot of good reviews from 5280 and citysearch. Was not disappointed. Had to wait a while for a table, but the bartender, Max, was great and we were comped a drink for the wait. The food was amazing. Yes, you will spend about $20 per plate (sides and salads $4-6 extra), but it is worth it. You can tell there is a great deal of care that goes into preparing the food. My wife had the classique steak frites--she doesn't normally eat red meat and she loved it. I had the trout--it was absolutely delicious. The service was first rate...our friendly server provided honest and useful advice on the menu, recommending what was tasting good that night. All told, with drinks, soup, salad, entrees, dessert, and tip, we spent $88 and it was worth every penny. Pros: Great service; Great Food more

wonderful local place to get wonderful soups, quiches, salads, bakery items and even ice cream.The soups and quiches are made from scratch right more

Oy vey, where to begin? Bistro Vendome has obviously never heard of the phrase ""don't mess with perfection."" If you say you're going to do French then do it! I'm going straight to the food because there is no point in wasting time dwelling over the useless, devoid of joy wait staff or the quaint, albeit obvious, interior design. I ordered the steak with eggs, pomme frites, and bearnaise sauce. I received my over easy eggs with four small bites of steak. A.) I'm a big girl, and can cut my own steak, and B.) give me more steak!. Luckily the eggs were cooked correctly. The bearnaise was no where to be seen on my eggs, so I asked for a side of it. Bearnaise should be a thick, gloppy dose of all that is good in the world: clarified butter, egg yolks, shallots, tarragon, etc. I was brought a sad little teaspoon of some watery, puss-colored substitute. I saved the best for last. How do you mess up french fries? Traipse on down to Bistro Vendome and they will give you a step-by-step lesson. My french fries were tossed with sugar. I so wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. I hoped that one of their cooks had made the rookie mistake of switching sugar for salt. No no...they tossed my pomme frites with sugar on purpose! I was not previously warned by my lifeless server, but when I asked her if they were sweet or if I was losing my mind she looked at me with a ""duh"" expression on her face. I hope the ""ew"" expression on my face didn't offend her too much. I'm not even close to being French and I was insulted by the outright neglect of staying true to the cuisine that defined all other cuisines. It was as if Bistro Vendome's chefs had never been to France, had never eaten good food, and had completely missed French cuisine class in culinary school. I had been a patron once before for their dinner service and I shared the same sentiments then. Au revoir Bistro Vendome! Pros: I love Larimer Square Cons: Bistro Vendome is in Larimer Square more

Very highly recommended - whether you're looking for a romantic dinner, great French cuisine, an excellent wine list fairly priced or even brunch, this is the place. I've been many times as a twosome, or with friends, and each time better than the last. Sitting outside under the tree and white lights in the summer is hard to beat anywhere in Denver. The staff is professional and efficient and well versed in what they're selling, which can be difficult when describing niche wine selections from France. Start light with the Charcuterie and then move on to either the venison, veal cutlet or steak bearnaise. Finish with a glass of red wine and assiette de fromages and the experience is complete. And the icing, this is far and away one of the best locations in Downtown, nestled in quiet corner of Larimer Square, which makes the value even more surprising. Like myself, you'll want to try it again. Pros: Ambiance is one Denver's best Cons: Parking - go to Larimer Square's lot or under Writer Square more

The food is always great. Great atmosphere, some really great classic French items. Can be a bit overcrowded at times durring busy times. Pros: Great french food in a great location Cons: can be very crowded at times more

The food was delicious, the service was great. We chose everything our waiter suggested, and it was splendid, including the wine. We had steak tartare and foie gras for starters, and scallops and duck for entrees. The food melted in our mouths, the seasoning and preparation was perfect! We loved it! We will return on the terrace this summer for a romantic French dinner in the charming courtyard. Pros: The food AND the service!! more

Our family of four dined at Bistro last Sunday. Eggs perfectly cooked, asparagus firm and flavorful, children enjoyed the fruit waffle. The food's good, but the best part is the ambience--giant windows, wood floors, high ceilings and a well-gardened, tucked-away patio. Right in the heart of Denver, but it feels like Paris. . . more

We went to dinner on our anniversary on 1/7/06 and had a wonderful dinner. We both ordered the Steak Frites, Classique. My wife likes here steak with only a little pink. The steak temperature was perfect. We loved the frites as well. The owner threw in two complementary glasses of champagne. The service was excellent. The atomosphere was lovely. We had such a good time, we went there again a couple of weeks ago. We ordered the same thing. Everything was fine up to the time we received our steaks. When we ordered, we emphasized to the server how important it was that my wifes steak was well done with just a hint of pink or we would send it back. When the steaks arrived, my wife's steak was medium rare with a cool center. It was also sliced? I've never seen steak presented sliced. When we sent the steak back, the server argued that it was well done. The steak was so bloody that my wife didn't want another entre or to have them fix it. In summary, I would say that the atomosphere is great, the service is satisfactory but the food has recently taken a tumble. Pros: small intimate Cons: service and food quality over priced more

This is the best place to sit outside in Denver! Tucked away in a cozy corner I LOVE brunch there! I think they have the BEST bloody mary I have ever had the frites with champagne vinegar are addictive! The croissants are to die for, so order them as soon as you sit down! Favorite place to spend a Sunday morning! Pros: Brunch, Outdoor seating more

Great food however the space is slightly small. The tables are small and have no leg room. Service and food are wonderful and makes up for it. I would go for just two or even four but not for a whole group. Can get too crowded for the group. Pros: Ambience, Food Cons: Space, Parking more

I have been in about a dozen times now and the more I go, the more I enjoy it. I am not a huge fan or the brunch, but I'm not a huge brunch fan. Everyone I go with loves it. It's casual enough to wear jeans, but a suit fits in as well. Pros: Great food, great patio, good service, nice specials Cons: The ""breezeway"" seating is not great, sometimes the kitchen is slow more

Please do yourself a favor and ignore the negative reviews for this restaurant. The service may be a bit slow for the McDonald's crowd, but for a person who enjoys a civilized, delicious, romantic dining experience, Vendome is one of the best. As someone who is PASSIONATE about great food, Vedome is at the top of my list and a refreshing offering in a town which at time caters a bit much to beer drinking football junkies. Now let's talk about the food for a moment...Amazing, beautiful! Go there for the Sunday all-you-can-eat mussels and frites - a great deal. Sunday brunch with freshly baked croissants, bellinis and french presse coffee in their charming courtyard is also a must. Good wine list also. Desserts are stunning. The ambiance is very Pastis of NYC, elegan, casual, unpretentious. I'm moving away from Denver shortly and I wish I could take Vendome with me! Pros: Frites, ambiance more

It was a very warm night and we were sitting outside - perhaps this effected our experience - nothing impressive or supporting all the rave. Very Average. We were sharing our appetizers but our waiter did not warn us about Salade de Crabe - its impossible to share. It was served with no spoon (!) and the sorbet melted before we got to it. It was a mess. Pros: Ptomptly seating; on-line reservations Cons: Sloppy service more

If your going to call yourself a ""French Restaurant"" then get the traditional fare down at least! The tartar was gross, the escargot was bland and boring, the steak au poiver was over done and nothing like it is suppose to taste. Le Central is half the price and just as good. I will say that the service was very good, and our server had a good knowledge of wine. Pros: Good french fries and wine Cons: traditional fare isn't correct more

Went out for 5280 week and it was a bullseye. Great wine recommendations, food was incredible! Our server Gary was a blessing and happy to accommedate us even though we were his last table late on a Sunday night. The tartar was perfect, I've never had better in Denver. Beautiful atmosphere, I look forward to returning in the summer for some sweet sweet patio action! Pros: Food, Service, Ambience! Cons: Parking- it's lodo what do you expect? more