Penrose Room
Contemporary European excellence in Colorado Springs
Located within The Broadmoor is the sophisticated Five-Star Penrose Room, which offers a spectacular dining experience, set against the magnificent views of Colorado Springs and Cheyenne Mountain. Chef de cuisine Max Robbins serves up a seasonally changing menu of modern American fare with a classic French twist.
For a truly exceptional treat, opt for the Chef's tasting menu, featuring an ever-evolving selection of Robbins' culinary delights.
Our Inspector's Highlights
- One of the reasons Penrose Room holds the elite title of a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star restaurant is because of its exceptional service. Hostesses stationed at the entrance to the dining room are warm and welcoming. Three-person teams, accompanied by the sommelier, see to each table. The moment you take your seat, the staff offers chair pillows and table clamps for purses. Then it proceeds to serve you with the utmost discretion, from filling your water glass to delivering and clearing your dishes.
- Rest assured that most seats command stunning views of Cheyenne Mountain on one side of the restaurant and Colorado Springs on the other; but if an actual window table is a must, do put in a request with the reservations agent.
- Expect live music. Don’t forget to put on your boogie shoes; live music and dancing are part and parcel of a night at Penrose Room.
Things to Know
- If you’re planning a visit to Penrose Room, keep in mind that it’s closed on Sundays and Mondays and does not offer late-night dining.
- Prepare to make an evening of it, since the menu is a multi-course prix fixe; there are no à la carte options for quick meals.
- Make your meal adults-only. Although children are easily accommodated in the dining room, both you and your kids might prefer it if you leave them at home; the ambiance is not conducive to horseplay.
The Food
- Both the prix fixe and chef's tasting menus reflect chef de cuisine Max Robbins’ penchant for combining classical French technique with seasonal ingredients in an inventive, contemporary repertoire.
- The appetizer selection covers both cold and hot dishes, including fresh seasonal salads and delicacies featuring foie gras and game — think duck foie gras terrine served with poached rhubarb and marinated strawberries in the summer and preserved black winter truffles during the colder months.
- Entrées are artful blends of local ingredients and elegant preparations, such as almond-crusted sablefish, Skuna Bay salmon coulibiac, duck breast "pastrami" and Colorado lamb cassoulet.
- Penrose Room’s master executive pastry chef doesn’t do rustic; his frequently changing selection of desserts — usually about six, plus an assortment of ice creams and sorbets — is, in a word, elegant. The complex creations characteristically strike a balance between rich ingredients and seasonal fruits; examples include lychee-lime granite, banana-praline gateau, spiced molten chocolate cake with opalys anglaise, and passionfruit ice cream.
The Look
- Penrose Room’s rich interior design includes posh carpeting, lush upholstery and shimmering linens in hues of cobalt, scarlet and pale gold.
- The restaurant would almost be hushed if it weren’t for the combo-playing live jazz on the stage that flanks the gleaming dance floor.
- Gilded and glass-blown chandeliers and cherrywood furnishings complete the picture, enhanced by panoramic ninth-floor views of either Cheyenne Mountain or Colorado Springs in every direction.
- Tables are formally set with chargers and comme-il-faut stemware and silver; entrées arrive in silver cloches. No detail is overlooked in the dining room at the restaurant, whether you’re talking about the food itself or the décor that sets the elegant mood for your fantastic meal.
Getting There
Stories
