Swimclub 32
Published by foodette November 12th, 2007 in Brunch, Denver, Lounges, Restaurant Reviews.At the corner of Lowell and 32nd Street, there are two blocks of trendy restaurants, cafes, and shops. This is where my husband and I found ourselves, stomachs growling, on our second day in Denver (sorry, no camera!). We wanted to find something interesting for Sunday brunch, and since we ate at Pete’s Kitchen the day before, we weren’t interested in deli. We decided to try Swimclub - a small, swanky lounge that had just introduced its brunch menu.
Mostly an eclectic wine and tapas-style bar, Swimclub was awash with neutral tones, low couches, and a long bar. Right away we were greeted by a very friendly hostess, who was excited to sit at our table and describe the food-osophy of the restaurant. For one, Swimclub is an environmentalist’s dream - they use renewable energy and serve organic, small-farm food and wine (local when possible). For another, everything on the brunch menu was tapas-style, and designed to be shared. Finally, Swimclub uses community seating, meaning that if it gets too busy, other parties will join you at your table.
Our waitress, who was just as friendly and helpful as the hostess, convinced me to try the imported chai tea. It was sweet and spicy, and a little creamy - truly delicious. And while it was $4.50, I made myself feel better knowing that Starbucks’ chai doesn’t even come close to how good this was.
Our food was even better than my chai - we shared three items. The first was the lemon stilton plate, which included a small block of white stiliton cheese woven with lemon zest, berry jam, Marcona almonds, and thick, toasted bread. Our waitress recommended eating all at once for the perfect bite, and she was right. It was a harmonic balance of sour, salty, sweet, and crunchy.
The second item we shared was the fruit and yogurt bowl, which consisted of fresh fruit and berries in a large bowl of maple-scented yogurt. It was rich, creamy, and delicious. The third item was more hearty - spicy buffalo sausage, eggs, and potatoes - a dish that came with more of that fabulous, crusty bread. The sausage was juicy and spicy, but very lean. The eggs and potatoes were cooked perfectly. My husband would have preferred ketchup or hot sauce with his eggs, but despite my urging, didn’t feel that we were at the type of restaurant where you could request that. I think he should have asked - the staff was so friendly, that I am sure they would not have been offended.
All in all, this was a wonderful brunch. It filled us up, but wasn’t heavy. And, it really gave us a sense of the fine dining in Denver. If Swimclub 32 is any indication, Denver has a thriving restaurant scene.
Swimclub 32 is located in Denver’s West Highland neighborhood at 3628 West 32nd Avenue, Denver, CO 80211
Phone: 720-889-7946
Funny, how much things have changed in the last several years. One of the biggest problems I had during my first visit to the USA (early 90s) was in getting tea (I am not a big coffee drinker). And now, you even call it Chai, which is the Hindi name for tea.
Interesting name for a restaurant/lounge: Swimclub.
And wow, community seating in the USA? Never seen that before, other than in the bar areas!
Definitely a sweet name for a place. I would go on that alone.