Still the Best of Broomfield

A recent letter remarked with incredulity that our Best of the West poll had awarded Bloom the honor of Best Restaurant. Our accolade, it seems, had steered them smack dab into a Bad Restaurant Experience. Intrigued, my watchful editor put me on the case.

There are indeed factors working against Bloom these days, not the least of which is the crumbling ghost town of a retail space that is the Village at Flatirons Mall. But a recent visit verified that Bloom is still the culinary anchor at the mall and, along with Flatz at the Renaissance, one of only two spots on Flatiron Circle worthy of the “destination” moniker.

Bloom holds fast with an interesting blend of flavors and preparation styles, outstanding service and a hedonistic devotion to the enjoyment of libation. With an expansive menu of appetizers, rotating soup, fish and raviolis of the day, and a hearty and reasonable selection of entrées, Bloom manages a delicate dance catering to Epicureans and movie-goers alike.

A King Crab salad ($15), pairing the eponymous crustacean with warm enoki mushrooms, smoky bacon, slightly wilted spinach and grapefruit wedges, was a divine exercise in complimentary contrasts. The grilled artichoke ($9), served with a stone ground mustard aioli, is an addictive blending of fine dining and finger food. A salad ($8) of mixed greens, strawberries, chevre and cashews, tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, made for an unsurprising but solid intermezzo. The “balsamic strawberries” promised on the menu turned out to be a bit of a euphemism for fruit touched by dressing.

Entrées were decadent and satisfying. A half roast duck ($21), served with tart, salty spinach, mashed potatoes and a “drunken” cherry sauce, made for many harmonious mouthfuls, although the duck was a trifle overdone and therefore the slightest bit dry. The lone vegetarian constant on Bloom’s menu, meanwhile, was exciting. A medley of garden vegetables ($15), including carrots, roasted Portobello mushrooms, asparagus and spinach were sautéed with cous cous, goat cheese and a tomato fondue, resulting in a vegetable dish as luxurious as anything on the menu.

The wine list at Bloom is expansive and well chosen, and their selection of more than a dozen tasting flights, each consisting of three wines and hovering around the $10 mark, makes for exciting and educational consumption. From “Sauvignon Blancs of the World” to “Below the Belt” (meaning south of the equator) to more than one Sommelier’s Selection, the flights are absolutely the way to go.

The true proof in Bloom’s pudding, however, is in their commitment to service. Our server was a true pro in terms of menu and wine knowledge, paced our meal perfectly, and really couldn’t have been more pleasant. We visited on a slow night—a time when it can be a tendency for even the most seasoned servers to cloy and hover annoyingly—and we felt utterly taken care of without a hint of only-table-in-the-place embarrassment.

I wish the person who had a bad experience at Bloom had been more specific about their complaints.

My only reservation was that I found myself wondering where all this wonderful product came from. The burgeoning emphasis in fine dining on locality, seasonality and specificity is one of which Bloom and the rest of the Fox properties might want to explore, lest they be left behind as just another corporate concept.

Overall, however, Bloom, while certainly not transcendent, is still a first option for fine dining in Broomfield.

Bloom

720.887.2800
1 West Flatiron Circle, Broomfield
Bottom line: Solid and affordable for a big night out.