Finds Travel By Erin Rottman
REDISCOVERING GOLD IN DENVER
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MARCH 2022 / 805LIVING.COM
The newest addition to Denver’s Downtown Historic District (renderings from top): The Thompson Hotel Denver; interiors allude to the American West; and Chez Maggy, a new restaurant by chef Ludo Lefebvre (inset), brings a taste of France.
RENDERINGS: PARTS + LABOR; LEFEBVRE: LIONEL DE LUY
iners started flocking to Denver after gold was discovered there in 1858, and gamblers, prostitutes, and saloonkeepers soon followed. By the late 1800s, the stretch of Market Street on which women called out, “Come on in, Dearie,” became known as The Row, Denver’s red-light district. Despite its sketchy reputation, the area boasts one of the best collections of late 19th and early 20th century architecture in the West, and in 1988, the Denver City Council named it the Lower Downtown Historic District. Today, LoDo is a happening urban neighborhood, anchored by three key venues: Union Station, which is as much a trendy shopping destination as it is a train depot; baseball’s Coors Field; and Ball Arena, a concert venue and home of the Denver Nuggets basketball and Colorado Avalanche ice hockey teams. One of the latest developments in LoDo’s revitalization is the completion of the Thompson Denver (hyatt.com, from $309) boutique hotel, which opened last month. The hotel is a microcosm of LoDo itself. Accommodations like the signature Thompson suite, with more than 1,000 square feet of living space, a private 400-square-foot deck, an indooroutdoor fireplace, and expansive views of the Rocky Mountains, recall the nearby warehouses that have been transformed into residential lofts. Reynard Social, a bar on the sixth floor, offers local beers and alpine-inspired small bites, like mushroom fondue and charcuterie boards, and features a listening lounge furnished with Victrola record players, camel-colored leather couches, and a billiards table. Guests may also check out portable record players from the lobby to use in their rooms or for a tailgate party. At street level sits Chez Maggy, Michelin-starred chef Ludo Lefebvre’s first restaurant outside of Southern California. The brasserie-style space, named after Lefebvre’s late mother-in-law, has a subtle art deco design with banquettes covered in rich, blue-velvet and floral-printed fabrics. Lefebvre, known for his Los Angeles restaurants, Petit Trois and the former Trois Mec, keeps the menu French with classics like bison tartar, chicken paillard, and steak frites, which his own mother used to make when he was growing up. “I’m not trying to do a revolution in Denver,” he says with a laugh. What may be revolutionary is Lefebvre’s take on a Denver omelet. Seeking to give it some French flair, Lefebvre tops it with a cream, Gruyère, and Parmesan sauce, that is much like a cheese fondue. “The texture of the eggs with the creamy cheese sauce is just heaven in the mouth,” he says. Fortunately for Thompson guests, Lefebvre is in charge of the room service menu, too. >
