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reviewed on: January 15, 2010
It was almost by accident that I discovered Zink Kitchen + Bar on the lower level of the Doubletree Hotel just west of I-25 on Orchard. I received an email about a wine tasting they were having. But for that, I might still not know they exist and, even if I’d heard of it, with a non-descriptive name like Zink, located in a hotel, I might not have even bothered to check it out. I guess that makes me as guilty as anyone of letting first impressions turn me off, and all I can say is that I’m very glad I took the time to discover Zink.
Zink has it’s own ground-level entrance on the west side of the hotel, so you don’t have to go through the hotel lobby, and there’s lots of handy parking right outside—nice on a cold, snowy evening. The room itself is long and narrow, ending in an open kitchen that spans the width of the restaurant. The lighting is soft, seating is either in booths, or at tables, and the floors are a dark hardwood. Gentle background music is the norm, but on the night we dined, the music from a jazz combo playing in the atrium outside drifted into the room. In short, it’s easy to be swallowed up and lose yourself in the relaxing ambiance of this room. It’s certainly ideal for a nice romantic evening out, but also works well for business entertaining.
The menu, assembled by Chef Paul Nagan, is intriguing, offering creative takes on various cuisines from around the globe. Our first hint of the delightful evening to come was a duet of flatbreads prepared in a wood-burning oven—the first a soft and chewy pita, and the second a brittle cracker-like bread—both served with a smooth and creamy hummus.
The role of an appetizer is to get your taste buds fired up, but just reading through this intriguing assortment was enough to get the job done. There are jumbo prawns in Tabasco butter, Ancho Chicken Empanadas, and a Japanese-style ahi tuna tataki. The Goat Cheese Fondue, which we ordered, was a dollop of spiced, molten goat cheese surrounded by a moat of tomato jam, served with toasted focaccia bread.
Any hotel restaurant has to offer at least one steak and, in fact, Zink has two—a filet and a flat iron steak. But even these normally predictable dishes have some nice touches to them. So the filet comes with Hot Bacon Brussel Sprouts and a Hash Brown Casserole, while the flat iron has a citrus glaze with avocados and smoky chipotle peppers. Aside from that, the menu offers dishes that range from comfort food like Chicken and Biscuits or Crispy Rosemary Chicken, to crepes with rock shrimp, and a roasted tomato and parmesan cream sauce, and a roasted Italian porchetta served with a white-bean cassoulet. We enjoyed an exciting Halibut Saltimbocca, bacon wrapped and served with a crispy polenta, as well as the grilled salmon steak set in a puddle of Thai red-chile sauce and served with coconut rice.
Prices are spread across the teens, with the exception of the steaks and the halibut which top the $20 mark. Zink Kitchen + Bar serves lunch and dinner.
Zink Kitchen + Bar
Doubletree Hotel
7801 E. Orchard Rd. (inside the Doubletree Hotel west of I-25 at Orchard)
303-779-1559
http://www.zinkdtc.com
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