Café Marmotte

«My mother came to visit from out of town this past weekend and living in the wash park neighborhood I have heard much buzz about Café Marmotte so I decided to take her there as a nice treat. I made a reservation for Sunday night at 7:30. Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by the hostess and she took us right to our table. The restaurant is very quaint with a quiet and relaxed ambiance.
Our waitress, Rachel, came over to our table promptly and helped my mom and I pick a great glass of rose to have with our appetizers. (She is incredibly knowledgable with wine and spirits as well, which was nice having a mom that is very picky with her wines.) For apps I ordered the beet salad (I love goat cheese so was sold on this) and my mom, the french onion soup. Both were very delicious.
We then moved on to entrees and I have heard that I HAD to order the Coq Au Vin (10 out of 10) and my mom ordered the beef cheeks, which she very much enjoyed.
We ended up spending almost three hours here catching up, sharing plates, ordering more wine, and having a great time with our waitress.
Thank you Rachel for treating my mom and I with such great service and an enjoyable experience at your restaurant.
We cant wait to come back again!

I agree with several of the reviews already on here. I WANT to write a better review than I can for this restaurant. The food itself was delicious. The service, on the other hand, left much to be desired. It was one of those experiences where you consider just getting up and either walking to the kitchen and bar yourself for items or just leaving and hitting up a McDonald’s because you’re so hungry.
We arrived on a Tuesday night at 8pm. The restaurant was about 2/​3rds full. A large portion of the diners appeared to be senior citizens. The hostess was nice enough, and we were seated in the darkly lit dining room where a weird drawing of Christopher Walken on one wall for no explanation. I felt a little like I was at a café in Greenwich, CT. You know, stuffy and without much character.
My husband ordered a not-​very-​good cocktail, and we quickly placed our food orders. About 10 minutes after the order, we were informed my husband’s soft shell crab order was sold out. So, he revised his order to soup and an appetizer. We were brought strange slices of bread and olive oil (not french at all) and then we waited… and waited… and waited. We weren’t informed about a delay, and our waitress didn’t come check on us for a good 20 or 30 minutes. When she finally appeared to bring something to our neighboring table, we asked about our order. Another 10 minutes passed and my husband’s soup arrived. She didn’t apologize for the delay or explain why it had taken so long.
After another 10 minutes and some more weird bread pieces, we received our entrees. My slow-​cooked salmon was delicious and perfectly cooked. My husband also enjoyed is earth and turf. It was now about 9:15pm. When the waitress asked if we wanted a dessert menu, we had to decline as this had now been a way longer experience than expected.
It is a pity the poor service overshadowed the great food. I don’t think we’ll be returning again.

I dined at Café Marmotte this past Friday and my overall experience was very, very good. I think there’s a real shortage of quality French food in Denver so I was very hopeful that this would turn out to be a satisfying experience. What’s being done at this restaurant is exactly what’s advertised: approachable, but excellent, food.
I generally like to enjoy multiple courses and started with a round of oysters, followed by deviled eggs topped with steak tartare, pork belly, and prosciutto. The steak tartare was phenomenal and I would love to see them serve that all on its own. I had the venison for my main dish and it was extremely well executed and presented. The potato gratin that they serve with it is really lovely and a lot of care went in to the sauce for the venison. I had the lemon tart for dessert which was also well executed — it’s the first time I’ve tried a lemon tart in which the filling wasn’t browned lightly, and I do think I prefer that execution, but that’s personal preference.
Service was attentive and kind. I was really quite pleased with the entire staff. I can’t speak to their wine list or cocktails as I don’t drink, but I think this restaurant is doing a commendable job and I recommend them highly.

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE WINE TASTING
My family and I were highly disappointed with this $ 30 per person wine tasting educational presentation since they were skimpy on the wine and small bites. There are many wine tastings for $ 20 per person that are much more generous with the portions of food and wine. It was ridiculous how skimpy these portions were… for that, this place deserves a 2 star review.

This could’ve been an amazing restaurant but for the poor service. The food and signature cocktails were all delicious, however if I am going to spend this type of money on a dinner out (more than $ 150 for 2 people), I expect the service to be top notch. The server was not friendly and seemed annoyed at any questions we asked about the menu. She did not seem at all informed about the menu and was so incredibly slow to take our orders. After removing our empty appetizer plates, she simply walked away from the table and took close to 15 minutes before returning to see if we were ready to place our order and refill the empty drinks in front of us. There were only 2 waitresses for the entire dinning room, so maybe that was part of the problem but it really did ruin the experience.

Having read all the excellent reviews here, we were excited to try out Café Marmotte last night. We we sorely disappointed.
First, the good: the space is lovely, warm and inviting. My friend, who is a vegetarian, really enjoyed her meal which was specially prepared by the chef.
The rest: My appetizer, the Caesar salad, was watery and lacked any discernible flavor. There wasn’t even a hint of anchovies. My entrée, the cod, was similarly flavorless. The shrimp on the plate was borderline gross. My husband and friend ordered the heralded coq au vin, which they both declared to be «fine.» The service was mediocre, at best.
We would neither recommend nor return here.

Not spectacular. The Ahi Tuna Carpaccio was delicious, but everything else was just OK. The restaurant is very small. I think I counted only 10 small tables. It is a very intimate dining experience. I agree with another reviewer that sitting across from a brightly lit gas station, and feet away from busy Downing Street doesn’t make for the best ambiance. I will most likely not come back to this restaurant.

Incredible food and incredible service. And I don’t say this lightly. My mom and I decided to make a reservation for my birthday and everything was phenomenal. Prices are steep but you get what you pay for. My mom was nearly in shock after trying the prime rib. She says she’s never tasted any dish better than the one she had tonight. The Coq au Vin lives up to its high ratings. It was smooth as butter and drenched in an incredible red wine based sauce. The waiter was extremely kind and even treated me to desert on the house for my birthday. The environment is lovely, especially the nice bar area. If I could give six stars, I would.

Café Marmotte has finally updated its website to tell customers when it is open (every night starting at 5:). Welcome to Denver. I hear your coq au vin is great.
Sign me,
David «passez une bonne journee» M.

Pleasant evening, but think the prices are a bit steep for what you get. My Lobster dinner (luckily without shell) was two very small claws and three small pieces of lobster. It really looked like a delicious, which it was, appetizer, but not a full dinner plate for $ 34.

Great restaurants understand that variation in food and service are not good for its reputation. Denver has very few restaurants that are consistently great. There is much too often too much variation. Café Marmotte does not know how to deliver consistent good food and service. Plus it has a need to be creative in platings that just do not work. What is with the use of bowls?
On a recent visit the hostess’s attitude was «I’m here but I’m not liking that fact.» As soon as we entered her snarl and growl were presented with bare teeth. While we were there there was one server who was pleasant and positive and tried to please. Yet, the soup was served without a spoon, the salt was served in a tiny ceramic container into which the serving spoon would not fit (Why not a salt shaker?).
Why did we have to ask for the salt? Because we were curious. «Maybe all this blandness can be elevated with a little NACL…» The pumpkin and tomatillo soup was blended smoothly. It came to the table hot but with no flavor and no spoon. I hate slurping hot soup from a bowl.
The goat cheese tart was served with an undercooked crust. Chewing flour required a water refill.
The scallops, pork belly, and lentils was just that. Three items placed together in a bowl, sitting there, hoping for some divine intervention, I guess, to make the three come together to form a unified dish. God did not show. The lamb shank came in a bowl, sitting atop mashed potatoes with green beans smashed into the potatoes. There was no shank. I guess the kitchen thinks removal of the meat from the shank is beyond the capabilities of the guests. I closed my eyes and took a bite of the lamb, anticipating that lovely, long-​braised, rich flavor. But, alas, my taste buds were assaulted with the flavor of nothing. Boring. There was no taste bud evidence of lamb flavor, nor olfactory recognition of its aroma. Trying to extract the green beans from the mashed potatoes was a sloppy dripping exercise in futility.
The filet mignon saved the meal from being a complete flop. However, for some reason, the kitchen felt it was necessary to plop a roasted tomatoes into the mashed potatoes. It oozed juice over the potatoes and added distress to the aesthetics.
So, we have given Café Marmot the test of 9-​dishes in two visits. The owners are not concerned about the variation in their food and service. Try La Merise in Cherry Creek if you want some simple French food.

Small space with a touch of Euro-​ambience. Everything I tried was excellent, from the appetizers to the main dishes. Food was reasonably priced, but the wine selection was on the high side. The crème brûlée was the only disappointment, but the accompanying Port more than made up for it. I look forward to coming back here again.

Food was great. Service was great. Wine was good. What else can I say — parking sucks. You have to park on the street. The food is definitely French and a little heavy but perfect for this time of year.

Best meal I’ve had in Denver… ever! Every single bite was melt in your mouth incredible. You have to try the steak, French onion soup, scallops and bacon appetizer and lamb. Perfect neighborhood atmosphere with big flavor. Service was wonderful and atmosphere quaint, charming and intimate.

Please remember, three stars is A-​OK. I am not sure AOK really describes our experience so is perhaps generous.
We had a reservation for 10 at 7:30. Despite a call at six pm where the restaurant assured me they were ready, our table was not ready until 8:15. Who cares: We made do with wine (great wine list $$$) and chit chat for 45 minutes to an hour at the bar. There was no space, repeat NO SPACE to congregate and our group hovered standing in the doorway, over dining tabletops for 45 minutes. Not ideal!
Dinner: Where is our server? I don’t know. The same wine and chit chat fueled us until we could order after being seated at least 20 minutes.
Food: The New Zealand Venison was spectacular! Folks liked the Salmon and coq au vin. My bouillabaisse smelled like urine and did not taste good at all, plus I had to empty the bread basket for all my shells and chitinous remains. Providing a refuse bowl with their bouillabaisse did not cross their minds, nor did providing a spoon.
Wait. Did I say urine? really. Why yes, I said urine. That is not a good descriptor.
Desserts came, but not to our half of the table. Our half was not even given a dessert menu or checked in with when the rest of the table ordered. We asked for a dessert anyway, long after the others had theirs. It never came. The table was sitting round, waiting for checks, so we gave up on the dessert and waited too. Finally, after our cards were gone long enough for our party to fund a new fishing boat for some guy named Juan in the Caribbean, we paid the bill.($ 167 for 2 of us) — THE TIP WAS ADDED– 20% for a party of ten! This was not mentioned to us, and a tip line was still present in case we didn’t notice. Sorta poor form.
This was not a good experience.
Good wine list. Some good dishes…
To recap: URINE. No deserts, 20% gratuity added for lousy ass service. Hmm. Me thinks not so much.
Love, Alice

We were excited to have a new French place in the West Wash Park neighborhood, and it didn’t disappoint overall. Very cool feeling inside — décor is fairly minimal but very cozy and nice focus on lighting. Menu is small but has something for everyone. I had the very cool creamy french onion soup (one of best soups I have had anywhere) and the flatiron steak. My wife had great salad, but a very poor Bouillabaisse (the only reason this isn’t 5-​stars) — I would recommend avoiding it. Didn’t seem to be fresh and they overcompensate by making the portion huge. Desset (pot du crème) was fantastic and great way to end. No dedicated parking so be prepared to street parking and a short walk if you can’t snag one of the spots out front.

What a pleasant dinner. Met a friend at the bar before catching a movie nearby. We had the coq au vin and the beef cheeks. Both dishes were expertly prepared and delicious. A short but well chosen wine list worked just fine. Don’t miss the beignets for dessert. The chef owner Mark is affable and made us feel welcome. I look forward to returning!

I’m fairly fussy so with that in mind giving 5 stars is a big deal. This charming French restaurant had it all… great service, lovely and peaceful ambiance and most importantly terrific food. The wine list is small but good with fine reasonably priced wines by the glass. I’m looking forward to going back soon!

The food was 5 star, the energy was 4 stars but we had a great two hour meal with good wine and very well seasoned and presented chicken with mushroom potatoes and one of the best crusted salmon plates I’ve seen; a hearty portion of lamb and this French restaurant was well within the budget for a nice dinner with friends.

This is a difficult review for me because there were some very positive things about our dinner and a number that were not.
Positives:
— Some of the dishes were stellar. My goat cheese tart and his creamy French onion soup were sublime — I’d come back for either but they were both very rich and perhaps the portions were too large for starters. Also — all of the starters were in double digits — even a basic salad was over $ 10. Might want to scale back on portions a bit so people have room for dinner.
— Our waiter was very nice and gracious when I sent back a really horrible cocktail — smokey Mule of some sort — ick. He also brought tiny tastings of the wines we ordered to make sure we were OK with them. Pours were generous after that. I think this might be our waiter’s first fine dining gig — wanted us to order our dinners before cocktails arrived — um — could we have a moment with our drinks and the menu please?
— Honestly, the food, though very French and way too rich for most of the Wash Park runners, was darned good overall. The panko crusted salmon for me and the duck for him both were well executed but had some issues — more to follow. Overall though you can tell there is real talent in the kitchen.
Negatives:
— This is a French restaurant and you serve the baguette (steamed — wrong) and with an olive oil accompaniment — where’s the butter and the crisp baguette? FAIL. I get not having the time/​space to bake your bread in-​house but there are so many great artisanal bakeries in town now — need to step it up.
— The location is horrible — parking is bad and my view all evening was of the gas station across the street. Not in any way a positive, especially at these prices.
— The owners (especially the woman) were not welcoming in any way. She appeared more outgoing to the blue haired straight folks who dominated the crowd tonight but not by much. They really need someone with a personality at the front door.
— Downside on the food. His duck had some sort of watermelon sauce and it was really over the top too sweet. I loved my salmon but it was perched on top of the most under seasoned tasteless lentils known to man.

— The zucchini garnish on both entrées was very bland and uninteresting.
It is very expensive for the neighborhood. You could easily blow through $ 100 a head if you ordered a bottle of wine and dessert — we netted out at $ 145 with just two courses and a couple of glasses of wine. I’d say it’s not a good value at the moment but they are still getting their feet wet.
I really want to hire the chef, fire his wife and move him to a much better location. But, then, what do I know? I do know that I’m not in a huge rush to return.

Very collective wine selection great prices.
Service was extremely knowledgable and personable. Very quiet relaxing setting. Be ready to be ip close and personal. It’s a very quaint atmosphere. Great for a date night.

Wonderful food and perfect service in a little neighborhood spot. The creamy French Onion soup is nothing like the traditional version — but so flavorful and amazing that I will order it every time. Seared scallop appetizer was also exquisite. The short rib entrée tasted like it was straight out of Paris (and I spent a week in Paris in May!). Prices are reasonable and I hope to return every week!

My husband and I went to dinner here last night to celebrate a special occasion. I normally don’t write Unilocal reviews but this place is excellent and I want to spread the word. Great ambience and friendly staff. Oh and the beet salad is delicious. Overall this place is top notch, I’d highly recommend!

Living in the neighborhood, we have been waiting for Café Marmotte to open. We are thrilled to say we walked in tonight and it was as good as we had hoped it would be! It is totally lovely, with the feel of a charming French bistro! Very small but a lovely menu. The staff was professional and very friendly. The chef gave us a free dessert (berry crumble with vanilla ice cream– YUM!) and everything we had was great. Others in the restaurant all seemed to enjoy their meals and promised to return. A welcome addition to the area!

We are so pleased to have this Telluride gem located in the Wash Park neighborhood. The atmosphere is quaint and cozy, the food and service were superb. We had four different entrees and each was delicious. Love the «take» on the French onion soup. A creamed onion soup instead if the more typical onion with broth and cheese. There was a nice selection of well priced cocktails and wine. Our waiter, Anthony, was attentive but gave us privacy to visit with our dinner companions without feeling rushed.
Great food, great service, and lovely atmosphere. We plan to go back often.

We were pleasantly surprised!
The cocktails were good. We ordered the tuna carpaccio and goat cheese tart as appetizers. Both were delicious and portions were generous. The lamb shank was to die for and venison loin was very tender. The table next to us ordered the halibut and it looked amazing. For dessert we had the Rocky Mountain Crumble. It was a little soupy but still good. We will definitely be back.