The Larimer (Not So) Hot House Sunday Brunch

My wife texted me the other day after heading downtown to work to let me know of a new restaurant just south of our neighbhorhood on Larimer--The Larimer Hot House. It was a new joint in the building formerly home of Espo's Gelato.

Readers of this blog know that I am all about local, independent businesses and try my best to support them whenever possible. That can mean discovering some really great places (Walnut Room, Curtis Park Creamery, etc.) and some real stinkers (Casselman's--Where I was assaulted on grand opening night--Or the several gas-station barbecue joints on Bruce Randolph, etc.).

This place looked very encouraging. The name and a stylish logo (with flames) suggested spicy food (which is my passion), or at least grilled or smoked meats.

I immediately went to their website and was surprised to find that it was just a sandwich and breakfast joint--Nothing spicy, and nothing that I could find relevant to the name "hothouse". Perhaps they don't have air conditioning?

Their sandwiches looked interesting enough, though they're going to have a hard time beating Walnut Room's, which I think are the best in town. But we also were excited to see that they had Sunday Brunch.

My wife especially is a big fan of brunch--Though I'm not quite sure why, as they consistently seem to disappoint, or be mediocre at best. I'd just as soon go eat Mexican, but that's me. We definitely used to enjoy the second generation brunch at Kiva, where they had some really interesting and tasty items on the menu. But of course, Kiva is gone.

The brunch was listed on their website to include: "Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browned Potatoes, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Breakfast Sausage, Sliced Fruit Assortment, Bagels & Cream Cheese, Refried Beans, Jalapeno Black Beans, Warm Tortillas, White Corn Tortilla Chips, Vegetarian Green Chili, Pork Green Chili, and Fresh Salsas". Sounded interesting to me, once again, because of my love of spicy and tasty fresh Mexican-style food.

From the website, we were already a bit bummed that they didn't offer my wife's requisite brunch beverage, mimosas. But, I thought, on the bright side perhaps limiting ourselves to the orange juice and agua frescas would lead to a more productive Sunday (and a cheaper bill!).

So we ventured out today to try the Larimer Hot House's brunch. We drove up to the place and noticed no other cars there--A bit concerning, but I know they are new and we should give them a chance, even if we were the only ones there. Walking in, we were greeted at the door by Jen Reyna, one of the partners. She was friendly, and escorted us to the tidy, if plain patio to the North of the building. She explained their brunch menu, and took our drink order. There was one other party in the rather vast dining room--A couple with two boys fueling up before heading to the Rockies game.

We headed up to the brunch, only to be instantly disappointed. When I read a brunch menu, I typically think what they list on the buffet is just a sample of what they have--In this case, what the Hothouse had out was in fact FEWER selections than they mentioned on the website. No tortilla chips, no bagels, and the "fresh fruit assortment" was a single small bowl of mixed fruit. Nothing else to be found.

Instantly I heard the sound effect from SNL's Debbie Downer, as I knew we were in for a profoundly disappointing meal for the $13 each (plus beverages!) we were about to pay.

Tamales, Chilaquiles, some more fruit selections, ANYTHING would have been a nice addition. But as my Mom always said, "Eso si que es". (It is what it is.) I thought perhaps the quality of the food items that were there would make up for the limited selection, so I dove in to make myself two breakfast tacos...

The "warm tortillas" came right out of a bag, and were mediocre. The scrambled eggs had a bluish hue to them that was a bit alarming, and they tasted bland. The "jalapeno black beans" tasted like they were from a can. The refried beans, according to my wife, were "clearly not from a can, as beans from a can taste better". Ouch. The two kinds of green chili (vegetarian and pork) were better than the creamy orange goo that passes for green chili at most places in Denver, but wasn't on par with the premier green chilis in Denver (think Jack And Grill, or Blake Street Tavern on Thursdays). The bacon and sausages were your standard breakfast buffet fare. And finally, the "fresh salsas" consisted of two choices--A bland roasted tomato salsa, and a marginally tastier tomatillo salsa. Neither particularly good (though they clearly were home-made) and neither were remotely spicy.

After choking down my unremarkable breakfast tacos, I gave a second look at the bottles of Tapatio on the tables--Perhaps they were there to add some discernable flavor to the meal.

So we paid a total of $28.11 (would have been three dollars more except Jen comp'd my wife's agua fresca for some reason) for what amounted to the free breakfast buffet you get at many mid-range business hotels. Needless to say we were very disappointed. Underwhelmed? Yes. Feel a bit ripped off? In honesty, yes. And while Jen thanked us for coming in, she never asked "how was everything." I am always uncomfortable complaining, but I would have appreciated that question so I could simply tell her "Quite honestly, we were really disappointed." We didn't need our meals comp'd or whatever, but I think she needs to hear some feedback early on that can perhaps help them succeed. Because I would like nothing less than for them to figure things out and become a viable business in the area.

I can't help but compare the experience I had here with one I had on Friday with another local joint--This time Large Marge's Cheesesteaks in Lakewood. Their website isn't much to look at, nor is their simple, take-out and casual dining room, but their staff was super-friendly, the food exceptional, and the value was good too. This is the kind of place we need in North Denver. Not another over-priced, poorly-executed sit-down dining restaurant. Oh, so yes, be sure to check out Large Marge's in Lakewood if you like a good cheesesteak from time to time.

We won't be back to the Larimer Hothouse for brunch, though we likely will give their lunchtime sandwiches a try sometime. Hopefully they're far better than their first attempt at brunch. Otherwise, it won't be long before I'll be potentially writing about yet another business at 2810 Larimer, where the Hothouse used to be.

So in summary, the verdict is still out on the new Larimer Hothouse Restaurant. But for brunch, don't bother.