L'Absinthe

Maurice has done a fine job at bringing a new French restaurant to Boulder. We have not eaten dinner yet at L'Absinthe, but have enjoyed his "Happy Hour" specials. The gin martinis are best we have found yet in Boulder. Nicely chilled glasses with minimal "water" in the drink. The HH food, particularly the mussels was fantastic. The location is unfortunate if you want to sit outside. The noise generated by the continual RTD bus traffic ruins the experience. Try Maurice's other two restaurants in Snowmass Village. more

9/12/05 I recently, last Friday, took my wife & daughter to L'Absinthe to celebrate my daughter's 22nd. We each had differnet tastes that evening, from chicken & filet, to halibut. Each was Excellent! The ladies had simples but exquisite salids while I tried the French onion soup. The best I've had in this region. The service left nothing to be desired. I must mention "Ricardo" at the piano gave the evening a feeling of old New York - with a hint of gay Paris from when I was a youth. We were not disapponted & we will return. more

I ate here when the restaurant first opened. I understand now that the aesthetics are the only thing of value to this restaurant. The food was bland and the service was appalling. Le Central in Denver is much better. Everything looked tasty and presentation was good, but flavor was lacking and service was poor. I spoke to a server who said that the management was very poor there and that generally, the waitstaff was treated like "domestics." Our waitress made a mistake with our order. When we asked for something else, she complied and brought a new dish. However, in the kitchen I could see her manager yelling at her until tears fell from her eyes. He told her how the extra dish was to come out of her own paycheck. When we asked to speak to the manager he came out and did not offer any kind of compensation or comment of relief. He only pointed towards the waitress and said, "It was her fault," and then walked away. Unbelievable. What kind of accountability is that when you are running the restaurant? Our waitress had red, teary eyes throughout the meal. Absolutely horrible dining experience. more

Boulder's got a few great new restaurants. L'Absinthe is at the top of the list - right up there with The Kitchen. It's the only real contemporary French restaurant in town (Brasserie 1010 is French Bistro - but the food isn't as serious.) The food was fantastic - light yet complex. Ricardo - the owner - acted as host and was very attentive to us. We had a fourth show up late after dinner had been served - she didn't order, but they offered her a free filet which was "extra" and delivered it promptly. The service was top notch, even though it was very busy (it was a beautiful night - everyone came out to play.) We'll definitely be back. more