After our crazy trip around the state of Colorado, our plans for the last day of our mini vacation were pretty simple. We wanted to stop in Aspen just to see what was there. We wanted to stop in Blackhawk and spend a few hours in the casino area. We wanted to drive back to Denver and have dinner at our favorite restaurant...Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. However...the way this trip was starting to go...we weren't sure what to expect next!
Aspen
When we woke up the next morning, we discovered that Glenwood Springs had somehow missed the mass quantities of snow that much of the state had received. However, Aspen had! Since we had decided that we really want to make a trip back to see Black Canyon of the Gunnison when it's not in the middle of a Blizzard, we also decided to put the Aspen stop on hold also. We had dinner reservations for 7:00 PM and any delay with road conditions could have caused everything to be thrown off so better to be safe than sorry.
Blackhawk
While the morning started with a little disappointment in not being able to get to Aspen, we had a beautiful trip across I-70 through the ski areas. The snow was heavy and beautiful on the tree branches and the sun had come out making this an awesome sight. The trip to Blackhawk was pretty uneventful except for a few areas where roadways were a bit snow covered still. Travel time was about 2 1/2 hours. 
Once we arrived in Blackhawk we headed to Isle Casino, played a few slots (nothing really was paying so we didn't play long!) and grabbed lunch at Calypso's Buffet. We had been to Blackhawk a few times before and nothing much has changed. This is an old mining town (pop. 118 in the 2010 census) that has been converted to a casino town. Many of the casinos are smaller and are housed in the restored historical buildings. Even if you don't like to gamble much, it's fun just to see the town!
After an average lunch, we decided to head out towards Denver and our hotel. Again, the Cavaliers were in the playoffs and we really wanted to get checked into our hotel before the game!!
Embassy Suites Denver International Airport
This is one of our "go to" hotels in the Denver area. We have stayed there many times and have always found the employees to be very friendly and the rooms clean and comfortable. This time was no different. The nice thing about staying at this particular Embassy Suites is they have a wonderful shuttle to the Airport. Most of our Colorado trips are tied to a business trip that my husband is making. His business is out of Colorado Springs so he either has to drop me off at the airport very early OR we can stay at the Embassy Suites and he can leave for Colorado Springs and I can take the shuttle to the airport. I much prefer the latter option! The shuttle is always on time and the hotel employees are very friendly and helpful with baggage. If you need a place to stay near the airport I would highly recommend this hotel!
We arrived at the hotel a little early but were delighted to find that our room was ready for us. We were able to get situated in our room just in time for the second half of the game! It also gave us plenty of time to get ready for our much anticipated dinner at Ruth's Chris!
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Denver
Anyone who has read my blogs or knows me well, knows that Ruth's Chris is our favorite way to start or end a trip (or anywhere in between!) We love the restaurant and have had wonderful dinners there for many special occasions. Many years ago Denver had a Ruth's Chris and we went to it (of course we did!) It was ok but one of my least favorite locations. They then shut it down and haven't had one for a few years. When I looked at the area again, I noticed that they had opened another location near the first one but in a slightly different area. Yippee! We were excited about having the opportunity to visit this one and booked two months in advance of our trip!
Well......when we booked we didn't realize that our reservation was for Mother's Day. We were very happy that we had made our reservation so far in advance once we realized that. We got all dressed up and were excited to head to our dinner. After rainy, snowy weather and lots of Subway and quick dinners, we were ready to taste a great steak! We arrived about 10 minutes early for our reservation and were surprised that there was only one other couple waiting for a table. A hostess directed that couple one way and sent us in another. Turns out we were seated in the bar area. Ok....not exactly feeling comfortable being the only person in a dress in this area. In fact everyone else was dressed for a bar except us. We had never been to this location before so we figured this must be the seating area. (Turns out there was a very nice dining room the other direction!) Well needless to say this didn't start out to be a great experience and unfortunately it only went downhill from there!
Our service was terrible. Very slow (and it really wasn't crowded) service and our server seemed very distracted. When our food finally arrived our steaks were overcooked and didn't even look like the filet that we had ordered. After sending it back, the second one was slightly better than the first but still not the quality that we have come to expect.
When we finally got to dessert....they informed us that they do not serve their cheesecake with berries at this location. What? That's definitely a classic dessert and one that is served in all other Ruth's Chris Locations.
Anyway...this location certainly wasn't up to the normal Ruth's Chris high standards and certainly did not meet ours. I will say that I did send a complaint to Ruth's Chris and did receive a call from the manager who did reimburse part of our meal with a gift card for a future visit. However, I still think he was convinced that we were upset about the seating rather than the quality of food and the service. I really wouldn't have cared where I sat as long as the food was good!!
I would NOT recommend this location of Ruth's Chris. Our last 3 of 4 experiences at different locations have been disappointing. I am hoping that this is not an overall decline of quality at all Ruth's Chris locations. Stay tuned...we have one booked for our next trip!
Final Thoughts
So overall, this was a tale of two vacations in a way. The first half was really great. We saw some amazing sights at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Mesa Verde National Park as well as downtown Durango and the Four Corners Monument. Once the weather turned bad, it really had an effect on what we were able to accomplish and it seemed as though the last half was rather disappointing. Just keep in mind when you are planning vacations that are weather dependent that you have to be really flexible. Things can change in a heartbeat!
No comments:
Post a Comment