Solo Dining in Denver near Convention Center

[gtchow]

i will be in denver in a few weeks for a conference, staying at the hyatt regency convention center by myself. i'm looking for delicious places to dine, preferably places where i will feel fairly comfortable as a solo diner (although if the place is a must-not-miss, i have to say, i don't really care if people think i'm weird for dining alone!). so far, i am thinking of aix, fruition, and duo. i'm from san francisco and so pretty used to having fantastic food. not looking for any particular food, although not as interested in tex-mex or asian. i know there have been a lot of other posts on dining in denver lately, but i'm not sure where cherry creak, etc are relative to the convention center--if possible, since i won't have a car, i'd prefer restaurants that are within walking distance or a quick cab ride from the hotel!

thanks so much in advance for any tips!

[Mutt]

I travel a lot and eat solo all the time. No big deal. The convention center is downtown. Downtown is a free bus ride and/or easy walk to Larimer Square and LoDo where you have many choices, in no particular pecking order, such as:

Rioja
Bistro Vendomme
Vesta Dipping Grill (top of the rec list)
Tamayo
Panzano
Flying Dog Brewery.
Stranahan's Distillery

Good luck. Unlike San Francisco, the restaurants don't prepare handy take home packages of leftovers complete with napkins and plastic utensils so you can hand them out to the the local transient crowd. I remember leaving a Vietnamese restaurant near Union Square with such a package and trying to give it to one of the horde of your local bums. I was queried about the type of food and it was the third try before someone "graciously" took it off my hands!

[misohungrychewlow]

rotflmao!!! chowhound bums, or perhaps "chums" ... wonder what the street people in Paris or Lyons would refuse to eat ...

[gtchow]

Thx so much for the tips! Quick question though--do you have any opinions on Aix, Fruition, or Duo? Or are they not on your list b/c they're not close to downtown/larimer square/LoDo?

Thx again!

[Mutt]

Aix is great but very small. A reservation is a necessity depending upon when you are going. It's a very short cab ride from downtown or a long, but, not terrible walk. I haven't been to Fruition or Duo so can't tell you anything about them.

[ColoradoFun]

I have not been to Fruition either although it has gotten great reviews on this board at least one local paper.

I have been to Duo 3-4 times and found the food to be very good and a fantastic place to eat in general. I believe the menu changes on a regular basis so hard to make recommendations although I believe I had a lamb dish last time that was some of the best I have had. It is about a 10 minute cab ride away. They also have a small bar with food service if you would be more comfortable. Make sure you have dessert!

[Megiac]

I have been to Fruition twich and it is really terrific. If you're willing to take a 10 minute cab-ride for dinner, I'd definitely recommend it.