A Cote Bar a Absinthe

Amazing cocktails, atmosphere and service. Our server was fantastic — she double checked with the bartender when I asked about the sweetness of various cocktails, and recommended I go with the Corpse Reviver. Spot on! Not sweet at all (which I love), and tasted of citrusy gin deliciousness. Even more impressive: my husband wasn’t overly fond of his Beez Knees (I think it was called) b/​c it was pretty sweet, and she graciously offered to replace his drink on the house. This place knows cocktails, and wants to make sure you enjoy yours.
It’s a lovely French bistro bar, with Pre-​prohibition era charm. It was pretty empty for a Saturday night, which suited us just fine and provided a great spot to talk and enjoy Absinthe-​fueled cocktails. The old-​timey Brigitte Bardot movies projected on the wall and laid back music were a nice touch too.
I’d love to come back and sample from their Absinthe menu. With plenty of street parking and easy come-​and-​go vibe, there’s no reason not to!

Love this place, second time in and gorgeous meal. Wife and I out for supper on a Friday night, seat at the bar, plenty of room and could survey the whole joint from our perch. Started with the anchovies, freaking phenomenal, buttery, smoky and delicious served with crunchy toasts, butter, tapenade and some pickled veg. Yum. Wife had salad chevre chaud, which was perfect size and delicious with great fresh greens and goat’s cheese toast. Supper was limited since Z is gone for now but the Beef has never dissapointed, perfect Burgundian masterpiece of cow. Had with a glass of Nevermore pinot from Gothic out of Oregon and it was perfect. Will return.

Having just moved to the neighborhood, I went to check out this adorable little bistro for happy hour last week.
The place was very quiet as it was only 4:30 and there was a huge storm outside; but it gave me a chance to get to know Bob behind the bar, as well as chat with the servers and new manager. The service was excellent and it was a really great experience. Contrary to my original plan, I ended up parking at the bar for a few hours for some wine and the beautiful cheese selection. The place started to fill up around 5:30 and the atmosphere was super friendly and neighborhoody. I highly recommend this little spot!

I love it. Just keep ordering wine by the bottle and convince yourself that absinthe is a good idea a few hours later. Order tons of food to keep you right and do it all again regularly.

This place is very nice, has a great ambience, and is indeed reminiscent of European cafes. We went to try absinthe for the first time, and the experience was great. The waitress was very kind and gave us a lot of options and guidance on the entire process. The only complaint that I have was that it appeared to be only the one waitress for every table, so it took a while (not her fault). There were other people there but they were only refilling water, which seemed a little weird.
Regardless. Great experience, even though the absinthe was a little pungent for my taste. Definitely recommended.

Never disappoints. I had the fondue on my last visit paired with an awesome Pinot Noir Rose. One of the best places in town for bang for $, atmosphere, quality of food and service. All around awesome.

Bangin’ food and awesome place! The place really took me back to Europe with it’s small stature and wonderful ambience. We sat only at the bar, it was crowded but that only added to the scene. We had no problem getting a seat at the bar though and the owner seems to be very attentive to everyone getting a bar seat. It is nice to see someone who still cares. If you’re in the area, go check it out and bring your French accent!
Do it! Do it!

The ambiance is definitely what earned this bar 4 stars. It’s cozy, detailed, and authentic feeling. This little piece of Paris is the perfect taste you need when you need a mini getaway. Reminds me of the many hill in the wall cafés that you can find throughout France. A definitely feel of exotic splendor can be found here.

It’s quickly becoming my go-​to, and I’m so happy about that. The waitstaff and barstaff are incredibly friendly. The drinks and wine selection are excellent, and it’s can be casual or upscale depending on what you make of it.
Some favorites are the tartine, french onion soup, and sardines. Yes yes and yes.
I look forward to this in my week!

One of my favorite spots in Denver. The whole atmosphere is great. From the the movies projected on the wall to the lighting, it feels like you are not in Denver at all. The cocktails are tasty. Be sure to try the absinthe even if just to see the presentation. The crème brûlée is some of the tastiest I’ve had and it’s my favorite dessert. Be prepared to spend some $$ because everything is that good you just keep ordering.

This might be my new favorite spot. Sitting in here and looking around I felt more like I was in Paris than in Denver. Someone posted that this was the «perfect sidewalk café experience»… it is the perfect café experience, period. All the windows were open on a perfect night, it was small and quaint with amazing character and personality. We came there for a drink of Absinthe and the bartender gave great recommendations, set everything up for us, and thoroughly went through the process since we have never experienced it. I guess my only surprise was how different each absinthe was from the other depending on the company. I opted for the French one over the Colorado absinthe but I cannot remember which one exactly (started with a «P» I think). However, it comes to personal preference b/​c others at the table didn’t like mine as much.
In any case, this is a hidden gem and I’m so happy I finally stopped by to see what it was all about!

What Cote does in food is diminished by the service of one arrogant bar tender who lacks the ability to service all that enter the establishment. I have visited the place on several occasions in hopes on Eli (bald guy behind the bar) not working. It is clear within your first minute into the bar if you are going to get the service expected in a place that is held with such high regards. If he is at the bar you are better off seeking a place that will treat you as a guest if you have not already established a relationship with him because he will only serve those who he feel he can profit from.

Perfect sidewalk café experience — the first warm spring night of the year, great ambience to look at inside, great service, and food to transport you to Paris. Extra special because it was a completely unplanned stop. We feel like we discovered a secret!
Ordered the Endives braisees au Jambon gratinées de maman (yes, I had to copy and paste that from their website…) and it was fantastic. Melted ham and cheese is a classic combo anyway, but add the slight bitterness of endive and a green salad and you get «wow!»
With summer coming, I foresee quite a few more evenings on the sidewalk with happy tastebuds!

One of the best burratas in town! Soft, cheesy, stab your dining partner in the hand for that last bite delicious.
The service is fantastic, everyone is attentive and incredibly sweet!
Also: learn from me. You do not need that fourth manhattan, as delicious and unassuming as it may seem, unless you definitely want to not remember going to three other bars in a 2 mile radius afterward. Le ouch.

Let me put it this way…
I love french food. I love cheese. I love cute, quaint surroundings.
Check, check, check.
the wine was the perfect temp, the service was impeccable and friendly, and when i took my first bite of the Z favorite Tartine gratinée Façon Madame… i felt like a little cheesy, hammy food angel landed in my mouth. I didn’t want anyone to talk to me. I just wanted to close my eyes and bask in the glory of this food.
My life will never be the same, and everything I eat now will taste like tree bark.

What a cute little place! We came here to start my husband’s birthday dinner. Come early and service is even better — personal really.
We started with the traditional absinthe and also another cocktail. Both were very good and the waitress did a decent job of explaining the water and sugar ratio. The selection of absinthe was nice and we enjoyed our choice. A bit high for a normal evening for us, but drink prices were on par with other nice bars in Denver.
I immediately placed a table request next door and they came to get us when it was ready. You do have to pay the tab here before moving over but you can take your glasses with you.

I imagine an afternoon in Paris must be something akin to A Cote Bar, Z Cuisine’s side derivative, more casual child (or wait area for one of the best eats in Denver next door).
We happened to make it to happy hour, where they gave us reasonably priced glasses of wine for $ 5. Paired with some of the most delicious fondue shared between three people, it was the complement to an early chill-​and-​drink evening.
While we weren’t here for the absinthe or décor, it was nice to know there was a reason for us to come back. Just get there early, don’t be a hardass, and enjoy some French cuisine that’ll surely keep you coming back for more.

In my dreams, visiting France would offer food like this…
After a fun afternoon downtown the BF wanted to surprise me for dinner and off we went. He wanted to surprise me with Z Cuisine, a place we have both been wanting to try for a very long time. Here’s the skinny on Z Cuisine, they don’t take reservations and they have a line before they open. So if you get there at 5:30 or 6:00 expect a 1.5 to 2 hour wait for a table. Their sister restaurant is A Cote Bar a Absinthe and is still French themed, same executive chef, slightly different menu, and more of a bar atmosphere. Since we were in the neighborhood and the host John for Z Cuisine spoke so highly of the sister restaurant we grabbed a table by the window at A Cote Bar a Absinthe. What a decision that was, off went one of the best French meals of my life.
We believe there were just two people running all the tables in the place (small but still a lot of work). We had the pleasure of chatting with both and having excellent service from each. The woman had some great recommendations and answered all our questions expertly and sounding as though she really loved this place. She recommended an excellent bottle of red for the evening, sorry I can’t remember the name but it was delicious to the last drop. We took a long hard look at the menu, everything sounding delicious, even the salads.
We finally decided on the Fromage (Cheese Plate). By far the best cheese plate I have ever had. I understand that the cheese selections change and if that’s true I want to come back all the time and have this every time, that’s how excellent it was. Three cheeses, this time, a really strong blue, a hard Parmesan, and a creamy Brie I think. The accoutrement’s were fresh honeycomb, sautéed sweet onions, olives, baby olives (the BF says these are rare), candies walnuts, and some sort of fruit medley. It comes with fresh bread served in a paper bag, feels like a old school French bistro, I loved it. The honeycomb paired perfectly with all the cheeses, especially the blue counteracting the assertive taste and making each bite delectable. We raved about this cheese plate for hours, the best we’ve ever had and we even recommended it to the table next to us.
Next up we decided to share the Salted Cod entrée. This was shredded salted Cod mixed with mashed potato’s, served in a little cast iron container topped with an over easy egg (please see the picture — oh my). A side of peppery arugula dressed with a hint of lemon and olive oil to help with the saltiness of the fish. This was out of the this world, home-​run, shooting star great. At first you might think too salty but that’s why you have the French bread to dip and the arugula for. We finished every last bite of this and used the bread to scrape the edges. This was a very filling entrée, and we were so happy we didn’t order a second one as this one left us making our belt one notch bigger to allow room. If you think this stopped us from ordering dessert you are sorely mistaken, there is always room for dessert.
We talked to our waiter who used to work for Barolo (our favorite Crème Brulee place) and asked him how they compared. We loved the Crème Brulee at Barolo and did not want to be disappointed. He assured us that they used only the finest of ingredients and that theirs was way better. With that, we ordered the Crème Brulee, an after dinner drink and some coffee (served in a mini French press with real cream and sugar). Crème Brulee arrived with a think sugar crust and looked perfectly browned. I was the first to crack the crust and take a bite and was in bliss with the first bite, and the second, and the third. I’m pretty sure I left some for the BF but it’s hard to remember since I was having an ecstasy moment with my dessert. We both agreed that without the sugary crust, what most people consider to be the best part, the custard was better than Barolo and was the best Crème Brulee we have had to date.
The décor is what I hope real French Bistro’s in France look like. Photo’s on the wall, an old black and white French movie being projected on the wall with the most delicious French food. Makes me want to come back and try the rest of the menu, no matter how long it takes and also visit Z Cuisine ASAP.
Take my word for it, just do it and you won’t be sorry. I just found the best kept secret in the Highlands, shh.

If you do not have the time nor patience to wait the often horribly long wait at Z Cuisine, go next door and know that you will get the same exceptional service, food and experience at A Cote Bar.
Despite the fact that most think of A Cote Bar a Absinthe as just a bar with a small menu, it is so much more than that. Not wanting to wait two hours for a table at Z Cuisine, we decided to take a look at the modified menu next door. We told the staff that we needed a table for three and waited outside.
About 20 minutes later, and despite a lot of people going inside and waiting to poach a table, the staff came and found us and got us into our table. They had remembered we were waiting and fought other patrons off of the table to save it for us. We were immediately served our bottle of wine and dinner was on our table in less than 45 minutes.
Although a smaller menu than Z Cuisine, we had just as incredible a meal at A Cote Bar. All three of us had the Boeuf Bourguignon: Colorado grass fed beef flat iron marinated and slow baked in a roasted spices, merlot wine, roasted beef marrow & oxtail broth slow braised with root vegetables on a bed of onions and topped with yukon gold pommes purée & aged parmesan — every bite was heaven.
The Bol de moules Bouchot à la Z: Ingrid’s seafood Bouchot mussels sauteed in fresh fennel, leeks, persillade, white wine, brunoise tomato, orange zest, butter & lightly flambeed in Absinthe. Served with grilled boule crostinis — were to die for. They even brought gluten free bread and it was a great accompaniment.
And never to turn away a crème brûlée, this one stood up to the test, and I will be back for another soon!

This is not your regular highlands hang out. There are no lines out the door, there are no over-​purfumed, stink-​eye giving, short-​dress wearing, self-​involved women fighting for spots at the bar.
A cote is a genuine Parisian absinthe bar and bistro, and it truly has the feel of a neighborhood bar in Paris. It’s small, but well appointed, with handmade chandeliers, large mirrors, and unique art. It feels cozy and intimate, but at the same time, quite lively, especially on weekend nights. It’s the kind of place where you don’t know everyone, but you feel like you could with very little effort. People are friendly, and unusually gregarious for that part of town.
There is always some old bizarre french film projected onto the wall, that at the very least will make you go «eh!?,» and at the very most will make you wonder if you’ve had one too many wormwood-​laden green fairy happy drinks.
They have an extensive list of absinthes, and Warren, my favorite waiter, who just so happens to rock my socks all the way off, will find something off the list you love, even if you’re not a fan of fennel.
If absinthe isn’t quite your speed, they have an impressive wine list, and if nothing else, you must try one of their fantastic Parisian desserts. I, myself, have never escaped A Cote after any less than two absinthes, and at least one pot de crème or crêpe. The banana nutella crêpe is particularly amazing.
This place will become an instant favorite, I promise. Unless you’re lame, and don’t like awesome. Or crepes. In that case, I don’t promise anything.