Aurora is finally getting its due as one of the Denver area’s best culinary pockets, and The Benson Hotel and Faculty Club is handing guests the map. With its Foodie Paradise Package, the Anschutz-adjacent boutique hotel transforms a polished place to stay into a launchpad for the city’s wildly global dining scene. The package pairs an overnight escape with a hand-drawn culinary map by local artist Scorpio Steel, a keepsake Benson bento box, and a reason to wander from Havana Street’s family-owned gems to award-winning kitchens. The experience begins at The Common Good, The Benson’s on-site restaurant, where Colorado ingredients and locally rooted hospitality set the tone. From there, the city opens up one bite at a time. “Our hope is that guests leave seeing Aurora the way we do, as one of Colorado’s great food cities, hiding in plain sight,” says Nicole Isenberg, director of sales.
Consider this your invitation. Aurora’s ready to feed you.
One of the must-see stops on the Foodie Paradise map is Annette, a restaurant located just east of the Benson Hotel. Owner and chef Caroline Glover, a James Beard Award winner, has built her classic dishes and seasonal plates around one guiding principle: scratch to table. Every dish is made in-house, from scratch.
“I hope that guests leave Annette with an appreciation of what can happen when you source good ingredients from good farmers and cook them in a way that draws out their best qualities,” Caroline explained. “A great dining experience is more than the sum of its parts—the food, the wine, the service, the music, the company. Restaurants are about enjoying food, but more importantly they’re about spending time with people you love. ”
The menu itself reflects this, as Annette’s plates change depending on what is in-season. For the summer, their highlights include tahini-grilled carrots with chickpeas and mint, as well as orecchiette pasta with snap peas, arugula, and ricotta salata cheese. These plates mirror Caroline’s motto, showing diners exactly what’s ripe for the season.
In addition to their diverse and changing menu, the environment of the restaurant is warm and intimate, the kind of place that feels like you’re dining in someone’s home, cultivated by Annette’s emphasis on courtesy and kindness. “Hospitality is what we’ve been striving for since day one,” Caroline shared. “We try to hire nice people who actually care whether guests have a good time, and then teach them whatever else they need to know.”
For Caroline, her employees, and those dining at the restaurant, Annette is more than just a meal. It is a welcoming experience, a look into the seasonal beauties of Colorado, and a can’t-miss stop on the Foodie Paradise map.
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