Eight o'clock is Denver's true rush hour. Nevermind the drive home. On evenings when the symphony is playing, the Rockies are at home, a concert's on at the Pepsi Center, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts is in full swing, both the highways and the restaurants are packed.

That's why I book a table at Bistro Vendôme. Just minutes from nearly every major venue in town, this French restaurant's location is an obvious draw, but it's the impeccable service that keeps me coming back. Seamless valet service on Larimer Street immediately takes the edge off a stressful commute. And once inside Bistro Vendôme, the competent servers double-team tables, using every available server to deliver dishes as soon as they come up.

As a result, guests can relax and enjoy dishes like steak tartare or the delicate blueberry-lavender Napoleon. On one especially busy night, a server ushered us to a shortcut through the back gate to help us make our curtain call.

1420 Larimer St., 303-825-3232