Check, Please!

Q:Perusing French-restaurant possibilities in a recent issue of Westword, I was very dismayed not to find The Savoy, at 535 Third Street in Berthoud, on your list. As a French-born Denverite, I consider the Savoy the most authentic -- and certainly the best -- French restaurant in the area. It offers exquisite cuisine at very fair prices and an incomparable French country atmosphere, as well as some of the best and most gracious service in the area. It absolutely ought to be included in a knowledgeable list, and I hope it will occupy its rightful place in future selections.

A:Now wait just a minute: Not only am I well aware of the Savoy, I've given it several Best French Restaurant awards over the years -- despite the fact that Berthoud is many miles from Denver. Those miles also help explain the Savoy's occasional disappearance from our paper's listings section: Restaurants are grouped geographically, not by cuisine type, and when space is tight, restaurants far from town are the first to go. The Web knows no such space limitations, however, and you'll always find the Savoy in our Cafe listings at www.westword.com.; you can check out past Best of Denver picks at the same address.

All that said, let me assure you that I continue to think the Savoy is one of the best French restaurants in not just Colorado, but the country. Husband-and-wife owners Jean and Chantal Martini (he does the cooking; she runs the front of the house as if it were her home) have managed to replicate a ProvenÇal inn in one of the most unlikely areas imaginable (the eatery sits next to a hardware store). It's well worth the 45-minute drive from Denver.