Apple Blossom Announces the End of Its Run at Hyatt Centric Downtown

Apple Blossom is one of several restaurants participating in a fundraiser for the Angel Relief Fund. Molly Martin

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1",
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "rectangle",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet|mobile"
            }
          ]
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25,
          
          "watchElement": ".fdn-content-body",
          "astAdList": [
            {
              "adType": "leaderboardInlineContent",
              "displayTargets": "desktop|tablet"
            },{
              "adType": "tower",
              "displayTargets": "mobile"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]

Denver is losing one of its best locally operated hotel eateries: Apple Blossom, which debuted two years ago inside the Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver, just announced that its last day of service will be Friday, December 8.

For eight years, chef Paul C. Reilly and his sister, front-of-house maestra Aileen Reilly, operated the beloved Beast + Bottle in the Uptown neighborhood; it was known for its whole-animal butchery program and farm-to-table fare. But after the building housing the restaurant was sold (it has since been torn down), Beast + Bottle was forced to close its doors in June 2021. On its final night of service, though, a new opportunity was finalized.

As the Reillys printed menus for Beast + Bottle's final meal, they also signed the paperwork for Apple Blossom. "Aileen and I were sitting there like, 'Okay, this is kind of fucking weird.' Like, we almost have to go with serendipity. A door is closing, another's opening," Paul told Westword when the hotel eatery launched inside the Hyatt Centric in December 2021.

click to enlarge

Paul C. Reilly's fried chicken was the star of the terrace serivce at Apple Blossom this summer.

Linnea Covington

While Apple Blossom carried on the ethos of the small and intimate Beast + Bottle, it was a totally different animal — with a much larger dining room and a clientele made up mostly of tourists at a time when tourism was still bouncing back. Being in a hotel also meant that the team had to operate an all-day restaurant with breakfast, lunch and dinner available, as well as catering and room service.

This summer, Apple Blossom also launched rooftop service, dishing up bubbly and buckets of fried chicken on the 15th floor terrace.

Now, someone else will take over the spot. "The Beast + Bottle group is working with the Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver team to pass on the beautiful restaurant space to hotel operators, who will transition it to a new, more casual dining concept for hotel guests (unaffiliated with the Beast + Bottle Group)," reads the announcement that was posted on social media on December 5.

Thankfully, Denver diners can still get a taste of Paul and Aileen's culinary chops and hospitality at their Italian eatery, Coperta (400 East 20th Avenue), which just landed on our most recent list of the 100 restaurants we can't live without.  Along with serving Roman-inspired fare on its regular menu, it has hosted a series of Little Italy nights, with offerings that pay homage to Italian American classics like chicken Parmesan, garlic bread, fried mozzarella and stuffed shells. The next one will take place in January, and it's well worth keeping an eye out for.

For Christmas, Coperta is serving up its take on the traditional feast of the seven fishes. Reservations are available December 22-24, and the meal is $75 per person.

For updates from the Beast + Bottle group, follow it on Instagram @beastbottlegroup.