Feast on Fried Chicken and Bubbly on the Rooftop at Apple Blossom

Denver's fried chicken scene is nothing to squawk at, and chef Paul C. Reilly is serving up a seriously juicy bird at Apple Blossom, his restaurant inside the Hyatt Centric hotel at 822 18th Street.

"The fried chicken was something I have made as family meal, kind of a farewell, bon voyage family meal, that we would joke about adding to the menu," says Reilly. "All of a sudden, when brainstorming some new dishes for the menu revamp, it came up again and I said, 'Let's do it!'"

Earlier this year, the dish made it onto the regular menu at Apple Blossom, served as a half bird with two sides. But now you can enjoy a whole bird bucket of the chef's signature fried chicken on the hotel's fifteenth-floor roof deck.  "That terrace has been there since we opened, and we wanted to do something with it," says Reilly. "It's a little overdue, maybe, but we thought we would do something that was approachable and desirable and have fun at the same time."

The bucket of fried chicken is part of a special extension of the restaurant's menu, which also includes a handful of housemade sauces, French fries, fried mushrooms, crudités, caviar with potato chips, and fresh oysters. In other words, it's all about "fried stuff, finger foods and fizzies," as the restaurant is billing it. Overall, adds Reilly, the Rooftop at Apple Blossom is meant to be playful and relaxed, with casual food and drinks served al fresco. The idea for doing a bucket of chicken à la KFC was an ideal fit for the concept of whimsy and summer shenanigans.

"The letter 'F' theme, it wasn't intentional; we just knew we wanted fried stuff and finger foods. Then we looked at the beverages, and JP [Taylor, Jr., co-owner and beverage director] came up with the fizzies, and then frozen with the cocktails," says Reilly. Guests on the rooftop can also order a frozen triple choco-taco. "It became this organic thing that was fun."  To make the signature chicken dish, Reilly's team brines the bird for four hours in a liquid heavy with lemon, onion and tarragon. Next, the meat gets a coating of lightly seasoned flour. A buttermilk bath is the third step, followed by another coating of flour before it's fried. The result is a super crispy, juicy and flavorful dish.

While fried chicken can be had both upstairs and in the main dining room, the menu on the terrace remains unique in both setting and ambience. Guests can enjoy a view of downtown while waiting for a drink, and with only a handful of tables and 32 seats, the space feels special and hidden. Most of the seating is outdoors, and the table that is covered sits right in front of the open patio.
There's also the sparkling wine component, a natural pairing with fried foods — fans of bubbles should order the $20 flight of three. There's a solid list of local and imported beer, too. Or skip the bubbles and try a frozen cocktail, like the strawberry margarita that was recently on offer.

"I think, really, fries and fried chicken have become this catch-all to pair with sparkling wine, but really anything that has a high crunch and salt content goes with champagne," adds Reilly.

As long as the weather holds up, the rooftop terrace at Apple Blossom will be on from 5 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Walk-ins are welcome, though reservations are recommended and available at appleblossomdenver.com.