I'm a fan of hotel bars and restaurants, particularly nice hotels. Some of the most interesting dates and conversations I have had have taken place in that environment. They have a certain charm and ambiance to them. So when I was looking for a place to grab a bite to eat after people watching the final night of the convention and saw that Parker's Downtown was finally open, I had to stop in.
Located on the ground level of The Schofield Hotel, Parker's definitely has the charm. It features intimate seating, views of Heinen's and the 9 and walls adorning industrial photos of the bridges and skyline from the Flats. Their menu has a nice mix of upscale dishes and comfort foods with a twist.
Unfortunately the bar was full tonight, so I grabbed a seat at a table. While a steak was sounding good, I decided instead to go the comfort route and tried the Chicken Pot Pie. The presentation caught me off guard. Instead of a traditional pastry crust, it featured a few small pastry puffs on the top. The chicken was also prepared airline style (on the bone) which made it a little cumbersome to eat. But the flavor? Wow. Every bite was amazing. The chicken. The pastry. The mushrooms and greens. And especially the sauce. This may have been simultaneously the most unorthodox and most delicious pot pie I have ever had. My only regret was that there wasn't more pastry, or frankly more pie, or a seat at the bar and some stimulating political conversation to accompany it with.