Dessert Bar, Sweetened: The Early Word On Sugarmill

Launched last winter in a rapidly evolving section of the RiNo neighborhood, Sugarmill is a collaboration between pastry chef Noah French and energetic restaurateur Troy Guard. For French, the idea behind the eatery and dessert bar is that of a little café where diners can sit down and get a simple bistro-like meal, great sweets —plus lots of other things—most of them made fresh to order. So did this dream turn out sweet? Find out with the early news on Sugarmill.

The Name Game News: Sugarmill's name is easy enough to understand, but it doesn't tell the whole story of the restaurant, explains Westword. Sugarmill sounds like a dessert bar, yet the eatery is open for three meals a day, serving everything from burritos to beef Wellington to cake. [Café Society]

The Just Desserts—Or Not—News: Two reviewers had nothing but good things to say on TripAdvisor. One has been twice just for the 'awesome desserts.' Another gave high marks for beef Wellingtonbeef Wellington and blackened tilapia as well as desserts, and vowed to return for the chocolate Noahsphere. [TripAdvisor]

The Whoa! Noasphere! News: About that Noasphere: the tennis ball-shaped dessert tends to trigger a wow reaction. According to Gretchen Kurtz of Westword, the Noahsphere is something straight out of Disney. However, Kurtz found the hollow chocolate globe wanting, 'filled with not enough flourless chocolate cake and marshmallows and too much whipped cream.' [Café Society]

The Oh, That Explains It News: Turns out Sugarmill's pastry chef Noah French was a DisneyWorld chef at one time, so he knows a thing or two about creating a spectacle, according to Zagat food editor Ruth Tobias. In recounting five things to know about Sugarmill, Tobias leads off with 'Prepare to be entertained, not just fed,' an exhortation that rings true with the charismatic French taking center stage in more ways than one. [Zagat]

The Salad Days News: Sweet and savory pastries and desserts like apple almond tarts, pineapple upside down cake and peanut butter and chocolate molten cake have become local favorites, according to CBS Denver. The network also ranked Sugarmill's chopped salad among Denver's top spring salads. [CBS Denver]

The Nothing Mediocre News: Noting the triumvirate of talent in the mix (co-owner Troy Guard, co-owner and pastry chef Noah French, and savory chef Jeff Hickman), Colorado Expression declares it's no wonder every bite is exceptional and not a single dish is mediocre. [Colorado Expression]

The Best. Quiche. Ever. News: Sugarmill's duck confit quiche ranks at the top of the list of best quiches for Douglas Brown at The Denver Post. Brown also praised a sublime breakfast sandwich as well as the pavlova honeycomb dessert for its arresting presentation. [DP]

The Euro Transformation News: After dining next door at sister restaurant Los Chingones, blogger Grace Boyle strolled into Sugarmill for dessert. Boyle noted how the vibe instantly changed to something 'calming, quiet and almost like a European café,' and found the desserts to be impressive and thoughtful. [Grace(Full)Plate]

The Sugar Shock To The Top News: With the arrival of Sugarmill, the Ballpark neighborhood is now experiencing a serious case of sugar shock, according to Westword. The café/dinner joint/dessert bar/lounge made the publication's list of top ten Ballpark restaurants, noting its extravagant display cases of cookies and cupcakes, French macarons and fat muffins, cakes and croissants, parfaits and tarts. [Café Society]

The Sweet Spot News: The best seat in the house is Sugarmill's counter, according to food editor Amanda M. Faison at 5280. Here, diners can not only watch co-owner and pastry chef Noah French and accompanying pastry chef Kelly McGeehan work, but interact with them and ask questions about favorite desserts. [5280]

The LOL News: Upon taking their first bites of the chocolate peanut butter tart, blogger David Schlichter and his wife instantly started laughing out loud. Schlichter explains, 'It was silly just how Good it was, and we both agreed that it was one of the tastiest desserts we'd had in Denver.' [The Good Life Denver]
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