Dining Dangerously ““ an evening with The Dinner Detective

Courtesy Photo

Are you craving murder and mayhem? Have you ever wanted a secret identity? Are you the one who can always figure out who-done-it? Are you simply looking for a unique dining experience? If you answered yes to any of these questions, an evening with the Dinner Detective might be the perfect outing for you.

The Dinner Detective is an interactive murder mystery dinner show, and with four Colorado locations, there’s one playing near you. My husband and I attended the show in Denver at the Embassy Suites on East Hampden Avenue.

It’s a rather old Embassy Suites, but very well maintained. In fact, the lobby reminded me of the Mirage casino, with a vast array of plants and even a waterfall. We were early and found the check in area wasn’t open, so we bought a drink from the cash bar cart that was set up next to the registration area. There’s also a real bar in the lobby serving free appetizers.

From the moment the hostess arrived on the scene the energy level spiked. She quickly informed us that everyone here was not who he or she seemed to be. Nervous giggles rippled throughout the waiting crowd as we looked suspiciously at our fellow patrons.

At registration we each received nametags, but we were not to use our real names. Our hostess said we all needed to have a cover; a secret identify. That is when I really got excited, because I already have a secret identity, which will no longer be secret after I post this review.

Once registered my husband and I, now Thor and The Scottish Assassin, milled about meeting people and snacking on appetizers of mini-quiches and Asian spring rolls. We had been given a list of questions to ask our fellow diners in order to sniff out who may be a potential suspect later on in the evening. We could also make up our own questions.

You may think this all sounds a bit silly and it is, but it’s also a lot of fun. Once you’ve got a cover, you can be anyone you want to be. It’s actually quite liberating. And you never know when someone is actually telling the truth or feeding you a line of bull.

After our hors d’oeuvres and amusing conversation, we were ushered into the banquet room and sat at tables of eight. We dined with Princess Anastasia, Captain Blythe, Mel Brooks, Jessie James, Purple Delight and Summer Breeze.

Courtesy Photo

This is when the real action starts, and I won’t give away the details, but I will tell you there’s murder and mayhem and you should trust no one. I was worried that we wouldn’t have time to eat with the hullabaloo, but the Dinner Detective does a good job of allowing for breaks in the action so the patrons can eat, chat and laugh. This is an evening filled with laughter, fuddy-duddies need not apply.

The banquet hall has cash bar, so you don’t have to run out to the lobby for a drink. However, be prepared, as all bars associated with this event are cash only, and drinks are pricey.

Patrons must pre-pick a dinner entrée when purchasing their tickets to The Dinner Detective. Dinner starts with a water, ice tea, rolls and a salad, followed by the entrees. I had the ginger salmon with wild pecan rice and sautéed vegetables. Thor dined on the London broil with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables. We were both quite pleased with our meals. Dessert was New York cheesecake with strawberry sauce. Served with coffee, it was the perfect way to end a very entertaining evening.

The Dinner Detective is a full three-hour event, with each location producing a different show, and featuring a different menu. Children over ten are allowed.

I had my list of suspects, but despite the many clues we were given, I wasn’t able to pin point the murderer. Perhaps you are a better detective. To find out book your tickets at www.thedinnerdetective.com.


2 Comments



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *