A WINE bar, not a food bar

As I mentioned earlier, I've realized I've been posting about all the same places lately - Luca D'Italia, Fruition, The Kitchen, etc. Maybe you could say I'm in a bit of a rut. Yet, as Steven Shaw wrote in Turning the Tables (a very interesting book, by the way, if you eat out a lot), it's actually a good thing to become a regular at a restaurant. He maintains that every restaurant is really two restaurants - one for the average joe who happens to walk in, and another one completely (a much better one) for the regular. I'm still trying to figure out if he's right. And I love trying new places, but at the same time, I also like to spend my money in a place that's proved itself (at least to me). In other words, if I'm going to blow a hundred bucks, I want to know that the food's going to be great. Or at least good. So I'm always trying to strike a balance between the places I know and love and the new places all over the city that I've never tried. Because who knows, maybe if I tried a new place, I would discover my new favorite restaurant, one that I would regret not having discovered much earlier.

Anyway, Mr. M and I went to Larimer Square after work yesterday with the intention of visiting the Tamayo patio for drinks. However, once again (story to follow), the rooftop patio was closed, presumably for a private party.

BRIEF DIGRESSION: Two weeks ago, my partners and I had planned to meet at Tamayo for a quick drink at 5pm before heading to a work party at 6pm, and it was closed also. By the time I arrived, several of our party had already ordered drinks at the place across the street, Ted's Montana Grill. I'd never been there, but seeing as how they were already settled in at a patio table, the rest of us joined them.

We asked if we could pull some tables together at the end of the patio to accomodate our group of eight. We were promptly informed that it would create difficulty for the servers to maneuver around us. So we sat at the different tables and shouted across to one another while our margs and beers were on the way. Then, another staff person came out to tell us that really, the patio was reserved only for people who were going to eat dinner. We reiterated that we would be gone by 6, and reluctantly they accomodated us and brought us our drinks.

I was ready to leave the place already. Again, why do restaurants do this? I've never felt so unwelcome in a restaurant before, and had it not been for our large party and time constraints, I would have left immediately. Despite the fact that they actually poured a decent marg, I will never go back.

BACK ON TRACK: Anyway, back to last night. Since the Tamayo patio was closed, and I was trying to find a new place to try, we looked for another spot. I've been to almost every restaurant in the Square except for 3 - Corridor 44, Del Mar, and Cru. We were looking to sit outside of course, and we passed an empty table at Cru and decided, hey, why not?

Cru actually calls itself Cru - A Wine Bar. Cheesy. But I like wine, if you haven't noticed. After the wretched excess of the night before, I told myself I needed to take a break, but one look at the numerous wine flights they were offering changed my tune. I tried a flight of 3 Italian flights, while Mr. M ordered a flight of rose, something we haven't tried much of before.

The wine was excellent. I'm exploring the joys of Alto Adige, a celebrated wine region in the far northeast part of Italy. Mr. M discovered a lovely, syrupy smooth rose from McLaren Vale, a region south of Adelaide, Australia - tastes like a red but drinks like a white. It was fun to taste all of them together, comparing them back and forth and reading the little blurb about each wine that comes with the flight. (Of note, the service was also very good - attentive and gracious, even when Mr. M spilled a large glass of wine all over the floor and the surrounding patrons.)

We were hungry, so we ordered dinner. Mr. M was jonesin' for some fried calamari, but it was quite terrible - frozen rubbery rings fried in a forgettable batter, some sweet and sour sauce on the side. Should have gone to Capital Grille next door for our calamari, as theirs is quite good. Or to the Greek festival, where the squid is fried whole in big deep fryers right in front of you, served with nothing but a squeeze of lemon so that the flavor of the sea comes through unadulterated.

I had seafood linguini because I was hungering for pasta. The pasta was limp and soft, with a tomato broth. The seafood was hit and miss - the same tired calamari rings appeared over the pasta, but also a fantastic diver scallop that was surprisingly good.

All in all, however, I'd come to Cru for the wine, service, and atmosphere but not necessarily for the food. There aren't many places that serve wine this way, giving the opportunity to taste 3 wines at once. It's a good way to explore new tastes. The service was good, as I said earlier, and the patio is great for people-watching. (We saw a man hit a fire-engine-red Mercedes convertible with his Jeep - oops! - then saw a woman in a very large fur coat last night, 80-degree weather and all!) But for food, I'd stick with the cheese plate or something, then head somewhere else for dinner. Like Luca, Fruition, etc. etc...

One last girly hurrah...

Doktameri is leaving this weekend. My fun-loving friend of 10 years, companion through thick and thin, fellow foodie, and close female confidant is leaving Denver to join her husband back in Albuquerque. We always knew this day would eventually come, but in the end I feel like it has snuck upon us like a thief at night. I'm still in total denial.

We decided to toast the end of the year at Luca D'Italia. I realize I've written a lot about this place of late, but it's become one of my faves. And their tasting menu, complete with wine pairings, was just the thing to send my classy friend off right.

We both sipped a celebratory(?) glass of Prosecco on our arrival while snacking on an amuse of salami and wild mushroom bruschetta. As our waiter arrived to explain the tasting menu for the evening, the sommelier also came to begin our wine flight. The tasting menu began with a 3-bite amuse: an eggplant puree, a baby artichoke, and a piece of tripe! It was paired with a lovely white from Piedmont. Yum! Five courses to go...

A cold prawn, arugula, and fennel salad arrived with a Slovenian Sauvignon Blanc - light, summery, and crisp. It was followed by a perfectly transcendent piece of pork belly confit with braised cabbage, red onion relish, and a mustard drizzle - yum! paired with a Tuscan red. We relished every bite, every sip a celebration.

The pasta came next - a fresh tagliatelle topped with shaved black truffles, butter, and parmesan. This was my first taste of real truffle (not truffle oil) - it was mild and earthy, much better than the oil because of its subtlety. The simplicity of this dish won me over, as well as the Piedmont Nebbiolo paired with it.

As you might imagine, I was not exactly hungry at this point, nor was I thirsty. In fact, I couldn't imagine eating or drinking any more at all, until the ribeye showed up, with morels and balsamic glaze. All of a sudden, I found the strength to continue on, surely no doubt aided by the amazing glass of 2002 Velenosi Rosso Piceno "Roggio Del Filare" Marche that appeared alongside.

We topped off the meal with a flourless chocolate cake with chocolate mousse served with a vanilla bean milkshake, accompanied by a Banfi Brachetto D'Acqui dessert wine from Piedmont.

The next morning, I wasn't exactly jumping out of bed to go to work, if you know what I mean. But our last hurrah was totally worth it. We sent her off in style.

Summer Picnic, Concert Included

We went to the Botanic Gardens to hear Wynton Marsalis (part of the Botanic Gardens Summer Concert Series) last night. This is a particularly appealing venue for concerts for two reasons (the second being slightly more important than the first): 1) the supremely beautiful and intimate outdoor setting, and 2) the fact that you can bring your own food AND WINE for your own noshing and sipping pleasure.

I went to Whole Foods earlier in the day looking for snacks. The prepared crab and avocado salad looked good. I perused the cheese section and chose an old favorite goat cheese (Humboldt Fog) and a blue I'd never tried before (bleu d'auvergne). I picked out a selection of olives from the olive bar, along with some crackers and sliced ciabatta. I got some thinly sliced La Quercia proscuitto and some hot soppresata to appease my carnivorous husband. I bought some beautiful fresh black mission figs and some dark 61% cacao chocolate disks from El Rey for the sweet tooth. I had a bottle of Naia chilling in the fridge.

Being a novice at this particular concert series, I didn't realize how early people lined up in order to get the best spots, so we ended up sitting facing the backs of the performers. All was good, though, as the venue is small enough so that you feel like any seat is a good seat. The music was fantastic - jazz with a surprising, amazing African flair. We spread out a blanket and our Crazy Creeks, poured the wine, and dined sumptously on our gourmet spread while listening to great music and watching the sun go down. Summer evenings in Denver don't get any better than this.

Greek Festival!

I love going to the Greek Festival every year - the atmosphere is so festive! Though they play Greek music at truly deafening levels, and there is nothing to do but eat and drink (but what's wrong with that?), it's an important part of my summer tradition. We hit the Festival Friday evening and gorged ourselves on fried kalamaria, gyros, and Greek salad. Everyone was paying $5 to drink Mythos (which I found funny, as I think of it as the Greek "Budweiser" - we drank it every day on the sailboat when we were cruising around the Greek isles). For dessert, we had all the honey-drenched pastries you can imagine. Yummy, hot, crispy fried loukoumades, rich and nutty baklava, and creamy galaktobouriko.

If you really think about it, it's cheaper (and safer, if you want to retain your hearing past the age of 45) to go to Pete's or something to get your Greek fix. But there's just something about the Greek festival that I can never pass up.

Happy Birthday, Mr. M!

Things have been a little crazy at our house lately, and though we had originally planned on having a big BBQ birthday celebration for Mr. M (starring his brand new grill from Home Depot), he at last decided it would be easier to have a simple dinner at home with his visiting parents.

Mr. M's mom is a fantastic cook, and ever since I started dating Mr. M, I've been treated to sumptous multi-course gourmet dinners in their home. Good food is something that my mother-in-law and I can bond over, but generally she cooks it whereas I buy it in restaurants. I just hope one day I'll be as good a cook as she is! Anyhow, the in-laws are in the middle of a massive kitchen remodel, and when they escaped to visit us for the week, she said she'd been itching to do some cooking. Being the ever-gracious hostess that I am, I generously offered her the use of our kitchen during her stay. (See, I'm not as stupid as I look!)

For Mr. M's birthday dinner, however, not much culinary creativity was required. Mr. M was raised in Texas, and like any good Texas boy, his favorite meal is steak, baked potatoes, salad, and his mother's homemade apple pie.

Mr. M grilled some 1.5-2 inch thick boneless NY strip steaks seasoned ever-so-simply with salt and pepper. The choice aged steaks from Whole Foods were definitely a cut above (wink wink) what we usually buy (whatever's on sale at Safeway). He grilled them to a perfect medium rare. When I tasted them, I was reminded that buying good meat really does make a difference. We had baked potatoes with all the fixings, and a green salad with a Chipotle Ranch dressing that had a nice spicy Texas-sized kick. We had grilled eggplant, red pepper, and zucchini dressed lightly with olive oil and salt. We ate under the fruit-laden cherry tree in our back yard, the meal made even more tasty by the perfect summer evening we were having.

For dessert, Mom made her signature homemade apple pie (secret ingredient: Calvados), as well as a homemade vanilla bean ice cream (made in the ice-cream maker we'd picked up in Boulder the previous day). Truly heavenly. What better birthday present could you ask for?

Happy Birthday, Mr. M! You should have them more often.

Hangin' with the in-laws

Took the in-laws up to Boulder for the day today and spent a pleasant few hours walking at Chautauqua Park, basking in the mountain views. We poked around in Peppercorn (cute kitchen store) for awhile, and, inspired by the hot day, impulsively purchased an ice cream maker. We visited a meadery (who knew such a thing existed?) called Redstone for a free tasting of 3 sparkling and 7 or 8 nonsparkling meads. I wasn't quite won over by these honey wines - maybe it's an acquired taste, but it was really interesting to try. As we wandered around Boulder, there were tons of people out and about, enjoying the day, and I was forced to wonder if anyone there actually has to work (at least normal business hours?).

Anyhow, I knew I wanted to take them over to The Kitchen for lunch. I have to wander off on a tangent here and tell this story. When we arrived, there were no 4-tops available in the small restaurant. Granted, the hostess did inform us that this was her first day, but she proceeded to tell us that we would have to wait about 25 minutes for a table. This was maddening, given the fact that there were plenty of empty 2-tops that could have been pushed together, as well as the two empty round tables, meant for 5 or 6 people. Eventually, we were (finally) seated at the communal table in the back.

I tell this story just to ask the question - why? Why do restaurants do this? If we hadn't been seated, we would have left and tried to lunch somewhere else. My friend doktameri told me she had a similar experience at Zengo the other night, where she and a friend were asked to wait for a table despite the restaurant being half empty. Anyway, to cut this long story short, I say a bird in the hand (a party of 3 standing in your restaurant) is worth two in the bush (the possibly imaginary party of 5 or 6 that you hope will walk into your restaurant). Of course, we lazily lunched for almost 2 hours, and those round tables remained (mockingly) empty the entire time.

Anyhow, I digress. Back to the matter at hand. We started with soup - a creamy rich chilled fennel soup for the gals, the famous tomato soup for the guy. In hopes of eating a lighter lunch, I passed on the tempting proscuitto and burrata flatbread in favor of the crab-avocado salad, a light and fresh tasting (not fishy) mixture sitting on a bed of greens. The greens were a mix of young mizuna, peppery arugula, and horseradishy mustard greens (which I'd never had in a salad anywhere else before, but they were amazing!) Finally, we topped off our perfect summer lunch with a refreshing scoop of housemade green tea ice cream, chock full of green tea flavor!

I'd only had brunch here a handful of times, and this was my first lunch. I'm already itching to go back and try the proscuitto flatbread, and I can't wait to try dinner sometime too. I also found out that many of the restaurant's recipes are posted on their website! So I may try my hand at their sausage strata soon.

Sketch - usually great, one time sketchy?

I've been to the same restaurant 3 times in the past week. I know, I know - you shouldn't get into a rut or anything. But hear me out.

One evening, we were meeting with a couple to discuss their upcoming wedding and the part Mr. M would be playing in it. Mr M. requested a relatively quieter spot for our dinner meeting so that we could hear each other. (This is harder and harder to find, especially in the less expensive categories. Unfortunate. I guess we are starting to show our age.) We had neglected to make any reservations, so we chose Sketch, hoping to sit on the sunken patio outside. The weather was its usual pleasant self that evening, and a patio table was available - perfect! I enjoyed a flavorful white wine that is a blend of 7 varietals, called Airlie 7, from Oregon. Great, summery wine! We snacked on the always fabulous beef carpaccio "Harry's Bar" while we settled in. I ordered the salmon for my entree on recommendation from one of the staff, and it was very good - cooked perfectly, sitting on top of a crispy risotto cake and surrounded with a smattering of fresh fava beans. It was made even better with a Steakhouse Cabernet from the Northwest as well - lots of black cherry, blackberry fruity flavors, and very smooth. Yum. Excellent service from the waitstaff this night.

We returned Saturday night when Mr. M's parents came to town. It's rather sad but true that there is almost always a table available at Sketch if you come during normal dining hours, like before 9pm. I hear that the place does most its business late at night, and I hope its true, because it's pretty dead most times I've been there. Not that I'm complaining, because it's really nice to have somewhere to go where you know you won't have to wait for a table. We showed up on a Saturday at 7, and we had our pick of the place. Service this evening was lacking. We tried to order 2 different wines from the list (one being the Cabernet from above) only to be told minutes later that they had run out of it. The waiter himself seemed uninformed and a bit confused about it all. I ordered the corn soup, which was good but maybe almost too overwhelmed with pepper, even though I like that spicy kick. I then ordered the duck, but for some reason it underwhelmed me. The wine that we finally got to order, a Cab blend called "The Prisoner", really didn't do it for me either. This was my first negative experience at Sketch.

Just a few nights later, the girls met for happy hour on the patio. This was another great day - all the stars must have been aligned, for we had the same waiter from Saturday night, but he seemed to be on top of things a bit more. We snacked on the steamed mussels, tomato bruschetta, goat cheese ravioli, and white truffle fries - all of which were very nice. We sipped many glasses of the Airlie 7 as well, which luckily, they had in stock.

I suppose any restaurant can have an "off" night here and there, but I would think with only a few tables occupied on a Saturday night, that they would have done a better job. Isn't consistency one of the marks of a truly great restaurant? I will continue to give Sketch the benefit of the doubt for now, even after the rather lackluster review in this month's 5280, because I have had some great experiences here. But this town has too many other great restaurants to waste time or money. Sketch, consider yourself duly warned...

The third date

Took the in-laws to Fruition on Sunday to celebrate Fathers' Day. Again, this restaurant served it up fine with impeccable service, exquisitely-crafted food, and a casually classy je ne sais quoi that I haven't found anywhere else in town. (I know I sound like a cheesy commercial.) I know I'm infatuated, I know it's only the third date. But after three dates, isn't it about the time you decide if you really want to keep investing, if you really see a future together?

The negative of the evening was that the restaurant was uncomfortably warm. It had been in the 90's in Denver all day, but they might need to do something about that, especially given the forecast for the week. Also, we were seated in the smaller dining area, which seemed a little bit too crowded for my taste. (Unlike the main dining area, which I find to be charmingly cozy but not overcrowded. Maybe it was just the heat.)

We drank the same white wine I'd fallen in love with on my last visit - the Burgans Albarino - a truly perfect summer sipper, especially for a very warm day (and a warm restaurant). I showed my in-laws the pure physical pleasure of the potato wrapped oysters, the delicacy of beet carpaccio, the creamy goodness of goat cheese fritters, the flakiness of pine nut crusted sole, the sweet satisfaction of the lemon meringue and the cobbler. Shall I go on?

I really think we're getting serious.

To Cincinnati and back

A very short overnight business trip took me to Cincinnati this past weekend. One of my partners accompanied me on this jaunt - and I was so glad not to be alone when I discovered that our hotel was in the far suburbs with nary a place to eat anywhere within walking distance. I had posted and searched on Chowhound diligently, but even though I was willing to take a long taxi ride in search of good food, there were very few notable restaurants that happened to be open on a Sunday night.

We decided instead of fine dining, we would pursue the local classics. Again, having done extensive research, I was directed to the following: 1) Cincinnati "chili" from Skyline, 2) ice cream at Graeter's, and 3) ribs from the Montgomery Inn. We took a short (3 mile max) cab ride to a nearby Skyline establishment, and it felt essentially like I had paid for a cab to take me to McDonald's. A weird feeling. Anyway, we sat at the counter and ordered 2 regular sized orders of Cincinnati chili. In essence, it's spaghetti topped with a meat chili sauce that has hints of cinnamon, then covered with shredded cheddar. It looked like it might not be so good for you, but I guess that's beside the point. Interestingly, I discovered that this dish is actually a Greek recipe, brought to Cincinnati by immigrants awhile back. It's taken off ever since, and there are some serious rivalries over who makes the best in the city. It was oddly satisfying and very filling, and I can see why people like it. Our two orders cost us less than 10 dollars. (Our cab ride cost 30 dollars plus tip, but that's another story...) But I have to admit that it's not something that I came home missing or dreaming about.

We walked down the road to Graeter's ice cream, another classic Cinci establishment. For less than 3 dollars, I out into the warm summer evening enjoying a single scoop of Black Raspberry Chip ice cream on a sugar cone. Now, this was money well spent!! The ice cream was really flavorful, and the chocolate chips were big chunky pieces - not the tasteless miniscule bit variety. I was left wanting more. I am embarassed to say that the only thing that kept me from reentering the store to purchase another scoop was the embarassment at what my companion would say if I did so. Ultimately, we paid $8 apiece for a very filling dinner (and $20 apiece for the cab!)

The next evening, after our work was done, we went to the Montgomery Inn Boathouse on the Ohio River downtown to enjoy some ribs before our flight home. The ribs were good, the sauce was good, and the view was good. Again - good, but I'm not left wanting more. Maybe you have to grow up with this stuff to really miss it when it's gone. I did have a scoop of Strawberry Chip Graeter's ice cream for dessert however. Yum. I guess it is just not in my nature to be very critical of ice cream ever, but I do think this stuff is good.

So there's my whirlwind trip to Cinci. Hope none of this offends anyone from there.

Another favorite

My friend doktameri is spending her last month here in town before she leaves to join her husband back in New Mexico. It's been great having another foodie companion in town this year, and I knew I couldn't let her leave Denver without experiencing Fruition. I made reservations for early Saturday night.

We ordered a bottle of the Burgans Albarino, which was very floral, light, and summery - I loved it! We sipped while appetizing on a carrot ginger soup, the beet carpaccio with goat cheese fritters, and, of course, the potato-wrapped oysters - my very favorite thing, which notably, by the way, garnered national attention in this month's Gourmet magazine. I would travel across the country to taste these things. They're that good. We then dined on a vegetarian agnolotti pasta (good) and the pine nut crusted pan roasted sole (fantastic!), drizzled with hollandaise and served with baby artichokes. I tell you, this location has never failed me with baby artichokes. (Sean Kelly's Somethin' Else did pretty damn good artichokes too!) We ended the meal with the cupcake tasting (chocolate, toffee, hazelnut latte), the lemon meringue pie, and two individual pots of french press coffee. A fitting end to a perfect meal.

This place becomes more and more amazing to me each time I come. I love the relaxed atmosphere yet meticulously prepared food. I am in love with Fruition, and I hope it will be a very long affair.

Homemade Yogurt

While traveling in Turkey, my family was subjected to my endless comments about how "we can never get yogurt this good in the States". When I got home, with the aid of a Greek coworker and the internet, I decided to try my hand at making my own.

I heated a gallon of whole milk in a big enameled cast-iron pot (Le Creuset) until it was steaming but not boiling. (Unfortunately, I did manage to burn it a bit, as a small layer of brown stuff ended up forming on the bottom of the pan - next time I'll turn the heat down some.) I then took it off the heat and let it cool to about 120 degrees. I then added about 1/4 cup of plain Dannon yogurt as a starter and whisked it completely into the milk. I placed the lid on my pot, wrapped it in several towels, and let it sit on the counter for about 8 hours. Voila! I had made my first batch of homemade yogurt!

When I did a little taste test with the storebought Dannon and my homemade stuff side by side, there was no comparision. The Dannon tasted weak and insipid, while the homemade stuff was tangy and thick.

I ate a big bowl with honey, then decided to put some of it to drain in order to thicken it even more. I wrapped some yogurt in a layer of cheesecloth, stuck it in a colander hung over the edge of a bowl, and let it drip away in the fridge. Eventually, enough whey dripped out to give me a lovely, thick, creamy yogurt that I subsequently used to make a wonderfully garlicky tzatziki. Yum.

Try it! It's easier than you think, and it tastes way better.

Favorites that just never get old

In a mild state of job-related depression, a couple of coworkers and I decided to self-medicate by going out to lunch. For what better thing is there to do when you're worried your jobs are in jeopardy than to go out and blow some dough on a nice meal?!?! My thoughts exactly...

We weren't just looking for food; we were looking for inspiration. As we stepped outside in search of a place to eat, one of my dining companions remarked that he was "just soooo bored" with his food lately. What could we find to excite his palate once again? What could we find to remind us that life is good, with or without a job?

We stood in front of Strings and debated the merits of their lunch menu, then bypassed Parallel 17 because we'd been there recently, and finally landed at one of my old faves, Limon. I'd been here for lunch once before, but not in awhile. There is no "lunch menu" per se, so it can be a bit pricier than one would usually want to pay for an ordinary workday lunch. It was good to see that they have apparently completed their expansion into the space next door, though they definitely didn't need it that day for lunch - we were one of only 3 tables occupied.

Like slipping into an old shoe, I ordered my tried and true. The Quinotto here never disappoints. I lovingly savored each comforting, earthy bite while regaling my two unfortunate dining companions with the boring details of my vacation.

And you know what? After lunch, I actually did feel better. Nothing like Peruvian comfort food to get you through job stress.