Weekday brunch

One of the perks of my job is sometimes being off on the weekdays, a guilty pleasure gained from knowing that everyone else is working, but I get to while away the morning doing whatever I please. This morning I met a friend for brunch at Lucile's, at Alameda and Logan. I've been here many times on the weekends when it is jammed full, but on a Wednesday morning at 9am, the atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant. We sit near the window, watching the snow come down, just a bit depressed about the endless winter. Hot coffee soon arrives to medicate our depression, and I order the pain perdu. It's served with a side of fruit, and egg, and some yummy greasy Andouille sausage. The syrup for the pain perdu is a barely emulsified sticky sweet maple-y syrup that is delicious.

I didn't have any today, but Lucile's also has fresh squeezed OJ (great for the winter blues), a decent chai latte, and the only good beignets that I know of in Denver. Though brunch there is going to cost more than one usually expects to pay for breakfast, I sure enjoy the lazy mornings I've spent there.

A Respite

After two nights in a row celebrating Restaurant Week, I decided that tonight I needed a little break. Went with a friend to Thai Basil and split an order of spring rolls (the not-fried, healthy ones) and their sizzling rice soup, a tasty clear broth with shrimp, beef, chicken, shittake mushrooms, bok choy, snow peas, and other vegetables and bits of rice. It was just the right amount, and just the thing to give my tummy a much-needed break. And my credit card too. :)

A sketchy crowd, even for a Monday

Last night, in celebration of restaurant week (yet again), Hubby and I went with another couple down to Sketch in Cherry Creek. I say "down" because literally it is below street level - I never would notice it except, of course, I was looking for it. I had been to Sketch once before a couple of weeks ago on a Friday, just for drinks with a friend. It turned out that Sketch was celebrating their one year anniversary, so the bar/restaurant was PACKED! They originally said that they were having a private celebration and that we would have to vacate the bar by 6pm, but in the end they just let us stay and enjoy the festivities. We enjoyed a free wine flight they were featuring, as well as several delicious appetizers, one delectable morsel on puff pastry, a FANTASTIC beef carpaccio, something with sausage - I can't remember them all. But it was good enough to make me want to visit again, and for dinner this time.

We had a very early reservation for 6pm. Hubby and I went early to preload... they feature a sparkling, a white, and a red for half price during happy hour, so we had a glass of pink bubbly that was quite nice while we waited for our friends. It was a great atmosphere, but it felt a little weird being the only customers in the place. When our friends came, we still were the only people there. Eventually, three more tables filled, but when we left at close to 9pm, no one else had come in. Granted, it was a Monday night, but still. It was restaurant week! I don't know how they can stay open with such a sparse crowd...

When we started dinner, I switched from bubbly to the featured red wine that night (a Malbec of sorts), which I enjoyed immensely. Sketch's wine list is impressive, with over 600 bottles!!! I think they must know what they're doing. I started with a yellowfin tuna tartare, which was excellent, followed by a saffron risotto with a smattering of shellfish (mussels, clams). The risotto was great - very flavorful and rich, but the shellfish were rather uninspired, I thought. The other choices - the mache salad with beets and goat cheese and the braised beef shortribs, were very good according to my dining partners. The beef came with some very crunchy, juicy onion rings that Hubby really loved. Dessert was either chocolate mousse or creme brulee, choices which sounded kinda boring to me. But the mousse was pretty good, if I may give the disclaimer that I like just about anything that is chocolate.

The skinny: I really like Sketch. Not just for the fantastic wine selection and good food, but also for the atmosphere. The staff all wear T-shirts, yet they are quite professional in their service. The dining room is nice, but not stuffy at all. I love the wine wall. It's a great place to eat, and I hope more people go, because I would really hate to see it go. Sketch is a great place for Hubby too, because I think he really feels uncomfortable (doesn't everyone?) when waitstaff are all formal and uppity and stick-up-their-hiney. I think the T-shirts and piercings really have their (intended?) effect of putting customers at ease.

Go eat (and drink) at SKETCH!!!

Saucey sauces

Went to Vesta Dipping Grill with a few girlfriends last night for Denver Restaurant Week. What a great idea it is to get to dine at your favorites, or new restaurants you've never tried, for a pretty reasonable price. Dinner for two, three courses, is $52.80, which I think at most of these places is a good deal.

We started with a wine not on the menu that was offered by our waitress - an Italian Nebbiolo that was dry, smooth, and good. A small amuse bouche from the kitchen was good (doused in truffle oil). She also brought us some good bread with roasted garlic (mmm...sorry, Hubby! and sorry to anyone else who has to be near me today!) We all started with the duck taquitos, plated with a yummy spicy mole sauce - they were excellent. As there were 3 of us, and 3 entrees offered, we tried one of each - a chicken, a bass, and a beef. You get to choose 3 dipping sauces from their (rather large) selection to go with each entree. With the chicken, we had the harissa (spicy!), red curry, and peanut sauces, all of which were fantastic and went really well with the chicken. The wasabi cream sauce was especially good with the bass, but I didn't care for the fruity sweet mango sauce - too sweet for my taste. The steak was good as well, though I am not a big BBQ sauce fan, so that was my least favorite. We did try a jalapeno mustard sauce that was pretty good, however.

For the dessert, both the root beer float (nostalgic but nothing that special) and chocolate swiss roll (a bit of almondy flavor) were yummy, but I was so full by that time that it was hard to enjoy them.

If you go to Vesta, experiment with all the sauces - there are probably 40 or so, and the chef's recommendations that each entree comes with may not really be suited to your taste.

All in all, a really fun time for girls' night out.

Dinner on someone else's dime

While I was in Vail for a work thing this week, I was invited to a dinner for which someone else was (ever so graciously) footing the bill. This is a big thing in a place like Vail, where your lunch (dried-up burger, baked potato, or cup of soup) at the top of Vail mountain will likely cost you at least 10 dollars. For dinner at a nicer restaurant, you can expect entrees starting at $40 or so. Anyway, barring any very unusual circumstance, I never pass up a free meal, but ESPECIALLY not a free dinner at an upscale European restaurant in Vail.

We went to La Tour, located near the Crossroads in Vail Village. It is a small, intimate restaurant, comfortable for conversation. I went over the top, drinking a nice Cabernet and feasting on seared foie gras and grilled lamb chops, a nice medium rare. Service was great, and the evening was definitely enjoyable. I'd love to say I'd go again, but as my meal alone likely cost close to $100 with wine, I might just have to save it for very special occasions. Unless someone else is paying.

Mystery Pasta

Don't you hate those lazy Saturdays after a late night out? I was in the kitchen with the refrigerator door open, staring forlornly at the contents. I was not really in the mood to cook, but since I'm going to be out of town next week, I felt the need to use up all those bits and pieces before I left. There was some leftover taco meat, half a can of anchovies, a semi-shriveled onion, a jar of olives, and some italian parsley that was starting to turn yellow. Not exactly the makings for inspiration. Anyway, I rallied and went to the pantry where I found some whole wheat spaghetti and canned tomatoes.

While I boiled the pasta, I sauteed the anchovies in olive oil, breaking them up into unidentifiable bits (Hubby HATES anchovies passionately). I then added chopped onion and garlic, sauteeing until tender, then added some chopped olives and canned tomatoes. I used a hand blender to make it more saucey and less chunky, then added the meat and some cabernet. It simmered happily on the stove for a while, then when the pasta was done, I plated it. The pièce de résistance? I chopped up some italian parsley (the part that wasn't yellow) and generously sprinkled it on top.

Voilà! My fridge is clean, and we had a surprisingly flavorful lunch. Hubby didn't even notice the anchovies...

Casual Friday

Tonight, the hubby and I went with another couple to Proto's Pizza downtown. It's at 15th and Platte, which is turning out to be a really fun area with lots of stores, coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and the big REI. We went early, at 6, since it was a Friday, and we got the last four-top available. We ordered a bottle of the wine special - a cabernet called "insatiable". We polished off two bottles over the course of the evening and still wanted more, so I guess the wine lived up to its name. There's a pretty good selection of casual wines, martinis, and beer.

For dinner, we split 3 medium pizzas, which was just about right for our group. The Margherita DOCG was an authentic Neopolitan pizza with fresh moz, basil, and tomato. Supposedly it is from the only recipe sanctioned by the Italian whatever. We also split a Goombah (containing imported proscuitto and capers) and a white clam pizza. The hubby was trying to hide the look of dread that spread across his face as we were discussing clam pizza, but he ended up trying a piece anyway. He's a good sport and will try most things, yet I still don't think clam pizza is his fave. The wine helped. Friday night happens to be clam pizza night at Proto's, so if you're more adventurous than Hubby, that's the night to go. The Goombah was my favorite, I think - a bit more flavorful than the others, but all were good, esp with a dousing of oil and vinegar. The crust was the best part - thin, cripy, delicious.

The best part of Proto's is getting good food in a casual atmosphere. The servers are really laid back but helpful, and there are all sorts of people there - families with little kids, hip LoDo types, REI poster children, and of course, people like me. The place was packed, as usual, giving the room a lot of energy, but I could still carry on a comforable conversation with my friends (unlike some places where you just watch your friend's mouths open and close like a fish, never hearing a single word.

We finally vacated our table, feeling guilty about staying too long given all the people waiting. We ended up at Mona's (right around the corner) for coffee and dessert. I think they must have just started opening for dinner. I've only been for their killer brunch (yummy orange brioche french toast). The restaurant was only about 1/3 full, so there was plenty of room for us. We had the creme brulee trio, which was a nice finish to our meal yet not the best I've ever had.


I have to say - I'm so glad there are fun places to go in Denver for good food on a Friday night without having to get all dressed up.

Greasy Mexican, anyone?

Because we celebrated V-Day early, yesterday was pretty low-key. The hubby and I did manage to make it out for a quick lunch at Senor Rita’s, a bright, colorful Mexican place on East Colfax. Unfortunately, as it was lunchtime on a work day, we didn’t have the opportunity to imbibe any of what I hear to be extremely potent margaritas. Sad, sad, sad.

The lunchtime crowd was pretty slim - only about 4 other tables were occupied when we arrived. A basket of free chips (corn and flour) arrived promptly with a very mild salsa. We ordered a combination plate and an order of tacos. When lunch arrived, Hubby and I were very impressed with the portion size - one plate could easily feed two people with normal lunch-size appetites. The food was good but much greasier than I would have liked. I finished one of my three tacos, along with the rice and beans. Hubby finished about 2/3 of his plate, and I had to roll him out the door.

Overall, I’d say it was a decent place with moderately-priced decent food, but nothing to drive across town for. I’ll give an update if I ever make it over there for their famous (notorious?) knock-you-upside-the-head margs.

Through Freezing Rain

Last night, the hubby drove us through freezing rain and icy roads all the way up to Boulder for our two-day-early celebration of the notoriously hard-to-get-a-dinner-reservation LOVE holiday. It's fair that he was the one driving us in that mess because 1) I am not such a good driver at baseline, even on nice sunny summer days in Hawaii, and 2) I (yes, moi) was the one who had to make our Valentine's Day plans/reservations. I know that in our current culturally progressive society, it may no longer be expected that the person possessing the Y chromosome make the dinner reservations. Granted, he did buy me a dozen beautiful red roses and a pink orchid in a pot (that I'm not allowed to touch - I have a very decidedly brown thumb). But still, I made the dinner plans, so he gets to drive on the icy roads.

Don't tell the hubby, but I actually was very pleased to make the dinner plans. After having lived in Denver for almost five years, it was very exciting to hear of a nationally-acclaimed restaurant open just a short 30-minute drive away. I'm referring, of course, to Frasca Food and Wine,a delightful establishment that I had not managed yet to visit until last night. For those of us living in downtown Denver, it takes significant motivation to get in the car and drive 30 minutes when there is a plethora of wonderful places to eat and drink one’s money away right here in town. Sadly, it took me a long time to get up to Frasca, and I now must live with that regret.

For those of you whose budgets may not allow you to spend as freely as you would like, Monday nights at Frasca are for you. Hell, for the filthy rich, it’s worth checking it out too. Frasca offers a 3 course meal for $35, and the menu changes weekly. Unbeknownst to me, they also offer a 3-glass wine flight that has been specifically paired to the menu. The wine flight costs $32, which doubles what you originally thought you were spending. However, my experience last night proved both the food and wine to be worth every single penny.

I must comment on the superb, flawless service we received during our meal. The staff was attentive, courteous, professional, but not overbearing. They were also pleasantly relaxed and friendly. On discovering that we made the drive from Denver in the inclement weather, they offered us a complimentary glass of wine on our arrival - very much welcomed by the hubby and me.

The room is pleasant - very elegant, yet with a casual feel to it. It’s also quiet enough (at least on a Monday) to hold a decent conversation, a definite plus for our romantic evening celebration. The room was full on a Monday night too - a good sign.

We started with an extra item (not included in the 3 course menu) called “frico caldo” - basically wedges of cheesy potato fried in yummy olive oil and sprinkled with cilantro. Quite good, as you would imagine of something containing fried potato and cheese.

The 3 course menu items were also excellent. Portions were on the smaller side, but given the loaf of rustic Italian bread and butter that Hubby ate before the food even came, neither of us left the restaurant even close to hungry. The crowning glory, however, IMO, was the wine. Maybe it was the fact that I usually don’t drink good wine (my max on a bottle of wine in the liquor store is usually $20), but this stuff was amazing. The wine made the food taste better and vice versa, as it should be.

All this to say, I definitely will be returning to Frasca, 30 minute drive notwithstanding. Hubby wins the gold star.