la denver dish.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2012-01-22T10:27:00.002-07:00

I have had a horrible cold all week so was inspired to make myself some chicken noodle soup. My mom makes amazing chicken noodle soup from scratch so I called her a few times during the cooking process for advice. This recipe is similar to what she makes with a few additions of my own (I added kale and mushrooms and omitted peas). I must say that it turned out quite well! I ate mine while watching my new favorite show, Downton Abbey (have you seen it?! I'm hooked!). It made for a very relaxing evening.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 whole chicken (I think mine was about 3 lbs)
3 chicken bouillon cubes (to taste - if more flavor is needed, you may need more)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 4 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrots (I used a handful of baby carrots, which I chopped - it really doesn't need to be exact)
3/4 cup chopped Kale
1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms
1 11 oz package frozen egg noodles
Kosher Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Cilantro or parsley, about 1/2 cup chopped (I prefer cilantro)

Place chicken in large pot and fill pot with water, about 3/4 full. Add a few large pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and then turn heat down to let simmer, about 1 to 1.5 hours, skimming the surface periodically to remove the fat. When very tender, place the chicken in a bowl and set aside to cool.

Add chopped vegetables, chicken bouillon cubes, and garlic to the broth. Let simmer until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. While the vegetables are simmering and when the chicken is cool enough, chop the chicken, discarding the skin, fat, at bones. Add the chopped chicken to the broth and vegetables. Simmer until the vegetables are soft. Add more salt and pepper and bouillon cubes as needed. You may also need to add more water or broth. This is not an exact science. Lastly, add the noodles and cilantro or parsley if desired.

Variations: if you have chicken stock or broth on hand, you can use this instead of water and omit the bouillon cubes. Add or omit vegetables to your liking! This is also great with turkey, especially leftover turkey after Thanksgiving.

Ludwig's

2012-01-20T19:05:00.002-07:00

On Sunday Finn and I dined at Ludwig's, a restaurant in the Sonnenalp in Vail. Sonnenalp is a beautiful resort, with Bavarian roots and a rich history that you can read about on their website (Mom, I know you'll find this interesting). We had been here once before and had a wonderfully entertaining experience. It was a very snowy night and the restaurant had been reserved for a large party that cancelled at the last minute so we had then entire restaurant to ourselves. Our very attentive waiter (appropriately from Austria) wore a cute Bavarian costume and had a very thick accent. I had a hard time understanding him and inappropriately got the giggles every time he came over to help us. The traditional Bavarian food was good but quite not our style.

We were expecting a similar experience on Sunday when we went back to use a Travelzoo voucher for the meal (which was deceptively for 1 rather than 2, which is what we had expected), but were surprised to find that it has been updated In addition to more modern waiter uniforms, the menu has been completely changed and the style has gone from traditional Bavarian to contemporary American. Steve Topple is their new executive chef and has created a menu that highlights seafood and wild game. He has a catch of the day that is flown in from as far as Hawaii and Maine and served within 24 hours of being caught. While it wasn't quite as entertaining as our first meal there, the food was much more memorable. The extensive wine list has stayed the same - we found it to be very expensive, but expected nothing less in Vail Village. The Sommelier was very helpful to us as we chose a bottle for dinner.

I was especially impressed with the first course, Georges Bank Sea Scallops on a bed of white bean ragout with a bacon vinaigrette.

I had the grilled Hawaiian spearfish with coconut rice and pineapple reduction. My only complaint of the meal was the rice. It was undercooked and a little crunchy. The flavors of the dish were good, however.

Finn had the Elk Wellington. It was served with yellow squash gratin, brussel sprouts (which they were kind to substitute for the carrots), and huckleberry sauce. I'm not usually a fan of wild game, but it was very good - the elk was surprisingly tender.

Dessert was AMAZING. We shared Fig Carpaccio with Lemon Cheesecake. The presentation was beautiful. The lemon cheesecake was really the star of the dish - I would have called it lemon cheesecake with fig carpaccio, as it wasn't quite what I expected. The cheesecake was light and creamy and the graham cracker crust was delicious. As I'm writing this now, I'm wishing I was eating it again!

Cioppino

2012-01-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

One of my attendings gave me a gallon bag full of frozen lobster stock a few weeks ago. I made lobster risotto last week (amazing!) and still had 5 cups left. Since then, I have been searching for another use for it. This cioppino was the perfect thing. The original recipe is Giada's - I changed it a bit based on what I had (she used mussels, clams, shrimp, and fish in hers). Lobster would be really good in this as well. I think it was even better tonight when I reheated it on the stove, especially after it snowed all day!

Cioppino

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1/4 cup tomato paste (I used one small can - I'm not sure if this was 1/4 cup or not)
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
5 cups lobster stock (fish stock would work too)
1 pound calamari
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 pounds assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets such as halibut or salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks

Directions

Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, and stock. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Add the shrimp , calamari, and shrimp. Simmer gently until everything is cooked through. Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Tag

2011-12-31T11:55:00.005-07:00

Last night Finn and I had a great dinner in Denver at Tag. It's a restaurant in Larimer square that opened in 2009; this was my first time to try it. Chef Troy Guard's menu is a fusion of his Hawaiian roots, pan-Asian inspiration, and local ingredients. It works.

Earlier in the day yesterday I had completed a random survey about the 100 things you must eat before you die. One of the items I hadn't had on the list was kangaroo. I had never even considered having kangaroo before, but it was on the menu at Tag so of course we had to try it. We had it for our first course, served on a bed of parsnip puree with a few roasted brussel sprouts (a few meaning very few - approximately one and a half) sprinkled with Japanese crisps. It was a unique combination of flavors - the little crisps had sort of a nutty quality and to me, parsnips always have an overpowering flavor. To be honest, it was a little weird and I would definitely not order it again but it was fun to try.

The salads we had for the second course were great (sorry no photos). Mine was arugula with pumpkin infused olive oil, prosciutto, pomegranate seeds, and dusted with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Finn's was a mixed green salad with pecans, goat cheese, pear, and a vinaigrette dressing. They were both simple salads that would be easy to make at home. I'll let you know when I try them.

For the main course I had the Miso Cod. This was a perfectly flaky fish on a bed of artichoke edamame salsa (although I think they may have ran out of artichokes, as I didn't find one in my salsa), topped with local pea sprout salad and a yuzu kabayaki sauce. This was my favorite thing I had.

Finn was adventurous and tried the Ostrich, which was served medium-rare on a bed of roasted root vegetables. It was our first time to try Ostrich, which I actually found to be quite tasty (however, I still preferred my cod!). It's a very lean meat, kind of like buffalo.

Dessert was a sticky toffee cake (!) with raspberry sauce, hot toffee sauce, and burnt sugar ice cream. Incredible.

Cocktails and Pizza

2011-12-30T12:24:00.004-07:00

Last night Finn and I took his brother Luke and our good friend Eric, both visiting from out of town, out to dinner in Denver. We had a great time at two places I recommend that you try:

Cocktails and appy's at my favorite bar in town, Colt & Gray. I love they're cozy atmosphere and vintage-style cocktails. All of their ingredients are house made and watching the bartenders at work is entertainment in itself. Their cocktail menu is constantly changing. I had the Whimpering Barback - hibiscus infused gin, lime, almond syrup, ginger beer. Delish. If you are here you MUST try the blue cheese dusted gougeres - they are incredible. The bacon cashew caramel corn was great as well, although beware that the small serving you get with your order won't last long at a table of four.

We then walked down to Proto's pizza, a great brick-oven pizza place that serves up a thin, perfectly crispy crust with fun topping choices. I like the Low Rider, a blend of house made honey tomato chipotle sauce topped with mozzarella, Polidori bacon, fresh pineapple, and cilantro.

Happy New Year!

Fruitcake

2011-12-30T12:21:00.002-07:00

Look what my family made for Christmas this year (via my sister Emily's lovely blog - how cute is her blog btw?!).

Raisin Bran Muffins

2011-12-26T07:58:00.005-07:00

My mom made these muffins while I have been home for Christmas and they are amazing!

Raisin Bran Muffins

(makes about 20 to 24 muffins)

1/2 of a 15 oz box of raisin bran cereal

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups buttermilk

In a large bowl, mix together Raisin Bran, flour, salt, sugars and baking soda.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla extract and buttermilk

Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. If you plan on baking the muffins right away, allow to sit on the counter for 45 minutes before baking. This will allow the cereal to soften.

If you'd like to bake the muffins throughout the week, place the batter in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Add some milk as needed if the batter becomes too dry. Scoop into lined muffin pans when ready to bake. Sprinkle with a spoonful of granulated sugar if desired.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chicken Milanese with Slow-Roasted Tomato Salad

2011-12-15T21:08:00.007-07:00

I made this chicken recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook, My Father's Daughter, and loved it. The tomatoes are so simple yet SO AMAZING. I really liked her suggestion to use the parchment paper while pounding the chicken - it was less messy than the way I usually do it.

Chicken Milanese

4 skinless chicken breasts, washed and dried

1 cup milk

2 cups panko bread crumbs (regular work too) mixed with 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and 1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of baking parchment paper. Using a mallet, pound the chicken until they're very thin - about 1/6 inch thick. Put the milk in a shallow bowl and the bread crumbs on a large plate. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and then dredge it in the bread crumbs, tapping off the excess. You should end up with a thin, even, coating.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large nonstick skillet, big enough for 2 chicken breasts in a single layer. Cook for about 4 minutes on the first side, or until evenly browned and crisp. Flip and cook for an additional 2 or 3 minutes, or until the other side is browned and crisp and the chicken is firm to the touch. Wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and the remaining 2 pieces of chicken.

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula Salad

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatoes in a small baking pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're split and blistered and super super sweet.

While the chicken is cooking, toss the arugula with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the vinegar, and a pinch of salt. Fold the tomatoes into the arugula.

Place one piece of chicken on each of four dinner plates and mound a handful of arugula with tomatoes over each piece.

Food Diary: Jordan, pt 2, and Egypt

2011-12-10T10:57:00.014-07:00

Aqaba, Jordan:

One of the locals here recommended a great place for us to get lunch.

We had the most amazing Kebabs as well as what I referred to as a Jordanian Quesadilla (pita filled with ground lamb and spices).

Our seating was outside - the people (and camel!)- watching was very entertaining.

Notice the cell phone.

We went from Aqaba to Wadi Rum, Jordan, which means desert of the moon in Arabic.

It is a desert valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in south Jordan less than an hour from Aqaba. We lived like the Bedouin people here, as we stayed in a tent

and ate food prepared for us by our local guide and his family.

We were greeted with chai tea and a gorgeous sunset.

Breakfast in the tent:

Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt:

We took a ferry from Aqaba to Egypt, where we spent two nights in this delightful vacation town on the Red Sea. We took a private boat ride to go snorkeling in the coral reefs (best

snorkeling ever!); our boat driver recommended a great restaurant for dinner. The fresh sea food here was AMAZING!

The markets here were full of baskets of richly-colored spices.

Cairo, Egypt:

Honestly, not impressed by the Egyptian cuisine. It was a little bland.

Fortunately, the sights made up for it.

We had cocktails and appetizers at the bar on the top floor of the Hyatt

on the Nile River. Gorgeous.

Food Diary: Rome and Jordan

2011-12-10T09:06:00.018-07:00

I've been so busy with work, job hunting, and travel that I've gotten behind on my blogging. This is my catch up weekend so expect lots of new posts! I felt like the luckiest girl in the world last month when I was whisked away for the vacation of a lifetime to celebrate my 30th birthday. Below are some of the food highlights.

First stop: Rome

I'd never been to Rome before and, due to our last minute planning, I didn't know until hours before we got on the plane that I was going to get to go here! It was amazing!!! I would have liked to eat more here but we had a limited amount of time, as we were only there for a day.

The pizza did not disappoint.

We got our pizza to go and ate it outside the Coliseum.

Next stop: Jordan, The Dead Sea

We stayed at the beautiful Marriott Resort on the Dead Sea which had a

great breakfast buffet. We tried a little of everything.

This is the view from our breakfast table:

One of my favorite things is pictured in this bowl on the plate below. It's muesli, which was dry oatmeal with bits of dried fruit mixed with yogurt and a little honey that is

soaked overnight. Also, don't miss the bacon on the right side of the plate. Since they don't eat pork in Jordan (I don't think you can even buy it there), they make bacon from beef instead.

Not quite the same, but it was actually really good.

The hummus was amazing!

Fool Mdammas is one of Jordan's oldest and important dishes. It's crushed fava beans topped with olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, tomatoes, chili pepper, and summac. It's served with pita bread for dipping.

Petra, Jordan

The ancient city of Petra was our next stop. It was amazing. The photos don't really do it justice, as they can't truly capture the huge size of these buildings carved in the stone. HUGE!

It was my 30th (!) birthday while we were here, and it was complete with a cake and everything! After cake and cocktails out the hotel for our first course, we went to dinner at a little place downtown to try some of the local dishes.

The salad course was my favorite - the baba ganoush was especially good.

Mansaf: lamb cooked with goat yogurt served with rice, pine nuts (I think mine actually was with peanuts), parsley, Bedouin bread, goat yogurt soup, and mixed salad. Delicious!

Chef Dish: Fresh lamb cooked with mixed vegetables and tomato sauce and served over rice.

White Bean and Butternut Squash Soup

2011-11-21T21:43:00.004-07:00

I found this recipe on food52, a great blog site for home cooks that I've mentioned before. It's a great recipe for fall - I loved this soup's creaminess and depth of flavor.

White Bean and Butternut Squash Soup

30 oz cannellini beans

1/2 butternut squash

1/4 pound pancetta or bacon

1 sprig rosemary

4 garlic cloves (halved)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 shallots (chopped) or one small onion

2 stalks celery (chopped)

1 carrot (chopped)

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half, long ways, and remove the seeds and pulp from the core. Rub some olive oil in, and put in the oven on a baking sheet. Let cook for about 30 minutes.

Heat some olive oil and butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Next add the pancetta (or bacon) and let it crisp up a bit. Next add shallots, celery and carrots (mirepoix). Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and let it cook for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.

Add the rosemary and white beans to the mixture and let the beans soak up the flavors for about 5 minutes. Add a little more salt and pepper so that you're flavoring every layer. Add the sock to the pot, raise the heat and bring it up to a simmer. Add the garlic halves and let simmer for 10 minutes, until garlic is soft. Then turn down heat to low. Remove the squash from the oven, peel, and cube when cool enough to do so. Add to the soup pot.

Using a hand blender, puree the soup (if you don't have a hand blender, you can transfer it to a mixing bowl to cool then ladle it into a food processor or blender to puree). Mix in half and half and the parmesan cheese and keep on low heat until ready to serve.

Cake!

2011-11-12T08:30:00.004-07:00

I have two delicious cake recipes to share with you this Saturday morning, my readers! Complements of Kim & Jake's Cake's out of Boulder. I first fell in love with their cakes at the Whole Foods Blogger Dinner I went to back in August, when I tried their Strawberry Margarita Cake and Gluten Free Chocolate. Below are the recipes for their Chocolate Paprika Cake and Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Toasted Pecans. The pumpkin cake might be a good alternative to pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving - what do you think? Let me know when you try them!

Chocolate Paprika Cake

Ingredients For the Cake:

6 eggs

3 cups sugar

1.5 cups vegetable oil

1 cup dark cocoa

3 tsp salt

2 tsp sweet paprika

1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

3 tsp Urfa chilies

1 ½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

2 ¾ cups strong brewed coffee

Baking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Line two 8 inch pans with oil and flour or spray down with Baker’s Joy

Combine all ingredients except for flour and coffee into a six qt. mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment put on speed 2 and mix until the batter is shiny and everything is incorporated. Alternately add flour and coffee a cup at a time starting with the flour. When everything has been added, scrape down sides of bowl and mix on speed 3 for one minute.

Pour contents into prepared pans and bake for 55 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool.

Ingredients For the Icing:

2 lbs butter (room temp)

4 lbs powdered sugar

1 Table spoon milk

1 table spoon vanilla

½ tsp each: sweet paprika, salt, black pepper

To make the icing: Whip butter on high for 5 minutes. Scrape sides and repeat. Add powdered sugar a cup at a time with mixer on speed 1. Add milk, vanilla, and spices. Whip on speed 3 to incorporate everything fully. To assemble Cake: Level the tops of the layers, Apply a thin layer of icing to the top of one layer and set the remaining layer on top of it. With a spatula use the rest of the icing to evenly cover the cake. Serves 12.

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

& Toasted Pecans

Ingredients For the Cake:

6 eggs

2 cups brown sugar

1½ cups oil

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

1 tsp each cinnamon and baking soda

½ tsp each clove, nutmeg, and baking powder

1 ½ tsp vanilla

2 cups buttermilk

4 cups flour

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees, line two 8 inch cake pans with oil and flour.

Combine everything except flour and buttermilk in a 6 qt. mixer bowl and mix on speed 2 with the whisk attachment. When the batter is smooth and has a dull shine alternately add flour and buttermilk a cup at a time starting with the flour. When everything is incorporated scrape sides and mix on speed 3 for 1 minute. Pour into prepared pans and bake for 50 minutes.

Ingredients For Icing:

1 lb butter (room temp)

1 lb cream cheese

4 lb powdered sugar

1 table spoon milk

1 table spoon vanilla

Whip butter and cream cheese on high speed for 5 minutes with paddle attachment. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time on speed one. Add milk and Vanilla.

Assembly:

Remove cakes from pans and cut the tops level. Apply a thin layer of cream cheese frosting to one layer and set the other layer on top of it. Using a spatula apply the rest of the icing to the cake.

Serves 12

Denver Foodie Feedup

2011-10-24T22:31:00.009-06:00

Tonight I was invited to the Denver Foodie Feedup, an event hosted by Nescafe Dolce Gusto. They are hosting 8 of these events across the country and was thrilled to be invited to Denver's.....especially because it was held at Root Down, one ofmy Denver favorites! It was also tons of fun to meet other Denver bloggers.

Chef Daniel Asher, who I had the pleasure to meet at the Flavors of Denver Culinary Gala a few weeks ago, talked with us about his philosophy for food, which includes an emphasis about the importance of knowing where food comes from. He actually gets food at Root Down from 44 vendors and uses 55 vendors for Linger, focusing on local growers and ranchers when possible.

We got to try a great sampling of Root Down's menu, including my favorite, the Devils on Horseback. These are date and goat cheese stuffed peppadew peppers, wrapped

in Serrano ham with a smoked paprika-cherry gastrique. I learned that the intensely flavore

d peppadew peppers for this dish are actually exclusively grown in South Africa, that the soil where the peppers are grown actually shape the flavor of the pepper. I also loved the Colorado lamb sliders, the sweet potato falafel, and the butternut-ricotta gnocchi.

We sampled the entire dessert menu, which included banana creme brulee pie, almond fluffernutter, apple and butternut squash cheesecake with ginger anglaise, black tea reduction, and walnut ice cream, and, my favorite, the croissant bread pudding with whiskey butter sauce and sour cream ice cream.

Alongside the many desserts, we sampled the star of the night, the coffee and tea of the Dolce Gusto. The Dolce Gusto is a single serve coffee maker that whips up hot or cold drinks using capsules of coffee, milk, or tea. It actually makes restaurant quality drinks - the pressure of the machine is equal to the pressure used at coffee shops like Starbucks. They actually have 5 different designs that make the same product. I tried the skinny latte and the iced peach tea. Both were delicious. They also had a caramel latte, hot chocolate, cafe mocha, and caramel latte.

I have a surprise for you, my readers....I have a Dolce Gusto to give to one of you. The first of you to comment on my post will get one in the mail very soon! Just tell me the first drink you plan to try with your Dolce Gusto and I will have one sent off to you!

* NESCAFÉ Dolce Gusto invited me to this event. We received wine, delicious food, and we were all surprised with our own NESCAFE Dolce Gusto Coffee Maker (and one for our readers!). All opinions are my own.

Great Pumpkin Cookies

2011-10-23T11:50:00.016-06:00

I was home in Nebraska this weekend for a short visit and was greeted by homemade pumpkin cookies when I walked into the kitchen (my diet and I were both suddenly on vacation!). My mom, who is big on holiday traditions, makes these every October and they're my favorite. The recipe is on a worn magazine page from a Libby's Pumpkin advertisement in a Good Housekeeping Magazine in the early 80's. We frost the cookies with a cream cheese frosting and decorate with candy corn; I actually prefer them without toppings so my mom leaves some plain for me.

The Great Pumpkin Cookie

2 cups flour

1 cup quick or old fashioned oats, uncooked

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup solid pack pumpkin

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (we use half raisins, half chocolate chips)

cream cheese frosting

candy corn for decorating

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Cream butter; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pupkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in

morsels. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet; spread into pumpkin shape, using a thin metal spatula. Add a bit more dough to form stem (we don't usually do this). Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until cookies are firm and lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets; cool on racks. Decorate, using cream cheese frosting to affix sorted candies, raisins or nuts. Yields 19 to 20 cookies.

5280 Dines

2011-10-15T19:35:00.004-06:00

Last Wednesday I went to a great event at Le Grand Bistro and Oyster Bar to celebrate the October issue of 5280 Magazine, the Top 25 Restaurants Issue. This is my favorite issue of the year, so I was thrilled to get an invitation to attend.

5280 Magazine threw a great party - Le Grand Bistro and Oyster bar was packed with people, drinks were flowing, and 6 of the top 25 restaurants were serving up specially prepared dishes. Cholon, Edge, Table 6, Mizuna, Colt and Gray, and Barolo Grill were all there, executive chefs included. I especially enjoyed chatting with the chefs from several of my personal favorite restaurants - Nelson Perkins of Colt and Gray (who told us he named his restaurant after his sons, Colton and Grayson), Lon Symensma of ChoLon (who I talked with about how much I loved both ChoLon and Spice Market in NYC, which was the restaurant he opened before he was in Denver), and Frank Bonanno (chef-owner of 7 great restaurants in town, two of which made this list).

The menu was as follows:

Mizuna: Fruti di Mare Insalata (Delicious! I was impressed by the amount of lobster in each serving.)
Edge: Wild Venison Sausage, Fall Roast Vegetable Hash, Brussels Sprouts Salad, Huckleberry Gastrique (I think the sausage had blueberries in it, or maybe it was just the huckleberry gastrique, but the sweetness complemeted the sausage perfectly)
Barolo Grill: Vitello Tonnato or Chilled Veal with Tuna Aiolo with a Relish of Roasted Peppers, Olives and Capers (The tuna aiolo was delicious - it actually had the consistency of hummus which was interesting)
Table 6: Pho Duckin Dumpling Soup (the pho broth was amazing!)
Colt & Gray: Beef Heart and Trotter (My first time to try beef heart; it had a sort of weird texture that might be too weird for me by itself but it was good on a crustini.)
ChoLon: Duck Terrine, Foie Gras: Chicken Liver Mousse, Pickled Vegetables and Tarragon-Chinese mustard Aïoli (This was so popular that they ran out of this at 730, about the time I arrived, but I was lucky to be talking to Chef Symensma at the end of the night when they brought some out for the chefs so I didn't miss out after all.)

Be sure to pick up a copy of this fun issue!

idine

2011-10-15T16:54:00.012-06:00

I just signed up for idine, a rewards program that helps you earn money back (up to 15%) when you dine at participating restaurants. You sign up your credit card online, use it when you eat out, and then fill out a survey when you're done (the survey is emailed to you afterwards). Very easy (and free!). When you earn $20, it is sent to you in the form of an American Express Rewards card. There are several participating restaurants in Denver - I earned points at Zocalo the other night (I recommend the carnitas if you go here....honestly not the most amazing Mexican place ever but they do have some good happy hour specials and they're open late which is a plus). I was happy to see that several great restaurants are on the Denver list, including Table 6 and Venue.

I do have some good news for you, readers.....iDine has offered to give one of you a $20 American Express gift card; sign up for iDine and comment on this post about one restaurant you plan on trying. I'll let you know which of you is the chosen winner, which will be picked at random. I'll choose the winner by Monday October 23 so do it now! #eatearnenjoy

I was provided with an American Express rewards card in exchange for sharing my experience with the iDine program....the opinions above are my own.

Ribollita

2011-10-10T21:20:00.005-06:00

How is it that we are already deep into October, my favorite month of the year? Did fall sneak up on you as fast as it did on me? While relishing in the gorgeous fall weather on my walk home from the gym I was inspired to cook. I found the perfect recipe on food52, my favorite food website right now; the recipe was written by la domestique, a blogger from Boulder (I changed the recipe a little, but not much). It is ribollita, a soup from Tuscany.

Chopping the vegetables felt like somewhat of a luxury in this incredibly busy day, with a mile-long to-do list that has yet to be finished. It was sort of therapeutic actually. The result was a warm and delicious soup, an apartment that smells of stewed tomatos and thyme, and a much happier me.

Ribollita

Olive oil, a few turns of the pan

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 red onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes

1 carrot, chopped

1 potato, peeled and diced (I left this out)

1 rib of celery, chopped

28 ounces diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves (fresh if you have them)

1 pound kale (cavolo nero is recommended), trimmed and chopped into bite sized pieces

15 ounces cannellini beans

4 slices of prosciutto, chopped (optional)

2 cups chicken stock (vegetable stock if preferred)

2 cups water

4-6 thick slices of country bread, torn into pieces (to be honest, I left this out; I don't advise this, as I'm sure it is even more amazing with the bread)

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and crushed red chili pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Next add the chopped carrot and celery along with a pinch of kosher salt. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes along with the thyme, 2 cups stock, and cup of water. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down and partially cover with the lid. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the kale and a cup of water along with freshly ground pepper. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the beans and prosciutto; simmer for 5 additional minutes. Stir in the bread and top with grated parmesan cheese.

Roasted Cauliflower

2011-09-29T20:51:00.004-06:00

I made roasted cauliflower for dinner last night and oh, was it delicious! I got the idea from Gwyneth's cookbook, My Father's Daughter, which I highly recommend. I added lemon and a little garlic of my own.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, hard care discarded, cut into small florets

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

extra virgin olive oil, enough for a light drizzle over each floret, about 2-3 tablespoons

pinch coarse salt

pinch freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a baking dish large enough to hold the cauliflower in one layer, toss all the ingredients together except for the lemon. Roast for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is caramelized all over. Before serving, squeeze the juice of the lemon over the top. Add extra salt and pepper as needed. Bon appetit!

Flavors of Denver Culinary Gala

2011-09-26T22:07:00.006-06:00

Last Tuesday, I had a fabulous evening at the Four Seasons downtown for the 12th Annual Flavors of Denver Culinary Gala, an event put on by the Denver chapter of the American Liver Foundation. As I mentioned in a previous post, for dinner everyone was assigned to a table that was paired with a chef. I was secretly (ok, maybe not so secretly) hoping to be at one of Daniel Asher's tables, Root Down or Linger. I couldn't believe it when I was seated at the Linger table! I had just written about my love for Linger the week before so I was thrilled to get to meet the chef. Marty, the sous chef at Linger, dazzled us with his cooking skills and creativity and was kind to answer all of our many questions about his lovely dishes. My favorite aspect of the meal were the wine pairings, which were perfectly matched to complement each dish. We started with what was basically a deconstructed masala dosa, which I had the first time I was at Linger and loved. I loved the lamb with roasted tomatoes as well as the dessert, an apple doughnut to dip in a mini mug full of hot apple cider with whipped cream. Mmmm.

Seated at our table was the evening's speaker and his wife, a preacher from Summit County who was a liver transplant survivor; a reminder of the great cause we were all supporting.

More photos to come...

Linger

2011-09-16T20:07:00.003-06:00

I have been to Linger twice now so it's about time I'm telling you about it. I actually tried to go there again last night and there was a 2-1/2 hour wait so we opted to go to Lohi Steakbar instead (always a good option). Chef and owner Justin Cucci (of one of my Denver favorite's, Root Down) opened Linger this summer in the Highlands, just behind Lola and around the corner from Little Man. Quite arguably the best city view in town.

You may remember seeing the large neon sign on top of the building from before it was Linger - that said "Olinger Mortuaries" - which has cleverly been left in place with the "O" unlit and, in place of mortuaries, "eatuaries." The decor matches the mortuary theme, with casket rollers as tables in the dark upstairs bar - the only way for me to read the menu was to get right up to the bar, which is a giant lite-brite. Water is served in formaldehyde bottles and the menus look like metal patient charts. The food, however, is not mortuary themed. It's global street food. After spending time last year in Thailand and Hong Kong, where I fell in love with their street food (most of it at least...), I was thrilled with this concept.

When you go to Linger, I recommend going with a group of people and sharing, as the menu consists of small plates and it's more fun to sample a bit of everything. I was told by a friend that I must try the Mongolian BBQ Duck Buns; I pass this good advice on to you, as they are delicious. Soft, puffy, steamed sesame seed buns filled with sweet BBQ duck and topped with scallions and miso-pickled cucumbers. The pad thai (pictured above) was great as well - we tried it with wagnu beef, which was new to me, as I've usually had pad thai with chicken or tofu - but the beef was great. I also recommend the sesame BBQ tacos with kobe short rib, napa slaw, radish, avocado, and lime. The Masala Dosa was fun (pictured below), as I'd never had anything quite like it before: a rice and lentil crepe filled with masala potatoes, peas, black mustard seeds, and both tamarind-date and coconut chutney.

It's no wonder Linger has one of the longest waits in town for dinner - the city view, great atmosphere, and unique menu have pushed it to the top of my list. If you're looking for good food, though, I think Root Down still has Linger beat, hands down.

Flavors of Denver Culinary Gala

2011-09-13T18:03:00.017-06:00

I'm very excited to attend the 12th Annual Flavors of Denver Culinary Gala next week. It is a great event held by the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Liver Foundation that will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel downtown on September 20 from 5:30-10 pm. The evening includes an auction, cocktail reception and dinner, featuring cuisine prepared by some of Denver's finest local chefs. The dinner will be interactive: each table host will draw a chef's name from a basket, with whom that table will be paired for the evening. The tables will each be personally decorated to reflect each chef's restaurant and the chef will create a meal with signature wine pairings for the table. We will also be introduced to a guest speaker who will share his story about his personal battle with liver disease.

Flavors of Denver Culinary Chefs 2011:

Ale House at Amatos- Charley Sinden, Chef Chair

Oceanaire-Matt Mine

Gaia Bistro- Roman Padilla

The Lobby- Nate Gravina

The Avenue Grill- Andrew Lubatty

Row 14-Jensen Cummings

Linger- Daniel Asher

Root Down-Daniel Asher

McCormick’s- Steve Vice

Yia Yia’s- Aaron Whitcomb

Brassarie 10 10- Corey Cunningham

Encore- Paul Riley

Black Pearl- Mitch Mayers

Mice en Place- James Mazzio and Paula Lueske

Edge- Simon Purvis

For more information, contact: Mara Brosy-Wiwchar, mbrosy@liverfoundation.org
Phone: (303) 988-4388 Fax: (303) 988-4398)

Pan seared scallops

2011-09-13T17:44:00.005-06:00

This is an incredibly easy recipe that results in a very impressive dish. I made them a few weeks ago and set them on a bed of my mother's tomato basil pesto (amazing!); last night I served them with a side of broccoli, mushrooms, and red onions stir-fried in sesame oil and seasoned with garlic, salt & pepper, ginger, and a pinch of cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Delicious. I found that the frozen Archer Farms scallops from Target taste as good (if not better) as any scallop I've ever had in an expensive restaurant. I even thawed them in the microwave before cooking them, as the package suggested.

Pan Seared Scallops

Scallops, 5-6 per person (make sure you buy the jumbo sea scallops, not the small ones)

Butter, 1 Tablespoon

Olive Oil

Kosher Salt

Pat scallops dry with a paper towel. Heat skillet over stove on medium to medium-high heat (I had to turn mine down to medium because my gas stove gets hot quickly). Add butter and then olive oil (a turn of the pan). Set scallops gently into the piping hot pan, being careful not to burn yourself. Do not touch the scallops for two minutes. This allows a sweet, delicious caramelization to form; once the two minutes are up, lift one gently off the pan. If it is appropriately browned, turn all of the scallops. Sprinkle salt over the top of each scallop. After 2-3 minutes, examine again for caramelization on the other side. Serve immediately.

Hotel Teatro

2011-08-27T17:49:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I attended a celebration at Hotel Teatro (home of Restaurant Kevin Taylor, Denver's only four-star, four-diamond restaurant) for the building's 100th anniversary. The event was held in the Chancellor's Suite, which I learned was in fact the University Chancellor's office before the building was a hotel.

We were greeted by Kevin Taylor himself, who described his new pre-fixe six-course seasonal tasting menu, which I was thrilled to learn was priced at $50. It features French Foie Gras Torchon on Toasted Brioche with Sauterne Jelly and Anjou Pear; Crispy Chicken Wings in Truffle Risotto; a Chilled Heirloom Tomato Broth with Sheep’s Milk Ricotta, Micro Cress and

Castelvetrano Olives; Colorado Striped Bass with Artichokes, Tomatoes, Coco Beans and Black Olive Caramel; Braised Pork Cheek; and, for dessert, a Salted Caramel and Chocolate Fondant with Crispy Pistachio Florentine. I'm hoping to make it there soon to try it. Chef Kevin Taylor was recently one of 51 chefs worldwide to participate in the Cakebread Cellars 25th annual

Harvest Workshop, the longest continuously-running winery culinary program of its kind in the Napa Valley. He told us that the new menu was inspired by this experience as well as his recent travels to Europe.

I also felt lucky to sample the very tasty Diamond-tini, a drink created in honor of the building's diamond anniversary that consists of sparkling sake, vermouth, a splash of bitters, topped off with an orange twist and a diamond-shaped ice cube. It will be served at Prima, also located in Hotel Teatro, for the rest of the year.

I was not surprised to learn that Hotel Teatro was #30 on the list of the top 50 U.S. Large City Hotels by Travel + Leisure as well as named one of 2011's Top Ten Hotels Worldwide for Service and Quality by Expedia - it is truly a great Denver destination.

Whole Foods Blogger Dinner, Boulder

2011-08-16T21:04:00.000-06:00

Last week I felt very lucky to be invited to a Whole Foods Market Blogger Dinner at the store on Pearl Street in Boulder. This included an unveiling of the store's recent renovations as well as an amazing dinner that we enjoyed on a lovely patio area outside the store.

The new store features a huge cooking section that encourages customers to try new ingredients and new recipes in the kitchen - cooking coach Beth Pilar (pictured below) gave us a great tour of this new area. She is a chef and recipe writer who recently moved to Boulder from NYC where she had a pastry shop in the lower east side. I was impressed by the huge variety of products - including a huge selection of different flours, beans, and grains. New features include a recipe library, nutritionist, cooking coach, and ipads set up with a recipe app (cooking boulder has partnered with food 52, a national website, to create a great website full of recipes, contests, information sharing, and event listings) that allows customers to search for recipes in the store and print them there or send them to their phones. Amanda Hesser, formerly of the New York Times and author of the New York Times Cookbook published last year as well as co-creator of Food 52, spoke to us about her vision of making home cooking more social. She and her friend Merrill started out using the website as a way to hold cooking contests; it has become a social hub for a community of people who love food. She shared with us their Cooking Manifesto, which I loved:

If you cook, your family will eat dinner together.

If you cook, you will naturally have a more sustainable household.

If you cook, you'll set a lifelong example for your children.

If you cook, you'll understand what goes into food and will eat more healthily.

If you cook, you'll make your home an important place in your life.

If you cook, you'll make others happy.

If you cook, people will remember you.

Below are photos some of the things I got to eat (this is the night I learned

to use instagram, so you'll notice that I was experimenting).

Cold smoked salmon with beets, apple, and tarragon yogurt:

Smoked Pork Belly with fennel puree and pickled vegetables

Dry Aged Ribeye with shallot potato rosti and blueberry syrah

Kim and Jake's Cocktail Cakes: Strawberry Margarita and Gluten Free Boulder Chocolate

It was a great event, one I felt very lucky to be a part of!

Summer Salad and Instagram

2011-08-15T22:57:00.007-06:00

I discovered instagram this week. I realize most of you already know about this but it was new to me. It's so much fun! This is an instagram photo of my dinner last night, quite possibly the most delicious salad I've ever created: a bed of chopped romaine with rows of avocado, diced rotisserie chicken, crumbled Boulder goat cheese, diced red onion, chopped bacon, diced tomatoes and chopped from my parent's garden, and Oletha, CO sweet corn. I dressed it with my new favorite salad dressing, Alpine Avocado Vinaigrette, which I discovered at the Vail Farmer's Market a few weeks ago. A perfect meal to end a great weekend spent with my mom before she returned home to Nebraska.

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

2011-08-15T21:46:00.010-06:00

Since last Monday and for the foreseeable future I am avoiding simple sugars and other high carbohydrate foods for 6 out of 7 days of the week. I like to refer to this as a food challenge rather than a diet; it's sort of an experiment. It's not easy, but thus far it's going well. While I miss my beloved foods like toast and sun chips very much, I do admit to feeling very good overall and more awake throughout the day, especially after lunch. I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing. I am happy to report that this dish I created last Wednesday was a huge success. The roasted red pepper infused the meat and vegetables inside with lots of flavor - delish!

Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

4 red bell peppers

Olive Oil

1 medium sized eggplant

5 oz mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2 onion

4 cloves garlic

3/4 to 1 lb ground beef (this could be substituted with ground chicken or turkey if desired)

10 oz can diced tomatoes or 2 diced fresh tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped and a few extra leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rinse and then cut tops off bell peppers. Remove seeds. Set aside.

Peel eggplant and dice into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes. Spread onto a foil-lined cookie sheet and gently coat with olive oil. You may need to mix this up with your (clean) hands to evenly distribute the oil. Place in 400 degree oven.

Coat skillet with olive oil. Cook diced mushroom and onion over medium heat, stirring frequently. Grate or finely chop garlic and add to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain fat. Add diced tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat down to low once tomatoes are heated through.

Remove Eggplant from oven when roasted - it should be soft and should appear slightly shriveled and browned. This should take about 20 minutes but will vary based on your oven and size of cubes. Add this and the chopped basil to the mixture on the stove. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon meat and veggie mixture into peppers. Sit upright on foil-lined cookie sheet and put into 400 degree oven. Roast for approximately 20 minutes, until the pepper skins begin to bubble and brown. Garnish with additional basil and then place the tops on the peppers for serving.

Bon appetit!

Gwyneth Paltrow's Stuffed Artichokes with Bread and Tomatoes

2011-07-11T21:27:00.006-06:00

Emily and I recently decided that instead of merely looking at the beautiful photos in Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook, My Father's Daughter, we needed to start cooking from it. We tried her stuffed artichokes with bread and tomatoes tonight and found them to be absolutely wonderful and surprisingly easy. We were especially excited to be able to use the basil growing in the pot on my balcony, which recently came back to life this week thanks to the rain in Denver (and no thanks to us, as we can't seem to remember to water it). This dish would make an ideal first course or side dish for a dinner party.

Stuffed Artichokes with Bread and Tomatoes (p. 206 of My Father's Daughter)

4 artichokes, top inch and tough outer leaves cut off and discarded

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Coarse salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cups day-old 1/2-inch bread cubes (about 1/2 stale baguette will do)

2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (we used tomatoes on the vine, which worked well)

Handful fresh basil leaves, torn

1 lemon

Steam the artichokes for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the 1/2 cup of olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the bread cubes. If they're really dry, add a spoonful of warm water. Using your hands, crush in the tomatoes and stir in the basil Let the bread mixture sit while the artichokes are cooking.

When the artichokes are cooked through, let them sit for 10 or 15 minutes to cool. Using a soup spoon, scoop out the thistly chokes. Squeeze the lemon over the cavity of each artichoke and stuff with the bread salad. Drizzle over the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

I recommend being extra careful when scooping out the chokes - the artichokes in the cookbook photos were much tighter and neater looking, whereas mine is sprawling open. You get the idea.

Tomato Feta Salad

2011-07-04T10:25:00.003-06:00

I went home to Nebraska for the 4th of July weekend this year. Home always involves lots of cooking and entertaining of some sort; this was no exception. We fit two dinner parties into the weekend (including a birthday party for my Grandpa Red, who turned 81 on July 4th), and I made this salad for both of them. My favorite summer salad to make is a caprese salad, but because the tomatoes in my parents' garden were still green, I had to find something new. This recipe was the perfect find, as the cherry tomatoes were ripe and I could still use fresh basil. It went well alongside the beef brisket and pork my dad had smoked for the occasion.

Tomato Feta Salad

Adapted from the recipe on p 81 in Barefoot Contessa at Home

2 pints cherry tomatoes, red or mixed colors
3/4 cup small-diced red onion
2 tablespoons good white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I actually omitted this, which was fine)

3/4 pound feta cheese (Ina uses Greek feta in a cube and dices it into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes which results in a neater looking salad; I used 2 4-oz containers of crumbled feta, one was seasoned with garlic and herbs, the other was tomato basil)

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley and toss well. Gently fold in feta and serve at room temperature.

Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs and Mango Salsa

2011-07-04T09:31:00.019-06:00

This is a summer recipe my mom has been using for as long as I can remember; it's actually a marinade for steak kabobs from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook that she got as a wedding gift in 1978. She has always used chicken rather than the beef chuck or round steak the recipe calls for, which she grills on "meat-only" skewers (except for maybe a few onions) and grills mixed vegetables and pineapple separately to be sure the chicken is cooked thoroughly without burning the vegetables. We didn't soak the veggies in the marinade or season them at all, but she tells me she thinks she has done this in the past. I made a mango salsa to serve with them, which was delicious! These are best enjoyed with family and good friends on my parents' screened-in porch in Nebraska with lots of stories and laughing.

Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup salad oil

2 tablespoons molasses

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons dry mustard

6 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 pounds chicken breasts, cut 1 inch thick

For marinade, combine soy sauce, salad oil, molasses, ginger, dry mustard, and minced garlic cloves; mix well. Cut chicken in strips 1/2 inch thick. Add chicken to marinade, stirring to coat, and let stand 15 minutes at room temperature. Lace chicken onto skewers, leaving a small space between each one to allow for even cooking. Grill 5 to 7 minutes or to desired doneness. Turn frequently and baste with marinade. Serves 6.

Mango Salsa

2 mangos, pealed and diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 avocado, diced

1/2 onion, chopped (I used a summer onion; I think a sweet onion or red onion would also be great)

the juice of 1 lime

a few splashes of habenero hot sauce (you could also finely chopped hot pepper like habenero or jalapeno instead)

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (I omitted this because my mom dislikes cilantro)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chop mangos and veggies. Add lime and habenero sauce and stir gently. Add salt and pepper. Taste. Add more salt and pepper and habenero sauce as desired. This is a great salsa to serve with corn chips or over chicken, beef, or fish. It's actually also great by itself.

Coconut Green Curry Mussels

2011-07-02T12:24:00.020-06:00

Mussels are the food of my summer thus far. I have sampled them all over town - Le Central's moules au basilic are my favorite; I also like the mussels at Cheeky Monk and Colt & Gray. I admit that Emily and I were a bit hesitant about making mussels at home for the first time (we had actually planned this meal twice before and went to Le Central instead of the grocery store both times!) but found them to be surprisingly simple. The coconut curry sauce in this dish was so delicious that after I had used up my bread for dipping, I ate it like soup with a spoon.

Coconut Green Curry Mussels

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lbs mussels, rinsed (weed out the cracked or open ones, gross)

3 T unsalted butter
3 stalks lemon grass, dry parts removed, or the equivalent of 3 stalks from a tube (which is what we used)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T freshly grated ginger
1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
1 C green curry sauce (we bought one pre-prepared in a jar; you could also use 3 T curry paste)
juice of 2 limes
1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Prep all of the ingredients before you start anything cooking. This dish comes together so quickly that you need to be prepared. So, juice the limes, grate the ginger, chop the garlic and cilantro, braise and cut up the lemon grass (or have your squeeze tube close), and rinse and weed out cracked or open mussels.

Melt the butter in a large pot, over medium-high heat. Add lemongrass, garlic, and ginger. Stir and let cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. While whisking, add coconut milk and green curry sauce. Bring to a simmer over high heat.

Add mussels. Stir and let cook, covered. In less than 5 minutes, the mussels will open. At this point, remove from heat and add the lime juice and cilantro.

Serving this with crusty french bread is a must.

This is the recipe we used for 2, which was perfect for us. Le Central actually serves 2 lbs for one, which I can never finish. The original recipe (from a great food blog, The Sassy Radish) we based this on called for 3 lbs mussels for this amount of sauce, so you could double the mussels and keep the rest of the recipe the same if serving 4.

Second Home Cooking Class: Thai Night

2011-06-30T08:24:00.008-06:00

On Tuesday I attended my second cooking class at Second Home. It was Thai night. Chefs Jeff Bolton and Denis Zvekic demonstrated several dishes for us, all of which we got to sample. I included the recipes that were handed out at the class; the Pad Thai recipe is obviously for a large group so you would need to adjust this to make it at home. I really liked his addition of paprika for color and flavor; I think I would add this to my recipe next time.

Pad Thai Sauce

Fish Sauce 1 cup

Sugar 1-3/4 cups

Distilled White Vinegar 1 cup

Paprika 1/5 cup

Tamarind Pulp 1.25 ounces

Water 1 cup

Break up the tamarind pulp, and combine with other ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and process with a bur-mixer. Strain to get tamarind seeds out.

They mixed the sauce over the stove with rice noodles soaked in water until they turned from translucent to white, bean sprouts, eggs, shredded carrots, green onions, and king crab. We topped it with peanuts and fresh lime at the table.

Curry Bases

Toast one tablespoon of curry paste in one tablespoon of blended oil. Add one pound of meat or vegetable (with the green curry they served lamb, green peas, and red and green peppers; with the red curry we had one with chicken and the other with mixed vegetables). Add one cup of coconut milk. Simmer until the meat and/or vegetables are cooked all the way through. Thin the sauce with chicken or vegetable stock as needed. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

For dessert we enjoyed sticky rice with coconut milk topped with mango sauce.

The Four Seasons Denver: EDGE Tweet Lunch

2011-06-30T08:14:00.018-06:00

I felt incredibly lucky to be invited to a special "tweet lunch" at EDGE this week, which is the restaurant located in the Four Seasons Hotel at 14th and Arapahoe in downtown Denver. Here I met with several other Denver bloggers to enjoy the business quickie, which consists of four small plates and dessert for $18. It is a set menu that changes seasonally. Larger versions of each item are also offered separately on their menu. I was truly blown away by the caliber of food I got to sample. I did try to pick a favorite, but honestly could not. Each dish seemed to epitomize summer, which was perfect for the 90 degree weather that was yesterday.

Executive Chef Simon Purvis, who took the time to welcome us personally, has cooked all over the globe, including Berlin and Singapore; before coming to Denver he was at the Four Seasons Jackson Hole. His menu features local ingredients and he strives to make EDGE a restaurant where people feel at home, a place where people "come back to often, not just a special-occasion restaurant." We want people to feel as if EDGE is their home,” says Purvis. “ a plcan come back to often, not just a special-occasion

The Sesame Chicken Salad was a delicious summer salad with a light peanut dressing and crisp wontons. I would most definitely return to order this for my main dish.

The Heirloom Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella Salad with torn basil and aged balsamic was a delightful twist on one of my very favorite salads, the caprese salad. I especially enjoyed the juicy yellow heirloom tomato on top.

The Summer Halibut Ceviche was quite possibly the best ceviche I have ever had. Really. I believe it consisted of halibut, tomatoes, red onions, green peppers, cilantro, and lime juice. I think this would make the perfect lunch to enjoy by the pool on a hot summer day.

Last, but not least, was the Petit Steak Frites with house cut fries and peppercorn sauce. Once I tasted this, I was not surprised to learn that EDGE was recently voted 5280's Top of the Town pick for best steak in Denver. It is the only restaurant in Denver to feature a dry-aged Kansas City Strip, which is grilled on a wood-burning grill.

I unfortunately had to leave before the dessert course to go to my day job, but I have no doubt that the Organic Chamomille Panna Cotta with lemon oat crumble and sweet roasted apricots and the Meyer Lemon Tart with Candied Kumquats and Passion Fruit Gelee (!) were amazing. They were very sweet, though, to send me home with a beautifully packaged chocolate cupcake to go. I left a very happy girl. #EDGE

Snowmass Culinary Arts Festival

2011-06-27T16:05:00.007-06:00

The Snowmass Culinary Arts Festival is July 22-23.

Celebrity chefs, who will be hosting workshops and demos, include Alex Seidel of Fruition, the 2009 Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg, and Richard Sandoval of Zengo and Tamayo.

Should be a good time!

Photos are from last year's festival, compliments of Jeremy Swanson.

Boston: Neptune Oyster

2011-06-20T23:14:00.008-06:00

I was in Boston recently and was fortunate enough to dine at Neptune Oyster. I highly recommend it if you're in Boston. It is a very small oyster bar on a cute old street in the North End of Boston. If you do go, be prepared to wait. It's such a small space, though, that the hostess will take down your cell phone number and call you when your seat is ready. We perused the streets in the area and went into some of the nearby shops and were later happy to find the food at Neptune Oyster to be worth the wait. We ordered white wine with an assortment of oysters and shared the Maine Lobster Roll. The lobster roll consisted of a freshly baked bun stuffed with more lobster than I had ever seen on one plate. It was drizzled with melted butter. Absolutely amazing. You can also order a cold lobster roll with mayonnaise, but I strongly feel that the hot roll is the way to go.

We later decided to do a little taste test to see if the famous Neptune Lobster Roll was worth the cost ($25!) and the wait. Mercado del Mare is just down the street from Neptune Oyster; it's a small seafood market that sells a few prepared food items like sushi, chowder, and lobster rolls. The lobster roll we had here was the cold variety, with mayonnaise rather than butter. It was about half the price of the roll at Neptune Oyster and there was no wait to get it. While the lobster in the roll was amazing and was stuffed quite full, we decided in the end that Neptune Oyster's roll was hands-down better. The lady at the counter even admitted that, while theirs was good, they could never compete.

Nashville

2011-06-13T20:40:00.015-06:00

Finn and I were in Nashville last month and were completely delighted by this city that warmly welcomed us with the sounds of live country music and sweet smells of BBQ. If you happen to be headed to Nashville in the near future, I strongly recommend the following:

1. Puckett's Grocery started out as a small country store in Franklin, Tennessee with a few tables where patrons could enjoy Southern cooking; the food was so popular that they expanded to more tables, cut down on the groceries and expanded to Leiper's Fork and downtown Nashville. I loved that there are still a few shelves on the walls were you can purchase items such as laundry soap, cooking spray, and paper towels. We were educated about the Southern "meat & 3," which is a meat and three sides. Everything was amazing, especially the fresh cherry cobbler.

2. The Flying Saucer: We actually liked this place so much that we went here twice. This is a great casual place for beer and reasonably priced food. The pizza was great. I also loved the stained glass windows and comfy couches.

3. The Pancake Pantry: Amazing breakfast. The sweet potato pancakes were to die for.

4. Whiskey Kitchen: Fun bar with a sophisticated atmosphere.

5. Mafiaoza's: One of the doctors who interviewed me recommended this to me. We went here for late night stone-oven pizza, which was wonderful.

Second Home Restaurant and Bar

2011-05-17T21:57:00.017-06:00

A few weeks ago my sister Emily, my new roommate for the summer, and I had the pleasure of going to chef's class at Second Home Kitchen and Bar. This was an amazing find, as these classes are held once a month and include instruction, entertainment, a glass of wine, and dinner. To top it off, each class costs only $15. Incredible.

The night's theme was pizza dough. We learned about using pizza dough as a base for breadsticks, bruschetta, Stromboli, wraps, and Margherita and pepperoni pizza then sampled them. I included their recipe below. For the pizza, they recommended using a pizza stone in a 500 degree oven with a pizza paddle to remove the pizza from the stone. For the bruschetta, they used a thin crust and grilled it on both sides until crispy then topped it with heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and topped it with arugula in a light vinaigrette dressing. This was my favorite. The breadsticks were a little spicy, consisting of chipotle peppers folded into the dough, rolling the dough into thin strips, brushing with egg whites and sprinkling with sea salt before baking in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Pizza Dough

Organic flour 2-1/2 lbs

Semolina 1/2 lbs

Salt 1-1/2 Tablespoons

Yeast 5 grams

Oil 1/6 cup

Honey 1/8 cup

Milk 1/3 cup

Water 3-1/2 cups

In a large mixing bowl add all dry ingredients. In another container put the milk, oil, water, honey, and yeast. Let the liquid come up to 74 degrees to activated the yeast. Start mixer slowly and add liquids to the flour mix. Let mix for 14 minutes. Allow dough to rise on a clean table for 15 minutes. Portion dough into 9 oz portions. Form the portions into balls and place on an oiled tray.

Pizza Sauce

Yellow Onions 1/2 lbs

San Marzano Tomatoes 4 cups

Fresh Basil 1/2 cup

Dry Oregano 1 Tablespoon

Roughly chop the onions and saute them until they are tender and have a light brown color. Place all ingredients in a large container and blend, preferably with an emersion blender.

After the class I had the pleasure of speaking with Jeff Bolton, executive chef at Second Home. He described the food at Second Home as "comfort food your mom would make but better." His grandfather was Cuban and Spanish, so he grew up eating a mix of the two at home. Some of his favorite places to eat in Denver include Osteria Marco, Root Down, and Euclid Hall. I was surprised to hear that he had helped start up the restaurant Proof on Main in Louisville, where I had been just a few days before. After experiencing the chic yet comfortable atmosphere of Second Home and speaking with Jeff about the menu and his love of good food, I look forward to visiting the restaurant again soon.

Especially for brunch with bottomless mimosas.

Louisville, KY

2011-05-09T16:56:00.008-06:00

I went to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby this year, which was amazing. In addition to visiting Churchill Downs for the big event, we dined at some fun restaurants.

Wild Eggs:
This was a recommendation by my good friend Jared, whose wife Deanna is from Louisville. We went here for brunch and found the food to be absolutely delicious. We shared the Kalamity Katie's Border Benedict and the Hot Brown. I had been advised not to visit Louisville without trying a Hot Brown, the open-faced sandwich made popular by a chef at the Brown Hotel in 1926. We learned that it was created as a late-night supper for guests at the hotel as an alternative to a ham and egg sandwich. The hot brown at Wild Eggs is a slice of sourdough bread with turkey and bacon covered in Mornay sauce with a poached egg on top - very tasty. This variation also included chopped tomatoes. We also loved the Kalamity Katie's Border Benedict, an eggs benedict on spicy corn cakes with chorizo and topped with chopped avocado and tomatoes. The muffin on the side was an "everything muffin" - it tasted just like an everything bagel and was savory rather than sweet. We arrived at the restaurant very hungry and left happy.

Proof on Main:
This restaurant is in the hotel 21C, which is a modern museum hotel downtown. I thought this was a great concept and is on top of my list of recommendations for Louisville. We enjoyed touring the museum before dining at Proof. Proof was actually recommended to me by several friends; when we got there Finn realized he'd actually been there before. We shared the potted pork, pork belly sliders with fries, and homemade pickled beets, cauliflower, and turnips. I especially liked the potted pork, which we spread on toast and topped with cherries and arugula. The cocktails were fun too - we chose two made with Bourbon, which we thought was only appropriate. We shared the Lazy Eye, which was old forester, fee brother's bitters, lemon and orange along with another with Bourbon, honey syrup, and lemon.

Bacon and Leek Risotto with Poached Egg

2011-04-24T20:35:00.011-06:00

I made this dish for myself after a long day at work today. I must say, it was amazing - quite possibly my favorite risotto recipe to date. I have Andrea Jazbec, one of the Kaiser OB/GYN attendings and former professional chef, to thank for giving me the recipe and telling me that I must try it. The soft yolk of the egg runs over the creamy risotto flavored with leeks and bacon. Comfort food at its finest.

Bacon and Leek Risotto with Poached Egg (adapted from bon appetit)

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

5 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only, about 1-2 large leeks)*

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

3/4 cups dry white wine

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley (I used dried)

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese (I used Romano)

Fresh Italian parsley leaves (for garnish)

Additional finely grated Parmesan cheese (for garnish)

Preparation:

Bon appetit suggested making the poached eggs first, up to one day ahead, setting them aside in a bowl filled with ice water, and reheating in medium skillet of simmering water just until heated through, 1-2 min, but I actually did this at the end. If serving for a large group this would work well, but for just myself it was not necessary. I also prepared the bacon in the oven at 400 degrees for about 13 minutes before slicing it and cooked the leeks in olive oil rather than bacon drippings

Bring broth to simmer in medium saucepan; cover to keep warm. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, stirring occasionally. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add leeks to drippins in pan; cook until soft but not brown, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer 2 generous tablespoonfuls of leeks to small bowl; reserve for garnish. Add rice to pan, stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; stir until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1 to 2 cups warm broth to saucepan; stir until broth is absorbed. Repeat addding broth and stirring until rice is tender but still firm to bite and sauce is creamy, stirring almost constantly, about 23 minutes total. Add bacon, chopped parsley, butter, and 2 tablespoons cheese. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Meanwhile, prepare poached eggs, leaving the yolk soft.

Divide risotto among 6 bowls. Top risotto in each bowl with poached egg. Sprinkle egg with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley leaves, additional cheese, and reserved leeks.

*I must admit to googling "how to cut leeks" and then watching this youtube video because I don't have a lot of experience with leeks

Sushi Saturdays at Jonesy's

2011-04-23T22:28:00.007-06:00

Good news! Jonesy's, which happens to be a block from my condo building (and was recently awarded the Best American Restaurant in the Westword's 2011 Best of Denver issue), now serves sushi on Saturdays! And...it's prepared by Nick Howard, formerly of my favorite sushi restaurant in town, Izakaya Den. At first I was a bit cynical of the idea of Jonesy's serving sushi, as it doesn't really fit with the theme of their restaurant, but when I found out the chef was from Izakaya, I quickly changed my tone and proceeded to order it.

I highly recommend the godzilla with unagi (eel), avocado, cucumber, and strawberry. I believe eel sauce was drizzled on top. It was delicious. I do not, however recommend the veggie, as it was basically a lettuce salad in a roll that fell apart when I tried to pick it up with my chopsticks. Despite disliking the veggie sushi (which I don't think I've liked anywhere), I highly recommend trying the other varieties. With a good friend and a glass or two of wine.

Balsamic and Lime Vinaigrette

2011-04-20T21:05:00.003-06:00

I waited at Barnes & Noble while getting the oil changed in my car today and ended up buying a cookbook. I know millions of recipes are available online now and that I often do more reading of cookbooks than cooking from them lately but I couldn't resist. There's something about having the book, with its pretty photos and inspiration to cook, on display in my cookbook stand on my kitchen counter that I love. In addition, Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook, My Father's Daughter, came highly recommended from my sister Sarah. After reading it this afternoon, I was inspired to fill my fridge with fresh vegetables and to make myself a salad for dinner. This balsamic and lime vinaigrette salad dressing recipe was delicious. I served mine on a chopped salad of iceberg lettuce, scallions, grape tomatoes cut in half, prosciutto, and crumbled blue cheese. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Balsamic & Lime Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons light agave nectar or honey (I used agave)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the vinegar, agave, and lime juice together in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Yield: 1/2 cup

Restaurant Week: The Squeaky Bean

2011-03-13T09:40:00.004-06:00

I went to the Squeaky Bean for 5280 Restaurant Week with my friend Claudia who, to my delight, recently moved to Denver. I had been there for an event last month and loved the appetizers I sampled so I was very excited to try the rest of the menu in this tiny restaurant. They use local seasonal ingredients to create a very unique menu. Claudia and I had a wonderful time chatting, drinking wine, and sampling the food - we didn't realize until we got up to go that we were the last people in the restaurant to leave.

For the first course we shared the dungess crab (pictured below) and the brussels with mussels. The brussels with mussels were my favorite! I would never have thought that brussel sprouts and mussels would pair well together, but they did. The mussels were poached served without the shells, which was kind of nice for a change. The crab dish was good, but not quite what I expected. It was basically a crab salad paired with radishes, chilis, and warm shelling beans. I loved everything but the crab - too much mayonnaise.

For our second course we shared the Croque Madame and the "Meaty Vegetables" TV dinner. I must admit that I was very disappointed with the Croque Madame - the egg yolks were hard! I'm not sure if this was on purpose or not but it seemed very wrong to me. I did, however, enjoy the substitution of prosciutto for ham and the gruyere cheese along with the thyme bechamel sauce.

The "Meaty Vegetable" TV dinner was very clever. What looks like fried eggs was actually whipped parsnips with pureed yellow beats. Delish. The sides were not quite as tasty but they were cute: mushroom pot pie, beet “tartare”, and potato leek “marrow.”

For dessert we shared the panna cotta. It was nearly the same dessert that I'd had at Luca d'Italia only a few nights before but I didn't mind; both places paired it with citrus, which is a nice contrast to the creamy vanilla panna cotta, my new favorite dessert. Luca d'Italia won by a small margin.

Where did you all go for restaurant week this year? I would love recommendations for next year!

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignonne

2011-03-09T18:30:00.001-07:00

I found this recipe for Quick Beef Bourguignonne in Real Simple magazine - the first time I tried it I followed the recipe and found the meat to be tough and overcooked (which was probably my fault, not the recipe's), so I tried it again in the slow cooker. The beef was much more tender - and the prep time (minus the cook time) was actually a lot shorter. It is a flavorful stew that I served over pasta; you could also serve it over potatoes, rice, or on its own. It's even better a few days after you make it - I recommend reheating it over the stove rather than in the microwave.

Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignonne

1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak or chuck roast, cut into 1 inch pieces
Kosher salt and pepper
1 10-oz package sliced mushrooms
1 16-oz package pearl onions (The second time I made this I used 1/2 a large yellow onion, chopped, which also works)
2 cups red wine
1 cup vegetable, beef, or chicken stock (really, broth or water works too)
1 10.75-oz can Campbells' s Golden Mushroom Soup
1/2 cups flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)

Turn slow cooker on high. Add the beef. Season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms, onion, red wine, mushroom soup, and stock of your choice. Stir with a large spoon until the mushroom soup is smooth. Cover and wait. Cook for 3-1/2 to 4 hours if on high; you can also cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours.

Weekend in Portland

2011-03-06T22:30:00.020-07:00

This post is long overdue, as I was in Portland on holiday over a month ago, but better late than never, right? I had a delightful weekend in this adorable city.

First stop: The Nines Hotel

This was an incredible, luxurious hotel where I decided I would like to live. To top it off, the two restaurants here were equally amazing. Departure was a hip restaurant and lounge on the top floor with a great view of the city. The food was delicious, especially the kobe meatballs and the pork dumplings. Pictured below is the Urban Farmer, where I fell in love with the decor.

The concierge at the Nines recommended Davis Street Tavern for lunch. Here we devoured $1 oysters and champagne and shared an amazing burger with a side of velvety mac 'n cheese. Yum.

Later that day, around 4 pm I think, we considered stopping at the famous Voodoo doughnuts for a snack. We chose not to stand in this unbelievable line. Instead, we went back to see what the hype was about late that night and walked right in. I must admit that I was a bit disappointed - they were overly sweet for my taste. The bacon maple bar, which we had wanted to try, was sold out so we shared one topped with oreo cookie crumbles. Not worth the calories.

After leaving Portland for a 24 hour jaunt to Seattle, we returned on Sunday to stay at the Ace Hotel. This is a popular boutique hotel that started in Seattle and has expanded to Portland, New York, and Palm Springs. It was nice yet minimalistic; I would describe it as very hipster. The common area was consistently packed with people on their laptops, reading the paper, and drinking coffee.

We shared a sandwich for lunch at Clyde Common, the restaurant at the hotel. It kind of felt like we were eating in a mess hall but the food was quite good. There is also a cute coffee shop connected to the Ace, Stumptown Coffee.

We found some great bars in Portland as well. My favorite was Central, which was a speakeasy semi-hidden behind a creperie. They had great vintage cocktails and crepes.

You cannot go to Portland without stopping at the late night food carts in Chinatown. My favorite was a Vietnamese cart with Banh mi, a traditional Vietnamese sandwich; the one we had consisted of a French baguette with pickled carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, chili peppers, chicken, and some sort of yummy sauce. So good, especially late at night. We also shared a very delicious gyro from a Greek cart. Warning: once you stop at one, you want to try all of them.

Restaurant Week: Luca d'Italia

2011-03-06T09:16:00.004-07:00

5280 Restaurant Week in Denver is my favorite food event of the year. From February 26 to March 8, participating restaurants offer a prefixed menu for $52.80 per couple/$26.40 for one. It's a great opportunity to try some of the more expensive restaurants in town that I would usually reserve for a special occasion.

On Tuesday Finn and I had the pleasure of dining at Luca d'Italia. It was my first time at this restaurant, which Denver restaurateur Frank Bonanno named after his son Luca. It is located on the corner of 7th and Grant, on the same corner as two of Bonanno's other restaurants, Mizuna and Bones. We couldn't get a reservation so we went late and sat at the bar, a tip that I recommend for those of you who didn't prepare in advance for restaurant week.

The food was absolutely delicious. Between the two of us, Finn and I sampled the entire menu. For the first course I had the house salad with housemade robiola cheese, finochetta, arugula, frisee, and radicchio. I loved it. The Sage Cavatelli, however, was even more amazing and is what I would recommend. It was in a butternut squash sauce with mountain gorgonzola and toasted pine nuts. We wanted more.

For the second course, my dish, the Cacciucco was the favorite. This was a stew of shellfish in a slightly spicy, perfectly seasoned tomato sauce with a side of white bean puree. The other option was the Pork Shoulder Conserva, served over Roman Gnocchi, bitter greens, and whole grain mustard reduction. It was good, but the pork shoulder was a little fatty for my taste.

For dessert, we were a little disappointed at first that there was only one option; however, once we tried it we were delighted. It was a panna cotta with spiced orange marmellata and almond torta. The tangy, spicy orange marmellata was a nice contrast to the creamy vanilla panna cotta and the almond torta were delicious almond cookies placed on top. We shared a glass of the Alladina 2009 Moscato D'Asti, recommended to us by the sommelier, which perfectly complemented the dessert.

I would most definitely recommend trying Luca d'Italia for restaurant week this year; I will undoubtedly be returning to try their regular menu as well.

ChoLon

2011-02-05T13:38:00.011-07:00

I'm still dreaming of sweet onion gruyere soup dumplings....

I went to ChoLon for the first time this week with Julie, one of my favorite friends to dine with, and was quite impressed. ChoLon is a modern Asian bistro that opened in fall 2010 in the sugar cube building, Lodo; it is named after the largest Chinese-influenced market in Saigon literally means big market. It was really like nowhere else I have been in Denver. Since my trip to Southeast Asia this fall, I have been somewhat obsessed with the amazing food from this area, so I was thrilled to hear that this was open. In addition Executive Chef Lon Symensma helped execute the menu at Spice Market, one of my favorite restaurants in New York City where I dined in December 2009.

The menu is designed to be shared, which is my favorite way to eat. It is divided into small bites, small plates, large plates, wok, and dessert. The small plates section was my favorite. We had the pork belly pot stickers, rib eye satay, and - my personal favorite - the soup dumplings. The sweet onion gruyere soup dumplings, as I mentioned earlier, are a unique twist on the traditional soup dumplings (Xiaolongbao) I first had in Chinatown a few months ago. These were basically filled with French onion soup. You cannot go here and not order these; in fact, I would be perfectly content to return to ChoLon and eat only the soup dumplings. The rib eye satay was extremely tender and delicious, as were the pot stickers with ginger mustard dipping sauce.

We didn't end up ordering a small plate, although I would like to go back and try the green papaya salad or lemongrass-beet salad. From the large plates section, we shared the Australian sea bass with wok-tossed bok choy and water chestnuts. It was a little spicy and very good.

The stir-fried brussel sprouts with ground pork and mint from the Wok were my second favorite dish. Perfectly executed.

We did splurge on dessert - after all, this was my very belated birthday dinner. We had the spiced doughnuts with Vietnamese coffee ice cream. I think they were coated in sugar with a little bit of sea salt. Amazing. We had a pot of hot tea to finish of the meal, which was the perfect ending on this cold and snowy night.

I must admit that the only thing that disappointed us a little about Cholon was the service; I would have appreciated more attention from our waitress as well as more direction when we ordered. We were fortunately able to catch the eye of someone, I think he was the manager or host, who ended up giving us some much appreciated suggestions and more detailed descriptions of the food before we ordered.

I would recommend trying ChoLon for a Valentines Day date or restaurant week this year. It should be noted that they have the restaurant week tasting menu available now on Monday-Wednesday, which we unfortunately missed, but I think this is a good excuse for me to try it again. :-)

Photos courtesy of ChoLon's website

Chinatown, NYC

2011-01-26T20:40:00.008-07:00

I was in NYC just before Christmas this year and was lucky enough to spend the day with my good friend Bill, who is not only a native New Yorker but also a professional NYC tour guide (I highly recommend going on one of his tours the next time you're in New York). His knowledge of the city is unreal. He also loves to eat, so he naturally knows where to find the best food in the city. He took me to Chinatown where we first stopped at Xi'an Famous Foods, a teeny-tiny restaurant that serves Western Chinese cuisine. Here we had the Liang Pi cold skin noodles, an incredibly delicious noodle dish very different than anything I'd had before. A little spicy, very fresh. We also shared a lamb burger, which was a hot pocket of bread filled with spicy lamb and peppers. Also very tasty.

We then walked to Joe's Ginger, a restaurant that serves Hong Kong style Shanghai cuisine, and had the most delicious dumplings I had ever had: soup dumplings. I had never heard of these before. Bill taught me to eat them by making a little hole in the dumpling with your teeth and sucking out the soup broth first then eat the dumpling with the pork. The perfect food for a cold and windy day in New York.

After much walking and touring, we found ourselves very hungry in Times Square and right in front of a Korean Fried Chicken restaurant. We couldn't resist. I did not take a photo nor do I remember the name of this restaurant, but I highly recommend trying Korean Fried Chicken if you get the chance. I'm not exactly sure what they do to it, but it almost seems like they fry it in rice krispies; it came with lots of choices for dipping sauces, which I loved.

The only food we didn't get to eat that we had planned on that day was pizza. I hope to try Bill's favorite New York pizza next time I'm there, as I'm sure it is the best.

Smoky-Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

2011-01-17T18:38:00.006-07:00

I found this recipe on the hospital dietitians' bulletin board. I had been looking for another use for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, as I had several left over after making chicken chili recently; I also got to use my new hand blender that I got for Christmas. This flavorful soup is finished with sour cream and bacon, which I found to be essential garnishes.

Smoky-Spicy Sweet Potato Soup (adapted from Rachael Ray)
Ingredients:
3 to 4 sweet potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced 1 inch thick
kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 slices bacon, chopped (Rachael's recipe called for smoky bacon, but regular works too)
1 large carrot or a handful of baby carrots, peeled and shredded
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
5 sprigs thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon grated peel and juice of 1 orange
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
honey for drizzling
freshly ground pepper
sour cream for garnish

In large saucepan, add the sweet potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, salt the water and cook until tender, 12-15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.

While the potatoes are workring, in a medium pot, heat the olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add the bacon and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Add the onion, carrot, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, thyme, and cook until the onions are softened, 6-7 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, orange peel, orange juice and cinnamon; drizzle with honey and season with salt and pepper. Add the cooked potatoes. Simmer about 5 minutes more. Add the chicken stock. Puree with an immersion blender (or in batches using a food processor or blender). Add water as needed for desired consistency. Serve the soup with sour cream and bacon on top.

Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula

2011-01-16T13:02:00.010-07:00

I really can't take much credit for this recipe but I liked it so much that I had to share it, as well as archive it for myself so I can try it again! Emily found it on one of her favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, which is a great cooking blog that I highly recommend. I was fortunate enough to enjoy it and be her sous chef when she prepared it for dinner on Christmas Eve when I was home in Nebraska last month. Everything about this was wonderful - the crust was crispy on the outside and perfectly soft and chewy on the inside; the salty-sweet combination of the prosciutto and the fig jam was delish; the crisp greens on top added a nice freshness. Our one challenge was finding Arugula in Beatrice, Nebraska: it was not available so we used mixed greens instead. This worked, but I think I would try Arugula next time. In the Pioneer Woman's version, she added the prosciutto after the pizza was cooked. We experimented by adding some before and some after it came out of the oven. The prosciutto that was cooked was nice because it was a little crispy, but I think the consensus was that either method worked. I do highly recommend serving this as soon after it comes out of the oven as possible so the crust is piping hot and the arugula or greens are still fresh, not too soggy.

Basic Pizza Crust (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)
1 tsp yeast
1-1/2 cup warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil

Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Combine flour and salt in a mixer. While the mixer is running on low speed, drizzle olive oil until combined with flour. Next pour in yeast/water mixture and mixed until just combined and the dough comes together. Coat a separate mixing bowl in olive oil. Knead dough into ball and plop into oil coated bowl. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with PAM and keep in warm dry place for 2 hours.

Note: this crust recipe makes 3 crusts or 2 large crusts. Store leftover dough in the fridge for up to 4 days, or just make more than one pizza. She actually recommends making the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and says it's even better if you prepare it 3-4 days in advance.

Fig-Prosciutto Pizza with Arugula (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)
1/3 to 1/2 batch of basic pizza crust dough
Corn meal , about 1/2 cup
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons fig spread or jam
kosher salt to taste
12 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella, sliced thin
6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 bunch arugula, rinsed (you may substitute mixed greens, as we did)
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cups shaved parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place the pizza stone (if you have one; you can also bake on baking sheet) in the oven while you're preparing the pizza.

Roll out pizza dough as thinly as possible. Place on a large pizza paddle or wooden cutting board that has been sprinkled with corn meal (this will keep the crust from sticking). Drizzle dough lightly with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Spread fig spread (or jam) all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Lay sliced of mozzarella all over the surface. Sprinkle lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. If you desire crispy prosciutto, lay the prosciutto on the pizza at this time. We bunched ours a little rather than laying it flat on the pizza. Remove the hot pizza stone from the oven and carefully slide the pizza onto it while trying to keep it flat (this was the most difficult part). Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Remove from oven and immediately lay prosciutto over hot pizza if you haven't already done so. Just before serving, sprinkle on arugula and Parmesan shavings.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

2011-01-09T18:31:00.008-07:00

I made this chicken chili a few weeks ago and found it to be delicious. My friend Beth sent me the recipe from the food network website and I tweeked it a little based on the ingredients in my kitchen. The many spices make for a tasty chili with a great depth of flavor; I found it to be even better the next day.

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Ingredients

* 2 pounds ground chicken, coarsely ground preferred
* 3 tablespoons chili powder, plus 2 teaspoons
* 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 (15-ounce) can white Northern beans, drained and rinsed
* 2 (28-ounce) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
*1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
* 1 medium sweet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled and shredded
* 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 to 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with seeds, chopped
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
* 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* Pinch ground cloves
* 1/2 to 3/4 cup lager-style beer
* Toppings: Sour cream, shredded Cheddar or Jack cheese, chopped scallions, and chopped pickled jalapenos

Directions:

Put the chicken in the slow cooker. Add 3 tablespoons of the chili powder and all the rest of the ingredients, except the beer. Stir everything together, cover, and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Just before serving, stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of chili powder, the beer, if using, and season with more salt and pepper, to taste, if desired. Divide the chili among warm bowls. Serve with the topping of your choice.

Christmas Cookie Party

2010-12-23T09:31:00.014-07:00

When I was in New York City this weekend visiting Sarah, I had the pleasure of taking part in a Christmas cookie party with a few of her friends. We each brought a recipe to try and baked them together. There were just 5 of us, which was a perfect number. We drank hot toddies and listened to Christmas music; a merry time was had by all!

While they were all very tasty, I must say that my favorite were the German Christmas spice cookies that Jill contributed. They were soft and not too sweet - perfect for breakfast alongside a cup of coffee!

Christmas Spice Cookies (Lebkuchen)

Cookies:

1 1/4 cup unblanched hazelnuts, toasted and cooled

1 cup whole almonds, toasted and cooled

3/4 cups granulated sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons grated zest from 3 oranges

2 tablespoons grated zest from 2 lemons

1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:

1-3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

Instructions:

1. For the cookies: Adjust two oven racks to the upper and lower-middle positions, and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Process the toasted nuts, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg in a food processor to a fine meal, 30 to 60 seconds, stopping and scraping the sides as needed. Add the orange and lemon zest, and continue to process until combined, about 15 seconds, set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, and salt together; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar using an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs and vanilla, and continue to mix until incorparated. Add teh flour mixture and continue to mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add the ground nut mixture and continue to mix until evenly combined (the mixer bowl will be very full).

3. Using two greased soupspoons or an ice cream scoop, portion 2-tablespoon-sized mounds of dough, spaced aobut 1-1/2 inches, apart, onto the baking sheets (each sheet should hold about 10 cookies and you should have enough dough left for another sheet of cookies).

4. Bake the cookies until the edges are firm and the tops are puffed with tiny cracks, about 13-18 minutes, rotating and switching the sheets halfway through the baking time. Set the cookies aside to cool on the baking sheets until set, about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Reline one of the baking sheets with parchment paper, portion out the remaining dough into cookies, and bake as directed.

5. For the glaze: When the cookies are cool, whisk the sugar and milk together in a medium bowl until smooth and incorporated. If the glaze begins to dry out as it sits, ad water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to loosen. Using a pastry brush, brush a thin layer of the glaze over the tops of the cookies and let sit until the glaze has set, about 10 minutes.

Allison and Laura found their cookie recipes in Martha Stewart's magazine this month, which featured several cookies that she made from the same dough. We used the spiced cookie dough to make layered icebox cookies and raspberry and apricot thumbprint cookies.

Sarah and I used a recipe of our mom's to make gingerbread cookies. The recipe is actually called "Gingerbread Playdough" because it makes a dough that is very easy to work with and great for children to play with.

Gingerbread Cookies

1-1/2 cups shortening

2 cups dark brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

4-1/2 cup flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cloves

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ginger

Instructions:

1. Sift together dry ingredients, including spices. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar (an electric mixer works best). Add eggs and molasses. Beat until mixed and creamy.

3. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and stir until flour is mixed in.

4. Chill overnight (we did not chill ours overnight; we put them in the freezer to speed up the cooling process, which seemed to be okay).

5. Roll out chilled dough with rolling pin on a flour surface. Cut out cookies with cookie cutters. We decorated ours with raisins and colored sugar.

6. Bake 5-7 minutes at 375 degrees.

Note that this is a large batch of cookies - it makes about 4 dozen. We made a half batch, which was plenty.

Pad Thai

2010-12-22T15:12:00.015-07:00

Since returning from my trip to Thailand last month, I have been wanting to make pad thai. I found this recipe for the dish on Mark Bittman's video blog, the minimalist, and made it while home in Nebraska with my sisters. The final product was actually very similar to the pad thai I had on the streets of Bangkok. The preparation was a little more complicated.

We went to an Asian grocery store in Lincoln to get the ingredients - tamarind paste is a little hard to find in Beatrice, Nebraska. Warning that the fish sauce is a little fishy - it's really more the smell than the taste that is a bit strong. We actually panicked a little once we started cooking it, as my mother has a strong aversion to the smell of fish. When she got home from work today, we wanted her to be welcomed by her daughters who had just come home for Christmas, not by the smell of fish sauce.

Amidst running around trying to add ingredients to the hot pan and taking photos (make sure everything is chopped and ready to add before you start), we were opening windows and doors in our already cold house and lighting candles. We even considered trying to bake something afterward to cover up the smell, but we were fortunately able to get everything under control without needing to do so.

Bittman warned about the fishy smell in his video but strongly recommended using it, saying it was worth it in the end and was essential in order to create authentic southeast Asian flavor. After experiencing southeast Asian cuisine firsthand, I agree with his advice and would use it again, but maybe not make it at my parents' house; Sarah on the other hand, announced that she would not and may never eat pad thai again due to the smell.

We made ours with chicken; tofu, shrimp or pork would work just as well.

Pad Thai

4 oz rice noodles (fetticine-width)
1/4 cup peanut oil (we actually used 1/2 sesame, 1/2 canola)
2 to 4 tablespoons tamarind paste (we ended up having to get tamarind and then strained the sauce after it was cooked)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 garlic clove, minced
2 eggs
1 small head Napa cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups - we used 1/2 a head)
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1/2 pound pealed shrimp, chicken , pork, tofu or a combination
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, quartered

1. Put noodles in a large bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let sit until noodles are just tender; check every 5 minutes or so to make sure they do not get too soft. Drain, drizzle with one tablespoon peanut oil to keep from sticking and set aside. Meanwhile, put tamarind paste, fish sauce, honey and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring just to a simmer. Stir in red pepper flakes and set aside.

2. Put remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when oil shimmers, add scallions and garlic and cook for about a minute. Add eggs to pan; once they begin to set, scramble them until just done. Add cabbage and bean sprouts and continue to cook until cabbage begins to wilt, then add shrimp or tofu (or both). I would actually recommend, if using chicken, to cook it separately and later add the cooked chicken to the cabbage and sprouts, as I felt like the cabbage was a little overcooked by the time the chicken was thoroughly cooked.

3. When shrimp begin to turn pink and tofu begins to brown, add drained noodles to pan along with sauce. Toss everything together to coat with tamarind sauce and combine well. When noodles are warmed through, serve, sprinkling each dish with peanuts and garnishing with cilantro and lime wedges.

Yield: 4-5 servings.

Mistle-tini

2010-12-21T17:14:00.008-07:00

The hotel Teatro created a festive holiday drink this season - a "mistle-tini." Very cute. They are serving it at Prima and Restaurant Kevin Taylor. I was able to get the recipe to try this drink at home and found it to be quite tasty.

1 1/4 oz Ketel One Orange Vodka

3 oz cranberry juice

2 oz Prosecco

Fresh Cranberries

Orange Peel Twist

Directions: Pour vodka and cranberry juice over in ice shaker. Shake and strain into chilled martini glass. Add bubbles wiht a splash of Prosecco. Float fresh cranberries and garnish with orange peel. Serve ice cold.

Fruition

2010-12-13T20:31:00.025-07:00

Hands down the best meal I have had in Denver to date.

Finn took me to Fruition for my birthday last month - when I asked where we were going, he told me the best restaurant in Denver. I was delighted to find that Fruition lived up to this claim. Chef Alex Seidel, who was named one of Food & Wine's 10 best new chefs of 2010, perfectly executes this seasonal menu of "sophisticated comfort food." In line with the popular farm-to-table philosophy, he actually purchased a farm in Larkspur last year to grow greens, vegetables, and herbs for the restaurant.

Exceptional service enhanced our intimate dining experience in this small, cozy bistro. Our waiter took the time to answer all of our many questions and provide spot-on recommendations; Chef Seidel came to our table to greet us and to ensure that we were happy with our food.

The pasta carbonara, which was Finn's first course, was incredible. While I have had pasta carbonara before, I had never had anything like this, a deconstructed version of traditional carbonara with house-cured pork belly, hand-made cavatelli, six-minute egg, and parmesan broth. Delicious. We actually asked for more bread so that we could eat every last drop of the parmesan broth. I had the braised veal saltimbocca. Also very good, with a beautiful presentation. This was hand-made casarecci pasta, prosciutto, burrata cheese, and sage veal jus.

While we really could have left happy after just the first course, we were equally pleased with the main course. I had the pan roasted New Zealand striped bass, which was served on a bed of yukon gold potato and broccoli risotto (similar to risotto I had had before but with small bits of potato instead of rice), truffled cauliflower salad, and caramelized cippolini onions. I paired this with a beer recommended by our waiter that went alongside quite beautifully. I had never ordered beer at a nice restaurant like this - I always go with wine - but their extensive beer menu was quite inviting. This was also shortly after attending the Great American Beer Fest, where I developed a new appreciation for beer.

As much as I enjoyed the bass, when I go back I will order the Grilled Bavette Steak Oscar. Finn's choice for a main course, which came highly recommended by our waiter, was phenomenol. Along with this very tender and perfectly seasoned steak came blue crab boulangere potatoes, braised leeks, hedgehog mushrooms, and black truffle hollandaise. He also paired his with a beer recommended by our waiter which ended up complementing the dish very well.

For dessert we shared the roasted pumpkin date cake. It tasted of fall and was the perfect end to our perfect meal. It came with a warm toffee sauce, spiced pumpkin seed granola, and cinnamon ice cream.

A few weeks after dining here, I received an email from a physician from Denmark who was visiting Denver for the American Society of Nephrology conference for a few days and was looking for restaurant recommendations. One of the places I suggested was Fruition; I was pleased to get an email back from him that they liked it so much they went twice while they were here. I couldn't blame them.

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew

2010-12-05T08:35:00.007-07:00

I came across this recipe as I was leaving the hospital the other day; it was posted on a bulletin board near the dietitians' office featuring healthy soup recipes for winter. It's from a website called Eat Better America, which I found to be a great source for recipes. They have an entire section of "healthified" recipes, in which they update traditional recipes to make them healthier. This one is actually called healthified beef and sweet potato stew. Ideally, you would prepare this in the morning or the night before and chill it in the fridge, and then turn the crockpot on low for the day so it would be ready in time for dinner. I loved the sweet and savory flavor combination of the sweet potatoes and apricot with the beef. The slight crunch of the chopped peanuts and green onions was delightful.

Beef and Sweet Potato Stew
4 servings

1-3/4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat to make 1-1/4 pounds lean beef stew meat
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced 1/2 inch thick (3 cups)
1 medium onion, cut into wedges (1/2 cup)
1-3/4 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained (they recommended low-salt)
1/2 cup dried apricots or pitted dried plums, quartered (I used apricots)
2 tablespoons chopped unsalted peanuts
sliced green onion for garnish (optional)

Cut meat into 1-inch pieces. In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker, combine meat, sweet potatoes, and onion. Stir broth, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt, and garlic into mixture in cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4 hours. Stir in undrained tomatoes and dried apricots. Sprinkle individual servings with peanuts and, if desired, green onion.

5 Darknesses in Asia: A Food Diary

2010-11-20T21:32:00.050-07:00

I just returned from a trip to Asia, where I visited the countries of Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, and Singapore. I was pinching myself the entire time, wondering if I was actually there with these three incredibly fun people having many more adventures than I would have thought were possible in under a week. While there, we ate lots of things I never had before: some very very good...and some not so good. I was quite proud of the four of us for never refusing to try anything, no matter how scary it was.

Hong Kong:
We had breakfast at a traditional Hong Kong restaurant. Lots of dumplings and unusual textures. Some were filled with pork in a sweet sauce, others with shrimp. A little bland but not bad. The last photo of the group is little balls of shredded pork sitting in cups made of egg and sprinkled with fish eggs.

This is a 1000 year egg. A delicacy. I found it very scary but it is apparently a delicacy here. The white gets very gelatinous and the yolk gets moldy looking. I took a very small bite.

Below is our food at Fernando's, a great restaurant in Macau, which is a small country off the coast of Hong Kong. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the chili chicken, which was my favorite thing we ate here - roasted chicken with a spicy rub. The tomatoes in this salad were amazing. On the right is pork ribs, which were also very good. The crispy skin was delicious.

We went to a famous noodle restaurant for breakfast, Mak's Noodle, a traditional Cantonese restaurant in Central Hong Kong. Its hole-in-the-wall appearance is quite deceiving. They are known here for their perfect wonton noodles and tiny shrimp wontons. The beef brisket was amazing. I was pleasantly surprised that I loved the marrow that came along with it. My only problem was that I was starving at the time and had not yet mastered chop sticks so I had a terrible time getting the noodles to my mouth fast enough!

On our way to the airport, we stopped by a food cart alongside the street to try some snacks. I think most of them were beans of some form, were gelatinous, and were sweet.

This one was actually my favorite. It's hard to see in this photo but it was filled with a sweet gooey peanut mixture.

This one was not my favorite. It was simply a big block of black gelatin. It didn't have a lot of flavor; it just seemed kind of scary to put in my mouth for some reason so I had some help:

Bangkok, Thailand
The food in Thailand was wonderful! So many spices and flavor combinations unique to this area. We were pleasantly surprised that the best food we ate was very cheap and sold on the streets!

Papaya salad: I need to learn to make this at home, although I'm not sure I could get papaya like this here. It's a crunchy salad with papaya, peanuts, tomato, lime, and I think sometimes fresh green beans.

Food challenge: Grasshopper.
Ick ick ick. Finn claims it tastes like a French Fry, but I beg to differ. It is very crispy and salty, but the legs that got stuck in my teeth were quite unpleasant.

This snack that we grabbed before hopping on a boat to tour the city was surprisingly delicious. I don't know what it is called. The outside was browned until slightly crispy and was similar to a crepe then was filled with egg and pork (I think) then covered with fresh cucumbers and onion in some sort of a vinegar sauce. We had to go back for more.

Pad Thai: delicous!
I was surprised to find that Pad Thai is a street food. Carts like these were everywhere in Bangkok. Rice noodles, green onions, egg, and fish sauce make up this dish that is garnished with crushed peanuts, lime, and spicy condiments as desired. You can usually get it with tofu, chicken, or shrimp. I liked the tofu.

Durian fruit (not sweet like the sign says). Definitely the worst smelling thing I put in my mouth all week, probably the worst tasting as well. It is a mushy white fruit that smells and tastes like trash. Finn swears it's a delicacy here, but I'm not convinced anyone could enjoy this.

Unfortunately, I did not take photos of the amazing green curry with chicken and Chinese eggplant we had the first night we were in Bangkok. Or of the amazing feast of dishes we had on our way back from Phi Phi Island near Phukett when our cab driver took us to an amazing little open-air roadside cafe. Or of the best gyro (actually a doner, similar to a gyro) ever we shared early in the morning in Hong Kong after a night of dancing. Sometime you're just having too much fun to stop and take a photo.

Spago

2010-10-31T15:53:00.021-06:00

I spent last night celebrating Halloween at the Ritz in Beaver Creek. So much fun. It began with, quite honestly, the best dinner I have had in Colorado to date. This was at Spago, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant located in the hotel. I feel I should begin by mentioning that I was dressed as a bee and dining with a tree at this upscale restaurant. Our waiter ate it up, asking me if I would like honey with my bread, and if the tree would like to branch out and try the tasting menu with wine pairings. Yes please.

The Ritz resort in Beaver Creek is one of my favorite places in Vail Valley. Not a detail is missed and the service is outstanding. The building itself is a cross between a castle and a log cabin: everything is made of wood and stone, fitting for its location in mountains. I love the decor at Spago, especially the leather cow print chairs.

The tasting menu was an excellent choice; it was Halloween themed, taking me back to pre-trick-or-treating meals of ghost cheeseburgers when I was growing up. The wine pairings added an extra dimension to our dining experience, as each course was perfectly complemented by a different glass of wine; the sommelier poured and described our wine before each course.

We started with an amuse, a small portion of lobster bisque diavolo served "machiatto style" in an espresso cup and finished with milk foam. It was incredible, especially alongside the Reisling. We next had the jack-o-lantern beat cakes, stacks of beats and goat cheese topped with parsley, green onions, and chopped hazelnut and drizzled with a 20 year aged balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. They were arranged to look like a jack-o-lantern face. So cute and so delicious - we wanted to lick our plates. It was served with a Pinot Grigio that brought out the earthiness of the beats. The next course was a homemade pasta, "Freddy Kruger's Rags," a rich dish complemented by a Pinot Noir. The main dish was a lamb ossobuco, which was so tender that it fell of the bone with just a touch of the fork. It was served with a Malbec. The meal ended perfectly with a molten chocolate cake with mint ice cream topped with a chocolate spider and a pumpkin macaroon.

Following dinner, we attended a costume party upstairs. A wing of the hotel was blocked off and the furniture had been removed from the rooms and replaced with spooky decorations and tables with candy and Halloween drinks. There were a lot of incredible costumes. Medusa won the costume contest; Edward Scissorhands was runner-up.

Pho on 6th

2010-10-13T20:03:00.019-06:00

I added a new place to my list of go-to Denver restaurants last night. Pho on 6th. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, much like the food. Casual and inexpensive yet practically fancy compared to other Vietnamese restaurants I have tried in Denver; it is also much easier for me to get to than Federal Blvd, the home of most of Denver's pho.

Pho is a traditional Vietnamese rice noodle soup, usually with beef or chicken along with a side of fresh basil, lime, bean sprouts, and peppers that are to be added to the soup once it's served. It was the perfect dinner on a cool, rainy day. I really enjoyed my shredded chicken pho, which was similar to other pho I've had in the past. I also sampled the Central Pho with rare beef, brisket, and meatballs. Of note, while the Central Pho is listed as a spicy version of traditional pho on the menu, it's not so much spicy as spiced with additional spices added to the broth. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as flavorful as we were expecting. I would recommend ordering the traditional pho; you can add more peppers to it to make it spicy.

In addition to the great service, we were impressed with the drink specials: 25 cent domestics, 50 cent imports and microbrews. Seriously? I don't think you can buy beer at the grocery store for this. According to our waiter, this has been a nightly special since the summer.

There was a very tempting selection of dim sum on the menu as well, but I definitely didn't need anything more to eat with my giant bowl of pho.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

2010-10-10T20:31:00.014-06:00

This week finally felt like fall in Denver, which I celebrated by turning on my favorite movie, You've Got Mail, and making butternut squash soup. I must admit that the last time I made squash soup, it was a complete failure. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but it turned out way too thick and lacked any sort of flavor; I think I may have accidentally used the wrong kind of squash. I then tried to salvage it by turning it into butternut squash mac 'n cheese, a recipe I found online from Rachael Ray. Upon reading the last line of the recipe, which suggested serving it alongside a doggie treat, I discovered that it was actually a recipe for gourmet dog food. Not kidding. It went straight into the trash.

I am pleased to report that this squash soup was lovely. My recipe was inspired by recipes from two of my favorite cookbooks, one for a butternut squash and sweet potato soup from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express that was actually more of a sweet soup with cinnamon and another for a vegetable puree soup from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. For extra flavor and a little texture, I added a bit of bacon.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 small or 1/2 large onion, chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
1 butternut squash, cubed (mine ended up being about 4 cups)
1 sweet potato, cubed
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional garnish: sour cream and/or parsley

Put the butter in a large, deep pot over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the vegetables and garlic and cook until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat so that the stock bubbles gently and cook, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and the vegetables become fully tender, about 15 minutes more.

Puree the soup in a blender. Doing this in several batches, filling the blender no more than 3/4 full as well as removing the center nozzle on the lid and placing a hand towel over the top will avoid explosion over you and your walls. An immersion blender would work best, but I unfortunately don't have one. Pour the soup into a large bowl or back into the pot. Add the chopped bacon and salt and pepper to taste. A small amount of sour cream makes a nice garnish, as would chopped parsley.

Note in the photo that my sweet potato was very pale - I'm not sure if the man in the produce section at Safeway incorrectly told me this was a sweet potato and it was actually a regular potato or if this was a very pale sweet potato. I couldn't tell.

Organic Pizza Company

2010-09-26T22:17:00.022-06:00

Last Thursday I was invited to a media preview event for a new take-and-bake pizza shop opening in Denver, Organic Pizza Company. The highlands location actually opened on Friday, Sept 24, but the grand opening will take place Oct 3. They will also be opening a downtown location soon on the ground level of the Spire condo building. The tasting was on the 42nd floor of Spire, which was a lovely space for the occasion with a breathtaking view of the city off the balcony.

There are several things that make Organic Pizza Co unique. First of all, the menu. Chef Kevin Moody has created a selection of gourmet pizzas that reflect his background as a trained chef. He has most recently been working as a personal chef and was previously at the Palace Arms in the Brown Palace Hotel.

The pizzas were cut into small slices so we could sample all of them. I'm not sure I can pick a favorite, as they were all delicious. I loved the first one I tried, the Jamaican, which was jamaican jerk chicken, tangy vodka sauce, colorful peppers, caramelized shallots, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and fresh cilantro. The Norweigan featured smoked salmon with pesto and a white cheese blend....it reminded me of a bagel with lox and cream cheese. The Piedmont included prosciutto and cantaloupe. The cantaloupe somehow maintained an appropriate texture. The Donald (duck, not Trump) was great - smoked duck, vodka sauce, and asian pear among other things. Most of the pizzas come with a side of fresh herbs such as basil, mint, parsley or cilantro, depending on the pizza. All of them have a thin crust and are available in white, wheat, or gluten-free. In order to ensure appropriate crispiness in home ovens, each pizza comes on a piece of parchment for baking directly on the oven rack or on a pizza stone. Directions for pizza on the grill, conventional, and convection ovens are included.

Each pizza is also available in salad form, a concept that I love. We weren't able to sample the salads at the tasting, but we did get to sample the wines that the chef, who happens to be a certified sommelier, has recommended to pair with the pizza. Nice touch. Since they are a take-and-bake restaurant with limited seating (intended for those wanting to sit down to eat a salad), they do not have a liquor license; instead, they are partnering with nearby liquor stores who will be selling wines featured on the menu.

Organic Pizza Co. is actively working to be community-focused. 10% of proceeds from the daily featured "pizza for charity" will go to Metro CareRing, a local hunger relief organization. Customers can also choose to donate the net cost of free pizzas and salads from the customer rewards program to this charity. As indicated in their name they have an "eco-friendly focus" by "using less packaging, conserving resources, and advocating for sustainable practices."

Smith-Madrone Wine Tasting at Colt & Gray

2010-09-20T19:25:00.026-06:00

A few weeks ago Finn and I had the pleasure of dining with Stuart Smith, founder of Smith-Madrone Vineyards and Winery on Spring Mountain in the Napa Valley. I was thrilled when I got the invitation, as I fell in love with the Spring Mountain area when I was in Napa last spring. To top it off, we met at Colt & Gray, my favorite Denver pub for vintage cocktails (I always get the “Queen’s Park Swizzle," made popular in the 1920s at the Queen’s Park Hotel in Trinidad: brazilian rum, mint, lime, and simple syrup); this was actually my first time to eat there.

Stuart Smith, who goes by “Stu," founded Smith-Madrone in 1971. He and his brother Charles are the managers and winemakers at Smith-Madrone; it was a real treat to taste these wines while dining with the winemaker himself. When we asked him where the “Madrone" came in he said because it sounds better than just “Smith.” True. He then went on to explain that the madrone is a type of evergreen tree that can be found on the property. All of the Smith-Madrone wines are made from the winery’s 34-acre estate vineyards on the mountainsides surrounding the winery on top of Spring Mountain in St. Helena in the Napa Valley. The cooler mountain climate is known for producing grapes with intense flavor. I was pleased to find this to be true. They grow Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot.

I loved Stu’s approach to wine: he believes that drinking wine is supposed to be fun and should be enjoyed with good food and good company. Both of these elements were in place that night. We started off with the 2007 Chardonnay, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was flavorful and fruity without being too sweet. Stu describes it as “a lovely vibrant medium yellow, with a mixture of green apples, pears and lemons in the aroma. This is a very user friendly, hedonistic wine that is fun to drink, but still ‘serious.’ The middle palate is soft, lush and round; the wine has an underlying backbone of acid which makes it work wonderfully with food.” That it did; we paired ours with the blue cheese dusted gougeres, these amazing bite-size pastries that melted in my mouth. I don’t know if I’ll be able to go to Colt and Gray for drinks again without ordering them.

With our main course we had the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. I loved the full flavor that lingered on my palate. Stu describes it much more eloquently than I can: “a wonderfully deep, dark red color with crushed violets and cedar on the aroma. The wine is soft, silky and elegant, with a sturdy structure and long finish on the palate.” Although red wine doesn’t traditionally pair with pork, I ordered the pork because I couldn't resist its description on the menu (another thing Stu told us: don't worry about ordering the wine that is supposed to go with your food; eat and drink what sounds good to you). I actually thought they paired quite nicely. It was a summer braised pork shoulder sitting on a bed of stone ground grits with bacon and bourbon glazed nectarines. It was amazing - the pork was so tender that it practically fell apart with just the touch of my fork. Stu had the steak and Finn had the duck; I sampled the duck and loved it - very tender and flavorful.

I will no doubt continue to go back to Colt & Gray. I have yet to try their brunch, which I hear is amazing. I love the atmosphere - whenever I'm there I feel like I'm in an upscale pub in England (only with better food) and should be seeing horses going by the window. The service was good, almost too good actually; my only complaint was that we felt like we were being rushed a bit through a leisurely meal where we wanted to take our time to chat and enjoy our wine. I look forward to visiting the Smith-Madrone winery at Spring Mountain the next time I'm in Napa and will be looking for his wines in Denver.

Restaurants and wine stores in Colorado currently selling Smith-Madrone wines:
Pine Creek Cookhouse
Broadmoor Hotel
Pueblo Country Club
Clear Creek Discount Liquor
The Wine Company
Ace Wine & Spirits
Larkspur
JW Marriott DIA
El Monte Grill
Colorado Liquor Mart
Bistro CV
Ridge Street Wine
Village Warehouse Wines
Colt & Gray

Restaurant Kevin Taylor

2010-08-29T09:48:00.029-06:00

I was recently invited to the unveiling of Kevin Taylor's newly renovated restaurant in the Hotel Teatro. Admittedly, I was thrilled! This is a four-star, four-diamond restaurant in a very beautiful boutique hotel. I previously dined here last February for restaurant week (I had chosen it because I knew I was guaranteed to get my $52.80's worth) and did not give it a perfect review: I was impressed by the service and the food, but I was disappointed by the atmosphere. The formerly bland and generic atmosphere did not match the beautiful and contemporary menu.

Fortunately, Chef Kevin Taylor also doubles as Designer Kevin Taylor in his spare time and has now managed to create a space that is as scrumptious as his cuisine.

Upon entering the space one's eyes are immediately drawn to the gorgeous chandeliers which are light and modern, suitably filling in the large open space created by the high ceilings while sheer white window treatments have replaced the heavy maroon and gold drapes that previously lined the windows. The new color palette oozes modern Colorado with its muted blacks, whites and grays. Little splashes of color were tastefully woven in with bright Gerber daisies placed in colorful glass vases on each table. Showing his love for local products, Kevin Taylor sourced the majority of his artwork from Colorado artists in the same way he uses Colorado produce in his cuisine.

We were served dishes from the new fall menu which started with a butternut squash gnocchi with roast apples, asparagus, micro celery, and truffle blue cheese cream. It tasted of fall and I was in love from the first bite - unquestionably I could have eaten this for my main course. His gnocchi, which I had tried the last time I was there, is always exceptional.

I also managed to eat every last bite of the next course which consisted of herb crusted roast salmon with sweet potato puree, red beets, sunburst squash, and bearnaise. Salmon that falls apart when just touched by a fork is my favorite and that was definitely what this was. I would love to try to recreate the herb crust at home and might have to bribe the staff at KT for their secret blend of spices. The sweet potato puree was equally amazing; the tiny flowers that decorated our plates were a delightful touch.

We ended the meal with a bittersweet chocolate parfait with concentrated raspberries, malted chocolate bubbles, and crystallized peanuts. Chocolate and raspberry is one of my favorite flavor combinations so I loved this. The salt and crunchy texture of the crystallized peanuts were a nice contrast to the soft mousse-like chocolate in this sweet dish....I felt like I was eating a deconstructed magical candy bar that Willy Wonka might produce!

Restaurant Kevin Taylor is the perfect destination for a special night out on the town; it is truly one of Denver's finest. I feel very fortunate to have been one of the first to experience this new space and to taste some wonderful dishes from the fall menu and hope to go back soon to experience more of his seasonal delights.

Le Central

2010-08-21T09:05:00.013-06:00

I was thoroughly delighted with my dining experience at Le Central. When I saw their stand at the Cherry Creek Farmer's market a few weeks ago, I noted their claim to be "the affordable French restaurant." Enticing. Their Paella looked amazing so I made it a point to go their for dinner later that week.

I was welcomed by the feeling of being in Provence. We were seated in the back room, which felt like a garden patio. I loved the French country decor, abundance of plants, and white twinkle lights lining the ceilings. I was impressed with their reasonably priced wine selection and their extensive menu. For the month of August, they are featuring fixed menus every night inspired by the movie Eat, Pray, Love. I love this. However, since it was my first time there, I knew I must get the mussels. After trying them, it will truly be hard for me to go back without ordering them again. 2 lbs of mussels in a garlic, shallot, white wine sauce with 10 different preparation options. With all you can eat french fries. For $9.99. Amazing. I had the moules au basilic with basil and diced tomatoes. Very good choice. I decided that there is really nothing better than dipping crusty French bread in that garlicky white wine sauce. I was not even close to finishing my heaping bowl of mussels with crispy fries and left completely stuffed and satisfied.

This is no doubt a Denver gem. I saw on their website that they offer cooking classes the last Tuesday of every month. Who wants to go with me?

Cooking Club: Sara's Side Salad, Mushroom Risotto, and Garlicky Shrimp

2010-08-21T00:14:00.009-06:00

After a few busy months of no cooking club, we got together again this Wednesday for a fabulous feast at Sara's. We started off with a delicious salad of mixed greens, walnuts, pear slices, and blue cheese with a balsamic dressing. I was unable to get the exact recipe but was told that it included balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper, and a small spoonful of sour cream. I would have never guessed there was sour cream in the dressing, but Sara noted she often uses it as an emulsifier. It was amazing. (I included a photo of the salad, but was having too much fun to remember to take photos of the other dishes.)

For our main course we had a mushroom risotto and garlicky shrimp with a side of French bread for dipping. The mushroom risotto was heavy on the mushrooms, which I loved. The olive oil, butter, and garlic sauce on the shrimp was perfect for dipping.

Garlicky Shrimp

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup butter

1-1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4-6 garlic cloves, minced (more if you are a garlic lover, which we of course were)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste....we used a heaping tablespoon)

4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a wide, shallow, saute pan over high heat, warm the olive oil and butter. Add the shrimp and garlic and saute quickly for about 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon juice, paprika, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Adjust seasonings to your likings. Transfer to a warmed serving dish, sprinkle with the parsley and serve at once with lots of french bread for dipping.

Mushroom Risotto

6 cups chicken broth, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 shallots, diced

1-1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons finely chopped chives

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente.

Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Table 6

2010-08-03T20:49:00.012-06:00

I had been wanting to go to Table 6 for a while now and finally went last night. It was Finn's birthday so I took him to dinner and chose the restaurant. I am pleased to say it made the list of my favorite Denver restaurants.

I immediately liked the atmosphere. Dim lighting, with a small candle on every table. The rustic decor reflects Scott Parker's farm-to-table approach to cooking. The entire kitchen is visible from the dining room. The menu not only changes seasonally; it changes daily. The extensive wine list includes a keg wine sold by the glass as well as one secret high-end bottle sold close to cost. We tried to guess, but were unsuccessful. Our waiter, decked out in a plaid shirt and bandanna around his head, was patient with our many questions and attentive throughout the entire meal.

We had a difficult time choosing our first course. The menu included everything from "Animal Style" tator tots (Yes, inspired by In-N-Out Burger...we asked.) to chicken liver mousse. We shared the falafel with lamb bacon on grilled flatbread and the crab tail rolls. Both very good.

For our main courses we went with comfort food: fried chicken and risotto. The country fried chicken breast came with kale, chicken ham, and a sunny egg. I'm not usually a huge fried chicken fan but this was exceptional. The egg on top was a nice touch. We also had the risotto with mussels topped with very fresh tomatoes and herbs. It was creamy and perfect.

For dessert we were trying to choose between the peach waffle sundae and blueberry crisp with Noosa yogurt (a Colorado-made yogurt which happens to be my new addiction - thrilled to see it on the menu!). We actually had to go with the raspberry and chocolate beignets after asking the waiter for his opinion and getting a strong answer that it wasn't really a choice, we must order the beignets. It was good advice.

I was impressed by Table 6's well-executed, ever changing menu and inviting atmosphere; I hope to be dining there again soon.

Denver Is a Burger Town

2010-07-05T22:10:00.001-06:00

Denver has a rich burger history. Although several restaurants across the country may claim to have invented the cheeseburger, the first trademark for the name "cheeseburger" was awarded to Louis Ballast of Denver's Humpty Dumpty Drive-in in 1935.

Recently, and much to the delight of Denver locals, the burger has been at the forefront of Denver dining. Gourmet burger joints have been popping up everywhere-- Smash Burger has expanded and seems to be everywhere, Larkburger (which originated in Edwards) now has a Denver location; Park Burger, H Burger, and Deluxe have all opened within the last year. On August 17, there's actually going to be a Denver Burger Battle for the best burger in town.

I recently visited two of the restaurants on the list: Park Burger and H Burger.

I was pleased to find Park Burger to be worth my visit, “Bon Appetit” actually just included it in their July issue on their list of the best new burger spots in the country. Their menu includes angus beef, buffalo, turkey, and veggie burgers with a build-your own burger option as well as several unique specialty burgers.

They claim to use high-quality, fresh ingredients, which I noted to be true. I had the “Frenchy” with brie and ham. I thought the combination of the salty ham with the smooth brie was a nice compliment to the angus beef, which could have also stood very well on its own. I was there with Finn, who had the “El Chilango” with cheddar, jalapenos and guacamole. It was excellent as well.

We indulged in a basket of "the works," sweet potato fries topped with ranch, bacon, cheese sauce and scallions. Like the burger, the sweet potato fries would have been great on their own, but the toppings were incredible. The simplicity of their menu was nice - burgers, one hot dog option, fries, side salads, and milkshakes. They also have a nice beer, wine, and cocktail selection.
H Burger is located in LoDo in the Sugarcube building. The atmosphere is contemporary, a totally different feel than Park Burger. While the burgers were good, it was their sides and drinks that stood out to me. I could definitely see myself going back for a drink and appetizer without feeling the need to order a burger.

Their list of sides is extensive, including grilled asparagus, wings, fried artichokes, zucchini fries, and sweet potato and regular potato fries with multiple different toppings. I had the zucchini fries. Finn had the sweet nectar gravy fries, which came with a side of a brown gravy. The waiter had warned us that some customers find the sweet nectar flavor to be too much but we actually wanted more of this!

On to the burgers. Finn had the “H Burger,” which I found to be amazing. It included Angus beef, a green chili pepper, smoked cheddar, bacon, bibb lettuce, tomato, onion and a very tasty red pepper-tomato jam. They don't reveal what the "H" stands for-- but it should be for "huge." I had the lamb burger with feta, spicy aioli (on the side for dipping, I ended up using it for my zucchini fries), beefsteak tomato and greens.

For dessert we split a strawberry mint milkshake. It came out split in two glasses smoking with liquid nitrogen. The menu explains that, in addition to an impressive presentation, the nitrogen creates a more dense and creamy texture, it was a new one to me. The mint was a perfect complement to the strawberries. They also have Nutella marshmallow and chocolate peanut butter fudge shakes that I'm sure are equally amazing.

We couldn't leave without trying something from their extensive cocktail menu. I had the "Basil Basil.” It was basil hayden, canton ginger liquor, maple syrup, and a splash of soda with fresh basil leaves-- a great summer cocktail. They also have an interesting cocktail called "The Brooklyn Breakfast," a combination of bacon-infused bourbon, maple syrup, egg white,

and orange juice. Amazingly, it did taste like breakfast. I was able to pick out each of the flavors.

Each of these dining experiences inspired me to be more creative when grilling burgers at home, like adding a nontraditional cheeseburger cheese and trying sauces other than ketchup and mustard. I will also be experimenting with sweet potato fries very soon.

This article was featured in Dine & Cook, a website recently created for food and drink lovers across the country.

Shrimp with Tomatoes and Cilantro

2010-06-29T19:52:00.009-06:00

Mark Bittman's cookbook How to Cook Everything is my go-to cookbook when I need inspiration. I look up an ingredient in the index and Mark never fails me. He has thousands of recipes and at the end of each of them he includes variation ideas. Brilliant. Tonight it was shrimp. I found his recipe for "The Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish" with a variation that included all ingredients I had at home--tomatoes from the farmer's market on Sunday and fresh cilantro from one of my friends' gardens. I had mine with a salad of mixed greens, extra virgin olive oil, and rice vinegar on the side, but what I really wanted was a nice chunk of French bread to soak up all of the amazing garlicky sauce. I admit that I didn't really measure any of the ingredients, I just added the amount that looked right to me (a handful of shrimp, one large tomato, 3 cloves of garlic, etc). I included his recommended quantities.

Shrimp with Tomatoes and Cilantro

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 gloves garlic, cut into slivers (I like to use a cheese grater to grate the garlic directly into the pan)
About 1-1/2 pounds shrimp, 20 to 30 per pound, peeled, rinsed and dried
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 plum tomatoes, diced (My tomatoes were not plum, they were huge home-grown tomatoes)
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

1. Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. There should be enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and cook until it turns golden, a few minutes.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp, some salt and pepper, and the tomatoes. Stir to blend and continue to cook, shaking the pan once or twice and turning the shrimp once or twice, until they are pink all over and the mixture is bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Note: I used frozen shrimp - I like the large sized shrimp that are already peeled and deveined. There are usually directions on the bag, but I found it really easy to put them in a bowl then cover them with cold water. They thawed in about 5 minutes. I then like to pull the tails off before cooking to make it easier to eat.

Little Man Ice Cream

2010-06-22T22:13:00.019-06:00

I finally went to Little Man Ice Cream this weekend when Natalie and Ryan were visiting. I had tried several other times, but always after a late dinner in the Highlands when they were closed.

It couldn't be cuter - the building is a milk jug. All of the seating is outside. The servers wear vintage uniforms and, of course, all the ice cream is homemade. They even offer lactaid pills for 50 cents.

Their flavor selection of ice creams, gelatos, and sorbets was unique and extensive. Before deciding on the salted oreo, I sampled caramel corn (vanilla ice cream with swirls of caramel and little bits of popcorn) and blueberry cinnamon sorbet. They were both good, but once I tried it, salted oreo was the obvious choice.

I've now tried Little Man and Liks (which, coincidentally, I wrote about a year ago today). Next is Bonnie Brae....

Natalie's California Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

2010-06-19T20:22:00.010-06:00

It has been wonderful to see my good friend Natalie, who grew up across the street from me in Beatrice and is now living in Michigan, twice in two weeks. First in Beatrice for our ten year high school reunion and now in Denver, as she is here for a wedding this weekend. She made this salad in Beatrice to enjoy with burgers and homemade french fries at my parents' home and again in Denver to side with Ryan's famous homemade pizza. Both times, I could not get enough of it. It is a great salad for summer. The dressing is light and the combination of the crunchy salty almonds with the chewy sweet apricots is perfect. I actually made it for myself for dinner tonight as the main dish.

California Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Lemon Vinaigrette:

The juice of one lemon (the recipe called for 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons, which was close to 1)

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

3 large cloves garlic, pealed and crushed (I minced the garlic and just used 2)

3/4 teaspoon course kosher salt (two pinches)

Place all the ingredients in a glass jar and seal the lid tightly. Shake the jar to combine. The vinaigrette can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week. Let it return to room temperature and remove the garlic cloves before using. (I actually left the minced garlic in the dressing)

California Salad

(serves 4 as a side salad)

5-6 cups mixed baby greens, carefully rinsed and drained

1/4 cup fresh whole tarragon leaves (I left these out)

About 1/4 cup lemon vinaigrette

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (Natalie used whole almonds; the second time she used smoked, which were good)

1/2 cup crumbled mild semisoft goat cheese or feta cheese (we used feta)

1/2 ripe avocado

8 dried apricots, each cut into 3 or 4 strips

Toss the salad greens and tarragon in a large salad bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Toss to lightly coat the leaves, then taste to see if more vinaigrette is needed. Add the remaining ingredients and toss. Serve immediately.

Quinoa

2010-06-16T21:33:00.024-06:00

My friend Emily and her husband just got back from San Francisco and raved about the quinoa her friends made while they were there. I had been wanting to make quinoa recently so I picked some up at the store on the way home from work without checking her recipe to see what else I would need. Of course I didn't have a thing on hand tonight to make her recipe, which included spinach and smoked gouda, but I was able to throw something together without another trip to the store. I have long been intimidated by this grain for some reason and was pleased to discover that it's actually quite quick and easy to make. You could really add just about any fresh vegetable to it to make a delightful summer meal; personally I thought my combination was perfect. It would also make a great side dish or bed for grilled fish, shrimp, or chicken. I served mine as the main dish, pairing it with a glass of white wine.

My Quinoa

1 1/2 - 2 servings as main dish, 4 for side dish

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cups quinoa, well rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken stock (you could use vegetable or beef as well)

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped peppers (I used three small sweet yellow and red peppers)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Put the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the quinoa and stir. Next add garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. When the grains start popping and toasting (you will smell this) a couple minutes later, add the stock and bring to a boil. Stir one last time, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes without removing the lid.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, chop the mushrooms and peppers. Sautee over medium-high heat until soft. Add the cranberries, stirring well, and turn heat to low.

2. When the 15 minutes are up for the quinoa, uncover and test for doneness. If the kernels are not soft, cover and cook for another five minutes. Add more chicken stock if needed in order to just cover the bottom of the pan.

3. When quinoa is ready, add the

mushroom, pepper, and cranberry mixture, stirring well. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped cilantro . You may serve immediately or cooled to room temperature.

Note: I tried this again and decided that it's easier and actually better to simply boil the quinoa in water or chicken/vegetable broth or stock for 15 minutes (I used 1.5 cups quinoa with 2 1/4 cups water). When I tried it the second time, I sauteed a small chopped onion in olive oil and 1/8 cup white wine with 1/4 tsp chipotle pepper powder and 2 cloves minced garlic, added this to the cooked quinoa, then stirred in 3 cups spinach, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and 2/3 cup grated cheese (smoked gouda works well), keeping it on low heat until the spinach was wilted and the cheese was melted. It was very good.

Dottie's True Blue Cafe, San Francisco

2010-06-08T19:22:00.016-06:00

A few weeks ago I went to the annual ACOG (American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology) meeting in San Francisco. It was an incredible experience...I learned a lot, made some wonderful friends, and was away from the hospital for a few days. The conference was great, but my schedule was so full that there was absolutely no time to explore the city. Fortunately I was able to take a few days off afterwards to spend some time in Napa Valley and San Francisco. Finn, always up for a vacation, met me in San Francisco. We spent the next 4 days indulging in some of the most amazing food and wine I have ever had.

We started in San Francisco with a late brunch. Finn did his research and discovered Dottie's, a little diner famous for brunch. Although it was a short walk from the Hilton where I had stayed for the conference, I was glad I wasn't alone, as the neighborhood was a little shady. We had read online reviews of people waiting in line for 2 hours to just get into this tiny diner. There was even a sign on the window outside telling customers "if you are pressed for time please join us when you are not rushed" and "please don't tell people to vacate when they are finished eating" among other things. We found this quite amusing. Fortunately we were there on a Wednesday afternoon and we had no wait.

Although I rarely describe diners as cozy, this one definitely was. There were different antique salt and pepper shakers on every table that reminded me of my Grandma Butler's house. There were snow globes on the counter and souvenir postcards on the fridge. The artwork was a bit eclectic, including a few photos of topless women. Our waiter was actually a little gruff in my opinion, a sharp contrast to us in our relaxed vacation modes. The food made up for this. Choosing from the long list of specials was incredibly difficult. I had the lamb-fennel sausage, roasted garlic, tomato, spinach and goat cheese omelet with homemade sourdough-dill toast. Good choice. I especially liked the sausage. Finn had the smoked whiskey-fennel sausage, mushroom, and baby spinach scramble with grilled cornbread. Also very good. We shared a pancake too – totally unnecessary but worth it – whole wheat buttermilk with ginger and cinnamon. The subtle spices were incredible in this very fluffy pancake...I think I will try this at home.

Go here.

Sunny Slope Farm: Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

2010-06-07T20:24:00.002-06:00

I was home in Beatrice, Nebraska for my 10 year high school reunion this weekend. So much fun. I hadn't been to Beatrice since Christmas so it was good to be home. Going home always means lots of time spent in the kitchen. My mom and I made a great salad on Sunday; the recipe for the salad dressing was from Sunny Slope Farm, a small organic farm just outside of Beatrice from which my parents have been getting weekly baskets of fresh vegetables for the past two summers.

This recipe was posted on the Sunny Slope blog this week. It's from the book Simply in Season by Cathleen Hockman-Wert and Mary Beth Lind. The strawberries from the farm are tiny and much more flavorful than the giant strawberries available in the grocery store. They reminded me of the strawberries we used to pick on hot humid summer days at Roca Berry Farm when I was growing up. We left the farm with overflowing boxes of strawberries along with sunburns and strawberry-stained fingers and jean shorts. The hot hours spent picking were made worth it by the jam and strawberry shortcake my mom would make later that day.

We served the dressing over a salad with mixed greens along with thinly sliced radishes, chives, dill, granny smith apples, and peas. All but the apple and peas were from Sunny Slope. We topped it with grilled chicken.

Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

1 cup sliced strawberries

4 tsp vinegar (white or rice; we used rice)

4 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp sugar

1 ½ tsp honey

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp each: garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil leaves, parsley flakes, pepper

¼ cup olive oil

Puree strawberries in blender. Add remaining ingredients except oil. Blend, then gradually add oil while blending on low speed.

Happy Cakes Bakeshop

2010-05-13T21:46:00.018-06:00

Add Happy Cakes to my list of my favorite cupcake spots, which until now included just Magnolia Bakery in NYC and Sprinkles in L.A. Fortunately, Happy Cakes is in Denver, in the Highlands, one of my favorite neighborhoods. I have to admit that I was never really a cupcake fan until Sarah introduced me to the fact that cupcakes were 'in' a few years ago (It was with her that I discovered Magnolia Bakery and Sprinkles....she's also been known to lead NYC cupcake shop tours).

Last week, on our second-to-last night of the night shift on labor and delivery (I'm finally back to a normal day schedule!), Tiffany, Kiera, and I decided we needed to bring a treat to the nurses in celebration of our last night. We were all too sleep deprived to think of making anything, so Kiera had the perfect idea of getting mini cupcakes from Happy Cakes. They were so cute. My criteria for a good cupcake includes having good frosting and not being dry. Happy Cakes passed the test. I was also delighted with their unique flavors, which change seasonally....such as "sticky bun", "Arnold Palmer", "maple bacon", and "kettle corn". Their website includes information about the day of the week each flavor is available.

Sarah, I can't wait to take you here!

Sprinkles in L.A.: After thinking of this, I had to find this photo....great trip.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes with Almond Butter

2010-04-08T16:46:00.007-06:00

I started the night shift this week. For 5 weeks, I will start work at 5 pm on Sunday and 6:15 pm Monday-Thursday and get off a little after 8. My eating schedule is very weird on nights....I have a hard time deciding what and when to eat. My body is very confused. When I wake up, I don't know if I should have breakfast or dinner. The other day, for instance, I woke up and had a bowl of kashi cereal. This wasn't quite enough so I followed it with some chicken. It seemed like such a wrong combination. Today I planned on having scrambled eggs with some chicken sausage that was thawing in my fridge. Unfortunately, I only had one egg. I struggled to find something to eat that did not involve going to the store. I came up with this recipe for blueberry pancakes with almond butter. They were actually some of the best pancakes I've ever made. I use a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens for buttermilk pancakes as a base and then tweaked it based on the ingredients I had to work with. I partly came up with it after reading an article in some magazine on labor and delivery about foods that reduce belly fat....not sure to believe it or not, but blueberries, almonds, and oatmeal were all on the list. So consider it healthy.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes with Almond Butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Almond Butter for spreading on top (peanut butter could be substituted if you don't have almond butter....I use the natural kind which isn't sweet)

Warm Maple Syrup for drizzling

Combine the flour, sugar, baking, powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside. Combine the egg, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (bater should be lumpy). Add additional milk to thin the batter if or additional flour and/or oatmeal to thicken as needed. Next add blueberries (mine were frozen; I did not thaw them before adding them to the batter. They turned the batter blue, which I actually kind of liked).

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter int a hight, lightly greased skillet or griddle (I used butter flavored

Pam to grease my griddle). Cook over medium heat, about 2 minutes on each side, until pancakes are golden brown. Spread almond butter on each pancake and drizzle with maple syrup.

Cooking Club: Bacon.

2010-03-25T19:56:00.018-06:00

This month I was the host of cooking club. This was a big deal for me, as it was my first time to host as well as the first time for several of my friends to see my new apartment. Though it is

not required, I felt the need to find a theme. I was init

ially thinking of making risotto with some sort of spring vegetables. After much thought, I decided to go with a Iron-Chef style dinner using bacon as the surprise ingredient. It turned out to be a perfect choice for cooking club. We ended up eating each dish as it was ready rather than finishing everything at once, tapa-style.

We started with cocktails. Bacon infused Manhattans. Very tasty. We tend to be wine drinkers in our cooking club, so I wasn't sure how these would go over, but they were a hit....we actually ended up making a second pitcher.

Bacon-Infused Manhattans
Bourbon
3 slices Bacon, cookedSweet vermouthBitters
Maple SyrupMaraschino Cherries
1. Make the bacon-infused bourbon: Fry bacon over the stove or in a 4o0 degree oven until crisp. Place in a bowl or pitcher; pour bourbon over the bacon and let sit, covered, for

2-3 days at room temperature. Several hours before serving, remove bacon and place in the freezer so fat can be separated and removed. Pour the liquid into a pitcher through a cheese cloth.
2. Make the Manhattans: 2 oz bacon-infused bourbon to 1/2 oz sweet vermouth. Add a few dashes of bitters and maple syrup to taste along with a few maraschino cherries to each glass.

Stuffed dates were next. I think I fell in love with bacon wrapped stuffed dates at Mario Batali's restaurant, The Spotted Pig, in NYC. There he serves devils on horseback, which I believe were dates stuffed with pineapple and wrapped with bacon. So good. I also love the stuffed dates at The 9th Door in Denver: serrano dates stuffed with goat cheese and almonds, wrapped with Serrano ham. I did dates stuffed with gorgonzola and an almond wrapped in bac

on. I practiced these a few days before, using pricey medjool dates from whole foods with goat cheese and almond. These dates were actually too good to stuff....the flavor overpowered the other ingredients. Packaged pitted California dates from Safeway were actually better for this. The goat cheese, though one of my favorite cheeses, was too mild; the flavor was lost in this combination. Gorgonzola was better. To prepare the dates, we simply stuffed each with gorgonzola and one almond, wrapped with half a slice of bacon, and baked them in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 12 minutes, flipping them halfway.

I also did chicken-goat cheese-bacon bites. These reminded me of one of my mom's reci

pes she made when I was growing up in which she spread cream cheese on chicken breasts, wrapped them with bacon, and baked them. For mine, I cut the chicken into strips about one inch wide, browned them in olive oil over the stove on med-high heat for a few minutes on each side (removing from heat before they were cooked through), then spread goat cheese on one side, wrapped with 1/3-1/2 slice of bacon, secured with a tooth pick, and baked in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes. We turned them after 12 minutes and baked them for a few more minutes after until the bacon was brown and crispy.

Sauted brussel sprouts was the next course. Although brussel sprouts often have a negative connotation, I have a hard time believing that anyone could dislike these brussel sprouts. I give full credit to Finn for this recipe. They are very simple: We first cut 4 slices of bacon into ~1/2 cm strips (kitchen shears work best) and cooked them on the stove on medium heat until crisp. Next remove the bacon and set aside. Add brussel sprouts to the bacon fat in the hot pan (I think we used about 1 pound). Stir. To prevent burning, add enough water to the pan to coat. Stir. Cover with a lid to steam. When tender, about 10 minutes later, add back the cooked bacon. Stir again. Squeeze juice of a fresh lime (1/2 - 1 lime) over the top. Add fresh ground pepper and salt to taste. Serve immediately.
For the vegetarians in our group, I made both stuffed dates and brussel sprouts without bacon. We also made portobello bites as an alternative to the chicken bites. We cut portobello mushroom caps into thirds, sauteed them in olive oil and a small amount of water, then pressed them so they were flat and wrapped them with goat cheese and roasted red peppers (from a jar) and secured with a toothpick. I baked them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 6 minutes.

We finished with candied bacon cookies for dessert. The bacon in the

cookies was subtle, just adding a slight smoky flavor; if I made them again, I might actually add more bacon. I found a recipe for high altitude chocolate cookies and added chopped candy bacon. It turns

out that high altitude baking involves adding more flour. These cookies were very difficult to stir, but I managed. For non-high altitude baking, you can just use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, adding the candied bacon.

(High Altitude) Candied Bacon Cookies:1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Make the candied bacon: preheat the oven to 350 F. lay bacon on a parchment or aluminum foil covered baking sheet so they are not overlapping. Sprinkle about 2 tsp brown sugar evenly on

each strip of bacon. Bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven, flip bacon

and drag it through the syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Put the bacon back in the oven for another 12-15 minutes, until it is fully cooked and very dark (mahogany). Remove the strips from the sheet and cool on a wire rack. After they have cooked, chop them or quickly food process into tiny pieces.2. Make the cookies: In a large bowl, stir together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Mix in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until blended, then mix in the chocolate chips and bacon pieces so they are evenly distributed. Drop cookies by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake in the preheated oven until the edges begin to turn golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Restaurant Kevin Taylor

2010-03-16T20:46:00.007-06:00

I a few weeks ago, I went to Restaurant Kevin Taylor for 5280 Restaurant Week. I chose it because I knew we would be getting our $52.80's worth. Unlike Duo, I doubt that I will go back in the near future. Finn and I decided that it met our expectations but did not exceed them. Our first impression was that the atmosphere felt like a hotel restaurant. Maybe this wasn't fair because it was, in fact, in a hotel. However, we would rather the restaurant not feel like it is in a hotel (does that make any sense?). The walls were wood paneled with sort of drab artwork. There were white table cloths on the tables. As I remember, the chairs were covered with a maroon striped cloth. Everyone dining there was kind of proper and quiet.

The service was excellent. The pouring of our bottle of wine was quite impressive. The presentation of my soup was also nice. I was first served a shallow bowl of toasted pine nuts and porcini mushrooms; after the bowl was set in front of me, the waiter poured my butternut squash soup from a silver pitcher. The soup was well seasoned but more warm than hot, which was a little disappointing. Finn had an asparagus gnocchi with hedgehogs and a truffle parmesan emulsion. It was very good. We had to ask the waiter what hedgehogs were, as the only hedgehog I could recall was the animal. It was a type of mushroom. When it arrived at the table, it kind of looked as if the plate had been sitting too close to a sink full of foamy bubbles and the bubbles had splashed onto his gnocchi accidentally. This was the truffle emulsion.

I had the beef entree, which included both NY Angus sirloin and veal cheek with fingerling potatoes and root vegetables. It was good, but the sirloin was just okay; it could have used more flavor. I actually liked the veal cheek a lot. Finn's lamb dish came with a side of lamb shank raviolis. The raviolis were amazing; giant homemade raviolis stuffed with braised lamb and topped with sheep's milk gouda.

I had the creme brulee for dessert. It was good, but when I compared it to the creme brulee at Strings that I had later that week, I must say that Strings' was better.

Overall, a very nice restaurant, somewhere upscale to go to before a night at the theatre...if someone else is paying.

5280 Restaurant Week: Duo

2010-03-08T22:03:00.008-07:00

I had been looking forward to 5280 Restaurant Week since this time last year. It is actually two weeks in Feb-March when a long list of restaurants in Denver offers a fixed menu with different options for each course for $52.80 a couple (in honor of the mile high city), half of that for one. More than a month before this year's event, the list of restaurants was available online, and I began to make my own list of places to try. I somehow have gotten very behind on my blogging...I plan to write about each of the five that I tried. I will start with the one to which I will most likely be going back.

Duo. It was the restaurant I went to with a group of friends brought together by Natalie, my best friend from Evergreen Circle in Beatrice, who was visiting with her husband Ryan from Michigan. They had visited at this time last year and purposely planned their yearly Colorado ski weekend for the same week this year. Last year we all went to Richard Sandoval's restaurant Tamayo. It is a 'modern Mexican' restaurant in Larimer Square that pleasantly surprised me with its unique dishes and quite possibly the best chocolate cake I had ever tasted.

Duo is a seasonal contemporary American restaurant. I love seasonally-changing menus. Most of their ingredients are from local farms, which I also like. The atmosphere was cozy and relaxed, with brick walls, rustic wooden tables, and patterned cloth napkins held together with silver napkin rings. Some, but not all of the restaurant week options were dishes on from their regular menu. We had an early dinner reservation, with our only disappointment being that although we were there in time for happy hour, the happy hour drink specials were offered only at the bar; had we have known this, we would have come a little early to grab drinks at the bar before sitting down.

We all had a difficult time deciding what to order from the many options on the three course menu. I started with a sweet potato ginger bisque, which was wonderful. I also sampled the polenta fries and fennel salad, both of which were also excellent. The second course options included a pork, arctic char, vegetable cassoulet, and mahi mahi (the mahi mahi was a special that hadn't been listed on the printed menu). I had the arctic char, which I mainly ordered because it came with a brussel sprout, bacon, and apple ragout. It was very good, but after sampling the other dishes, I unfortunately was wishing that I had ordered the pork or the mahi mahi. The pork was served on top of a root vegetable mash and the mahi mahi won the best presentation award. [I kind of hate it when I don't win the best ordering award.] Fortunately, this mistake was completely made up for by my dessert order, the sticky toffee pudding, which was, in my opinion, the clear winner.