Vert Kitchen

I had lunch at Vert Kitchen after reading about it on 5280's editors picks. I had the tortilla espanola: a sort of warm potato onion frittata on a baguette with manchego cheese, aioli, roasted tomatoes, and tossed mixed greens. It was delicious, a change from the usually turkey deli sandwichs.

The small scoop of ice cold pasta salad was a pleasant side to the sandwich. The diced granny smith apples celery & grapes were great with the light poppy seed and lemony mayo.

I shall return!

Plate score: 9

sushi den

i'm a loyal fan of the kobe beef roll (which is still on the "specials" menu since i moved to denver over 2 years ago), yellowtail and scallion roll and the salmon sashimi flown in from the japanese fish markets!

Side dish: Den deli, a seafood and prepared food market is set to open on the corner between sushi den and izakaya den in mid november! i'm so excited!

Colt and Gray

As a celebration to the start of fall break, i went to Colt & Gray, a new american restaurant that opened in August on platte street between 15th and 16th st near the REI. The weather was quickly deteriorating with the impending snow storm in the area, nevertheless the atmosphere inside was energetic for a tuesday night. We were promptly greeted and seated at a table that was awkwardly placed in the dining room but luckily for them the french bread they brought us was wonderfully crusty, perfect while we waited for our meal to begin. I ordered a gnocchi appetizer with roasted pumpkin and brown butter sage sauce with shaved parmesan which was a perfect portion. My roommate ordered a pumpkin soup perfect for a cold fall night but it was served lukewarm so she sent it back.

We both ordered dinner salads, mine with a roasted salmon filet and hers was tossed with a sliced flank steak. Neither of us were that impressed, nothing to write home about. To end the meal, my roommate ordered the potted cheesecake with salted caramel, which was served in a glass jar with a metal latch top. This presentation strangely reminded me of my mom's face cream containers :) The consistency was softer than usual and had no graham cracker crust but still had a great flavor. The salted caramel on top definitely complemented the sweetness of the cheesecake.

I will probably be back to try a more robust entree- the colorado rack of lamb at the next table looked amazing

Plate score: 7

New from fiber one

Chocolate mocha fiber one bar :)

Pho 79

Traditional rice noodle soup with vietnamese meatballs, sliced rare steak and brisket. Served with bean sprouts, thai basil, jalepenos, and limes. Delicious and can't beat the price: $5.95

Common Grounds

I spent about 5 hours doing work at common grounds in the highlands yesterday. With over 20 varieties of loose tea leaves, I went with my usual early grey with a splash of skim milk. I also had a veggie burrito (egg, potato, cheese, and green chile) which was just ok, probably because they used egg substitute instead of the real stuff plus i was jealous of another patron who ordered a bacon egg and cheese croissant sandwich which looked amazing. Nevertheless i still ate it. Their pastry selection is insane, lined up on a large counter, everything from muffins, cookies, quick breads, granola, i opted for a pumpkin chocolate chip loaf. Though a little pricey ($2.95) it was perfect with my tea.

First Bite Boulder is an annual event highlighting Boulder’s dining scene. For one full week, over 40 of Boulder’s top restaurants will offer a special three course $26 prix fixe dinner menu to the community.

November 14-21, 2009

TAG

I am always skeptical about the restaurants in Larimer square because the popularity of restaurant does not necessarily mean the food is that great. However, i was impressed with Troy Guard's continentally inspired TAG. We were seated by the 20 foot glass wine rack towards the middle of the restaurant. The vibe was energetic on a late thursday evening with tables filled with young professionals getting ready for friday and the weekend. We ordered the crisped seafood potstickers with a korean pepper butter to share. I really liked the fact that all the food was served hot!

I ordered the braised 24 hour veal cheek appetizer with a light goat cheese risotto, excellent portion size and flavor. The waiter also suggested the caramelized butterfish which was broiled to perfection served with king crab, pea shoots and a soy reduction. My only qualm was the piece of fish was pretty small probably 1.5 maybe 2oz at most.

The dessert was a warm sticky toffee pudding cake with a banana pecan ice cream, candied pecans, and a passion fruit puree. The weird part of this dessert were the 2 random but naturally delicious chocolate truffles haphazardly placed on the dish.

I plan on returning some time soon to try some of the other asian/mexican inspired dishes!

Plate score: 9

Lakeside waffles

My experience at Lakeside waffles in the highlands was pretty terrible. Attached to the oriental theatre on the corner of 44th and Tennyson, we ordered two waffles to share: waffle with strawberries ($5) and strawberry syrup and a bacon egg and cheese waffle sandwich with vanilla syrup ($7).

The waffle had no flavor, and there were maybe 5 slices of frozen strawberries. The waffle sandwich was a tad better only because it was piping hot and the "dining room" (which by the way is the lobby to the oriental theatre) was FREEZING and unusually dark.

There were maybe 10 people in the entire place yet it took almost 40 minutes to get our food.

For a place that supposedly specializes in waffles, this place needs some serious work.

Plate score: 2

Watercourse

I love the homemade biscuits with raspberry jam!

That is all :)

Locanda Del Borgo

Locanda del Borgo is a small italian eatery located in a tiny shopping center at intersection of 3rd avenue and holly st about 10 blocks east of colorado blvd. The place needs a larger and more visible sign on the outside as we couldn't actually see the name until we were 3 feet from the door.

Nevertheless, i thoroughly enjoyed my meal, friend on the other hand had some minor issues. I ordered a classic cesar salad which by the way if prepared properly is NOT a cream/mayo based dressing. The ice cold romaine lettuce was tossed with just enough dressing served with a perfect portion of shaved parmesan. My entree was a perfect portion of al dente rigatoni alla bolognese, a slow braised chunky beef and veal sauce. It was simple yet wonderfully delicious.

My friend ordered a disappointing fettuccini with house made sausage, porcini mushrooms tossed in a garlic cream sauce. It was super salty most likely from the sausage and the sauce was overwhelming garlicky....

Obviously there are things on the menu that are better than others however it seems that this place does the simple things well....

Plate score: 8