Restaurant week kicks off with Zink

Denver Restaurant Week is a growing annual tradition in Denver where over 350 restaurants serve the best three-course meal they have to offer for the mile high price of $52.80. This year is especially great because Jeran and I are celebrating our one-year Anniversary! We wanted to go somewhere for an amazing meal and Zink certainly provided that! We were beyond impressed and the food was simply incredible!

We started off with freshly baked bread served with creamy butter garnished with Himalayan Sea Salt. We both said we could have filled up on this alone it was so delicious!

For the appetizer course, Zink let us pick two rather than having to share one. So of course, we shared two!  Appetizer one....Mini Lobster & Rock Shrimp Corn Dogs!  How could that possibly be anything but delish?? A gooey cheesy lobster and rock shrimp center surrounded by a crispy polenta presented on a cute little corn dog stick and served with a tarragon creme fraiche dipping sauce.

Appetizer two was the Warm Pecorino Crème Brulee with King Trumpet Mushrooms and Anchovy Toasts. Jeran and I have noticed a trend in dessert items becoming savory appetizers (see our Gorgonzola Cheescake post at Pesce Fresco) and that's what they did here to smashing success! The Anchovy Toasts were cut perfect for bite sized morsels and the hint of Anchovy added just enough salt and delicious flavor without being overpowering. The mushrooms were so tender and marinated to perfection and we piled them on top of the toast after covering it with the warm pecorino creme brulee.  Rich, creamy and gooey!

We rotated bite for bite between these two fabulous appetizers!

Jeran and I are both are huge steak lovers, but we thought we should step outside our comfort zone. I have to be honest and say we've done this a few times before to mixed success. But this time, we're glad we did!

Jeran went with the house made lamb sausage with eggplant caponata, buffalo peaks feta, saffron aioli, and natural jus. I have to admit I was a little nervous about having lamb.  I've had some delicious lamb chops before and some terrible mutton roast, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I was thrilled!  The lamb sausage was moist, delicious, and flavorful.  I thought the flavors were light and balanced and there was no evidence of the strong "gamy" taste I was worried about.  The eggplant caponata was nothing short of a flavor explosion on my palate.

Mike ordered the Crisp Skin Duck Confit.  We had to ask about this as we weren't sure what "Confit" meant. We liked the answer.... confit means fat! So basically all the flavor and richness of the duck was used as a marinade to cook the duck.  I felt like it was Thanksgiving on steroids for the sophisticated palate! Pine Nut Risotto, Charred Sweet Potatoes and Apricot Sherry Glaze accompanied this rich and succulent piece of duck. It was so juicy and full of flavor, I would recommend this to anyone! 

Dessert course one; Salted caramel pie served with cardamon cider reduction, bourbon gelato, and garnished with a sesame seed brittle.  OH MY GOD!!! This was seriously one of the very best desserts I have ever had! I tore in to it before I remembered to take a picture, and it was hard to put the spoon down long enough to snap a pic!  The pie was rich and decadent, the bourbon gelato was light and creamy, and the sesame brittle balanced out the flavors.  A touch of the Himalayan Sea Salt made this dessert pop and I would eat this every day if I could!

For our second desert, we had the Spanish Coffee. While the presentation was incredible...various liquors lit on fire and poured between glasses.... the taste made this item our least favorite. It tasted like a hot boozy blend of too many different types of alcohol. (Spiced Rum, Grand Marnier, Kahlua, Cream, Burnt Orange.) Maybe it was the wrong ratio? Maybe the wrong combination of liquors?

Overall it didn't matter, because our experience was so incredible and the food was so out of this world! We would go back in a heartbeat, and highly recommend this hidden gem to anyone!