Devils Food Bakery and Cookery

Devil's Food Bakery and Cookery was our Saturday night stop on our continued quest to take in as many restaurants as possible during restaurant week in Denver.

Turns out Devil's Food is actually quite heavenly!  We were shocked to find the chef running this diabolical establishment was a classically trained 26 year old from North Carolina.  After tasting the incredible dishes I wasn't surprised to learn that he received his training from colleagues and mentors of Thomas Keller; possibly the best chef in America, if not the world.

What's more, chef Mike Sullivan likes to use "unconventional" appliances in his kitchen like a Big Green Egg (if you don't know what that is Google it.)  The flatware and stemware on not matched sets but rather a collection of antiques the owner finds at local flee markets and perusing the antique listings on Ebay.

All of this makes for one of the best dining experiences you will find in the Denver area!  Here's what we had:

Amuse Bouche - A fingerling potato hollowed out and stuffed with roquefort, bacon, and garnished with fresh chives.  A perfect little bite to kick off the evening.

Southern Style Crab Cakes - Out of all the appetizers at the three restaurants we went to for Restaurant Week, the Southern Style Crab Cakes were definitely our favorite! Jeran and I love crab cakes and this was the sweetest, most succulent crab with just enough other ingredients to hold it together. A light crisp coating and silky smooth inside was accompanied by the most amazing smoked tomato butter sauce.....  out of this world! It was rich, but not overpowering, almost like a a creamy smoky tomato bisque. Words truly cannot do this appetizer justice, it was a whole meal in and of itself!

Pistachio Crusted Brie -  A nice wedge of brie crusted with ground toasted pistachios... that alone would be fabulous; but Devil's Food garnishes this with a dollop of fresh orange marmalade, spicy arugula leaves and serves along side two lightly toasted and buttered crostini slices.

Grilled Shrimp 'n Grits - Crunchy grilled shrimp, creamy grits, tomatoes, jalapenos, tender belly bacon, and a cheddar cream sauce all work together flawlessly in this dish.  I really liked the contrast of the southern style creamy grits and grilled shrimp with the bright burst of jalapenos and fresh tomatoes.

Coq Au Vin - Jeran and I had both been wanting to try the Coq Au Vin for quite some time. They started with a fluffy cloud of smoked gouda mashed potatoes and topped it with red wine braised chicken legs that had been slow-cooked for hours and the meat was truly falling off the bone. Topped with roasted crimini mushrooms, bacon lardons, and caramelized pearl onions it was a savory dish that could be your Mom's best recipe (assuming your Mom's an amazing chef) merged with a five-star NY restaurant chef's personal touches. No devil here, just heaven in every bite!

Devil's Food Cake - The Devil's Food Cake was the perfect end to a delicious meal. The cake was a dark chocolate sponge cake that was light and fluffy. In between each layer, was a whipped chocolate mousse and all of this was topped with a decadent ganache and served along side a bourbon chocolate sauce.  Although the flavor was rich, the cake was light and amazing and the perfect way to finish up our amazing experience at Devil's Food. (This was Mike's favorite.)

Layered Cake - White chocolate Grand Marnier cake, yellow butter cake, white chocolate mousse, fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce. Need we say more?  (This was Jeran's favorite.)

Friends, do yourself a favor and make a date with this Devil!