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!

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!

Our last day in Canada

Our last day in Canada was filled with a shopping trip to Roots (A Canadian legend....wonderful clothing with a warm, casual feel), picking up a few Cuban Cigars, and stopping into Urban Fare.  Urban Fare was a find! A super cool high end grocery store with a cafe, bakery, flower shop, and so much more! (Think of a smaller version of Whole Foods but even more upscale.)

We stopped into Urban Fare looking for nanaimo bar.  This is a Canadian dessert and our concierge had directed us to check out the bakery at Urban Fare. Nanaimo bar is a three layered dessert that is a super-rich treat! First layer is coconut and graham cracker crumbs, second layer is creamy custard and third layer is chocolate ganache. Fabulous!!

While we standing in line to pay we also picked up a box of Maple Chocolate Canadian Toffee.  Traditional crunchy almond toffee but hit with just a hint of Canadian maple flavor. Heaven!

So now that we had dessert out of the way.. time for something a little more savory.  We found trendy Milestones bar and grill.  A fancy little grill serving up traditional pud fare with a hip modern twist.

We had Kobe Sliders,  Classic Caesar Salad, and the soup of the day was Mushroom.

The Mushroom Soup was the best thing we had. A blend of three types of mushrooms. Portobello, button, and shitake; all blended into a smooth creamy texture topped with home made garlic croutons, scallion, and drizzled with a rich hearty extra virgin olive oil.  I wanted to bathe in it!

The Caesar was ok, fresh and crisp, but nothing out of the ordinary.

I hope you enjoyed our posts about Vancouver and we'd love to hear about your favorite places when visiting our neighbors to the north.

Coast Seafood in Vancouver

Looking for some of the freshest seafood in Vancouver? We were and our concierge directed us to Coast Restaurant.

We wanted to have an exceptionally high end meal in Vancouver and take advantage of what the city had to offer. That led us to look for something with either Asian flare or seafood, Coast allowed us to have a little of both.

We started with the King Crab Tempura Roll.  Absolutely Amazing! This was fresh, crisp and ultra hip! A true flavor explosion on the palate. The trout roe garnish was like little champagne bubbles popping in your mouth.

We also ordered the Dungeness Crab Pountine.  Coasts version of this traditional Canadian dish was crispy french fries, cream gravy (resembling a hollandaise sauce,) cheese curds, smoky bacon, and dungeness crab.  Garnished with a fried soft egg. Break the yolk and dig in!!  This was one of the most delicious comfort foods I have ever eaten! Our waiter joked that he had his cardiologist on standby.

For our entree we ordered the Hot Signature Platter.  We wanted to try a little of everything.  Salmon, shrimp, scallops, ling cod,  all served around a platter of Thai rice and crispy edamame. The salmon was so fresh, probably came out of the water that morning, and the shrimp and scallops were cooked to perfection! The cod was firm and moist and everything was seasoned to perfection.

We opted to go back to Fairmont and have dessert.  We had a chocolate molten caked garnished with whipped cream and served with fresh berries.  The chocolate cake was covered in ganache and the middle of the cake was filled with a gooey mess of chocolatey goodness!  A great way to end a perfect evening!

Coast Restaurant is worth seeking out in Vancouver.

Oh Canada!

Perogies, Poutine, and Fish & Chips!  The first stop on our trip to Vancouver was Lennox Pub in the heart of downtown.

Being from Canada, I told Jeran I had to show him some authentic Canadian food.  While many of these dishes would be considered English or French, to me they were Canadian as I grew up on them.  Sometimes you just have to get a few appetizers and that's what we did here, starting with my all time favourite, Perogies.  Think of Perogies as a sort of dumpling, creamy 3-cheese mashed potatoes served in a pasta shell that is pan-friend (or boiled or deep-fried) and traditionally served with caramelized onions, bacon, and sour cream.  There are so many ways to prepare this dish, and it can be a great side or a main dish itself, but I love it the way we had it!

Poutine is an a very popular dish in Canada, served anywhere from fast food restaurants to upscale dining (see the Coast blog post for some super fancy poutine!).  Here we had the most common and incredibly delicious version.  You start with crispy french fries and top them with cheese curds and gravy.  The gravy and hot crispy fries melt the cheese curds and the result is the ultimate comfort food.  Move over mashed potatoes!

Last, but not least, fish & chips.  There are so many variations and almost every restaurant in Canada has this popular item on their menu.  Here we had a classic cod with homemade tarter sauce.  Simply delicious!

This pub was a great find in the downtown Vancouver area on the always-busy Granville Street.  Other traditional favorites on the menu included Shepard's Pie and Bangers and Mash.  We had so much fun enjoying these traditional Canadian dishes!

Lucile's

Lucile's Creole Cafe is one of our favorite places to go for brunch! Our friends Ray and Lori were visiting Denver and wanted a great place to meet for brunch. Mike and I quickly suggested a stop into Lucile's!

We started off with an order of the beignets. These are big puffy New Orleans style donuts. At Lucile's they cover them with powdered sugar and serve them with a rich decadent caramel sauce. The warm fried dough along with the sweetness of the powdered sugar and then topped with the caramel sauce.... OH MY!!! Yummers!

Most entrees are served with a warm biscuit.  These are huge, light and fluffy, and extremely moist. The best part, slathering with homemade orange marmalade, apple butter, or blueberry preserves. Each bite is bursting with chunks of fruit and full bodied jammy flavors. Would be easy to make a meal of just biscuits and beignets but of course we didn't stop there.

The soup special was Sweet Potato Crab Bisque. How in the world could you pass that up??  Rich sweet potato taste with chunks of dungenous crab. I could taste hints of cinnamon and nutmeg and a little sherry to bring balance to the entire concoction. Absolutely fabulous!!

Ray had the French Toast served with an egg and a side of country sausage. Topped with caramel syrup and garnished with fresh fruit. Mmmmm.

I have been dying to try the rice pudding porridge and since I seemed to be running on a huge sugar bender for the day, I figured why not stay with the sweets! The porridge was drizzled with raspberry sauce and garnished with dried currants and cream.  How could that combination of ingredients be anything but delicious? I would say the rice was a little over cooked and a tad mushy but I had to try it. Probably wouldn't order again but since I was craving sweets this was a nice addition to my bender.

Mike had the Eggs New Orleans.  This is my absolute favorite dish and has so many yummy flavors!  Lucile's takes their flash-fried eggplant (think eggplant parm) and tops it with two soft-poached eggs so the warm yolk runs all over.  Top that with their homemade Creole sauce which is a spicy marinara and then of course you add some delicious hollandaise for good measure.  Served with their homemade griddle-fried potatoes, this is a treat not to be missed.  My favorite dish on the menu!

If you're ever in Denver, Fort Collins, Boulder, Littleton, or Longmont this place is worth seeking out and having brunch.  Located in south-central Denver, plan on getting there early or waiting around 30 minutes.  Definitely worth it!

Suite 1901

Suite 1901 is under new management. Music to the ears of many living in Cheyenne! Mike and I decided to have dinner there last weekend and want to share our experience with you.

We started off with the baked brie appetizer. A wedge of brie wrapped in puff pastry, topped with a grape balsamic reduction and sugared walnuts.  Absolutely delicious!! We both loved this and it was probably the best thing we had!

I (Mike) had the 24-Hour Chicken which was very good!  Brined for 24 hours in a 5-tea spice mix, this half chicken had been completely de-boned and was extremely moist, tender, and really rich flavors!  I loved their Yukon Gold mashers - who can go wrong with the buttery, fluffy mashed potatoes! 

I (Jeran) had the chicken Florentine crepe which consisted of a savory crepe filled with big chunks of chicken, gooey white cheese, and spinach; served with a side of roast vegetables. I thought it was tasty but had a couple of "gristly" pieces of chicken and wish the kitchen had been a bit more meticulous about the chicken meat that went into the crepe.

sorry about the pic. way to close

Dessert was probably the biggest disappointment. We ordered the pineapple upside down creme brulee cake.  The cake was dry and crumbly. The creme brulee layer was virtually non existent. You certainly couldn't detect any creme brulee flavors and the pineapple was dry and chewy.

Just a note on Suite 1901 and our experience there.  We are really excited about the new management and the place has the same great ambiance it's always had.  We both decided to step outside our 'norm' with our ordering.  We both have our favorites and rather than always having a steak or a burger, we wanted to make sure we were experiencing the whole menu and trying new things.  That being said, next time I think we'll go back to the sure thing and have what we both know we love!

Lunch at the Capitol Grille

We decided to pop into The Plains Hotel and have lunch at The Capitol Grille in Cheyenne.  I have to admit I have not been a big fan of The Grille in the past, but I heard they had a new chef and things were looking up.

We had a Shrimp and Chorizo Stuffed Quesadilla. Mike and I both really liked this! The quesadilla was over loaded with big chucks of shrimp and chorizo and had plenty of green chili's, corn, onion and tomato's for a rich and hearty southwest taste.  

We also ordered the Sweet and Tangy BBQ Chicken Flat bread Pizza.  Simple and delicious. Tangy BBQ sauce, chunks of crispy chicken, red onion strips, corn kernels, and a light and airy flat bread crust.

I was very impressed with both of these dishes and I'm anxious to go back and try other entree's. James, our server, took great care of us and I'm thrilled that Cheyenne has this type of offering that is not affiliated with a major chain restaurant.

Pesce Fresco Bistro

We had dinner Saturday at Pesce Fresco Bistro.  I love Bistro's and Pesce Fresco certainly did not disappoint!  This is a small, quaint and well appointed bistro. 

We started off with gorgonzola cheesecake. What a unique idea for a savory appetizer!  The "cheesecake" was baked in a ramekin and reminded me of a souffle. Light and fluffy with a rich flavor of gorgonzola and Italian herbs.  The cheesecake was topped with onions that tasted like they had been caramelized in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The dish was served with apple slices, crostini, and crispy mushrooms.  These weren't the standard button mushrooms, I would guess they were porcini mushrooms, which added a wonderfully unique twist to the dish.

The dish was a huge hit with our group!

Mike and I split a cup of ricotta tomato bisque. Rich, hearty and delicious! 

Mike's mom ordered a Caesar Salad and it was good. Classic Caesar dressing served with an anchovy fillet, focaccia croutons, and a "24 hour tomato."  We asked about the 24 hour tomato and our waiter told us they were a preserved tomato, somewhere in between a fresh tomato and a sun dried tomato.. interesting.

Our friend Jan ordered the South West Shrimp Pasta. It was delicious!! Mike and I thought it was the best entree at our table.  Giant prawns in a rich mix of southwest flavors and chipotle cream tossed together with farfalle pasta.  Delicious!

Mike had the Iron Seared Scallops. The scallops were seared to perfection and the lobster corn risotto was divine! We didn't know what saffron lobster brodo was, but upon a little investigation, we found it was a broth, albeit a very fancy broth.  Mike wasn't crazy about the garlic seared spinach and I would agree that it was just a touch on the bitter side, but overall the dish was tremendous!

Mike's mom and I had the special that night. A walleye fillet served on a bed of whipped parsnips, topped with an arugula salad, and garnished with beet and spinach puree's that really made the dish pop. Beautiful to look and beautiful on the palate!

Pesce Fresco Bistro is worth seeking out!

Bagel Deli and Restaurant Denver

Yesterday we had lunch at The Bagel Deli and Restaurant in Denver.  I guess I was thinking this was going to be something like the national chain of Bagelmakers.. wrong!  This is a locally owned diner that has been featured on Guy Fieri's, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

Jeran's Lunch; I love love love reuben sandwiches! So ordering the "classic reuben" was a no-brainer for me. Layers and layers of super thinly sliced corned beef, homemade sauerkraut, homemade thousand island dressing, all served on a super soft onion roll.  Yummers!!!

I also had a potato latke as a side. I've never had one but it was delicious.  Kind of like a potato cake held together with egg, thinly sliced onion, and a little olive oil.  Served with a side of sour cream. Simple but delicious.

Mike's Lunch:  Who doesn't love cheeseburgers!  One of my all time favorites, I had to try all the homemade goodness the Bagel Deli had to offer.  This juicy, 1\2 pound burger with grilled onions and muenster cheese on a fresh-baked onion roll was delicious!  I had to steal some of Jeran's thousand island dressing as it was just a perfect companion to my burger!

After lunch we walked around the bakery-side of the deli.  Along with a Meat Knish we have yet to try, we found a wonderful little treasure, their "Rhally Bar".....a homemade cheesecake on a chocolate chip cookie crust.  What a treat after an amazing meal!

I will not hesitate to go back to the Bagel Deli!