Mangia, Mangia!

All-

        As promised, this is the first edition, reviewing three different restaurants in our new home city of Denver.  We have gone to these places over the last couple of weekends, and all have been super.  I apologize for the length of this entry, but its a bit of a catchup.

        The first place we went, as a celebration of sorts, was Beatrice & Woodsley (beatriceandwoodsley.com) which is in the southwestern part of the city.  We got crawfish beignets to start, and we had the pork belly and leg of lamb for dinner.  All three dishes had great flavor, and the ambiance was pretty cool.  They also had a great drink menu, I had a couple of different types of whiskey, and Sarah had two "Violet Beauregards", a vodka cocktails with fresh blueberries.  In the final analysis, some excellent food, but somewhat of a limited menu-  great vibe for date night though.

       Second on the list is the restaurant we went for my birthday, Olivea (olivearestaurant.com), a Mediterranean fusion restaurant close to Denver's City Park neighborhood.  I had a hankering for Greek food since we moved out here, so this is where we ended up after some reviews.  Strangely enough, Sarah ended up with lamb bolognese on fresh spinach pappardelle, and I had the pork cheeks.  We also had the olives from the appetizer menu to start.  The atmosphere was a little more businesslike than Beatrice & Woodsley, but the service was awesome.  For dessert, we split a chocolate dacquoise with gianduja crema and mocha gelato, which was just large enough to hit the spot.  The food was delicious, but similarly to the first place, the menu was somewhat limited -  I would be hard pressed to go back and get something different anytime soon.

       Sarah and I have a history with Banh Mi sandwiches, which are traditional Vietnamese sandwiches made with pork, fresh herbs (cilantro), peppers, and other pickled vegetables, served on a fresh baguette-like roll.  One of our first dates was to go to Nikki's in the East Village in NYC, get sandwiches, and walk around the city.  Since then we have always tried to find them wherever we live.  In Annapolis, there was one place out in Hyattsville, MD (45 min drive) that was pretty good, so as soon as we got here, the search was on.  Enter Vinh Xuong Bakery, in the western edge of Denver. 

       We drove out there last weekend, and it was tucked in the back corner of an Asian shopping center.  Every bit as good as expected, and cheap as well ($4/sandwich), definitely hit the spot for both of us.  The fun part was when I thought I was buying some fried sesame sticks to snack on until we got home...When I bought them, the old Vietnamese lady looked at me strangely, but I thought nothing of it.  We got in the car, and I had just about taken my first bite when Sarah said, "these are fish tails".  At that point, there was no turning back, and I had to try it.  Mistake.  Maybe if I had been wandering in the Vietnamese jungle without food for three weeks I would find it good, or even satisfying, but in this case, I almost puked immediately.  Caveat Emptor I guess.

      On tonight's docket is Chinook Tavern, in Greenwood Village, south of Denver, we'll report back on that one in a bit.  In the meantime, take care and try some new food on your own!

J.D. and Sarah

Bon Appetit

Hello!

Welcome to our new blog- we go out to eat a couple of times a week and have always talked about reviewing the different places we try.  This seems like a great opportunity now.

A couple of years ago, Sarah and I fell in love in NYC and learned about all kinds of new foods and restaurants as we were learning about each other.  Sarah's passion for learning about cooking and diverse cuisine is equally matched by my passion for eating, so we are a perfect match (naturally).

Recently, we moved to Denver, Colorado, as part of our next great adventure, and plan to use this opportunity to rate and review the local restaurants as we get to know them.  Look for a new post soon!

Thanks,

Sarah & J.D.