Kisssss my griiiiiiiiiits..... and a banana cream pie!

I am not a huge fan of diner food. I guess I think it's kind of boring. A step up from cafeteria food - maybe.

I'm not talking about the diners that Guy Fieri visits on his Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I'm talking about the local diners that I know. Carnation. Barry's. Breakfast King. Rosemary's. They remind me of a place I'd go for a 2am breakfast after a night out at the clubs. Would someone just place a 3 feet wide platter of pancakes with a side of hashbrowns right in front of me please.

No. No. No. I don't think so. And on top of that - they never have peanut butter for my pancakes! argh!

That being said, I have to say - Newbarry's has THE BEST BANANA CREAM PIE ever!!!! Crust. Filling. Topping. The Best. I'd post a picture - but I already ate it all! <<muah hahahaha>>

They also have pretty good rice pudding. And just right brewed iced tea.

Newbarry's
2995 W Jewell Ave
Denver, CO 80219
(303) 935-5503

The Best Sampler Platter

I have been wanting to hang out with my little cousin Taylor for a long time now. She comes to Denver every other week from Pueblo to get chemotherapy treatments. And she's been doing this for a long long time - too long.

Well, I am happy that we finally set something up...

We (Mondo & Darren too) went for pizza first at Pizzicato's Gourmet Pizza in Capitol Hill. This place is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Their pizza is great (and so are their salads) - but they are also soooo freaking nice!

• They let us order late one night and didn't freak out about it, even though we offered to go somewhere else if they were already closing down.
• They heard my son talking about how weird it was to not see Parmesan cheese out on the tables, and brought him a little cup of freshly grated!
• They let us leave one car (in their six-car parking lot) while we went to a Mammoth game, and then pick it up after closing.
  

And - I love love love their Sampler Platter with Roasted Garlic, Caprese & Hummus appetizers for $7.50! Yummmm!

After dinner, we went to D Bar again. I had asked Tay if she wanted to go out for dessert, but since I had a half day off from work, I was able to squeeze in dinner. Anyway, she was excited about it because she says they watch Food Network Challenge all the time too! Keegan Gerhard wasn't in (they're actually filming a challenge here in Denver this week) and I didn't think the staff was as friendly this time, but the desserts were still just as good. Tay and Darren really seemed to like it. I told her we'd try again when Keegan will be there for sure, so hopefully I can find that out.
Pizzicato Gourmet Pizza
www.pizzicatopizza.com
1300 Pennsylvania St
Denver, CO 80203
(303) 957-2550
Menu: http://www.pizzicatopizza.com/home/assets/pdf/CapitolHillMenu6-08.pdf

The Best. Monday. Ever.

I think I just had the best Monday ever. I know. Sounds like an oxymoron huh?

This morning was tough. I was exhausted from the weekend. Lot's of family fun, but can you say wiped out. When I went out to my car, a sheet of ice fought to cling to the window as I worked my bootie off to scrape it away - only to find it also iced over on the inside! What the?! At work, as I sat at my desk I thought to myself...Do I really need to be here? I had planned on leaving early, but I was kicking myself for not just taking the whole day off. And since I was so tired, I was worried I might make a bad impression at the lunch. I know, doesn't sound like a great day so far does it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's that time of the year when the Board of Trustees for my son's school interviews potential Board Candidates. This is when the day started to look up. We met at a local restaurant just down the street from the school. As a board member, this is still new territory to me. As a parent, I couldn't help but be moved at the level of passion this amazing group of people have for these kids. I continue to be overwhelmed by their true caring.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few years ago, our friend Eden gifted my brother with a copy of Honeymoon with my Brother, and then he recommended it to me. Mondo and Eden have traveled the world, so I know that they were able to relate to it in a way that I probably couldn't, but I still loved the book. I was excited when Kurt & Franz came to Denver in October 2006 and invited a group of friends to the signing they held at the Tattered Cover downtown. When I got an email from them saying they were coming back to promote their new book I couldn't wait to attend.

So, this evening, my bookclub did something a little different. We met up at the Tattered Cover on east Colfax to have a bite at Chipotle and then attend a book signing by the authors of our next selection.

The brothers have just released a new book called How the World Makes Love and that is our next read. We had a great time at the book signing. Franz was really funny and picked out some great selections as teasers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the signing, we (Mondo & I) had already agreed to stop for dessert. Mondo remembered me mentioning D bar and he wanted to try it out - I was definitely game for that. The group wanted to go somewhere to finish our discussion on our current read, so they joined us.

We walked in to the small venue and tried to work out between us if we could fit. As we did, I noticed that Keegan Gerhard was behind the counter and I tap tap tapped on my sister's shoulder - Hey, look. It's the guy from Food Network. From the Food Network Challenge show. Cakes cakes cakes! Candy candy candy! Okay, if I was being honest, I would have mentioned in my entry, In response to Audrey's Enquiring Mind, that another obsession of mine is the Food Network. I could watch that channel all day long. It's horrible. And wonderful. The first step is admitting you have a problem right? Well there ya go. Anyway, my total dorkdom became apparent as I walked up to the counter and said "I just wanted to say hi and tell you that I am a complete Food Network junkie. I watch your show all the time. Can I take a photo of you?" He was so nice - he said "sure, why don't you come back and take one with me?" I had no idea it was his shop, I guess I thought maybe he was visiting or something.

Anyway, the staff there was great too. They kindly asked a few customers who had just been seated if they would mind scooting over to the next table so that we could all sit together. They kindly did (thank you!).
We ordered cappucinos, espresso, crème brûlée (wow. creamy. buttery. mmmm.), cake (triple layer - yikes!) and shake (with little chocolate covered crunchy pieces) and p.b. d bar. I can't wait to go back. Mondo mentioned doing a progressive dinner and it will be the perfect place to stop for the dessert portion. But - they also serve lunch, dinner and WINE! So heck yeah, I will be back.
If you visit, you should let me know what order and what you think! I'd love to know :)

http://www.dbardesserts.com/
1475 E 17th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
(303) 861-4710
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh yeah - the conversation on Breakfast with Buddha . Almost forgot. Good one. The more I think about it, the more I liked the book. In fact, I am going to take my 30% Borders Coupon and go buy it and re-read it.

You hear people say all the time, I'm spiritual, not religious and I guess this sort of captures a little bit of maybe what a true meaning of that statement might be. I don't think you have to betray yourself or betray your beliefs by opening up your mind to some of the thoughts that are released in the fictional writing. Might even inspire you - if that's the right word.

I don't know, maybe some people might be scared to read something like this. Either they might be the defensive non-practicing (insert religion here) or they might be the opposite - I am a firm (insert religion here) and I don't believe in blah blah blah. But if you open up your mind and see (lalala, thanks Jason Mraz) - then you might get something more out of it. You might find some good stuff. I think we all did.

I heart 5280 Week

Can I just say I love love love 5280 Restaurant Week? And that the Capital Grille is one of my favorite restaurants!

Our 3rd through 5th's couldn't make it, so Mondo called our friend Mary at the last minute who was down to join us no questions asked. When we met up with her at the restaurant, she had a friend with her. Mary had just (like hours before) picked up Haley from the airport. She just moved to Colorado from California. Never even been here before. Crazy huh? She actually had never met Mary before either, they just have a mutual friend somewhere along the way. Well, whatever - it was a fun story and they were great company.

I have to note, on top of all the food that came on the 5280 menu, we also ordered a side of Lobster Mac and the Crème Brûlée for dessert. Thee-Best.

Tea for Two...

Today I met my friend for lunch at a tea house. They weren't serving lunch due to a short staff, but we shared a "dessert tea" for two, which included a scone with cream and jelly, a red velvet cupcake, chocolate and of course - tea.

I love love love talking to Lori. She's a real sweetheart and she is so fun to get to know. If you're on Facebook, you might have seen the posting of "25 Things About Me". Lori and I both did one and we decided to make a list to share for our tea. 37 things. I'm so happy we did this... some things were fun, some were serious, some were unbelievable - but they were all Lori. Can you believe, we talked for almost 3 hours! Can't wait til we can do it again!

Tres Jolie
http://www.tresjoliestyle.com/
2399 W Main St
Littleton, CO 80120
303-795-0156

A mellow weekend...

It's not that it was a boring weekend - but I'm still condensing it all down to one blog anyway....

Friday -
Didn't do much. Came home after work and was supposed to start/finish reading my book for bookclub on Monday. Instead I played with my new iPhone and watched some tv programs that have been building up on my DVR.

Saturday -
Met up with my nephew Jess and his family at McDonalds for a quick lunch. Then we headed to the Museum of Nature and Science to see "Dinosaurs Alive" at the IMAX. I know, I just saw it last weekend with Darren. Here's the story - Josiah (my great-nephew), came over last week and said "Auntie, I want to go to the movies." So I asked him if he wanted to go see Bolt or Hotel for Dogs and he said "No, I want to see Dinosaurs." There ya go. He loved it. When it was ending he said "I want to see it again" and he was not happy that we couldn't.

In the evening, we went to the Mammoth vs Edmonton Rush game. It was early this week - started at 6pm, so no face painting this time. The game wasn't as bad as last week, but they still lost. It actually got really exciting in the last quarter - it was fun to see some defense - it just came too late. Bummer.

After the game, we went to the Denver Diner. I don't know why we torture ourselves. I had french toast. Not so good.

Sunday -
My friend Matthew invited me to church at The Rock. Saw lots-o-friends there. After service, we headed over for lunch at Ruby Tuesdays. I ordered the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Burger and thought it was pretty good.

Mondo got ripped off. He ordered a Chicken Pot Pie with a Mozzarella & Tomato Salad. He ordered the add-on salad bar instead of soup because he figured the pot pie would be kind of like a soup. Turns out it was more like a salad. The veggies didn't appear to have been cooked in the sauce for any amount of time. AND, they substituted his mozzarella & tomato salad with broccoli and didn't even mention it to him. Not cool.

When we got home, we found that my cousins were visiting from Pueblo before they went to the Nuggets game. We played a few games of poker and watched a movie.

A nice and mellow weekend...

Go NoRTH!

After our Pampering Feet Party, Claudia, Concetta and I decided to go out for dinner. Since this area is middle ground for us, we tried to think of somewhere close. Concetta mentioned a place called NoRTH, which was just a few minutes away in Cherry Creek.

We got there about 6:30pm which was good timing. It wasn't crowded at all (but it really got busy after we were seated). Concetta had been there before, but it was a first time for me and Claudia. I was excited because I love trying new places.

I don't think of myself as a snobby eater. I don't go places because they're known as a place to be seen at. NoRTH, I think - might be one of those kind of places. When I looked it up online, I saw it's part of the Bloom family, which is a restaurant I think of that way. BUT, I have to say - I really enjoyed the evening, the service was great and I LOVED the food!

At being seated, we were immediately served seasoned olives and sliced bread with a tomato seasoned butter. Yummy. I think I might try some of those olives for my wine tasting....

Appetizer: Claudia and Concetta each ordered the Tuscan Tomato Soup, Parmesan, Grilled Bread. I had a bite. It was a hearty, thick and well seasoned tomato soup. The portion wasn't tiny either - so if it sounds like something you might like to try, you might want to share. We also shared an order of Artichoke Hearts with Dijon & Balsamic which was so buttery and just melted in my mouth.

Dinner Plate: Claudia ordered Strozzapreti, Mushrooms, Spinach, Toasted Pine Nuts & Parmesan Cream. She offered me a bite and it was amazing! I loved my dish, but I am excited to go back and order this one. Concetta and I both ordered the Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Italian Potato & Asparagus, but I sub'd Wild Mushroom Orzo for the Italian Potatoes. Another melt-in-your-mouth offering.

Dessert: Nutella Cake: Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, Cabernet Caramel Chocolate Sauce, Fresh Berries, Toasted Hazelnuts. Like I need to tell you how good this was huh? But there was a funny story. We were all so stuffed, but really wanted to try the dessert, so we decided to share one. Concetta asked the server if she could cut us a little bit bigger piece since we were splitting three ways. She said that they were pre-cut, but she would work out something for us. So here come two desserts - one with a candle to celebrate my birthday! Haha, I rolled with it.

I will definitely be back!

NoRTH Cherry Creek
http://www.foxrestaurantconcepts.com/north.html
190 Clayton Ln
Denver, CO 80206
720-941-7700

Really? I said that?

Yesterday was Mondo's 29th birthday. We went to Carraba's for dinner to celebrate. The evening did not start out well...

6:00pm - Phoned in a call-ahead reservation for 11 at 7pm

6:45pm - Arrived and checked in. Told by hostess that we should have been told at the time our call-ahead reservation was accepted, that another larger party was already booked and we probably wouldn't be able to be sat for another half hour.

We asked if breaking up our table would make it faster. She replied no, it will still be about the same time. We said okay, we'll wait for the table.

7:25 - We're taken to two tables. And although you could argue that these tables were side by side, there was clearly a partition separating them.

I went back up to the hostess and told her that we didn't realize they were going to break us up. We were under the impression we had been waiting for so long because we were going to be seated together.

Here's where it started going bad...

The hostess replied "no, you said you would like to be seated at separate tables if it would be faster". "Yes, and I meant like it will take 15 minutes instead of a half hour faster.... but it wasn't faster, it's actually been longer than you said. And since we've waited this long, what we would rather do is continue to wait for the large table so we can sit together." She kept on saying how I said we wanted separate tables - which brought up another point in my mind that ticked me off. We've taken separate tables before in cases like this (and actually were seated faster) - but I've never been seated at separate tables that were so separate you couldn't see the other people in your party. It just wasn't going to work and I didn't understand why I had to ask three times to wait for the big table.

I was already writing a blog in my head. It makes me so mad when someone in a customer service type roll - like a restaurant hostess - would argue with a customer like that. It makes no sense.

But Mondo said "let it go".

Wait. It gets better....

It was Mondo's birthday, so I did let it go and we went on talking and waiting for the big table. Soon after, a woman named Kim (I think) stopped by and let us know she was a manager on duty and she heard there was a mix up with our tables.

I told her what happened and how not being told about the party when I called and waiting for the table was not the issue (I've worked in a restaurant before, and I know you have no control over how long a party sits at a table. I also know that the bigger the party, the more they might sit around and talk), but the argument from the hostess was a bit much on top of it. She acknowledged it as an error and offered to get our party an appetizer while we continued to wait.

That turned things around. I like that they took the initiative to better a situation that was giving me a bad taste in my mouth before I even sat down to eat.

At about 8pm, we were finally seated - together.

Our waitress was rockin'. She was extremely friendly and did everything right. And when Darren's order came out as bruschetta instead of shrimp scampi, she took it away without any issue and quickly had the correct dish made up for him. ....Which, he didn't like at all! Doh! So she brought him some noodles with butter, which made him happy. It was such good service in fact, that it didn't even bother me when she offered dessert mini's to us and then came back and said they were all out. Or that when she asked us if we wanted to try anything else and Darren ordered a regular dessert - and she came back and said they were all out of those too - didn't bother me.

So, the night didn't start out so well. But it was quickly fixed and made all the difference in the world. The family enjoyed the birthday dinner and had a good time. And their Customer Service Rating went way up in my book.

About the food...
Appetizer: Calamari (how can you complain about free food. The manager sent out a double order and it was great to have a munchie while we waited. Even my niece Aubrey tried some - way to go!)
Drink: Italian Margarita (I think they call it a Rabbarita or something like that). Very tasty, except I like them with sugar on the rim and it was served salted. Mondo had a Mojito (de uva?) - it was a grape Mojito and he liked it too.
Entree: I had the Spiedino di Mare which was good, although I'm not sure I would order it again. Mondo had the Pollo Rosa Maria, which I would order. Karen and my dad had the Lasagne and weren't very impressed. I never order lasagne out - homemade is too good :)

Carrabba's Italian Grill
http://www.carrabbas.com/
303-940-5620
7401 West 92nd Ave
Westminster, CO 80021

Would you like those Hot or X-Hot...

I think they're better than BW3's. *gasp*

Maybe they only have 5 or 6 flavors, but they're good flavors. I like that the wings are fried crispy before they're coated with sauce. I like that they're not served all dry. I like their fries. And I really like that you can get 10 wings, fries and a drink for about $8.

All they need to do now is put some Mammoth gear up!

Wingman
http://www.wingmanwings.com/
303-980-0545
3333 S Wadsworth Blvd
Lakewood, CO 80227

Wassssssssssaaaabi...

They have a pretty good happy hour and are conveniently located across the street from the movie complex - so way cool for dinner and a flick. And the food isn't bad either... not that I am by any means and expert on Sushi - so I could be all wrong.

OMG - They have a ginormous bento box. Really, does anyone need that much food?

Wasabi
http://www.wasabidenver.com/belmar/
Belmar in Lakewood
433 S Teller St
303-935-8888

A little shady if you ask me...

A Restaurant Review....

Lechuga's Italian Restaurant

---

Type: Half is Casual Sit Down and Half is a Bar
Location: 3609 Tejon St, Denver, CO 80211 / Phone 303-455-1502
Price: $5 and up
Recommendation: My son loves it! I'm kinda over it... but if you haven't yet, you should give it a try.

---

Occasion: After a movie downtown, my brother and his family, my brother Mondo, me and my son went to grab a quick bite for dinner at Lechuga's. It's a favorite of his family and also of my son's, but since it's so far from us, we usually only go there when we're doing something else close by.

Order: Me and Mondo ordered a big square combo-pizza to share and a side-salad each. My nephew ordered a whole big square pepperoni for himself. The rest of the family ordered sausage and meatball canolis - some smothered with cheese and sauce, some stuffed with jalapenos and some with SOS (sauce on the side).

My family loves the canolis - and they are a pretty good value. Monstrous portions at about $3.75 each, $4.75 smothered with cheese and sauce. Tonight the sausage ones were as good as always, but the meatball that my niece ordered looked dried up. She doused it in sauce, but still hardly ate any at all. Not very appetizing.

My salad was swimming in ranch dressing. I'm used to that, but I still order them there because they cover them with mozzarella and pepperoni and I like 'em. However, I didn't like the pizza at all. The crust tasted too much like a Jiffy mix and was really thick. I'm sure it's the last time I will ever order one there. Mondo and my nephew didn't like it either - but my nephew did mention that their individual rounds are usually much better.

I guess this happens from time to time, but the soda mix was off that night too and everyone who ordered a cola thought they tasted like diet... and they didn't order diet.

Atmosphere: There wasn't enough room for our group of 8 to eat in the dining room, so we were directed to the bar area. It's an older establishment that has seen a recent update on the dining side, but is quite aged on the bar side. The room was dark and we sat against a wall sharing 4 tiny bar tables.

Service: I'm sure this lady is the owner or at least the manager - but she came over to our table, standing right next to the two youngest in the group, 10 & 12 - and seeing our tables only half set up yells "What kind of shit is this? Where's your silverware!?" Her call was aimed at the waitress of course and me and Mondo could barely hold in a laugh, hardly believing what just happened.

I feel like I've been getting duped on bills lately, so I took the liberty of itemizing out our order (me and Mondo got separate checks from JJ & his family). We were overcharged a whole $1.00 for a smothered item, that we didn't get smothered. Even taking that into consideration, our total was still off. Turns out tip was added. I know - it's usual for a tip to be added when there is a party of 8 or more..... but usually it's noted on the receipt and if not, the server usually mentions it! A little shady if you ask me...

Conclusion: Although I feel like I'm over it... I used to like going there every once in a while. It was a great place to grab some take out on the way to a Rockies Game! But, my son loves it - so chances are we will be back every now and then.

If you haven't had one - and your near the area - you really should stop by and grab a "Super" - or a "Devil" if you're daring

I'm not a professional anything - it's just my opinion, and that's what ya get for reading my blog. Cheers!

All about texture...

A Restaurant Review....

Wahoo's

---

Type: Fast, dine-in
Location: 280 S Union Blvd, Lakewood, CO 80228, 303-597-0095 http://www.wahoos.com/
Price: $5 and up
Recommendation: If you haven't already - Try it!

---

Occasion: Lunch!

Order: I am writing this review only because I usually really like picking up a bite at Wahoo's. I order the sandwich or sometimes the carne asada enchiladas with red sauce and then extra green sauce (roasted peppers and cilantro) on my rice. mmmm.....

The Wahoo's Carne Asada (Steak) Sandwich was disappointing to me this time. The bread was too soggy and it was all I could taste. And the fries weren't crispy enough either. Guess it was all about texture this time.

Atmosphere: I always find them clean, at every location I've been to. Surfer deco - with stickers strategically placed all over. Reminds me of a giant Nalgien bottle... or a Subaru.

Service: Umm, the guy who took our order was nice...

Conclusion: Some people I talk to are afraid to try Wahoo's cause they think all that they serve is FISH TACOS! And I'm not knockin' fish tacos, cause I actually like them there... BUT, that is not all they serve. Their carne asada (marinated grilled steak) is awesome! It's spiced just right and always real tender. So good in all of their items.

I will definitely be back, just probably won't be ordering the sandwich for a while...

Lo Lo Lo Lo Lola's

What an excellent night...

I think I keep myself pretty busy. I like to have fun, I like to "do stuff" - but I don't usually go out by myself. I never really have. Well, once I went to a movie by myself - but it was pretty weird. Tonight, I made another exception... and I'm so glad I did.

I attended a holiday party given for the staff of my son's school and the Board of Trustees. For the 2nd year in a row, it was held at Lola's in Denver and for the 2nd year in a row, it was a lot of fun.

The school has grown by one full grade. That means a lot more teachers and significant others - so it was quite a crowd. The company was great. I really love the staff and the board at the school. There are a lot of amazing and caring people who I'm so glad to know. I enjoyed good conversation, lots of laughs, a couple of drinks and some really tasty ceviche (citrus cured sea bass, pico de gallo, toasted pine nuts, smoked tomato). Mmmm...

What an awesome way to start the holiday season!

Lola's
http://www.loladenver.com/
1575 Boulder St
Denver, CO
720-570-8686