Foodie Friday, TAG, you’re it!

Happy Foodie Friday!

Let’s get back to our 5280 Top Restaurants in Denver List.  The next dining experience that I am going to share is one of the most popular places to post up for happy hour drinks and apps after work.  Their eclectic menu offers fare from sushi tacos to Kobe beef sliders.  Located in the swanky Larimer Square area it’s the perfect drinking hole to try some foodie favorites.  Of course, I am speaking of TAG.

I love the lights at Larimer Square. Even better at night!

Friday night we were looking for something to do and I remembered that I had purchased a Living Social deal for TAG.  We called and there was actually an open table, so we headed downtown for drinks and apps.  To get started with a yummy libation I ordered the Pelirojo (sauza blue, fresh lime, raspberries, & ginger beer).  This was the perfect fresh and bubbly tasting cocktail for me.  It was almost like a combination of two of my favorite drinks- a Moscow Mule and tequila on the rocks.  Cheers to that.

The cocktail list…arguably my favorite menu!

Ed and I decided that since everything on the entire menu looked delish, we would just order a few small plates to share.  I opted for a Palisade peach salad to start because the Colorado peaches are at their summer peak right now and I couldn’t pass up their juicy sweetness.  We also had Kobe beef sliders with duck fat fries, seafood crab cakes, in ‘n out spicy crab mix roll, and salmon sashimi.  Everything was unique and flavorful, but what I really need to talk about are those DUCK FAT FRIES!  Take a thinly cut potato and pop in a boiling vat of duck fat?  I don’t know who thought of that, but kudos.  These crispy little bites of heaven were seasoned with a sweet and spicy salt.  I could have ordered a whole second basket of these.  Go to TAG, order a drink and plate of these fries, and you will not be disappointed.

Just look at those little fries of goodness

The atmosphere is modern, trendy, and laid back.  Last time I had a date here we sat at the bar and the sushi chefs fed us small samples all night, which was a definite plus.  I would recommend this restaurant for a date night or happy hour with co-workers (they offer a social hour Mon- Fri 2-6 PM).  Their website deems TAG “continental social food,” which seems like a perfect description for their international inspiration made fresh with local ingredients.

Alright, enjoy the weekend, let me know if you find any Denver grub that  I need to try out!

Julie

Foodie Fridays: A Romantic evening at Frasca Food & Wine

Today let’s start a series of “Foodie Fridays.”  It is no secret to anyone that knows me how much I love to wine and dine, and especially love to try new places around the Denver area.  I recently set a new “goal” of eating at each of the top 25 Best Restaurants of Denver, as named by 5280.  I have been working on this list from 2011 for a while, and hopefully can knock quite a few out before the 2012 list comes out.  My poor boyfriend is usually dragged along to these nicer restaurants to foot the bill when he would really rather be eating at Outback Steakhouse, haha, his philosophy is “If I like it, why change?”, while I think that if I am not cooking something delicious myself at home, then I am going to go all out!

This brings us to our first edition of Foodie Fridays: A Romantic evening at Frasca Food andWine.

There are a few reasons that I personally love Frasca (other than being #1 on the list!).  First, it is on Pearl St. in Boulder, which is where I attended college at the University of Colorado.  I jump at any chance I get to return to my collegiate stomping grounds.  Also, Frasca is a “neighborhood restaurant inspired by the cuisine and culture of Friuli, Italy.”  I LOVE Italian food, and lastly, did I mention great WINE.  I love wine, have I ever mentioned that!?  I had been to Frasca once before my mission of eating my way through Colorado began, and it was for a private party event.  So, I was excited to try their normal dinner fare, and this was a special night because it was Ed and I’s 1 year anniversary!

Cheers to 1 year together!

The atmosphere is classic, elegant, and a bit luxe.  You might walk in thinking that this is a fancy schmancy type of place, but let’s remember that this is Boulder, so people feel comfortable dining here in either very casual or very formal attire.  We were somewhere in the middle of the two.  On Monday’s the chef has a set dinner tasting menu that highlights the week’s farmer’s market share.  We started with a salumi plate of prosciutto, speck, and salume which was just delicious, I always say that cured meats are the best way to start an Italian meal.  From there were served a fresh greens salad, stuffed cannoli pasta with farm onion, ricotta, and farm peas, tagliatelle, and finished with homemade profiteroles and vanilla bean ice cream.  Delicious!  What I loved about the meal was that everything was fresh, seasonal, and local.  Dining on produce that is hand picked and delivered straight to the restaurant is second to none, especially in these summer months.  What Ed loved about the meal (compared so some of the nice restaurants we go out to) is that we were both stuffed by the end.  Although this was a tasting menu, each course was a generous portion, which kept him happy.

delicious dinner at Frasca, rated #1 by 5230 Magazine

Sweet message at dessert

After we were stuffed full of vino and yummy Italian food we went for a walk around Pearl Street and even though it was a Monday night, the crazy Boulder hippies and street performers were still out!  I really miss the randomness of that town.

Have a great weekend everyone!  What are your favorite restaurants around Denver that I should try?

Julie