Bones Baby!

For the past couple of years, my friend Meghan and I have been taking each other to dinner for our birthdays.  It was my turn to take her.When I asked her where she wanted to go, all she kept talking about was the place with the Lobster Ramen. I had never heard of such a thing, so naturally, I Googled it. Imagine my surprise to find out it was being served right by my house at a restaurant called Bones, on the corner of 7th and Grant.  I have lived just up the street from Bones since it opened and have never gone in. I had always just assumed that it was simply a wine bar. It is, but they also serve Asian fare, primarily noodles dishes. It turned out to be quite a surprise.
We stared out with the Escargot Potstickers, and they came with this amazing sauce. I don't know how I have been lucking out with sauces lately but hey, I'm not complaining. We enjoyed our potstickers with a couple of Tsunamis, a cocktail made with with sake, blackberry liquer, and ginger ale. For our entrees, Meghan obviously went for the Lobster Ramen, and I had the fish special. We'll start with the Ramen; it came in a gigantic bowl full of noodles and large pieces of lobster and edamame. The broth was a buttery miso. You have the option to have a poached egg served on top, and the yoke breaks into the broth, making it creamier. I thought it was decent, and Meghan said it was basically what she expected but without the "wow" factor she was hoping for. I have to say I agree. Good, but not something to write home about. My entree was fabulous though. It was a filet of snapper served over a bed of vegetable noodles. What I mean by "noodle" is that the vegetable was in fine, long shreds and cooked like noodles. The whole thing was in this garlic sauce with some other stuff that I couldn't distinguish but that made it phenomenal! I really enjoyed every bite of my meal. I wish that Meghan, this being her birthday dinner, would have been as blown away as I was. But she did enjoy her overall experience. For a dish that has supposedly put this restaurant on the map, the Lobster Ramen was not as spectacular as it should have been or could be. But nevertheless, if you have not tried Bones, then you should make a trip.

Ototo

After my terrible crepe experience last week, I needed a come-back or sorts. So I went to dinner with my mom at this great restaurant on south Pearl. It's called Ototo Food and Wine Bar, and it was beyond wonderful. Let me just give you the history before I talk about the food. Basically, the guys at Sushi Den have done it again. As if Sushi Den and Izakaya Den weren't already amazing, let's open up another restaurant that will knock your socks off! But this isn't sushi, this is an oyster bar and wine bar that showcases a mix of many different flavors and culinary styles and because it is all small plates, you can taste a few and share them with your table.
We  started off with the New Style Diver Scallops, and they were so perfectly cooked that they melted in my mouth. They had a touch of jalapeno that added just the right amount of heat, and well, they were awesome. After that came the P.E.I. Mussels,which were swimming in this white wine, garlic broth that was so good, we started eating it with a spoon because we ran out of the equally delicious toasted ciabatta bread that accompanied the mussels. My mom was still slurping it down when the waiter came to take our plates away! I was, admittedly, devastated when they told me that they didn't have the Lobster Gnocchi because anytime you have lobster, bacon, and pasta in the same bowl, something stupendous  is bound to happen. But we decided on one of the main fish  dishes instead. It was a white fish, and for the life of me I cannot remember what it was except that it wasn't the halibut, but it came with a white bean ravioli and this awesome sauce that warranted ordering more bread to sop it up with. After having our fill of savory delights and several glasses of the house red, there was no way I was going to leave without trying some dessert. We shared the Rhubarb Panacotta. Holy S@#t! This dessert was so thick and creamy and fruity and nutty and buttery good that it was hard to share it. Luckily I started to feel full or I would have ordered another one! This was such a different experience than others I've had where the food had a flaw here or there or the service was sub-par. Ototo delivered with flying colors. It's one of those total package places; food, atmosphere, location, wine and service. This was one of those meals where I found my self making little noises with every bite. And , yes it was awkward because my mom was there too making the same noises.
So if you have a few extra bones to spend and want to treat yourself to an amazing meal, head to Ototo, sample a few things off the fantastic menu and go home feeling sated and warm, but without the food coma from heavy meals.

Beware the restaurant that sounds too good to be true.

I'm back! I know it has been a long time but life tends to get in the way of everything else. And since it has been sooooo long, I have decided to open up this blogging cycling with a tale about the worst meal/dining experience I have ever had in my entire life.
But first a little back story....
I am a huge fan of Vietnamese food, and in my dining adventures I have discovered the Boba Smoothie. This is a delicious fruit smoothie that is offered at most Vietnamese restaurants. The Bobas are giant tapioca pearls (I know it sounds awful) that float at the bottom of your cup. You may have seen these, they have to be drunk with really thick straws so that the Bobas can make it to your mouth where you then chew them. (Yuck!) The wonderful thing is that you can opt to have the Bobas omitted and just enjoy the fruit.
Next to Vietnamese food, French food would be another favorite of mine. And who doesn't love the classically french street food, crepes? So what sounds like a little piece of heaven to me is a place where you can get both Boba smoothies, sans Bobas, and crepes! It's like the best of both worlds right? Wrong.
As I was driving through Denver on Sunday night trying to figure out where I wanted to have dinner, I whipped out my phone and started searching for new restaurants. Long story short, I found a place called Bobas and crepes on Colorado and Mississippi. So I looked at the menu on my phone and it didn't seem all that interesting, but it didn't seem all that bad either. It was. We pulled up and there was nobody in the restaurant, first red flag, and the people inside seemed surprised to see us, second red flag. We ordered a savory crepe, shrimp and crab, and a sweet crepe, mixed fruit. I should have made us leave the second the guy behind the counter asked if we wanted everything on the savory one. When I looked up on the menu it said that all crepes had lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise cucumber, corn, onions, cheese and ketchup. WTF?!? We didn't know what to make of it so we said no ketchup and onions and hoped for the best. What we should have done was run for the door.
The Boba smoothies came out right away and were delicious, but that's a no brainer. The savory crepe, however, was something else. It was imitation crab, those tiny salad shrimp and all that other stuff they put on them, rolled up in a cold, pre-packaged crepe that was frighteningly stale. I had two bites, the second only to see if I was imagining what I had actually put in my mouth. My boyfriend was in the same boat. So we set it down on the plate and waited for the fruit crepe. It came and, stale crepe aside, was exponentially better than the other one, but then the staff started to make things really weird.
I asked for a fork and was treated like I had asked for an explanation of the theory of relativity. The guy came buy to take our plates, asked if we wanted to keep them and then made me take mine back because I still had the crepe in my hand. And then when my boyfriend said he wanted to go and got up, the guy came over to us and asked if we were in a rush. He had been hovering near our table the whole time anyway and staring at us, and then he followed us to the door. So as if the food wasn't already bad enough, the hovering staff just made us even more uncomfortable.
So what did we learn? Just because they serve Boba smoothies doesn't mean the food will be good. Leave the crepes to the French because, let's face it, they do it better anyway. And if it sounds to good to be true, it almost always is.

Mama Mia!

Some times you just crave Italian food. I don't mean pizza, I mean pasta with cheese and garlic and butter and herbs and I'm getting excited just thinking about it!!! In one such occasion where I was majorly jonesing for some Italian fare, I suggested we got to Angelo's on 6th. When I walked in, I was scared at first, it looked a little dingy. But I have never let something like that keep me from a meal. In fact, to any of you who know me well, you know that it takes being ill in a foreign country to keep me from eating. But I digress.
The first thing I insisted on getting was some garlic bread, luckily, they give you your own little loaf, because it came in handy later for sopping up sauce. Yum! I had the lobster ravioli. Pretty hard to mess up, but it has been done before. Not in this case, however. It was awesome! LIke, make you moan a little with every bite, awesome.

coffee anyone???

If you are anything like me, you love coffee. When I say I love coffee, I don't mean that I just love it, I mean that f I could intravenously inject it into my body while drinking it, I would. That being said, I am constantly on the lookout for the perfect cup o' joe, along with the perfect place to drink it. What I have found is that there are different places that are ideal for enjoying different types of coffee. For straight up espresso, I go to Pablo's on 6th because they roast their own coffee and it's awesome. For lattes, iced coffee and anything meant for drinking on the go, I go to Buzz Cafe. And for something exotic, like Turkish coffee, I go to Gypsy House.
Nestled on the corner of 13th and Marion, is this special little jewel know to local residents of capitol hill. It smells of incense before you even walk in the door, and with one step inside you are transported to a different place and time. I myself have lost a whole day in this place. Turkish music, eclectic decor, and did I mention the coffee? I have had Turkish coffee in many places before, I have made it before, so I know what to expect. But every time I take a sip of the Turkish coffee served at Gypsy House, I am in heaven. It is sweet and aromatic, and even a little floral on the tongue. The kind of coffee that makes you feel like you've been socked in the mouth. It is strong but good. Seriously the best coffee ever!!!
This is the perfect example of the family business. Owned by a turkish woman and her two twin daughters; any time of day you will see one, two, or all three of them behind the counter or conversing with other customers. The experience is wonderful, inviting, and memorable. If coffee isn't your thing, they have this awesome tea menu that is designed to match your zodiac sign. If your not really into all of that, don't worry, they won't try to predict your future or anything. Well they might, but I think you have to pay extra for that! Ha! Regardless, try the tea designed just for you and see if it isn't the best tea you've ever had. You can also enjoy breakfast and lunch items, and some delicious desserts. Stop by on a Sunday afternoon and you won't be disappointed.

Pho 95

If you are in any way familiar with Vietnamese food, then you've heard of Pho. Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup often served with chicken or beef, and in some cases other meats that are definitely for adventurous eaters. Recently my boyfriend became rather obsessed with the stuff and we began driving up and down federal, trying all the Vietnamese restaurants we saw. Pho 95 was where we found the best Pho, best egg rolls and best Vietnamese coffee. And with all this wonderful food, we were happy to see a small tab. They do not serve alcohol, but you probably won't even notice. The food is that good! We always get the filet mignon rare beef Pho and it is awesome! I have paid twice as much at other places and have never had the meat melt in my mouth like it does at Pho 95. As for the egg rolls, they come with more lettuce and trimmings than anywhere else. Always fresh and fast, always delicious!

I haven't written in a while because well, life happens. But I have been eating, and I have some good stuff to share. This post will is all about Seoul Food. "What's with the spelling" you ask? Well if you've ever driven down Sixth Avenue at the intersection of Washington, you'd know what I'm talking about. Uoki, capitol hill's little gem, is my all time favorite sushi restaurant. It is quaint and close to other local fave's but the the menu boasts a selection of items that pack huge flavor. Sushi chef and owner, Mark, welcomes you when you walk in and chances are the specials menue will have some sort of concoction he thought up earlier that day. My boyfriend and I both come in craving the Super Dynamite Roll and the beyond decadent Tempura Fried Cheesecake. Without a doubt the best thing you can imagine when you think of cheesecake. With the exception of dark chocolate dipped frozen key lime cheesecake from Islamorada Florida, but I digress. The food at Uoki is fresh and flavorful, inventive and at times unexpected. It's not the grand sushi boats with millions or pieces of sashimi like you get at other places, it's the creative rolls full to the brim with flavor and the traditional Korean and Japanese cuisine that is truly enjoyable. If your in the mood, stop on in, have some sake, a few rolls and if your still hungry, they've got a special dessert right now that's a sundae with tempura fried bananas and all the trimmings. To die for!!! But bring a friend because even for a big eater like me, it's way too much to stuff into a tummy full of sushi. Oh! and when the weather's nice, they have this cute little patio right on Washington. So got to Uoki for great sushi. Even West Word agrees with me.