Best night ever

Spent the evening at “Taste of the Nation”. More to come soon … In the meantime, who can name this famous chef?

(Hint: You don't have to be local to know the answer, you've likely seen him on your tube.)

Dine & Dish: Devil’s Food - Suppertime

Already a fan of their brunch offerings, I was eager to try Devil’s Food a la nighttime. Here’s how it went … Devil’s Food at suppertime.

When my wine came served in a mason jar and the bread was smartly placed within a bundt pan, I happily perused the menu for an appetizer. The Green Bean Upside Down Cake caught my attention. It sounds interesting, huh? I’ve learned from my mom that when something is on the menu that intrigues you so, you should order it. Hence, out of pure curiosity, I placed my order.

I would have great pleasure in telling this intriguing appetizer was divine. Sadly, that was not the case. It had some very nice flavors – seriously, how can you go wrong with a drizzle of gorgonzola crème fraiche? But with its multitude of random ingredients – a few lonely green beans, caramel, pistachios, cornbread - it didn’t come together as a collective dish.

Luckily, I ordered one of nightly specials for my entrée and my heart was won all over again by this neighborhood-favorite restaurant. The pasta special, with a light white wine sauce, struck the perfect balance between fresh and indulgent. Mixed throughout the angel hair pasta were vibrantly colored vegetables and two crispy, fried eggplant medallions topped the plate. It tasted like springtime. I eventually had to stop myself from twirling another bite onto my fork.

Final word on Devil's Food - Suppertime: A lovely dinner. And for those who love morning fare no matter the time of day - they also offer “Breakfast at Night”.

Need a bigger helping?:
Devil's Food

Got tickets?

Taste of the Nation is one week away! This foodie fundraiser raises money for Share Our Strength, an organization devoted to ending childhood hunger. While philanthropy is reason enough to attend, let me also add to the temptation by telling you this event features over 30 Denver area restaurants and was voted Best Food Event in Denver.

Do you have tickets yet? If yes, I will see you there! If you still need tickets, use coupon code FF15 for $15 bucks off admission - courtesy of Food Events of Denver writer, Jeremy Kossler.

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Taste of the Nation - Denver

Roasted Accordion Potatoes

I'm always on the lookout for recipes good for entertaining. My general criteria for such recipes includes: moderately simple preparation, nice presentation and flavorful yet still on the healthy side of the cooking spectrum.

I recently found a new addition to my entertaining repertoire, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen – one of my favorite food blogs. Trying the recipe meant I would have to use a mandolin for the first time. From the many accounts of mandolin induced injuries I’ve heard, I was especially careful and methodical as I sliced my potatoes. I am happy to report that my mandolin use was injury-free – hopefully I didn’t just jinx myself for next time!

Other than creating my own recipe name, I mostly followed Smitten Kitchen’s recipe. I altered the recipe only slightly as I did not have any shallots on hand. Instead, I thinly sliced a yellow onion and layered within the potatoes slices. I also omitted the red pepper flakes and opted for freshly cracked pepper. Upon tasting, I was equally pleased with the presentation as I was with the taste.

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Smitten Kitchen

Boozy Berries

In celebration of the summertime fruits currently filling the produce section of the grocery store, I was inspired to make a healthy and fruity dessert. And really, who doesn’t like a little adult beverage twist to a healthy snack?

The recipe – (I acknowledge the loose use of the word here) - is very easy. It’s as follows:

Fresh berries of choice, thinly sliced
Dessert wine, chilled
Low-fat, organic vanilla yogurt
Lime zest

Layer the berries in a clear drinking glass or container, drizzle berries with dessert wine and chill. When ready to serve, place dollop of yogurt on top of fruit layers and garnish with lime zest. Serve chilled.

Food Trucking ...

Along with my food adventuring friends, I raced around town today in pursuit of the food trucks from The Great Food Truck Race t.v. show currently being filmed. To start off, we successfully chased down the Roxy’s truck at Washington Park. We sampled Roxy’s Rosemary French Fries drizzled with a savory garlic and herb cheddar sauce. We also tasted the Vermont Cheddar Melt with applewood bacon and caramelized onions. Roxy’s sure knows how to turn out a delicious gourmet grilled cheese sandwich! We also tried the Mint and Pear Lemonade. It was quite mild in flavor but hit the spot on a hot day.

The next food trucks we caught up to were the Hodge Podge and The Lime Truck parked on Colfax outside the Denver Biscuit Company. From the comfort food menu of Hodge Podge, we sampled the Lobster Roll. This dish was light and generously filled with 5 ounces of beautifully red lobster and topped with bright green arugula.

From The Lime Truck, we missed the chance at tasting the sold out Crab Burger and went with the Fat Mussels. The “Fat” referred to the sauce being made from our local Fat Tire beer. The mere ordering of mussels from a food truck proved that the offerings of modern day food trucks are nothing short of gourmet. We quenched our thirst with Lime’s Mango Lemonade. One word – yum!

With full stomachs, we made our way to the Café Con Leche truck parked outside of the restaurant, Cuba Cuba. While the menu offerings were tempting, our afternoon of eating left little room for more. So we supported the truck by ordering a Café Con Leche which was very hot and wonderfully sweet. It served as a perfect dessert for our food trucking day.

My favorites from today’s sampling were the Rosemary French Fries, Lobster Roll and Mango Lemonade. Also, the food truck guys from Roxy’s were especially fun. They even gave my momma a Mother’s Day gift of Vermont Cheese. So very nice of them.

If you missed the trucks today, there is still time to try them tomorrow. The buzz is a couple of the trucks will be at Washington Park and another at Great Divide Brewing Company.

Keep on food trucking …