Wedding Bells

We recently had the opportunity to celebrate my sister's wedding back in the Motherland.  There are much better and more interesting pictures with happy smiley people in them elsewhere, but for now here are a few pics that we snapped at the event.  If you are interested in the venue itself, check out the website for Q Haute Cuisine.

If you haven't already been there, you can check out my sister's blog for the super secret recipe to the Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies of Heavenly Goodness.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies of Heavenly Goodness

We didn't actually drink all this wine.  I think.

ScaryMsMary's Homemade Bouquet of Doom

Not sure why I took this picture, but it was interesting

The travel theme was prevalent throughout

Q Haute Cuisine

Glowing table decor

Appetizer - Scallop and Bacon in a creamy broth (not yet present)

Main Course - Grilled Salmon

Pearl Street Farmer's Market

Although we normally frequent the Cherry Creek Farmer's Market for our weekly produce needs, we made a trip over to the Pearl Street Farmer's Market to check out the flea market at the same time.  There seemed to be a few more food trucks, but overall the market was smaller than our usual hangout.  That being said, there were some different food choices, including an exotic Canadian Poutine shop.

Apparently he will write a poem about anything you want.  I was tempted to ask for a poem about Darth Vader and a Tyrannosaurus.

 

 

 

Wrong in so many ways.  But still tasty.

Exotic foreign cuisine

We felt it was our patriotic duty to consume the only dish that Canada is really known for

Creepy.

Also creepy.

Cafe Brazil

Recently it seems that the missus and I have been spending a lot of time eating in the Highlands area of Denver due to the interesting range of restaurants.  We have eaten at locales such as Bang!, Lou's Food Bar, and Axios Estiatorio, but it really feel like we are still only scratching the surface of the restaurants in the area.

Most recently, we ate at Cafe Brazil (4408 Lowell Boulevard, Denver, CO / 303-480-1877), which is an award winning restaurant serving South American cuisine.  Our first couple of attempts to eat there were unsuccessful due to the fact that the restaurant is inexplicably closed for dinner on Sundays and Mondays.

Note:  I apologize in advance for the odd lighting for the pictures in this post.  The restaurant is quite dimly lit, and so we attempted to take pictures using the iPhone as a flashlight with mixed results.

We started our meal with the special appetizer of the day, which was essentially a Sweet Potato Croquette, as well as a Grilled Manchego cheese.  Both were colorful and had interesting texture and flavors, but I think we both preferred the Grilled Manchego when added to the complimentary bread.  The restaurant serves a variety of breads in the basket, but my personal favorite was a sweet coconut bread.  I think it was because they reminded me a little bit of my mom's poundcakes.

Sweet Potato Croquette

Grilled Manchego Cheese

Our entrees were served with a choice of soup, and we selected one of each choice in order to sample both.  The black bean soup was served hot, while the cucumber soup was served cold.  Both were a little bit spicy, but were completely different in consistency and flavor.  I ended up eating both of the soups because the wifey did not particularly enjoying either of them.  For the main course, I had the Seafood Copacabana (shrimp and scallops in a coconut sauce) while ScaryMsMary had the Frango de Tiago (chicken in curry and coconut milk).

Seafood Copacabana

Frango de Tiago

Interestingly enough, we each thought that our own choices were better than the other's, but upon direct comparison, both of the sauces tasted very similar.  I enjoyed the fact that the vegetables were also well seasoned and prepared with the same care as the main.

Tongzilla binary rating:

ONE

Tongzilla description:

Coconutty Goodness

Cherry Creek Arts Festival

On the weekend following Independence Day, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival opens up for a three day street fair.  The missus and I managed to hit the fair on Friday afternoon when it was less busy and before the rain storms came into town.  The festival itself spans a few square blocks and has over 200 artists exhibiting their wares, a whole street dedicated to food booths, another street for kids' activities, and even live music and entertainment.

Interesting shape and color

Irreverent, but probably the funniest piece in the show

The entire piece is made from toys

Creepy

Less creepy (slightly)

Very lifelike

This is actually a 3D picture.  Works with the traditional 3D glasses

It's my signature smirk.  On a panda.

Crave Restaurant

Although I could probably write several descriptive paragraphs about the burgers at Crave Restaurant (3982 Limelight Ave, Castle Rock, CO / 303-814-2829), the pictures tend to speak for themselves.  Let's just say that I was the only one at the table that actually finished the entire burger.  Few those hardcore folks that think they can conquer the burgers at Crave, you may want to check out the Big Bad Wolf Challenge to eat three fully loaded burgers in 45 minutes.

Kentucky - crispy chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, Jack cheese, avocado, and chipotle mayo

3 Little Pigs - pulled pork, ham, bacon, cheese, and onion strings

Side view of the 3 Little Pigs (just for perspective)

Domo Restaurant VS. Izakaya Den

For some reason, I have always been a sucker for a bowl of hot noodle soup.  It can be Chinese Won Ton Mein, Vietnamese Pho, but I am especially fond of Japanese Ramen.  Around Denver, there are only a few places that I have found so far that serve authentic ramen, one of which is Domo Restaurant.  (1365 Osage Street  Denver, CO / 303-595-3666).

Domo, which means "Thanks" in Japanese, is hidden on the side of downtown in what appears to be a converted warehouse with train tracks beside it.  The outside of the building looks like a modified warehouse, but the inside is an interesting variation on the standard Japanese design.  The theme of the decor follows the theme of the food, which is to say that everything is somewhat rustic and simple.  The chairs, for example, are hewn from tree trunks and then simply covered with padding, while the tables are solid stone (and not always flat).

By contrast, Izakaya Den (1518 South Pearl St. Denver, CO, 80210 / 303-777-0691) is a study in contrasting modern cuisine with traditional flavors.  The decor is a sleek, contemporary rendition of Japanese wooden framing, but the chairs and tables are much more "normal" than the slabs and stumps seen at Domo.

Izakaya is traditionally an establishment that serves small dishes along with sake in Japan.  The style has evolved into a similar idea as Spanish Tapas by serving small, tasty dishes with a variety of flavors and textures.  This of course leads to the introduction of new ingredients in order to modernize and constantly update the menu while still maintaining its Japanese roots.

We recently visited both restaurants to sample their ramen, and came away impressed with both.  Domo offers both Shoyu (soy sauce) and Miso (soybean) based broth, with interesting variations such as spicy salmon or pork.  Izakaya Den on the other hand offers some very non-traditional flavors, such as Lobster or Maguro (tuna).

In the end ScaryMsMary prefers the Lobster Ramen at Izakaya Den, complete with the Lobster Dumplings and Miso Lobster broth, while I personally enjoy the traditional Shoyu Ramen at Domo Restaurant.  I am still on the search for a good Tonkotsu (pork bone) Ramen in Denver, but I would not hesitate to order either of these again.

Ye Olde Renaissance Festival

Every year Denverites gather for the Colorado Renaissance Festival in nearby Larkspur, CO to eat, drink, and make merry.  This being our first festival, it was hard to take everything in at once, so we arrived early before the opening at 10am and spent over five hours wandering around.  This weekend also happened to be the Celtic Festival, and so there were Scottish and Irish themes throughout.

Based on advice from my coworkers, we arrived about 30 minutes before the opening time in order to ensure a parking spot.  Even so, we were still in a pretty long line of cars when we arrived, and there were already lines of people buying tickets and waiting to get in, but we were through the gates promptly at opening.

The Royal Welcome to the Festival

 For those of you from Calgary, the Renaissance Fair reminded me a lot of the Calgary Stampede mashed together with Heritage Park.  This is not a temporary fair that is taken down every summer, but rather a permanent village complete with shops, restaurants, vendors, and entertainers.  The most charming part of the entire visit was that each and every person remains fully in character, which adds to the experience.  Don't think that the costumes and merriment are just limited to just the staff either, since the majority of visitors are also in thematic dress.

No fair is complete without a few snacks, and so in ye olde fashion, I of course had a traditional turkey drumstick, while ScaryMsMary has a Sausage on a Stick.  We also had a Root Beer Float, an Orange Italian Ice (on half a frozen orange), a Raspberry Slushie, and Crab Cakes.

Turkey Leg (Original Condition)

Turkey Leg (A few seconds later)

All in all, the festival was a very enjoyable way to spend the day, other than the heat (around 100° F or 38° C).  ScaryMsMary of course could not end the day without purchasing something from the local artisans, and throwing a few axes.

He looks scared, doesn't he ?

For the grand finale, we arrived at the jousting grounds to watch four knights partake in a contest of honor, strength of arms, and bloodshed.  Considering that our section was instructed to chant "Cheat to Win!" I assume that most of the fighting was scripted, but still enjoyable.  I, for one, am looking forward to next year's event.  Hopefully it won't be quite so hot outside next time.