Rocky Mountain High
October 29, 2009
I’m back from Denver and can report that I won’t be moving there. Ha ha…to be fair, I really wasn’t there long and only was in the downtown district. LoDo! They have a free shuttle that runs up and down 16th Street and makes it easy to get around, and there’s a strip on Larimer that has a lot of cute restaurants and shops. It was snowing and overcast on day one (in October!) so we couldn’t see the mountains, but when the sun came out it made a beautiful backdrop to the city. When I go back I’d like to venture out and see the beauty of the land.
As for restaurants, clearly all of the snow leads to days inside experimenting in the kitchen. Which isn’t a bad thing. Two I tried and recommend are TAG Continental Social Food (1441 Larimer), an inventive little place that changes its menu often and focuses on using fresh ingredients in interesting ways. The highlight was a ceviche which included Pop Rocks (yes, those Pop Rocks) in the marinade. The sweet cherry pop cut through the salty fish nicely to create a flavorful sensation. They also had a great wine list. Rioja (1433 Larimer) puts its story on the table when you take your seat. They are all about sustainable ingredients and recycling (not the food, but everything else). Homemade pastas, hand carved meats and other lovingly created morsels are the stars here, and the attention to detail remains even when the sugar-coated mint leaves arrive with the check. The highlight here was the s’more dessert, a high end version with graham cracker sticks, rich chocolate and a perfectly toasted layer of marshmallow.
Pop Culture
Finally, the suits came around to realizing what we all a did a few Emmys ago and they went and hired Ricky Gervais to host this year’s Golden Globes. Awesome, as my kids would say. That’s my favorite awards show anyway, but this seriously puts it over the top. And since Hugh Jackman apparently doesn’t want to host the Oscars again, this may be the main event.
People are asking me who I am rooting for but I would be truly happy with either the Yanks or the Phillies!
I am sorry to report that I think Gossip Girl has jumped the proverbial shark. Moving them out of high school just makes them all seem petty, vapid and mean. In high school it was all so…fun. Not anymore. I may have to give it up, which kills me! I remember when it was SO good…
Etc.
I am so glad I got out of Denver on a flight last night as they were scheduled to get a foot of snow today. Yikes! Guess all those hooligans outside of the Starbucks had to bundle up. We don’t really have this phenomenon in NYC. I don’t know if they’re young and homeless or just young and annoying, but these kids are pretty aggressive beggars and just seem to hang out, harassing passers-by. Believe me, we here in the Big Apple have many problems, just not this one.
I can’t believe Halloween is just about here. After that it always feels like auto-pilot til the end of the year. Now that’s scary!!
Hope you’re well!
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Tags: Golden Globes, Gossip Girl, Ricky Gervais, Rioja, TAG Continental Social Food