East meets West in Denver

I spent last weekend in Denver, and as always I am impressed with the growing food scene.  We checked out a "new" old neighborhood called the Highlands.  It was quaint and filled with old houses, old growth and new style.  When we saw the menu for Boa, with the right side Asian and the left side Mexican, we just had to try it.  How were they going to pull that off?!?  Very well indeed.

Blue corn chicken taquitos

Wheat-flour yaki-soba noodles tossed with veggies, tofu and beef

Hand battered chicken tossed in organic honey sesame sauce.   

Later that afternoon, we shared a Rockstar sundae at Generous Servings. Vanilla ice cream on a chocolate cupcake, topped with hot fudge, peanut brittle, whipped cream and homemade maraschino cherries.

Dig in....

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Sushi, sushi, sushi

I love sushi.  So much so that I could eat it every night.  One of the great things about living in Northern California is the abundance of sushi restaurants, from small affordable, to famous high end establishments.  Here is a sampling.

Iron Chef Morimoto recently opened a sushi restaurant in Napa, called Morimoto and we were there within the week.  We had high expectations, especially because he owns Nobu (if you remember from my very first blog entry, it is my favorite restaurant).  I am sad to report that we weren't impressed.  The service was disappointing, and almost condescending.  Our appetizer was tasty and creatively displayed, but the rest of our meal wasn't anything special. The decor however was really pleasing.

Take a look!

Our appetizer was a hamachi tartare.  It came with little paddles and an assortment of flavorings to dip in.

Nori paste, wasabi, creme fraiche, chives, avocado and puffed rice.

We struck up a conversation with the couple at the next table, and they were nice enough to let us take pictures of their food, and even gave us a taste! I promised I would blog about it, so cheers!

Crispy whole fish with spicy tofu sauce and papaya salad.

Steamed halibut with black bean sauce, ginger and hot oil.  

Next on the sushi journey was Mas Sake, a happening little place on Lombard in San Francisco.  

Its one of those place with a cool scene, loud music and funky sushi rolls.

And sometimes, take out sushi from the grocery store is all you need...

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Brunch with the girls... en Francais

Sundays were made for brunch....with the girls...with Mimosas.  It was a beautiful sunny day at Le Garage, a quaint little French bistro in the Sausalito marina.  It earns the name by being located in a converted garage.  And did I mention that all the wait staff speak French?  It gave yours truly a chance to show off, I mean, speak my second language.

Mimosas!

Decisions, decisions...

This omelette was a surprising success.  It was cooked with English peas, pequillo peppers and goat cheese.  I wouldn't have thought of combining those ingredients, but it worked really well.  The peas were fresh and popped in my mouth while the peppers added a contrasting tangy flavor.  Goat cheese, aka chevre, is an acquired taste for most and I am no exception but I can say that I love it now.

The french toast, or pain perdu, is never disappointing.  It is topped with a house made berry compote and is absolutely delicious!

Shoestring french fries with a garlic aioli.

What meal is complete without dessert?  We ordered a Bailey's & espresso creme brulee and the Fondant au Chocolate, which is a molten chocolate cake stuffed with hazelnut milk chocolate ganache & served with whipped cream and a Grand Marnier creme anglaise.  

 Perfect ending to a fabulous meal.

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Wine Tasting

Living in Northern California, its hard to escape the wine tasting world.  But why would you want to?!?  There are vineyards covering the landscape and I am lucky enough to work in wine country and drive through them every day.  The best way, in my opinion, to enjoy the wineries is to randomly pick one and stop in.  The more questions you ask about the wine, how the grapes are grown and  the history of the wine makers, the more fulfilling the visit can be.  One thing I've learned, is that every winery is full of stories and believe me, you want to hear them.

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