Opus - Restaurant Review

A little late writing this.  I think we went here about 3 weeks ago, but with Ironman and everything, I have been a bit busy.  This will basically be a food porn post.  The restaurant was spectacular and the bill was our highest to date.  It seems that the 5280 list is very highly correlated between price and quality so far.  This is good in that you don't get ripped off, but the flip side is there are no screaming deals.

An amuse-bouche from the chef, Salmon Tartar:

Crispy Pork Belly
baked rhubarb, ginger froth, phyllo napoleon

Crab Duet: Hot and Cold

pecan crab cake, hollandaise foam, jumbo lump crab, tomato gelee

Pan Seared Goat Cheese Gnocchi

prosciutto broth, Rocky Ford melon , prosciutto chips

Pan Roasted Black Cod “Butterfish”

nori, watermelon, miso butter, summer radish

This is the Lamb Tenderloin special that was not on the menu

The following are 3 different desserts

The service was spectacular, the restrooms were clean.  The waiter was also very wine knowledgeable.  If this restaurant was downtown Denver, it would probably be one of the best known restaurants in Colorado.  I give this dining experience an A+.  Best place I have tried so far.

Happy Dining!

The Kitchen - Restaurant Review

The Kitchen probably has the lowest bar of any place we have been.  Dana and I went here with Barb and Randy after a 70 mile bike ride from Boulder to Ward and through Lyons back to Boulder.  Needless to say we were famished and this was for brunch.  The 4 of us ordered 6 entrees.  They were kind enough to actually split them for us too.

The food was delicious.  Dana and I shared the lamb burger, the trout and an omellete.  Randy and Barb went with the farmers special (ham and eggs), french toast and the eggs benedict I believe.  These dishes had fancier names but you get the gist.  The server was very accommodating and friendly.  The people who brought the food looked surprised at all the food, two small chicks and two not very big guys.  We cleaned our plates!

Dana also enjoyed a Bloody Mary

The atmosphere was chic casual but being Boulder we were fine in our grungy half bike gear, half normal clothes.  The bathroom was clean and had white cloths for drying your hands, very eco-friendly.  The food was delicious and well prepared.  The cool thing about this restaurant is it is farm to table, so ingredients are locally grown.  I would go back here easily for brunch.  Some day I would like to try dinner here and see how they deliver on fancier fares.  I give this restaurant an A- as a brunch establishment with similar hopes for dinner.

Happy dining!

Venue - Restaurant Restaurant Review

So Venue is a restaurant up in Highland, a trendy neighborhood on the northwestern side of Denver.  We were joined at Venue by new friends Dan and Cassandra.  This was a new neighborhood in our Denver dining voyage and close to there home.  The evening was tame and enjoyable the night before my half marathon.  Dana and I also had a big ride planned Sunday and Dan had hockey.  A simple but diverse menu:

Ricotta Dumplings

Kurobuta Pork Belly

Dan and Cassandra had the Parmesan Gnocchi, the sauce was delightful.  That white thing is a poached egg on top.

Dana had the Oxtail Cassoulet, very lean and clean tasting.

Norwegian Salmon, was my choice and was very perfectly done, tender and moist.

A light, custard and berry pastry, this might have been my favorite.

This restaurant was very cool, in a nice setting.  The service was spotty at times, with them seeming slightly understaffed.  The wine list was very simple, we had some Brut, Sauvignon Blanc and some Pinot Noir, which were simple and enjoyable.  The bathroom was a bit small and only one for the restaurant.  The food was quite good.  Overall I give this restaurant a B+.

Happy Dining!