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!

Mizuna - Restaurant Review

Well this is restaurant 4 in the 5280 journey, we are a bit behind from triathlons, 24 hour races and life but we'll make it up.  This one was with fellow endurance athletes Barb and Randy.  We all had races on Sunday so this Friday would be no wine list.  Barb was leery as was I about the service.  But luckily our waiter, Steven, was a St Croix half IM veteran.  So we had fun and no worries about our non drinking status.  It was actually quite cool to have a triathlete waiter to chat with.

Dana and I presented Barb with her well earned gifts for scoring her first 4-handle half Ironman.  Trading bonds one refers to the left of the decimal as the handle, e.g. a 99.50 priced bond has a 99 handle.  So I use this for tris and can say Barb loved it when she heard it, simplifies things.  So 4 handle is under 5 hours which is rockstar in the tri world.  She nailed Kansas and got a super cool, uber nerd designed T-shirt and a very solid Kazakhstan good luck charm, my wife is more elegant than I am.

So the cool thing about dinner is Randy and Barb are foodies like Dana and I.  More importantly they shared their food with me, very cool.  I also shared my lamb with Randy who was ready to slap his mama, that shit was so good.  I tried his veal which was good but like rabbit tasted like ham to me, hmmm weird.  I don't eat veal or foie gras normally but for this project I have suspended policies for the evening to experience the gamut.  But funny thing is, neither of those has impressed me.  The veal was nice and tender but the flavor was lacking.  Now Barb's halibut was very nice and light.  Definitely something to order 2 days before you throw down a 2 minute PR at the Boulder Sprint (she's a little intense).  Now the clear winner was my lamb order but the dark horse, my wife's Ostrich filets was a close second and if I had an Ironman on Sunday that was the way to go.  Uber lean and well prepared.  I loved it.

Spring Truffle Quiche (Fresh Farm Egg, Truffle Duxelles, Asparagus Salad)

Macaroni & Cheese (Poached Maine Lobster & Mascarpone Enriched Elbow Pasta)

BBQ Wagyu Beef Short Ribs (House Made Rolls, "Cole Slaw" Texas BBQ Sauce)

Pan Roasted Ostrich Loin (St. Augur & Walnut Bouche, Calvados Glazed Beets, Mache)

Rack of Colorado Lamb (Goat Cheese & Herb Gnudi, English Pea, Pancetta, Parmesan Emulsion)

Alaskan Halibut (Whipped Potato Napoleon, Fava Beans, Spring Garlic Veloute)

Roasted Veal Ribeye (Braised Veal Short Rib, Grilled Artichoke, Sauce Hollendaise)

On to dessert, Randy and Barb picked better.  We went with the white chocolate filled crepes with banana foam or something, very lacking in flavor.  They got homemade graham crackers, delish, and a pot of chocolate and caramel and marshmallow sauce to make new school smores.  Way better.

White Chocolate Mousse-Stuffed Crepes (Carmelized Banana Foam & Candied Walnuts)

Chocolate Butterscotch Souffle (Marshmallow Creme, House Made Graham Cracker)

Four Happy Diners

So the really cool thing about Mizuna, is all of our food was ordered off of June's menu.  It changes every month, so that is really interesting going forward.  The service from Steven was superb.  The food was very good also, maybe just  a little less than that flavor where I can't stop eating.  The restroom was simple and clean.  Overall I highly recognize this Denver classic.  I give it an A- on my 5280 project.

What is this blog

So I decided to start writing about my gourmet experiences, since I love to cook and love to eat.  We currently reside in Colorado, not the biggest epicurean center in the world but some pretty good options.  We've lived in Chicago and New York and visited many cities throughout the world.  So my top 10 list of restaurants I have personally eaten at:

Daniel - New York City
Guy Savoy - Las Vegas, Caesars Palace
Picasso - Las Vegas, Bellagio
Spiaggia - Chicago
Julia Child's Kitchen - Napa Valley California
Sushi Yasuda - New York City
Le Cirque - Las Vegas, Bellagio
Nobu - Las Vegas, Hard Rock
Matsuhisa - Aspen Colorado
Morimoto - New York City

By the way this list is not in order but the first two are 2 of the finest experiences I have ever had.  Daniel was with my brother and his fiance and my wife.  Alan Greenspan (at the time was darn close to the president being there, prior to the Great Recession) was there that night.  The 2nd was for my birthday just me and the wife.  So I consider myself well versed in the world of fine dining.  Sometimes I have been more of a gourmand than a gourmet.  But I did an Ironman (hence the play on Iron Chef and Iron, blah blah) last year which got me in good shape and ready to roll.  So going forward I'll be doing some dining adventures and posting some reviews here.  I may occasionally let you into my kitchen or grill.  We shall see.  So first up, 5280 magazine published the top 25 restaurants in Denver.  We will try to visit each over the next year, and I will post reviews accordingly.  1st on the list next Friday, Table 6 with my wife and friends.

Happy Eating!