=" /> The Mile High Eater: 08/01/2008 - 09/01/2008

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Home made Italian at Paulie and Deanna's

Hi all,

Barb and I went to check out a local restaurant called Paulie and Deanna’s Italian Restaurant.



It is a Mom and Pop Italian restaurant where the main server is Deanna and of course the cook is Paulie. The space would have a romantic feel if not for the 2 TV's playing. There's one over the bar and one in another corner. The service was a bit slow but the waitress did extra little things to make sure you have a good experience. For example, she brought an extra glass of ice out with my tea because it was fresh brewed and was warm enough to melt the ice quickly. ( Please see note at end)


We started out with Deep Fried Cheese Ravioli with Homemade Sauce. We both thought this was a nice twist to the normal cheese sticks (and fought over the last one - which begs the question: why are appetizers served in odd numbers where there are 2 diners)?


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For dinner, I had Stuffed Baked Shells. Sadly, I don't have a pic for these.
They were ok, but to be honest nothing special and left me giving Barb's meal the “eye”.

Barb had Chicken Parmesan.

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The Chicken Parmesan had a wonderful smell and the few bites I stole were yummy. Barb enjoyed the difference from traditional Chicken Parm in that the chicken was served in small chucks instead of having to cut into a large chicken breast.


For dessert we had the Molten Cake with Ice Cream.

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Though this dessert is seen often, I don’t think I have ever had a bad one and this was no exception. It was very rich, warm and yummy.

The restaurant also does a good business with carry out pizza and calzones.

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Over all was a tasty meal and it is good to see a restaurant like this move in to the Firestone area.

Numbers and such:
The meal cost $37.00 total. The restaurant is located at 8196 Weld County Road 13. Next to Safeway) and their phone number is 303-833-5095.

As always thanks for stopping by and if you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know.

Barb and Jonathan

AFTER THE CAMERA

Service alert. Have gone back 2 times without the camera and both times the service was BAD as in start talking to ask about ordering something to go and wait person walks away bad and I had to find another server.

Paulie & Deanna's on Urbanspoon

Sunday, August 17, 2008

The D-elightful Dbar

Hi all,

Barb and I went out to the Dbar ( www.dbardesserts.com ) for lunch and a few take home desserts on Friday. The D bar is headed up by Keegan Gerhard of Food Network fame and of course they serve fantastic desserts all day and some great looking plated desserts after 6 pm. One thing on the menu that caught my eye though we were in too early to try was a item on the dessert menu that was called "That molten cake thingy every one has (ours is steamed with a truffle inside). Now that's worth going back for after 6pm!

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We were there about lunch time after going down to Channel 9 News and talking to the people behind www.denver.metromix.com where we will soon be freelancing for them, which we are very excited about. Make sure to look at their site soon for some future entries from us.

For my lunch I had a pair of Kobe Beef Sliders.

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brioche ∙ drunken onions ∙ white cheddar ∙ garlic aioli ∙ parm fries
Perfectly cooked with a nice little bit of fries. I mean really, all that needs to be said is "Kobe Beef" burgers - thats it.

Barbara had a Baked Macaroni and Cheese.

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4 cheeses ∙ cheese nips & panko crumbs ∙ small salad
Very cheesey and creamy. The cheese was so stringy and gooey and delicious. Nice comfort food on a rainy day.




The cost for my 2 sliders were $10 and Barbs Mac and Cheese was $7 and for the quality of food was well worth it. We left with several deserts to try for example, a lemon tart, peanut butter cup, a truffle, a interesting twist on a rice crispy treat, a brown and white brownie and a chocolate pecan cookie. I really meant to get some pictures of them but the chocolate pecan cookie fell victim to a small fit of the munchies on the way home and the rest dissapeared quickly that day (for Jonathan at least, Barb had more restraint - hers were gone Saturday) and I think that says plenty about the quality of them. The restaurant itself is located at 1475 east 17th Ave in Denver and is defintly worth a look!

Since this is just a lunch and dessert spot I have not included a ranking, but you could not go wrong by giving this place a go!


Thanks again for coming by and as always if you have any questions or comments please let us know.


D Bar Desserts on Urbanspoon

Sunday, August 10, 2008

A "hidden gem" The Gold Hill Inn

Hi all,

First of all would like to say we are trying a new thing starting with this entry going to do a more of a "he said, she said" approach with both of us talking a little about each dish as we often see things a bit different.
Barb and I made it up to the Gold Hill Inn (www.goldhillinn.com) on the 3rd of August having heard good things about it from several people. Gold Hill is about 10 miles above Boulder and you get there by a mostly dirt road that winds it's curvy way up to this little town of 118 souls. We came from a different direction - coming in as we had just spent some time in Blackhawk before we headed over. Both ways you come in it is very pretty with beautiful views and it seems like there is not much of anything around till you pop into Gold Hill itself (and then still there's not much around). The Gold Hill Inn and Bluebird lodge are 2 of the main business’s here so you can’t miss it and there is parking street side or on the side of the Blue bird Lodge.


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When you enter the Gold Hill you first enter a bar area where when we entered a nice jazz group was warming up and we were able to enjoy them throughout our meal. Before you are seated you are pointed to a chalk board that has the evenings menu choices on it so you can get an idea of what you want before you are taken to your table. The inn has a very rustic feel to it and for me at least I immediately loved the place and probably told Barb 4 times that “this place is pretty cool “. You are seated and given the wine list which seemed to be pretty decent from my un-trained eye. The servers here all work each table so you don’t have a certain server per se and I was afraid this would really impact service but they did a great job and never once did my drink glass go empty which is a big thing for me. ( Please see note at end)

To start you out they bring out a loaf of homemade bread with homemade jam and butter.

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He says:
The bread was good and the jam which had strawberry, rhubarb, and peach in it just blew me away and I picked at it all night.

She says:
I love bread, and homemade bread the better. The jam was very good and I also picked at it during the entire meal. It was so sweet and tasty.

Next came the appetizer. This was a set item and we both got the same thing. Now all the food here is very simply presented so if you’re looking for pretty plating you will be disappointed and to be honest when I saw this come out was a bit worried, but the doubts went away when I tasted it.

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This was a slice of apple and herb cheese wrapped inside a slice of ham. Now as I said all the presentation is fairly simple but as with the rest of my meal everything was good.

He says:
This had a nice flavor with definite garlic over tone and the apple gave it a nice crisp texture to the overall effect. The rating I gave this was a 6.

She says:
The appetizer was nice. I wasn't sure about the mixture of ingredients at first, but they came together nicely. I would give this a 5.

The next item out were our soups. The choices that evening were a Fish Chowder and a Cold Strawberry Melon.


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He says:
I had the Fish Chowder and found it to be very good. It had large chunks of fish and vegetables in it and had a creamy texture and the fish taste and smell was not overly strong like I have run into in some of my past fish based soups. I would give the soup a 7. Barbara had the Strawberry Melon and to me it tasted and had the texture of a smoothie which is good for a smoothie but seemed a bit much for a cold soup. I would give that soup a 5.

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She says:
I picked the cold soup, because the hot soup sounded very fishy. :) I'm not a fan of cold soups, but this was very good. It was like a strawberry smootie. The fish soup was very good as well, it was very strong with fish flavor. I would have liked a little less fishiness to it. I would give my soup a 6 and Jonathan's a 7.


The next out were our salads.

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He says:
I had Raspberry vinaigrette and Barb had the house dressing which was like a Caesar. The salads themself were fresh with lots of chunky vegetables including onions, beets, cucumber, and tomato. I liked my salad and enjoyed the dressing and just because of the amount of vegetables and the great dressing I will give it a 6.

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She says:
My salad and dressing was very good. Nice array of onions, cucumber and croutons. I'm not a vinaigrette fan, so didn't try Jonathan's. Overall, I was very happy with mine. I would give it a 7.


Next out was our main course. When they brought out the courses you were given a choice of 3 sides Yams, Ratatouille, and Spaghetti Squash.

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He says:
My course was Tournedos. This was a filet mignon wrapped in bacon and with a rich brown stew sauce. The steak was perfectly cooked and tender and the sauce had great flavor. The steak came with rice and it was ok but really it was just rice. I had some of the Ratatouille and the Spaghetti Squash. The ratatouille was a bit blah to me and only had a few bites but the squash OH MY I will start out saying I am not normally a huge cooked veggie person (well outside of potatoes) but this was just fantastic had a delicate flavor that just made me happy and not a bit of this was left on the plate though half the steak came home with me. I would give this dish an 8 and lol if I was just rating the squash it would have gotten a 10 hehe.

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Barb had the Pork Tenderloin with Apricots. The pork was thinly sliced and the apricots added a nice flavor to it and with the garlic mashed potatoes and the yams she picked for her side was a very good overall dish. I would give it a 7.

She says: I tried the Pork Tenderloin with Apricots. I had a similar dish at Terroir a few weeks back, but nothing else was saying "eat me" on the menu. The pork was sliced very thinly, which I liked and the apricots was a nice contrast to the meat. On Sunday, they only have mashed potatos, and that was fine by me. Nothing special about them though. Just like you make at home! The yams were good as well, again nothing special. I would give this dish a 6. Jonathan's I would give a 7.


Next out were the desserts.

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He says:
I had a chocolate torte and it was rich and very cholatey and was very much enjoyed. I would give it 8. Barb had the Orange Rhubarb Pie with Walnuts which was something neither of us had had before and it was a very interesting and tasty combination. I enjoyed it but feel the torte was the stronger of the 2 desserts and give hers a 7.

She says:
I love rhubarb, so was intrigued by the thought of Orange Rhubarb pie. It was very good and sweet. I would have liked it warmed though (didn't think to ask for it that way). Jonathan's dessert was very sweet and delicious. I almost didn't give him his plate back after my taste. I would give my pie a 7 and Jon's an 8.

Last course was the cheese course. They bring out a huge plate with red and green grapes, lettuce, Melba toast, sliced apples, and 3 cheeses: Gouda, Blue, and a sharp Cheddar


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He says:
Between us we had the Gouda and the Cheddar. They were both very good and this was a great way to finish off the meal. I would give them a 6.

She says:
The cheese course was a nice surprise at the end of the meal. The Gouda was very nice with the Melba Toast and the Cheddar was sharp and good as well. I didn't try the Blue Cheese as I'm not a fan. Cheese course: 7

Overall, we had a great time and the live music playing in the room beyond just increased the enjoyment of it all. It is a very rustic place but such a fantastic feel and value. If I stick to my normal rating system I would have to take off points for plating and such, but really folks just come here expecting plainly served great food with a wonderful atmosphere. The hardwood floors and exposed beams just gave it a wonderful rustic appeal.


A side note I would like to add before I go on with numbers and such. The Bluebird Inn which is right next door and is also on the website for the Gold Hill does a murder mystery several times a year that includes a champagne reception, dinner, the murder mystery, the hotel room, and breakfast the next morning for $215 a couple. While Barb and I haven’t made it out for it yet we are definantely going to and for the price can’t imagine anyone not thinking that would be a fun thing to do.

Numbers and such.

The 6 course meal is only $31.00 per person which is an incredible value. Oue over all rating ended up a 6.7 The Gold Hill Inn number is 303-443-6461. It has been mentioned in Gourmet magazine and Fortune magazine and I see why. Make a reservation soon as they close in January and come October they are only open weekends!



Thanks for stopping by and as always if have questions or comments please let us know.

Jonathan and Barbara

Post note by Jonathan. Though the over all score of the food etc ended up being lower than most of the others we have rated in this blog due to the great value and the overall feel of the restaurant I personally look forward to returning here soon probably before the end of the season if we can manage it. It was just one of those over all experiences that left me feeling good about it.


AFTER THE CAMERA

We went back here with some friends not to long ago and the service was fairly poor that night very long intervals between items and litterly had to stand up and wave to get any attention twice. The food was still very good and I am sure this was just a bad night but wanted to note it.

Gold Hill Inn on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Dining In the Denver Area

Hi all


With the DNC coming up in Denver soon I was asked by my friends over at www.capitalspiceblog.com who do a fantastic dining blog about the D.C. area to give a few suggestions of not to miss spots for foodies here in Colorado. I will start with the higher end restaurants. Mizuna and its sister restaurant Luca d’Italia headed up by Frank Bonanno whose love for food shows up in every dish and because of this and more is considered one of the best chefs in the area! We recently had the tasting menu and had a fantastic meal. You can see pictures and descriptions of the meal in a previous blog entry. Luca d’Italia is of course an Italian restaurant and this is where chef Bonanno spends most of his time. The Websites for these 2 great restaurants is www.mizunadenver.com and www.lucadenver.com . Another wonderful spot is Fruitition which serves up French contemporary fare and always leaves your taste buds singing. The chef here is Alex Seidel and the website is www.fruitionrestaurant.com .
Now two other restaurants I just have to mention though they are a bit out of town. One is the fort www.thefort.com. When I think of a restaurant that personifies the Colorado area I think of this restaurant. Built as a replica of an old west fort and serving fantastic food and wine with a great view overlooking the city. If you can find a way this place is not to miss! But I must say for those of you who shy away from meat that perhaps this is not for you as they are very heavy on such dishes as Bison and Elk and Quail but and very shy when it comes to vegetarian fare. The last one I would like to talk about is actually in Boulder and it is called Frasca www.frascafoodandwine.com with chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson who won a James Beard award this past year.


Now on to the more casual: Vesta dipping grill - www.vestagrill.com who serves up fantastic food with a full array of sauces that adds just a whole new layer to each meal. If you are in the mood for pizza, don’t miss Marco’s Coal Fired Pizza http://www.marcoscoalfiredpizza.com, which serves up Italian style pizzas to die for. And if you happen to be out late at night and just wanting something sweet checkout the D-bar www.dbardesserts.com which is headed up by Food Network Star Keegan Gerhard and serves rich tasty deserts that will satisfy any sweet tooth.


Well, thanks for stopping by and if you have any question please feel free to let us know.

Barb And Jonathan
www.milehigheater.blogspot.com