TGIF-Brunch?

We were invited out to TGIFriday's to try their new brunch menu on Saturday. Right now, the brunch menu is only available at the Longmont location. But, if it proves to be successful, it will then get put on the Denver area restaurants menus and from there could go nationally.

I think they have a good shot at that, as we tried five different dishes and filled our tummies with delicious food.

We tried Sharable Sticky Mini Monkey Bread, Happy Hippy Fried Egg Sandwich, Crab Cake & Eggs, Egg, Asparagus and Creamed Spinach Benedict and French Toast Italienne.

Sharable Sticky Mini Monkey Bread
This pull-apart sticky treat of cinnamon and sugar-coated sweet bread is topped with caramel and pecan pieces. Everyone at your table can enjoy this family favorite.



She says: Who doesn't like Monkey Bread? This was a hearty dessert for an early morning brunch. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but think I would like it more later in the day.

He says: It was indeed yummy, but I found it almost to be too heavy for a brunch item.

Happy Hippy Fried Egg Sandwich
The ultimate fried egg sandwich - multigrain bread with melted jalapeno jack and cheddar cheeses, applewood-smoked bacon, fresh tomatoe, and two fried eggs. Serviced with melon wedge, fresh blueberries and strawberries.


She says: I like a good egg sandwich, and this one was good. Great mixture and textures with the egg, bread, bacon and cheeses.

He says: What else can be said about a fried egg sandwich done very well. Ok, I know what else can be said...YUM.



Egg, Asparagus and Creamed Spinach Benedict
Crisp panini toast, artichokes, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes atop a bubbly spinach-artichoke mixture. Topped with two poached eggs and smothered in Hollandaise sauce. Served with a melon wedge, fresh blueberries and strawberries.




She says: I wasn't thrilled to be trying this dish, but like a good sport, gave it a try. I'm glad I did. I was worried that the spinach and asparagus would be overpowering, but all it did was add flavors to the egg. I recommend using all the panini toast to layer your ingredients and dig in.

He Says: I like a good eggs Benedict, but seeing the spinich etc. on this one I was not at all sure I would like it. But on my first bite I was wowed and may prefer this over the traditional type. It is the dish I kept coming back to over and over, and yeah, just keep the plate over here please.

French Toast Italienne
A thick slice of fruit-studded panettone sweet bread dipped in egg batter and cooked until golden brown. Served with strawberry and banana slices and dusted with powdered sugar, with caramel-honey sauce on the side.



She says: This was very filling, and good, but for some reason it doesn't hold a lot of memories for me. I liked it, but didn't think it was anything special, although the presentation was lovely.

He says: Same here, nice fresh fruit and a good french toast but really not something you're going to run out to Fridays because you're craving it.

Crab Cake with Eggs
Two poached eggs atop a flaky crab cake on panini toast, smothered in Hollandaise sauce and accompanied by fresh spring greens and grape tomatoes dressed in a light vinaigrette.




She says: I tried this last, and by then, I was getting pretty full. I like the crab by itself, but didn't feel the egg did anything for it. I think if they made this like the egg sandwich (a crab sandwich), it would have been better for me. It also could have been that we had the Eggs Benedict, which had a lot of the same ingredients, so it felt repeated.

He says: When you get a bit of the egg, bread and crab cake all in one bite its really darn good and I enjoyed it, however it could not pull me away from the benedict .. could you pass that plate back over please. :)

Superfruit Smoothie
Absolut Berri Acai, wild berry puree, pomegranate-agave syrup and a splash of fresh-squeezed orange juice, blended with ice until it's super-smooth and icy-cold.


She says: Since Jonathan and I were both coming off killer colds, we thought a smoothie would be the way to go for something smooth on our throats, and I for one was not dissappointed. It was very berry tasting, but not over-powering.

He says: It was very good and I don't think either one of us were paying alot of attention to the Absolout part until we tasted it. I am not much of one to drink in the morning but if I could have these smoothies, I would have one for brunch daily, it was just plain GOOD.



I think if you're looking for a Brunch Menu, you should give it a try. The flavors are great, the portions are good sized and if you order a few items, you can all share the meal.

There are many more items on the menu, like: Ham, Bacon & Cheese Breakfast Pizza, Smoked Salmon, Granola & Fruit, and more.

Thanks as always for stopping by. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to let us know here or email us at jonathan or barb @milehigheater.com

Tgi Friday's

Hi all,

We were invited out to TGIFriday's to taste some of their new menu items. Six locations in Colorado are trying out these new dishes and with what we got to taste, I would say they are going to do very well.

We had our meal with Stacey Sepp who is with Xstatic Public Relations and Korisa Geiger who is with Philosophy Communication.

We started out with some of the new drink items. Stacey and Korisa started out with the new Seasonal Red Sangria. In the Sangria were Cabernet, Triple Sec, wild berry puree, fresh berries and fresh lemon and lime slices. The drink came out in the glass which had ice and the berries and lemon and lime slices. Along with this came a small picture of the Sangria mixture which you then poured into the glass. It was a beautiful presentation.

Jonathan tried the Smashed Berry drink. It was fresh raspberries, blueberries and lemons muddled in a glass with your choice of Jack's Daniel's or Crown Royal whiskey.

He says: I liked this alot! Probably way too complicated for me to attempt at home but this was a great tasting drink if a bit scarey, by scarey I mean you really need to be careful with this one, it would be easy to drink too much.

She says: I had a quick taste of Jonathan's drink, but for me it was too whisky-ish tasting for my taste.

Barb had the Strawberry Vanilla Mojito. It was Bacardi or 10 Cane rum, vanilla syrup, fresh strawberrie, mint and lime muddled in a tall glass and topped with club soda.



She says: Now, this was more like it. As those who visit our blog regularly know that I'm not much of a drinker, but let me tell you, I could drink this all night long. It was delicious, not too over the top, but just enough kick.

He says: I thought this was good as well but I prefer the one I had, but thats probably the whisky lover in me


We tried three of the new appetizers: Heavenly Hummus, Ahi Tuna with Avocado Crisps and Warm Pretzels with Colorado Native Beer Cheese Dipping Sauce.

We started with the Pretzels. Here's how it reads on the menu: Dunk these thick oven warmed pretzels in our creamy cheese sauce with Colorado Native beer.



He says: Fresh pretzels, beer cheese. Do I really need to say more? It was GOOOD so good you wanted to lick the sauce out of the bottom of the bowl once the pretzels were gone. If you go for nothing else stop by for a order of these!

She says: To phrase my husband on here, "YUM"! These were soooo tasty. Soft, just the right amount of salt and the dipping sauce was divine. You could eat a bowlful of the sauce alone and be very happy.

Next, we tried the Ahi Tuna. Here's the description: Blackened Ahi tuna slices on warm tortilla chips, with chunky guacamole, jalapenos, and cool veggie slivers, splashed with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette and Wasabi Ranch dressing.




He says: This one I thought was ok in general. I am not a huge fish guy and this was no exception. It was good enough for me not to dismiss and the avocado surpised me with how much I liked it, but on my own I probably would not go for it.

She says: I haven't tried avocado much and didn't really think I liked it, but I liked it in this concoction. The flavors blended beautifully. The one thing I would suggest to those who try this, is make sure you don't forget there's a jalapeno on this dish. I got that as my last bite and it was a little kick that I wasn't expecting.

Next up was the Heavenly Hummus. The menu says: A blend of garbanzo beans and sesame tahini, garnished with classic Mediterranean goodies and served with pita bread pieces.



He says: Hmmpf Hummus! That was my original thought along with ewwww, gross, and please noooooo, but decided to be a good sport and give it a try even though I knew from previous experience I would not like it. Well, I was wrong. When you got a bit of everything on that pita it was just darn yummy. I would actually order this on my own and that is saying something indeed. So, I say TRY this even you hummus haters out there (like me) you will be surprised.



She says: I've only had Hummus once before and wasn't something I would want a lot of, but let me first say the presentation on this dish was visually stunning. And, the flavors were good together. Like other dishes we talk about, you have to get a little of everything to make it work. Once you did that, the dish was more enjoyable.

Out of the appetizers, I would pick the pretzels and the Ahi Tuna again.



On to the main dishes!

We tried four different dishes: Victory Garden Pasta, Sizzling Chimmichuri Steak and Fries, Grilled Vegetable Dagwood and the Turkey Cranberry Reuben.

The Victory Garden Pasta: Spaghetti tossed with sauteed fresh broccoli, cherry tomatoes, radicchio, spinach and sugar snap peas in a lemon vegetable sauce with basil butter and parmasean.



He says: Been on a bad run with pasta lately. Not that it was bad, but it was just ok, nothing special move along nothing to see here.

She says: This was my least favorite of the dishes we tried. That's not to say that it was bad, it just wasn't up to par with the other dishes.

Sizzling Chimmichuri Steak and Fries: Tender grilled flat iron steak, with peppers and onions, grape tomatoes and a spicy Chimmichui sauce for authentic flavor served with crispy fries.


He says: Tender steak very nicely cooked and a fantastic Chimmichui sauce that I just loved, this was wonderful.

She says: This came out sizzling and smelled delicious. The meat was tender and tasty, and mixed with the peppers and onions made it a great combo.

Grilled Vegetable Dagwood: Crisp toasted pita piled high with spinach, broccoli slaw with mango chutney mayo, cucumber and tomato slices, and grilled tandoori-marinated veggies, garnished with goat cheese crumbles.


He says: Vegatarian again, another hmmpf for me (are you getting I like meat), but you know it was good, really good. I wont go so far as to say I would order it on my own, but if someone at the table did I would want a nibble. For a veggie sandwich it's hard to beat.

She says: This was a great cold sandwich. A great mixture of tastes combined with the pita made this a sandwich worth having again. This is a great vegetarian choice on the menu.

Turkey Cranberry Reuben: Rye bread with Cranberry jalapeno thousand island dressing and a generous layer of whole berry cranberry sauce to cushion smoked roast turkey, bubbly melted swiss cheese and a layer of crunch cranberry coleslaw.


He says:MMMMMMM YUMMMMMM NUM NUM NUM!! Step away from my reuben, violaters risk being bitten. Think my point may have gotten across. I REALLLLLLY liked this.

She says: I wasn't sure about this, but was pleasantly surprised by it and it actually was my favorite of the night, followed by the Chimmichuri dish. The flavors blended well together and I wanted more of this sandwich.

We tried one new dessert and one current dessert.

Berry Shortcake Sliders: Warm flaky almond biscuits topped with fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries glazed in a light strawberry syrup, with whipped cream and a dusting of powered sugar.


He says: I liked this alot. Very light enjoyable dessert with a great fresh taste. A great choice if you want something sweet but not heavy at the end.

She says: This was ok. Not great, and not bad - just ok. The talk about the table was that this would be a great brunch dessert and I think that's a good idea.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie: Chocolate ganache layered with peanut butter mousse in a peanut butter graham cracker crust. Topped with whipped cream and a peanut butter cup.



He says: Yumm! I love peanut butter and chocolate any way so no way this could go wrong. It is however very rich and probably best shared.

She says: Now, this was a great dessert. It was like a big peanut butter cup with lots of chocolate sauce to dip it in. This, I would order again.


TGIFriday's has 20 new items on their menus for you to try. They are playing with their menu to reflect the modern flavors that diners crave. They are building on fresh ingredients and bold flavors. The new dishes have freshly prepared and cooked to order items.

If you haven't been to TGIFriday's for a while, we would recommend you get there and try some of these new dishes for yourself. It's a fun night out with friends and ordering a few things and sharing them, by doing so you can try more of the new stuff or share some of your old favorites with friends.

Thanks for stopping by our Colorado food and restaurant blog. If you have any comments, please leave them here on the blog, or email us at jonathan or barb @milehigheater.com.

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