A beautiful, sunny Denver afternoon with a breezy whisper of the summer ahead, a glass of Rose, lovely company and a Spanish inspired dinner.
Sitting outside on Rioja's petit patio in Larimer square can surely make you forget the stress of the day. Framed with flower baskets and the ambiance of this "happening" street, the six table patio embraces a laissez-faire attitude. The food is always outstanding and the service is quite remarkable.
The lunch menu is a smart combination of full entrees and sandwich/salad combos that won't leave you wishing you had order something else. My favorites are Gabe's chronic chicken sandwich ($12.5) and the Colorado Lamb burger ($10.5) both served with a big, perfectly seasoned salad. A great way to enjoy the food and ambiance and don't break the bank.
Dinner is also great, last week we went for a date night before a jazz show at Dazzle.
The appetizer got devoured before I had a chance to snap a picture because who can resist tender, fatty Pork belly on a bed of Madras curry Garbanzo puree. The "Fresh bacon", as you will find it in the menu, will blow your socks off! Our waiter told us of a customer who gets it every time as an appetizer and then a second one after dessert!
The Avocado citrus Salad with goat cheese and Verjus vinaigrette is tangy, creamy with a hint of sweetness for the verjus (the non-fermented juice of unripe wine grapes) which is widely used by chefs because it enhances the meal and the wine and it doesn't fight for attention unlike vinegar or lemon juice.
For the main course our choices were "Open-face Ravioli" and the Vegetarian four square.
The flavors in the ravioli dish were powerful, intriguing and delicious. The long history of the Moors invasion of Spain brings a huge influence to their cuisine and this dish is a remarkable interpretation of it. Morel mushrooms, beets, mushrooms, a beet ravioli pasta and a light curry sauce that will turn any non-curry lover into a long-life follower.
The vegetarian dish had a combination of artichokes with goat cheese and tomatoes, roasted organic carrots, rice cake with pickled radishes and a jalapeno-cheese biscuit, all truly delicious. However, as a previous vegetarian I would have appreciated a protein substitution as part of the for mini-plates, perhaps a lentil salad or soup, a garbanzo pure like the one used on the pork belly, or something along those lines. After all I don't see any vegetarian ordering the pork appetizer!
The night was delightful, the food, the wine, the company and the city!
By Paula Thomas
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