BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL

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I am very excited about this festival. I have the feeling this is my chance since I moved to the States to reconnect with my roots. Because I am, what it is called now, Afro Colombian. My dearest friends in Colombia called me Negrita, which means “Little Black”, that was my nickname and it made me happy. Like me, there are Afro descendants everywhere and their culture is palpable even when it doesn't seem obvious. Music, sense of style and food, when influenced by Afro predominance is very particular, full of colors, flavors, fun. It is a poesy dedicated to life. It is the perfect combination between melancholy and happiness. It is tragic and passion story that a grandma tells you before going to bed. All those are the reasons I can’t wait to enjoy the Colorado Black Arts Festival. This is the 27th Annual festival and those 3 days will feature the best of Black music, dance, painting, performers, visual arts, photography, theater and film.

Larimer Square - TAG of the day

Larimer Square is home to many great restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops and other establishments; if you are from out of town it can get difficult to chose where to stop for a bite to eat. In another post we visited Rioja, a great Spanish inspired restaurant and today we will take a quick tour into Tag restaurant.

Tag and Tag Raw Bar are the two concepts created by chef Troy Guard. Tag features Asian inspired cuisine and that sounded pretty good on a warm Denver afternoon.
The restaurant is hip and trendy, with a modern layout and design, "hipster" bartenders or Mixologist that can concoct fancy drinks, beware in a busy night it can take a while to get one of those to your hands, therefore we forgo the cocktail and go for our beloved Rose wine.




 Drink on hand let's get to the food. The amuse-bouche changes and it is often pretty good, in this case it was a morsel of Smoked Salmon with some delicious cream and dill. Then the decision making begins, since the menu is full of interesting choices one has to do the best to keep oneself from ordering them all.

The appetizers are all great, but I do have a soft spot for dumplings and that was our first course. If you are not a big appetizer lover you can jump to the salads which offer good variety and straightforward flavors.

 Always ask your waiter/waitress for the special of the evening as you can encounter some pretty exciting dishes like the Prosciutto wrapped Monk Fish served along side homemade veggie ravioli and my ultimate favorite spring peas, rich and delicate with a sense of adventure. I am sometimes less adventurous and still love a good chicken dish in this case with a fragrant rice pilaf, veggies and a delicate sauce to tight the entire dish together.

The service is fast and friendly, it is Denver after all and most everyone id friendly so if you are an angry New Yorker you must learn to embrace it. The little patio is a great way to see life pass you by.

Larimer Square has a lot to offer whether you live in Denver or are visiting. Keep checking the blog for more reviews in restaurants, boutiques, and night life info.
 How to get to Larimer Square:
Larimer street in located in the heart of downtown and you can take the E or F light rail lines to either Union Station (E line) or the Convention Center (F line), from Union Station hop on the mall ride bus and get off at the Larimer stop, from the convention center is a quick 3 block walk north and there are other attractions along the way like the Denver Performing Arts and other restaurants and hotels.

By Paula Thomas

From Farm to Table a concept that comes to Fruition

Denver's food scene is in a rapid growth with many new restaurants hitting the market every week. In the midst of a crazy race to try to keep up with it I suggest to stop and look at places that have been in the area for a few years and this week we did just that.

Fruition restaurant, located on 1313 E. 6th avenue, has been a local favorite and with good reason. Chef/Owner Alex Seidel takes pride in the ingredients and techniques used in his kitchen. A few years back he decided to venture into farming and purchased a 10-acre farm south of Denver and Fruition Farm and Creamy was born. The restaurant and farm relationship makes eating at Fruition the window into the world of the chef turned farmer and his vision.

A UNIQUE DATE NIGHT

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The idea of the perfect date varies from person to person, and from relationship to relationship. Sometimes we run out of ideas to make our loved one feel special. The movie-dinner combo gets old, the nightclub is too loud, and the cooking at home can become a total romance killer if you are not the chef the counterpart expects you to be.

However, the date I am about to describe is as good of a first date as it is for a 20th year anniversary.

Imagine a picnic bag/basket full of your favorites goodies, that you don’t need to cook because this city has plenty of options for takeout, like The Chicken-curry sandwich at Vert Kitchen Denver, a bottle of bubbly cold Champagne, wine, beer or Ice tea if that is what you like; the most beautiful gardens surrounding you,  the jazzy sounds of Swing Je T’aime throughout the evening and a free swing dance one hour lesson, this is just in case you want to learn, but it is optional.

Le Sandwich

Growing up in a very Colombian family it was unheard to eat a sandwich as a real meal, in fact sandwiches were reserved for a lazy evening when we didn't want to cook and were not really hungry. We, Colombians, love to eat big meals, especially breakfast and lunch and having an unfortunate looking meat "sandwiched" between some white bread just doesn't cut it, and don't get me started with the famous peanut butter and jelly...

Reason why, even with all the years I have lived in the States, I still can't manage to see my main meal be a sad looking sandwich. If I am making one, I over-think everything from what bread, the cheese, veggies well seasoned, herbs and the meat, only to be scavenging the fridge a couple of hours later.

I was extremely happy to find Vert Kitchen a small, super cute eatery located on west Washington park area.