VALENTINE'S DAY TIPS

Even though Valentine’s day is now days pretty far from its religious origins, and very close to the perfect capitalistic celebration. Where the amount spend in the gift measures the love of your valentine.... I still think it is the perfect occasion for couples to find the excuse to enjoy each other.

Most people wouldn't think that Denver is the most romantic city in the world, and honestly they may be right. However, there are tons of activities that could make your Red roses and heart shape chocolate box day a unique, exciting experience.

For the ones with Olympic potential:

Start training right now for the next Winter Olympics by the hand of your love one. Head to downtown to the Southwest Rink at the Skyline Park, this is the last weekend you will have the chance to grab your partner and make fool of yourself while pretending to be Meryl Davis & Charlie White. This is a FREE activity so take your Valentine for a cup of Hot Chocolate after to The Market at Larimer Square.

For the Gluttons:

A culinary Date Night can be the best option for you. Spice up your Valentine with a dinner for two, cooked by each other. If you are not a good cook, no worries, first of all you are there to learn; second it is time for your partner to find out that painful true, third, there is wine involved so by the time you finish stirring up that date, he/she might not notice your seasoning abilities are not right on.

AN ITALIAN PARTY

When someone is married with an Italian, as it is my case, you learn 2 basics; family is the most important thing in life and food can’t be poorly executed.

My husband is one of those Italians who does not speak Italian, has never been in Italy and knows nothing about wine. But what he knows very well is the perfect recipe for meatballs (sponsored by his mom Diane), the best stuffed artichokes (sponsored by grandma Roslyn) and the best “gravy” which for all of us is tomato sauce (sponsored by grandma Rose) He knows exactly the difference between a good and bad canolli, italian sausage with pepper and onions and penne a la vodka. 

I remember the first time I met the family, it was a thanksgiving week where grandma Roslyn made me chop tones of onions, garlic and parsley for which I did not complaint a bit, because like people say “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” We made an Italian feast that the ladies cooked for 2 days and the gentleman ate in 2 hours. But that is Italian, a great homemade meal in a long table filled with family and infallible olive oil for the bread.

I miss it all.

That is one reason I am very excited about the Festival Italiano at Belmar. An entire weekend where I feel I might have the chance to enjoy all those homemade Italian specialties I usually enjoy with La Famiglia. The festival promises to have great live music, kids activities, like grape stomping (so bad I am not a kid anymore) a bocce tournament 

and much more. 

Don’t miss the chance to have a slight idea of what La Famiglia means to Italians and to try the richness of their cuisine. It is a free event.

Mangiare! ! !

Belmar

408 South Teller Street
Lakewood, CO 80226

For more info click here.

By Loren Escandon

ROLLING CAN GET YOU FAR...

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I remember years ago when watching Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, for those too young to know what I am talking about, that is a classic Italian movie that every single person on the planet should watch. In this movie there is a scene where the 2 main characters take a bicycle ride, with a sublime melody as a background...Anyway, I am bringing this up because I fell in love with bicycles that day. I dreamed of biking around like that around my dusty little town. 

In New York going on a bicycle is not the safest, everyone is rushing when they drive and the bike lines are not popular, however I decided to buy a one that I never used.

National Chocolate Chip cookie day!

Yesterday was National Chocolate Chip cookie day, well do I never need an excuse to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and if I did, this is it!
As I started the batch of cookies, I remembered a client who desperately asked why her cookies didn't work in Colorado, but always worked in California where she had lived her whole life. Well is the altitude! I said as we went onto how she could fix her problem.

Many think that pastry chefs have better recipes, I am sorry to burst anybodies bubble, we don't! We do however, have tips that many mistakes have taught us. Here are my non-failure tips to making this cookies at higher altitude:

1- Lets begin with this statement, I, personally, use the Toll House cookie recipe, keeping in mind that it must be adjusted for high altitude. No margarine here, full on butter in these cookies, if you are going to have a sweet little morsel why fill it with transfats?
The recipe call for 2 1/4 cups of flour which i change to 2 1/2, because baking in high altitude requires recipes to have more flour, less leavening agent and lower sugar. Having said that, the baking soda takes a small 1/8 tsp hit from the original 1 tsp, and the sugar lowers just a  tbsp each, brown and white.

SANTA FE FUN

SANTA FE FUN.

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One of my favorite places in Denver is the Santa Fe Arts District. It is fun most of the time, but it becomes a real party every First Friday of the month, when those four blocks full of galleries, shops and restaurants, get packed with vibrant people getting in and out like little ants from one door to the other, seeing art and getting inebriated with ideas of their own. Musicians play in every corner, next to the food trucks that smell like heaven.

An Italian night

Pillowy eggplant stuffed pasta, Halibut and white balsamic caviar, Yes, please! Those were just a couple of the great dishes we enjoyed at Barolo Grill this past weekend. The staff at Barolo never size to impress me, great people to talk to, simply well balanced service and deliciously interesting food.
The cuisine is Piemontese Northern Italian with a modern twist. The ingredients always fresh and delicate, like the spring peas in the Crudo salad and the Ricotta gnocchi, very different flavors both outstanding dishes.

The highlight of the night was having the pleasure to chat with Ryan Fletter, General manager and Wine director, about his upcoming test for The Court of Masters Sommeliers in Aspen, Colorado. The grueling test is the highest certification a sommelier can get and without a doubt one of the most difficult exams in any profession period. Every year many, tireless, study day and night for the gratification of the tittle, Master Sommelier, and an average of only 10% pass.

 There are currently 180 MS (master sommelier) in the world, only 180, a very exclusive title indeed. We are very lucky here in Colorado to have 12 of these amazingly knowledgeable wine professionals and to see their influence on the restaurant scene and the professionals working to make it better everyday. To Mr. Fletter good luck, we are "willing" for you!
To the restaurant keep up the good work! Yum

By Paula Thomas