Larimer Square’s little French secret: Vendôme

We had the pleasure of spending time in Denver, Colorado this past week for a conference and though we were technically in town on business, we managed to head to dinner one evening with friends. Unfortunately, sometimes when you get a group of foodies together, there isn’t consensus on where to eat and the six of us headed to nearby Larimer Square while still trying to decide where and what the collective group was in the mood to nosh on that evening. As Lucretia just started listing off restaurants and cuisines in an attempt to get someone (anyone) to pick a destination, a random man who was walking down the crowded sidewalk near us piped up “Oh, that French place is amazing.”

Sold, to the random businessman.

We walked a bit further and then turned off the street into a little hidden alcove and in the falling dusk, I was instantly back in Montparnasse. Bistro Vendôme is secreted away and could be easily overlooked if you didn’t know where to look, but oh what a meal you would be missing!

They sat us quickly in the atrium which was a lovely little spot and in no time at all, I was tucking into a savory cup of soupe à l’Oignon which was fabulous. I also tried one of their cocktails, Frais du Jardin, which consists of a cucumber infused gin, lemon, lime, simple syrup and basil leaves topped off with soda. It was alright, however about halfway through the glass, I was wishing I had picked something a bit sweeter for my palate as the basil started to overpower the other flavors in the glass. I suppose I should have sipped it faster!

For our entrees, Joel and I both chose items from their specials of the day. I had a simply delightful quail on a bed of braised greens and potato-less gnocchi that was dressed in an insanely rich sauce. The quail was de-boned perfectly and oh-so tender that it nearly melted in my mouth. I really appreciated that the dish was lightly seasoned as it didn’t hide the flavor of the quail or the greens and I was astonished (and grateful due to allergies) that the gnocchi had no potato as they honestly couldn’t have been made any better. Joel had the Bouillabaisse which he said was excellent, but since he didn’t share before he finished it all off, I can’t confirm. It did look very tasty though.

Sadly, I must admit that I only managed one photo of another dish from our party as we were all ravenous and tucked into our meals rather quickly. Wade inhaled his steak au poivre and Cynthia had the Noix de St. Jacques, Panisse a la Pomme et Thym, which is pan roasted scallops and apple-thyme panisse on a bed of red cabbage and persimmon puree. Her dish was beautiful and judging from the empty plate the waiter whisked away, delightful as well.

I capped off my meal with a cup of french press coffee (which I willingly shared with Dave) and the sinful indulgence of their Chocolate Pot de Crème Brioche Bread Pudding which was served with a dollop of marshmallow ice cream and a hazelnut tuile. Somehow I was actually convinced to share a few spoonfuls, though I’m going to chalk that up to the beginnings of a serious food coma and will assuredly guard my dessert more carefully in the future.

The service was excellent, our waitress was incredibly patient with our table’s vast storytelling capabilities, and the staff was very careful to assure me that each item they set in front of me avoided my walnut allergy. Absolutely above and beyond. We never felt rushed and, despite what you may have experienced at other French restaurants, the atmosphere was 100% warm, welcoming and unpretentious. I would eat here again in a heartbeat and it’s fabulous to know that I don’t need to head all the way to Paris for my gourmet fix. I just have to find more reasons to travel to Denver.

Barcelona on 14th Reviews – Should you go? Find out here!

14th street in Washington DC has become a Foodie heaven.  Restaurants, wine bars and cafes have sprung up everywhere.  You could find everything from Dutch food to French, Italian and Chinese but there was no actual good tapas.  There are two popular tapas restaurants in the Logan Circle area but nothing that was OMG good that you needed to go back and have again.  When I saw a new Spanish restaurant open I was very skeptical and when I looked for Barcelona on 14th reviews, and didn’t find any, so I figured lets give it a shot and be the first to give honest reviews of Barcelona restaurant on 14th street in Washington DC.

Best tapas restaurant in DC, Barcelona on 14th!

If you can’t tell from the header, this place was amazing!  Barcelona on 14th street is the best tapas restaurant in Washington DC!  Based in Connecticut, they brought down their Managers and Servers to train the locals on how to provide everything from knowledge on how to cook, serve and when to serve your food as well as how to eat, prepare and order tapas the right way.  The drink selection at Barcelona on 14th street was incredible and they helped us pick an amazing sweet syrup and bourbon cocktail that was a perfect match for our tastes and all of the food.  The Sangria with San Germain was amazing, but didn’t even compare to the bourbon drink.  If you go to Barcelona restaurant on 14th, you have to try it!

Next was the food.

baby brussel sprouts and bacon tapas

baby brussel sprouts and bacon tapas

We started with the brussel sprouts and bacon for an appetizer.  There wasn’t enough salt, but the slab bacon chunks more than made up for it when you scoop them up from the bottom and eat them with the baby brussel sprouts.  They definitely could have used more salt on it for flavor and everyone at our table and the other people I talked to agreed.  They were absolutely amazing, but would have been better if they used that extra bit.  Next we had three more appetizers come out and then another round before dessert.

albondigas at Barcelona on 14th (Spanish meatballs)

albondigas at Barcelona on 14th (Spanish meatballs)

Albondigas (which is my favorite tapas from when I lived in Madrid) or spanish meatballs with a tangy sauce.  A tortilla Espana which they chose to serve hot instead of cold and with a scoop of sour cream and chives.  We also had an amazing Lobster and rice dish.  The Lobster and rice dish tasted like spaghettios for adults, however it was actually really good so don’t let it discourage you from ordering.  The lobster was cooked perfectly and the rice was crispy and amazing.
Because the menu never got old, we ended up stuffing ourselves with orders of ham croquets and finished with one of the best Churros and Chocolate that I have ever had.  I do have to warn you, the bread is amazing and when you don’t want to let the sauces go to waste, it can fill you up fast.  Save room because every plate you order is amazing and you won’t want to lose your appetite.

Everything we ate and drank at Barcelona on 14th was amazing.  I highly recommend going and it isn’t over priced.  If you’re looking for Barcelona on 14th reviews and find any but amazing quality and comments, ignore them and go.  You would have to be insane to give bad reviews for Barcelona on 14th in Washington DC.  Thank you all for reading and if you want to share your favorite dishes or plates from Barcelona restaurant in DC, feel free to leave a comment.

The (Not So) Happy Viking

Here in the small town of Yuba City we live in, there aren’t many places to ‘eat’. Sure, there is a dearth of fast food and plenty of crummy chains, but a place to sit down and enjoy something delicious that wasn’t delivered to the kitchen pre-frozen from a corporate distribution center? Those are few and far between.

One of my MOST favorite places in town is a little sports pub called “The Happy Viking” on Plumas Street. Their wings are great, their burgers are tasty, they have cider on tap (apple AND pear), and they have exquisite Guinness Onion Rings. I like that they have multiple sports on the myriad of screens around the place and they have a great happy hour menu.

Herein lies my quandary…The Happy Viking has also screwed up our order the past several times we’ve gone there.

Joel likes the place too, but is usually unwilling to go because of the constant mistakes and after this last time, I’m finally leaning his direction. I’m so frustrated that this place where I love to eat has such a lackluster kitchen and a wait staff who takes the concept of “waiting” to all time high.

Here’s what happened this afternoon…
It’s been quite awhile since I was able to convince Joel to go to The Happy Viking, but today I was finally able to do it. (He agreed I think mostly because he had a coding project that took a long time today and because of that, we missed the lunch hour at the sushi joint we were planning on going to instead.) We ordered right before 4pm and didn’t get our appetizers or wings until after 4:30 and both came at once. We each noticed that we only had 5 wings apiece, which was odd since we thought the order was for 6, but figured that it had been awhile, so perhaps we were mistaken, especially since we each had 5.

The bill comes and lo and behold, we’re charged for 6 wings apiece. Now, this isn’t a huge deal financially. It’s happy hour and wings are $0.55 each, so we’re only talking about $1.10 plus tax, but it’s the principal of the thing.

We pointed out the mistake to the waitress who was reluctant to do anything about it until I also pointed out the counted bones on our plates. At first she offered to have the kitchen make us two wings…which was kind of a ridiculous offer since we were ready to leave and wings take 20 minutes. Then she went to talk to the manager and a few minutes later, she returned and told us that the manager had taken $1.00 off our bill.

Not $1.10 plus tax. Just $1.00.

You know sometimes when you know you’re right, but there’s just no point in continuing to push the point? That’s what I felt as I just took the bill from her and filled out the tip and total. It was pointless and futile for me to dicker over the proper cost.

So I did the only thing I could…I took it out of her tip and I hope she does what she said she was going to do and yells at the kitchen.

We’ll probably never know since sadly, we won’t be going back.

Tortilla Coast Washington DC – Read This First!

tortilla coast frequent diners card

tortilla coast frequent diners card

I have unfortunately had the experience of going to the Tortilla Coast restaurant on P and 15th street in Washington DC and have become addicted.  Not only does this Tortilla Coast location have amazing service, but the food is consistently perfect.  Not only do they cook things to order, but the managers come around to your table while and after you finish eating and if something is wrong, they actually fix it without giving any attitude.

Your meal starts out with freshly made warm tortilla chips and awesome homemade salsa.  Then they ask you what you’d like to drink and I highly recommend you avoid the Mexican Cosmo as it is awful but the Prickly Pear and Original Margaritas are awesome.  If you get the prickly pear margarita, make sure you order a sugar rim instead of salt.  For appetizers, none of us were impressed with the Guacamole, but we usually like it spicier.  We ordered the medium level which wasn’t bad, but when we go back we’ll order the hot which should be awesome!  They serve it in the large stone bowls as well which is even more fun.

For food, I always order the carne asada tacos.  They are awesome and the steak is cooked to order.  The ceviche at tortilla coast washington dc is great, but make sure you tell them no black salt on top, unless you really like salty flavors.  Tortilla Coast also features an awesome steak or beef enchilada that you have to try.  The servers and bartenders are also always happy to walk you through the menu.

One thing that is nice about Tortilla Coast is that there is no dress code.  During the day you’ll see people in suits on lunch break, people who are retired or work from home in comfortable retired style clothing or tshirts and jeans and on the weekends at brunch you’ll see family and children still in their favorite kids sleepwear.  In the evenings you’ll see club goers and 30 somethings dressed up to go for cocktails or in little black dresses an after happy hour you’ll find a mixed crowd there having fun.

Tortilla Coast Washington DC at 15th and P NW is a great place if you are looking for good food, decent service and somewhere to get a quick meal.  I have always enjoyed their food and now have signed up for their frequent customers club.  With your club card you get a point for every dollar you spend and then you get money off your bill when you reach a certain amount.  I highly recommend eating at Tortilla Coast at 15th and P in Washington DC.

Bravo Bistro Bistro Washington DC!

So I ordered food through Foodler.com from Bistro Bistro in Washington DC and for the first time the order never made it.  Foodler claimed that Bistro Bistro Washington DC got the order and Bistro Bistro claims that they never saw the order.  Regardless of what happened, I wrote to Foodler to let them know I was upset, and in Foodler fashion they called and took immediate care of me.

On the other hand, I also called Bistro Bistro which is one of my favorite local Italian Restaurants.  Not only did they take care of me, but the manager got on the phone, apologized and would not let me hang up until I was a happy customer again.  It is very rare to find two companies with such excellent service, especially when something goes wrong.  What was more impressive was the way that Bistro Bistro handled the situation and that is why I’d like to share some of my favorite foods from them. If you are in Washington DC and hungry for really good italian delivery, you have to order Bistro Bistro!

The crab, artichoke and spinach dip.

The Bistro Bistro crab dip is outstanding.  It is served with fresh bread and you can taste the real crab meat inside.  The spinach is a great touch and the artichokes with the crab and spinach not only complement each other with the cream sauce, but the creaminess and cheesy warm goodness combined with the delicious bread make this one of my favorite comfort foods and you can only get crab dip this good from Bistro Bistro DC.

French Onion Soup.

If you’ve ever made French Onion Soup, you know there is an art to it.  Somehow Bistro Bistro has found a way to make it not only taste great, but keep the flavors and parts cohesive while being able to deliver it.  This is one of the only places I have ever been able to order french onion soup for delivery and have it come out restaurant quality.

Crevette Coquille St. Jacques.

This amazing mix of sauteed shrimp, diver sea scallops and a tomatoe and cream sauce is an amazing appetizer that works for a meal for me.  When I dug into this dish I ended up soaking every last bit of sauce into the bread and didn’t let a bit go to waste.

Everything I have had from Bistro Bistro in Washington DC has been excellent.  I love it and my friends love it as well.  They have everything from a surf and turf to pizzas and even an amazing selection of salads, pastas and a lasagna that I go absolutely crazy for.  I highly recommend ordering from Bistro Bistro and if you are ever in Washington DC and are to lazy to go out, they are always a great option.

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$8.95
Sauteed shrimp, diver sea scallops, and mushrooms in a tomato cream sauce.