I have finally stepped up in the blogging world, and have my very own wordpress site. Thank you to all of you who have read, subscribed, laughed, cried, and judged my grammar over the past year and a half. Posterous was a great launching point to get my voice out there, but it's time that I have my own personality via
Come over a visit me! And thanks again for reading!!
If you need to know one thing about me, it's that I absolutely love pizza. Sometimes I think I have the culinary needs of a four year old. If anyone ever asks the question, "what do you feel like for dinner tonight", there's about a 90% chance I'll give in to those childish needs to eat cheesy goodness.
Pizza is comforting, filling, and can be incredibly delicious. It can also be shit. Pure shit. There is a lot of pizza places in Denver that I think are pretty good, a few that are wonderful, and plenty that have no business serving food. It my eyes, the simpler the better. The less the ingredients are processed, the better tasting the pie will be.
I recently was down at the First Friday Artwalk on Tennyson, when I had that sweet siren call of charred dough hit my nostrils. Not being overly interested in the art that we were looking at, I politely excused myself from the group, and followed that smoky trail. Is that wood they're burning? Why yes it is. I walked about a half block, before I saw what I was looking for. The Basic Kneads Pizza Truck.
Three people, an 800-900 degree wood-burning oven, and a slew of simple, fresh ingredients were all packed into this beautiful mobile package. Remember how I told you that I have the culinary needs of a four year old sometimes? Well don't laugh when I tell you what I ordered. Like any little kid, I had to go for the pepperoni pizza.
The crust was thin, and expertly charred. It carried that natural, wood fired feel that ads another flavor dimension to the experience. The sauce was really simple - crushed tomatoes, and fresh oregano. I really enjoyed this style of sauce because you still get nice big chunks of tomatoes, which give that nice bright, fresh flavor. And last but not least, the cheese. Oh, the cheese. A blend of shredded mozzarella and fresh mozzarella. The perfect balance between flavor and meltiness.
What ensued was me figuring out that I had found one of the better pizzas in Denver. In fact, I loved it so much, that I recently drove into downtown during rush hour, just to bring a pie home for dinner. For my second encounter, I opted for the Margherita, which is pictured below.
After I had the pleasure of enjoying Basic Kneads pizza a few times, I decided it was time to write it up. I called the owner, and asked him a few questions.
IE: What's one tip you have for the home cook?
BK: You can buy tiles from home depot, and use those instead of a pizza stone. They're cheaper, and essentially do the same thing. Also, don't be afraid to crank up your oven, and cook the pizza at a really high heat.
IE: What are some of your favorite spots around town to grab local grub?
BK: I'll take a food truck over a restaurant any day. But, I also like Bones, and Tacos y Salsas.
Basic Kneads is something that you should really make a special trip to check out. I promise you, you will be extremely satisfied. You can find them at the Civic Center during lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at Great Divide Brewery on Wednesdays and Fridays for Happy Hour and Dinner.
So before you pick up the phone to call Papa Johns. For the love of christ, hang up, and drive down to wherever Basic Kneads truck is.
I know that most of you read my blog to find great dishes from around the Denver Metro area, but I also know this; food and traveling go together. So this post is a little combination of the two. Don't worry, I won't have you come over and look at pictures of the Statue of Liberty or Times Square, but I will share with you some of the dishes that I enjoyed while in NY.
The only thing I disliked about eating in NY was I didn't have enough time to eat everywhere I want. This city is a culinary mecca. Every food from every different culture can be found on the stunning island of Manhattan. That being said, these are the ones that I did get to try, and that I would recommend you try, when you get to go to the Big Apple.
My favorite NY tradition/Non-fancy-schmancy meal: Katz Deli - The Corned Beef
If you go to Katz, keep these two things in mind. DO NOT LOSE YOUR TICKET. They will give you a ticket, which is how they keep track of what you eat. If you lose it, it's $50 charge to leave the door. And also, bring cash. They do not take credit card.
The sandwich below is simply put, the best corned beef sandwich I've ever had. Ever. And there was nothing fancy about it. Bread. Thousand Island. Corned Beef. That's it. Served with some pickles, and a Brooklyn Brewery Lager.
My favorite restaurant in Little Italy: Da Nico
It's hard to choose what restaurant to go to in Little Italy. Each one has a salesman outside walking the streets, trying to get you to come in. "We have beautiful fish justa for you, only 10.99 served witha the pasta". And no, I'm not ramping up the stereotypical Italian accent. That's really how they talk. But even if I was, I can, because I'm Italian. So there. Wow, I really get off track sometimes. Oh well, I gotta keep you guessing!
Anyways, Da Nico's is my favorite there. The dishes are traditional, staff is friendly, and the restaurant looks like something out of an Italian Piazza.
If you go to Da Nico, keep this in mind, the servings are huge. You can easily split a dish, and have a cheaper meal. And a cheaper meal is always a nice thing, especially when you're in NY.
The pizza below is simple, fresh, and authentic. Anything you get there is top notch, so don't be scared to order anything that strikes your fancy.
My favorite non-ridiculously-expensive-with-great-food-spot in Times Square: Schnippers
Times Square, while absolutely astounding, is a tourist trap. There are some great spots around there, but they are pricey. And all the other restaurants in Times Square know they can serve less-than-desirable plates of expensive garbage, and they will still have drove after drove of tourist stopping by. But you can easily cruise around the corner to Schnippers. It was featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay for their Sloppy Joes. This place is affordable, simple, good for the family, and downright tasty. We had a Cheesy Joe, Mac and Cheese, and a couple of beers, and escaped at just under $30 (trust me, that's cheap for Times Square).
If you go to Schnippers, opt for the Sloppy Joe. It's a little taste of Americana in one of the greatest cities in America.
The picture below is of our food, served simply on a plastic tray. :)
My first Mario Batali Restaurant: Otto
I'm a huge fan of Food Network, and I love Molto Mario. The guy is genius when it comes to Italian cuisine, and so it was a must that we try one of his spots. We chose Otto so we could have something a little less fancy, but still really delicious. The place is modeled to resemble an Italian train station. It's pretty awesome. Instead of your name for a reservation, you get a ticket with an Italian city on it. When your city appears on the board above the host stand, your table is ready.
If you go to Otto, keep this in mind: The pizzas are cracker thin. If you have an appetite, bring your wallet. Not that it's pricey, but I know a lot of people equate pizza to a cheap dining option. Just be prepared to spend more than you expect.
I highly suggest the house made prosciutto. The freshness is apparent in the texture. You know that dry edge of the prosciutto you get when you buy it at the grocery store? That's not the case here. Not even close.
We then moved on to an array of salads and pizzas. The salads were simple. Fresh greens. Bright Vinaigrettes. And the pizzas were incredible. We went with the Garlic, Olive Oil and Fresh Chilies Pizza, The Vongole (which is pictured below), and the Margherita. The difference between these pizza and others, was the quality of ingredients. The cheeses were to die for, and that translated into each and every delicious bite.
There were a few other things that we had while we were there, that you have to try. Bagels in NY are a cheap breakfast option, and they're made the correct way. Boiled, then baked. Hot dogs are also a staple to any New Yorker, and can be found just about anywhere. If you really want to save some money, check out any "Papaya Dog", i.e, Gray's Papaya, Chelsea Papaya, etc. These places are dirt cheap. Lastly, swing by any pizza-by-the-slice place. My wife and I would have them cut a slice in two, for a quick cheap snack.
We also had the amazing opportunity of dining at Per Se, but that experience was a blog post all on its own. So that will be coming shortly. I hope you all get to go to NY at some point soon. The city is alive and vibrant with every culture imaginable. There's history, sightseeing, shopping, Broadway shows, but best yet - some of the best food in the world.
If you're anything like me, you've ventured through every isle, of every different grocery store, in search of a salsa that is halfway decent. The stuff in the middle isles isn't fresh enough, and the stuff in the produce section is often just a Pico de gallo with little to no flavor. Why can't get a decent salsa while we're at the store? We do they force us to drive to a Mexican food restaurant, and get some messily slopped into a Styrofoam container? Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore. Next time you're at the store, grab these ingredients, and make it yourself. It's easy. I promise.
I know that each restaurant has its own style of salsa. So as a preface, I will tell you that mine has a bright tomato flavor with predominant vinegar and cilantro notes as well. I'm pretty particular when it comes to salsa at a restaurant, and I think mine happens to be pretty damn good. But, I'll let you be the judge of that.
Ingredient List - I'm breaking out the ingredients into two categories. Pre-Cuisinart and Post-Cuisinart. It's way easier than listing everything out in the steps.
Pre-Cuisinart Ingredient List
Put all of these ingredients into your pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.
Pull out your Cuisinirt, blender, or stick blender. I personally use my Cuisinart, so the directions are written as so. But any way you can blend this all up, feel free to do so.
Post-Cuisinart Ingredient List
Add these two ingredients, with the ingredients from above into the Cuisenart. I like to hit the pulse button repeatedly until it gets to the consistency I like, but you can just turn it on. Now, if you like a chunkier salsa, just tap the pulse button a few times. I like it when it's a little chunky, but easy to eat, and scoop with a chip. And I've provided you with a fancy little picture from my phone to show you. Please feel free to laugh at my photography skills.
After your done, the salsa will be hot, and won't have the proper flavor just yet. Put it into a large bowl, and place it into your refrigerator to cool. I like to wait until the next day to eat mine, but you can eat it after about an hour or two. Once it's cool, it will start to develop it's true flavors. And at this point, is when you should have your test taste. Immediately after your first taste test, drop your spoon on the kitchen floor, sprint to the computer, and tweet about how amazing I am. Ha. Just kidding. I do hope you enjoy this little gem though. It's bright, flavorful, and it's always better when it's homemade - right?
There's something to be said about a chef that "goes the long route", and if there's a chef that embodies that statement, it's Olav Peterson. I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with him at his beautiful restaurant, Bittersweet. What followed was an hour and a half of food, philosophy, and an overall enlightening experience.
Before I get into the interview, or the dishes, I'd like to give you a little background information on this interview. While I love finding new places to go eat, I also love having a true dining experience. I know these experiences don't occur often for most people, but when they do, they are truly unforgettable.
That being said, Bittersweet is a true dining experience. They focus highly on seasonal cuisine, fueled by their garden that surrounds the restaurant. This means that while you're eating at your table, you can glance out the window and actually see where a part of your dish came from. This is pretty impactful, especially given our tendencies to choose the easy route in our day-to-day eating habits.
I had a few choice questions to ask before we got to the food. I did have to shorten some of the answers for easy reading, but if you'd like to hear the full interview, it's listed right below the questions. Either way, I think these give you a great insight into the ethereal mind of Chef Olav Peterson.
IE: What age did you start cooking?
OP: 14
IE: Where did you go to culinary school?
OP: I studied more in Europe basically - kind of the school of hard knocks.
IE: Who’s your favorite Chef?
OP: I like different aspects from all sorts of different chefs when it comes down to it. There are a variety of people who inspire me such as: Ferran Adria, David Burke, Grant at Alinea. But I don't necessarily have one particular one.
Locally my favorite chef is Ian Kleinman though.
IE: What’s your favorite ingredient to cook with?
OP: There is no favorite ingredient, it really just depends on the seasons. And that really refers to our food here at Bittersweet - artisanal cuisine, seasonally driven. My favorite ingredient changes from day-to-day.
One thing that I can definitely say is necessary in all foods is salt. It always enhances flavor, it always brings flavor out.
IE: What staples do you keep in fridge or pantry at home?
OP: Clarified butter. Eggs. Grains usually - risotto, bulgur wheat, semolina.
IE: If you could choose your last meal, what would it be?
OP: That's a good question. Spaghetti with meat sauce. It was always my favorite food growing up as a kid.
IE: What’s one guilty pleasure in food you have?
OP: I don't really have a guilty pleasure per se - uh, sandwiches. Sandwiches as a whole would be my guilty pleasure.
IE: What's it like opening up a restaurant with your wife?
OP: It's great - the whole aspect of being able to be with your wife every day. We have an 8-week old newborn who I get to see everyday - that's really why we started the whole thing - more or less spend more time with each other
Also, we have a love for food and gardening, it was kind of the natural progression. Really, at the end of the day, that's why we did it - to be together.
IE: Bittersweet focuses on providing a Farm-to-Table experience. What types of vegetables are you growing now?
OP: We're just starting it basically. There's 2 blueberry bushes out there. Tomatoes, peppers, squashes, cucumbers, and we will plant corn - we're just waiting for it to get a little warmer. Corn's just kind of fickle.
We have a second garden which houses chard, leafier greens, lettuce greens, basil, dill, chives.
IE: Any tip for the home gardener?
OP: We use chives basically everywhere. You'll see 30-40 chive plants intermingled. Primarily, what chives do is deter aphids.
IE: What’s your favorite spot to grab indie eats?
OP: There's some cool little taquerias around town, and stuff like that, that I think are really good. There's one on I-25 and Evans called La Taqueria Carniceria.
Devil's Food my wife and I go to a lot for brunch. It's in the south Gaylord area.
IE: People always want to know tips and tricks from Chefs. Got anything for my readers?
OP: It's pretty simple really, just love your food. Really enjoy the process of what your doing.
I worked with a few chefs that really beat into us as young cooks that you have to remember - whether it's a vegetable or a piece of meat - that entity died for a reason. A cow died for a reason. It died to become steak. That steak you should respect, because at one point this had a life. You should really take care, and love that part of it - these are all aspects of how we get to good food.
IE: That's an awesome philosophy.
After a tour of the gardens that surround the restaurant, we sat down to try a few select dishes. Now, Chef Olav will tell you that he doesn't have any favorites, but I still made him select what I was going to have. For these dishes, I had the Chef walk through each of them for me. Below I have a brief description of what we ate, but if you'd like to know more, the audio clip is provided as well.
Dish 1 - Alsacienne Tart - Spring Vegetables and Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese
Dish 3 - Lamb Sausage - Fresno Emulsion, Grilled Spring Salad
Dish 4 - Veal Rib-Eye - Lobster Potato Risotto, Potato Foam
Dish 5 - Poussin - Wild Boar Ham and Grilled Spring Onion Dressing, Hazelnut Puree, Smoked Jus
Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a shot of the Lamb Sausage dish - I had some technical difficulties. Maybe next year I'll spring for a photographer, ha! Anyways, once I had finished all of the dishes, I realized what Chef Olav was talking about. I couldn't pick a favorite either. Each of them had a very unique profile and was incredible in their own way. I will say this though - the Sweetbread Reuben was the most intriguing to me. I normally don't care for sweetbreads much, but this dish was so inventive, and prepared in such a different way that I have to say this is the dish I would suggest to people. Not because it was my favorite, but because it could introduce you to something you normally wouldn't eat.
Being able to try new things, and experience dining at its best is something that is often underappreciated in America. Don't get me wrong, I love grabbing a taco from a street vendor, but I also love to have an experience with friends and family over a dinner table. This "dining experience" is something that was very apparent in the way Chef Olav goes about running a restaurant. It's apparent in his garden. It's apparent in cooking. He's about "going the long route" which is something to truly be appreciated.
Bittersweet is a wonderful addition to Denver, and the neighborhood it's in. It's a stunning building, surrounded by serene gardens growing fresh vegetables and incredible flowers. Even in a down economy, having an experience like dining at Bittersweet is something everyone should aim for. Whether it's a birthday, graduation, anniversary, or just that much needed date night, this is something that you should treat yourself to.
It's difficult to write a blog post on every restaurant I go to. Sometimes I don't feel it's a good fit for my format, sometimes I have a bad experience, and sometimes restaurants go into radio silence when I try to email them a few questions. The last one never ceases to amaze me. Anyways, I was sitting on my couch the other night - casually ignoring my wife's choice in television - and I started looking through all the pictures on my phone. Having a meal with my wife, family, or friends is my favorite thing to do. Especially when the wine is flowing, and the food is tasty. So I end up having a library full of food pictures.
I got to thinking - there's a lot of dishes and events in the past few months that are noteworthy. So, in somewhat of a montage of the past 5 months - here are some great things to check out. While they may not have received an actual blog post - they're getting the attention they deserve here.
Enjoy.
So if you're looking for a couple of new spots to check out this summer - any of these will do. There's a few nice lunch spots on the list, as well as something that would be great for a birthday or anniversary celebration. I'll have more reviews, recipes, and chef interviews coming soon - so stay tuned!
The Chefs Up Front Denver event is one of those things that you hear about and say, "Oh man, I wish I could go to one of those." 29 of Denver's best and brightest chefs cooking tableside for you and 7 other people - all for a really good cause - Cooking Matters Colorado. Well I'm here to tell you that next year, quit wishing, and go buy a ticket. It's worth every penny.
On Saturday night, I received a tweet asking if I'd like to attend the event. I can assure you that I danced around my living room in a manner that mimics how a small child would act after hearing about going to Disneyland. I, of course, answered with an emphatic yes. My wife's answer to being my guest, was also an emphatic yes.
On Sunday night we got all dolled up. I threw on a suit, and she sported a cute spring dress. We arrived to the Convention Center in style - well, not really. We arrived in a mini-van taxi - but hey, at least I didn't have to drive. We were very early, which was actually nice, because we were able to take our time exploring the spread.
Mixologists from Root Down, TAG, and Steubens were strategically placed in two different areas. Each of the four mixologists had created a custom cocktail for the event. Each one was tasty. Too tasty in fact. We explored the Korbel ballroom; passing silent auction donations from local businesses which peppered long white-table-clothed tables. It was impressive to see how much support was put forth by the community. After perusing things that I can't really afford to bid on, we found the Il Mondo Vecchio table, where they were slicing up spicy cured meats coned together in white paper cups with some beautiful cheeses. This happened to be one of the highlights for me. But I'm easily swayed by cured meats.
We walked the room, schmoozed with some of Denver's finest, and then were asked to please be seated for dinner. We were at Chef Wayne Conwell's table from Sushi Sasa. Now, I'm going to post the pictures - but it's solely to entice you to go next year. Not to make you jealous. Ok...I do secretly hope you get a little jealous. :)
Course 1 - Yellowtail and Salmon New Style Shashimi - Lightly Seared with House Spices
Course 2 - Diablo Roll - Tuna and Avocado inside, Seared Tuna on top with Ginger, Daikon Radish, Sesame Seeds, and a Spicy Ponzu sauce
Course 3 - Angus Choice Tenderloin and Tara Saiko Yuan Combo - Angus Choice Tenderloin Grilled then Broiled in Uni Wasabi Butter; Miso and Sweet Soy Grilled Black Cod Broiled to Perfection
Course 4 - Wasabi Tiramisu, and Chocolate Cake Duo
Without going into great detail about every dish, I'll simply let you know that they were all incredible. Chef Wayne personally presented them to the table, after cooking them a few feet from where we were sitting. It was like a really amazing, high end, teppanyaki experience - as far as being that close to the chef.
All of this magic and splendor, while overwhelmingly noteworthy, was for something that is actually quite disturbing - the amount of Coloradoan children who are going hungry. And the amount of families, who feel they can't provide healthy options for their families because of budget constraints.
This event put on by the Cooking Matters Colorado organization, which is an offshoot of Share Our Strength. Now, I was fortunate enough to have a family that stressed healthy, home cooked meals, but a lot of kids out there don't. Cooking Matters Colorado is an organization that teaches familes how to eat healthy on a budget. They bring in nutritionists, and local chefs, that volunteer their time to help instill these values into families from our community. So even if you can't afford to go to this event, or it's not your kind of an event (although, I don't know how that could even be possible) please go to the site. Donate your time. Donate your money. Do what you can, even if you think it's not that much.
As foodies, sometimes we forget how fortunate we are to eat whatever, and whenever we want. Which is why, if you can, do what you can to help. I'll even make it easy for you. Click here to donate.
Thank you.
My apologies for the extended hiatus. We recently bought a home, had to move and get settled. Indie Eats has returned, and is blogging again like he did back in the good ol'days. Is it strange that I switch from first to third person? It's my blog; I'll do what Indie Eats wants. Ha. Take that, grammar. I just switched mid sentence without flinching.
Now that I have that out of the way, there's a cocktail that I felt needed some recognition. We recently went to TAG RAW BAR to celebrate the purchase of our new home. I won't go into detail about the food, though it was amazing, because I'm sticking to cocktails for this particular post. We had the pleasure of conversing with TAG RAW BAR's mixologist, Josh. Let me just say, I was so impressed with him, that I feel a Mixologist Interview coming on. Seriously - he knows his stuff. I told him I love whiskey and bourbon, and he told me that the "Call it a Treuse" was the only way to go.
The cocktail, "Call it a Treuse" is a blend of Phillips Union Whisky, Green Chartreuse (hence the name of the cocktail), Luxardo Triplum, Lemon Juice, Rhubarb Bitters, and some spanked mint. Yes it's silly sounding, but spanked mint helps bring out the flavor. The end result is a refreshing whiskey cocktail that's somewhat reminiscent of a mint julep, only with a much more intriguing flavor profile. It's clean, refreshing, and not too sweet. And the best part is, it retains a light whiskey note that doesn't overwhelm the drink as a whole.
Happy Drinking - don't forget to call a cab!
The Bam Bam, which is appropriately named due to the nice punch of heat you get upon consumption, is a well-balanced cocktail worth your attention. El Camino on 32nd starts by muddling fresh jalapenos in lime juice to start this crafty concoction. Add some tequila, and agave and you have a well balanced, and tasty margarita. It's a perfect combination of sweet, sour, salt, and heat. While the fresh jalapenos may seem daunting to the faint of stomachs, don't hesitate on ordering this one. It is on the spicier side for a cocktail, but the jalapenos really just add a nice fresh pepper flavor to the drink.
Head down to El Camino tonight. Order a Bam Bam. Oh, and make sure to watch for "Permit Parking Only" zones. I'm pretty sure the city of Denver paid for the new courthouse on parking tickets from this area. Happy Drinking - don't forget to call a cab!As a former bartender, I can honestly say that the mojito was quite often the bane of my existence. Time consuming to make and easy to drink, these crafty cocktails took up 1/4 of my shifts a lot of the time. But when a restaurant is set up to accomodate them, and I'm on the other side of the bar, they're a beautiful thing.
Zengo's Cucumber Mojito is one of my favorite drinks in Denver. Crisp, cool, refreshing, and well made. There's no pre-made Mr and Mrs T's behind the bar - this is all made by hand, and with care. They start by muddling fresh cucumber, mint and a little bit of sugar. The sugar helps pull all the flavors together. Then they add ice, Appleton Silver Rum, a tiny bit of midori, and made-from-scratch sour mix. After shaking it all up to a frosty perfection, it's ready to enjoy. Head down to Zengo tonight, and try one for yourself. Just be careful - they're addicting.
Happy Drinking - don't forget to call a cab!
