Denver dining project: May and June

Round up of the new-to-me restaurants I visited in Denver recently:

Sienna Wine Bar
This is a cute little spot around the corner from where I take Pilates! Best way to follow up a workout is with a glass of wine and some appetizers, right? It was empty, so we didn't have to wait for our wine (Moscato for Tilo, Jill and I) or food. We just got some small bites to share, which were fine. I don't remember if they were good or bad, so I guess the food was alright!

Lowry Beer Garden
Max and I rode our bikes here over Memorial Day Weekend and we loved the fun new concept. It's an outdoor pavilion next to Hangar 2 in Lowry with lots and lots of beer and tasty food, too. We got burgers and beer (the food lines were long) and sat at the community tables. I'm curious to see what they do with the space in the winter!

Thin Man
I'm not sure I have ever been here, but it was hopping on a Saturday night! I was out celebrating a friend's bachelorette party and we stopped here after dBar for a late-night cocktail. Definitely try one of the infused vodkas with soda - you'll really be able to taste the flavor without a sugary mixer like coke or juice!

Bluefin Sushi
After a long weekend of packing and moving, Max and I tried out this sushi spot in Stapleton Town Center. I happen to be very picky about sushi, and this didn't really cut it. The service was really slow (even though it wasn't busy) and the food was pretty basic, as far as sushi goes. Oh well!

Daily Scoop
Also close to Pilates, Jill, Kim and I went here before class one night - in the 100+ degree heat, we felt we deserved a treat! I don't think I had ever eaten custard before, but it tasted similar to fro-yo and was delicious. I want to go back and try their frozen chocolate-dipped bananas!

Oblio's Pizza and Neighbors Bar
I'm going to count these as one visit, since they're right around the corner from each other and our new favorite date night spot! Located near our hose in Park Hill, Oblio's serves delicious pizza (preceded by amazing breadsticks), and Neighbors is an adorable wine bar that's just perfect for a summer night. Absolutely going back to both!

Denver dining project March and April

Still going strong on my resolution to try new places in Denver instead of relying on my old favorites! Here are the new-to-me dining spots I tried:

March:

Trillium
Went to Trillium for Restaurant Week with the girls, and it was tasty! I had this amazing beet ravioli, where the beet made up the ravioli (instead of noodles) and was stuffed with goat cheese. Yum! I liked the atmosphere and they even had a "Riesling of the month," which I appreciated!

Strings
Max and I had a little date night at Strings, which has been around forever. It was busy busy doe to Denver Restaurant Week. While the service was great and the food was equally good, I didn't love the atmosphere. It felt a little stale, like they had not updated anything since the early 90s. Also, I am pretty sure we were the youngest people there!

Steak n Shake
Bree and I went to try out CO's newest burger chain, Steak n Shake, now that the crowds have died down! I had a regular cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate milkshake! I will say it was a lot cheaper than I expected! I think I like 5 Guys' burgers better, but Steak n Shake does have milkshakes, and 5 Guys doesn't! It's a little far from my house so I don't think I will be going there a whole lot!


St. Mark's Coffeeshop
Met Kim for coffee and a cookie one morning after Pilates! It's a cute little coffee shop in Uptown and a great place to sit outside and chat on a nice day!


April

Avenue Grill

Great sign!

Everyone is always raving about how great the happy hour is at Avenue Grill, so I made Max meet me after a particular stressful day at work! I think it might be a little fancy for us - and while my martini was delicious, I did not think it was anything special!

Rackhouse Pub
Max and I met Megan & Jon here for happy hour one night after work. Despite the fact that it took me an hour to get there it was worth the rush hour drive to Second and Kalamath! I of course had the signature Stranahan's whiskey and coke and also indulged in a side portion of their baked mac-n-cheese, which was to die for! So, so rich and delicious. It's definitely a "guy spot" but I would totally go back.

North
I have been wanting to try North forever and when I learned they have a $9 lunch special, it was the perfect opportunity to check it out on the cheap! It definitely lived up to my expectations! My chicken sandwich was great and we were in-and-out in less than an hour, perfect for a quick lunch!

Pinche Tacos
Jill has been raving about Pinche Tacos off Colfax for months so I knew I was going to like it! Tilo and I sat at the community table and enjoyed cheap beers (Modelo) and flavorful tacos (steak and queso). I was too full to try the churros, but they smelled so good - definitely going to go back here.

Now that I read the whole list it seems like I might go out too much. It's a good price to pay for living in a foodie city like Denver!

My Denver dining project

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to try at least one new restaurant/bar/coffee shop per month. I get so sucked into my favorite restaurants and dishes (Starbucks for coffee, Racine's for breakfast, Whole Foods for lunch, the Tavern for drinks and Steubens for dinner) that I wanted to force myself to branch out! So far, I am not having a problem, in fact I should probably scale it back since it looks like I might be going out TOO much!

January: 
Went to Ignite Fire-Crafted Food in LoDo for dinner with a big group. It was clearly the place to be for big groups, there were lots of 10+ tables. Our waiter was new and nervous but decent, same with the food! Nothing special but decent nonetheless.

Headed to Beatrice and Woodsley on the trendy Broadway strip for drinks with the girls. I absolutely loved their creative happy hour cocktails. Read more about that on my friend Jill's blog.

We finally got around to trying Jack & Grill (the location up north, not on Federal) with another couple after a comedy show in Westminster. No, we did not order the famous 7lb burritto. I thought the food was fine, but nothing special  -- just normal Mexican food!

February:
We got a Groupon from my sister for Christmas to try 730 South in Bonnie Brae. I had the Anaheim scrambler and Max had the eggs benedict. The food (and bottomless mimosas) were great, but I didn't love the atmosphere. To me, it seemed like an upscale Village Inn.

I finally got to try Hutch & Spoon in the RiNo district and it lived up to my expectations! It's a little out of my way (30th and Larimer) but I got to pop in for lunch on my Monday off. I had a turkey + cranberry compote sandwich on the fluffiest sourdough bread and one of their homemade sodas (passionfruit/vanilla), which was super yummy! I want to go back and try their breakfast - Belgian waffles and a cappuccino? Yes, please!

March is looking busy already with two Denver Restaurant Week reservations already made, both for places I've never been. I also want to seek out a local coffee shop to try. Any suggestions?