I did some research before I left about where I might like to eat, but I knew that I would be limited by my budget (no cabs) and how far my legs would want to take me.  And after hours of work, your legs never want to take you very far.

On my first night, I walked to Larimer Square and stepped into Rioja, which was one of the top rated restaurants on Yelp Denver.  A warm Saturday night meant that a lot of people were out and all I could snag as a walk-in was a stool at the “Chef’s Table.”  Unfortunately, it’s not along the main line, but you do get to see desserts being prepared and be up close and personal with other diners.  As I was dining solo, this suited me fine.

I started with the spring salad and was told by one of the young cooks that it was the best thing on the menu.  Although a little hard to eat with the pesky little peas and fava beans, the carrot-chamomile reduction on the place was superb and the grilled red onion baskets were an artful touch.

Sorry, before the salad arrived, the breadbasket came by and I double-dipped:  lavender sourdough and olive ciabatta.  There wasn’t enough room (and I didn’t have the nerve) to also ask to try the goat cheese biscuits and orange-fennel rolls.  The bread is reason enough for me to recommend Rioja.

I followed with the starter size artichoke tortelloni in parmesan broth with truffle essence.  Very, very good.  I was most impressed with the artichoke filling.  I often find that when you cut into filled pasta, the filling comes out in one chunk, leaving a last bite of only an empty pasta pocket.  Not the case here.  Someone in the kitchen knows a lot about texture.

An early dessert twinge was the s’mores pot de crème, but as I was told that it was nearly five ounces of chocolate, I made another choice—the strawberry shortcake.  The sorbet was a little too cold to be attacked nicely, but the strawberry-basil salad made up for it, as did the strawberry consommé that was not too sweet.

On night two I headed to the vegetarian hipster joint City O’City with a couple I met through the conference.  I forgot my camera.  Oops.  We shared an appetizer of three fried items:  gastrique fries, jalapeno-sweet potato croquettes, and beer-battered onion rings.  My main was an excellent thin crust pizza bianco topped with fennel, spinach, pear, and pecorino. 

I had big intentions of making it down to Fruition on my last night.  But after a too-early rise and a long day of sessions, I just wasn’t up for a nice meal out.  Everything I read suggested it’s one of the best restaurants in Denver, though.  I debated bringing food back to the hotel.  I remembered how I had seen a long line out the door over lunch at Chipotle.  That was right up my alley, but burrito + hotel room didn’t seem like a good mix.  Fast-food dining it would be.

I was impressed by the focus on quality meat and attention to detail (such as real cilantro in the rice).  I’m not big on filler items such as beans and rice, so with a request for easy rice, I added grilled peppers and onions, tomatillo salsa, cheese, guacamole, and my meat of choice:  carnitas.  While burritos always have to overcome fillings not being distributed well because of assembly, I was happy that I didn’t end up with only one filling at the bottom.  The salsa was nice and spicy, but there wasn’t enough.  I appreciated that the pork was rather chunky instead of being overly shredded.  It allowed me to see that I wasn’t eating something overly processed; that is, a pair of hands rather than a machine had likely pulled it.  Would I seek out Chipotle in the future?  Probably not, but now I can say that I’ve been.

Yelp also pointed me to a place called Kuulture.  I recently was telling Sugar that I had tasted Pinkberry in NYC and wasn’t a huge fan.  Personally, I’d seek out Tasti D-Lite or Mr. Softee before making my way back to an unflavoured froyo place.  But, Yelpers had talked about peanut butter and taro “creamy” flavours at Kuulture, so I had to make a stop.

Glad I did.  I ended up going with half original and half taro.  The original is very tart and similar to the yogurt at Pinkberry.  Kuulture also has acai, blueberry, and pomegranate tart versions.  The taro flavour is more like soft serve.  I regretted not getting only a bowl of that.  The mouth feel was just a lot more enjoyable.  The texture of the original made me think of sorbet.  More crystallized, I guess I could say.  One dollar extra for the handful of blackberries seemed outrageously steep, but when you’re eating every meal out, I’ll take my fruit and veg when I can get it.

So, do you know if I get to say I’m in the Mile High Club now that I’ve been to the Mile High City?  *wink*

The Matsuhisa dressing on this signature dish has become a kitchen staple that is simple, delicious, and immensely versatile. It’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty, and is packed with flavour. Add that to thinly sliced, crisp, ice bathed vegetables, like radishes and turnips, with a side of perfectly seared tuna, and you have Nobu at home.

The recipe can be found in Chef Matsuhisa’s cookbook “Nobu Now” or at:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/10/nobus-tuna-tataki-sashimi-salad-matsuhisa-dressing-recipe.html

For the dressing, I have found that Keen’s Hot Mustard powder is also quite successful if you are unable to track down the Japanese style mustard powder. And of course the salad can be adapted to any and all vegetables that you fancy, and in this sub-zero weather, perhaps best enjoyed with a bowl of hot miso?

The Hardware Grill is one of Edmonton’s finest fine-dining establishments. But as Ms Sugar and I talked about on our recent visit, their plate sizes are a little on the hefty side.  If I’m going to have a night of luxe dining complemented by smooth wine and even smoother service, I want the experience to last.  Thus, a 3-course night is generally what’s planned for.  Unfortunately, at Hardware Grill 3 courses equals more than just loosening your belt.  The starters are easily the size of mains at other places, which is both a blessing and a curse.  The value is outstanding, but the even larger main that follows tests the size of your stomach.  The solution?  Two appetizers = enough room for dessert.

And that is what this post is really about.  Why choose to talk about dessert over the richness of duck confit or the velvety texture of pea ravioli?
Because the dessert in question was a pumpkin—you had me at pumpkin—tart.

Polenta crust?  Inventive and tasty but it could have been more tender.
Cinnamon ice cream?  Delish, but a tart is not the best for sopping up melted ice cream.  The traditional whipped cream would have been more successful.
Poached raw pear?  Trying to take a lady-like morsel of a raw pear with only a fork is not something I want to try again.
Fruit Saskatoon compote?  I am a big fan of Saskatoon pie.  Part of what makes the pie work is the crust and cream that soften the blow of the berry’s tartness and firm texture.  A mass of this compote just didn’t work with the pumpkin… or the raw pear… or the ice cream.
Pumpkin filling? Perfection.

Verdict:  An awkward mix of flavours and textures.
Worth $11?  Not even close.

Note to pastry chef:  Bake me a larger tart after you’ve perfected the crust and be sure to go heavy on the cream.

“There’s no such thing as too much cream,” says Cream.