EAT WITH PASSION

My new venture...

http://www.riverfrontpark.com/index.php/rfp/comments/eyt_your_heart_out/

PERCEPTION

Every time sushi comes up in the coversation there is the battle between Sushi Den and 'your favorite sushi spot'. Many people loathe Sushi Den because of the wait, the unbending reservation policy, the trendiness or whatever beef they have with the reigning sushi champion of Denver. On the other hand, many people love Sushi Den for similar reasons...

The majority of my sushi outings involve Sushi Den. I'm not sure why it's become my default sushi establishment, but much of the reason is the 'quality' or perception of 'quality' associated with the restaurant.

The owners wrote the book on the American sushi process of buying fish from Japan and flying it the same day Stateside to offer the freshest and best ingredients. And thus begins the perception...

Sushi Den may or may not be the best sushi restaurant in Denver, but as long as people say it is, it will be. It's similar to any of your favorite places. You go out to your most frequented establishment and the chef or owner comes over to say, 'hi', and you respond, 'Oh good, you're here. Everything's better when you're here". In actuality, the chef is not doing the cooking and the owner is not doing the serving. The staff is doing the fundamental work. But, if the circumstances make you believe the resturant is better, is it? Yes. Which brings me back to Sushi Den. As long as people believe it's better for one reason or another (mine being the freshness and quality of fish) it will continue to flourish. More business means more turnover means fresher products and better fish. So, coincidentally, the perception of greatness becomes greatness.

Given, you can't always wait an hour or more for a table at Sushi Den, so you go to your other 'favorite sushi spot'. In hand, you make that restaurant busier and hopefully better. So, is Sushi Den's perception of greatness actually making every other sushi restaurant better?

STAPLES

Ever since Duo popped up on the food radar, it's continued to create ripples locally and nationally. From "Best New Restaurant" awards to one of Gourmet's top farm-to-table establishments to Yasmin Lozada-Hissom's recent appearance at the James Beard Foundation's Taste America dinner, Duo is making quite a name for itself--and, rightfully so.

My visit came just a couple weeks after I watched Yasmin, Duo's Pastry Chef, dish up a hundred-plus apple tarts at the Taste America dinner.

Duo charms you from the start. Located in the blooming Highlands neighborhood, the warmth of the restaurant immediately draws you in through its windowed facade. The small space is balanced with mile-high ceilings and divided with a partition made of weathered glass windows. A small bar area flanks the right and an open, glowing kitchen anchors the back. The dining room is intimate without being crowded, with the tall ceilings helping confine your table's conversation to just your table.

The menu changes seasonally to utilize the freshest ingredients. A few weeks into an Autumn menu, Duo featured heavier, rustic, Italian-inspired fare. Our meal began with Gouda and shrimp filled Risotto Fritters and White Bean Spread with grilled toast. The aranchini, whom an Italian would never dream of filling with seafood and cheese, worked wonderfully. Crispy and surprisingly light, the shrimp and tomato-caper sauce battle through the rich Gouda. The warm White Bean Spread, scented with olive oil and paired with end-of-season tomatoes, parsley and grilled bread, was simple and wholesome.

The main course brought us Porter Beer Braised Pork Stew and the night's special, Parmesan Crusted Black Cod. The braised pork was a pick-up-your-bowl-and-lick-the bottom kind of dish. The pork was so tender and moist you would drag a rusty knife over your best friend's throat to get the last bite. The porter makes for an interesting sauce that helps bring an earthiness to the dish. Along with some root vegetables, broccolini and a small side dish of fluffy, crispy potato croquettes, the pork is exceptional. The cod was very similar in composition, but lighter. The moist cod and crispy crust gave a great contrast while the lemony sauce complimented the saltiness of the dish. Sandwiched between crispy watercress and baby carrots, potatoes and onions, it was delicious. Both dishes were cooked exceptionally well with perfect temperatures. We ended our meal with Yasmin's Sticky Toffee Pudding--A molten, spongy bread pudding with delicate flavors of Fall. Not overly sweet, the spiced pudding with toasted pecans and toffee rum sauce was heartwarming.

Overall, the flavors of Duo are bold, yet restrained. The chef has a light hand with the salt and lets the flavors of the season speak for themselves. The dishes focus on just enough flavors and refrain from complication; that is where exceptional food stems from. The Highlands are spoiled for having Duo so close. I would love to live in the area so I could go every week to try every dish and hungover on Sunday's to have brunch. But, it's also special enough to be a destination for those not so close. The menu is affordable, with almost every appetizer and dessert under $8 and most entrees under $20. It's a great place to grab a nice dinner and glass of wine or splurge and celebrate with four courses and a bottle. Considering the food, service and atmosphere, it's a bargain. Duo is another restaurant that should be considered a staple in helping establish this as a serious food town. Add it to your list of places to try and to Denver's culinary blueprint.

CHEWY MELTY CRUNCHY

Three words: Bavarian Cream Churro. After tasting one of these you'll be dancing at the feet of the Santa Maria. Kiva's warm, crispy, chewy, cinnamon-sugar dusted, Bavarian cream filled delights made me forget about every other dessert I've ever had. It made me forget about our meal. It made me forget about everything, for that matter. It was euphoric. Now where was I...

Kiva blends traditional Tex-Mex cuisine with traditional Spanish ingredients to create a distinct identity from the usual cheese covered, green chili doused Mexican plate. You'll find the all the staples such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas, rellenos and such. All familiar, but enjoyably different. Two of the more interesting things we had were side dishes: chochoyones and nopales. Chochoyones are small tamale-like dumplings covered in red sauce while nopales are cacti sauteed with tomatoes and onions. Both very interesting, delicious and a great option from the traditional rice and beans. The whole menu is filled with little suprises. The tacos are made from fluffy, griddled wheat tortillas. Burritos and enchiladas are sprinkled with cotija cheese. The churros are filled with Bavarian cream. The churros are filled with Bavarian cream. The churros are filled with Bavarian cream.

Kiva also has an extensive tequila list, Sunday brunch with bottomless drinks, a great outdoor patio and churros filled with Bavarian cream.

Kiva is very reasonably priced and will receive multiple trips. And, if you don't go try the Bavarian cream churros, I will personally come find you and give you a verbal thrashing.

FORM OVER FUNCTION

Potager is like the new $300 shoes you just bought that make your toes bleed. The gleaming restaurant, lush patio, rustic bar and open kitchen are all extremely beautiful and scream French countryside sans the smelly locals. The organic, Boulder Farmer's Market suppliers scream of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse. But, what it does not scream is, "We know how to cook." The people behind Potager have done a remarkable job with the details: Old cookbooks line the wall bordering the open kitchen, the floor to ceiling wood wine case is sprinkled with hay, the outdoor patio provides a beautiful garden and perfectly weathered wood window coverings, and the menu reads beautifully with wine recommendations for each course. Everything about Potager charms your senses...until the food arrives.

The food is focused on seasonal ingredient from local growers, which is exciting yet debilitating. The kitchen tries to treat seasonal vegetables simply to exemplify the ingredients' 'essence', but it also gets repetitive. Out of the eight dishes we ordered, seven probably had corn, tomatoes or both. But, most of dishes did not 'feature' the corn or tomatoes. It always seemed like an after thought with little creativity: A goat cheese soufflé with a tomato puree. Why not a tomato soufflé or tomato bread pudding? Anyways, that's beside the point that the kitchen could not cook a chicken correctly. The first roast chicken to come out was rare in the middle and sent back. The replacement chicken that came out included a dry, tough breast and an undercooked thigh and leg. I can understand the first chicken being undercooked, but the second? When a plate comes back in a kitchen you better damn well make sure the second one is perfect. There is also an instrument called a quick read thermometer that is part of every cook’s uniform. Use it! Make sure your customers don't get salmonella, especially while cooking half a chicken on the bone. Otherwise, my monkfish came out luke warm, the soufflé was barely warm, the tomato tart crust was soggy, and the lobster and tomato risotto had no lobster. Given, it was the first night of a new seasonal menu change, but it doesn't make it okay to forget the basics of cooking. Raw chicken and warm food do not bode well for a restaurant critiqued as one of the best in Denver.

Even with the major oversights in our visit, I want to give Potager another chance. I feel they are capable of so much more. They have a great vision that is hard to come by in Denver. The space is too captivating to fail. From the perfectly weather-stained walls to the angelic, pregnant bartender, the restaurant is too charming and the ideas are too big to come crashing down...Yet, that might be their ultimate problem.

THE BOOT COUNTRY

I love Italian food. There's nothing like a fritto misto that brings you to the Amalfi coast. Grilled meat with a splash of lemon, olive oil and herbs that is the essence of Florence. A great thin crust pizza Margherita that carries the noisy scooters of Naples. Or, just an artichoke deep-fried in olive oil that brings you to the steps of the Coliseum. But, most importantly, Italian food is about treating the freshest, local ingredients very simply to elevate its essence. It's not about bucket-sized bowls of overcooked pasta drowned in red sauce and garlic. It's about balance and capriciousness that creates harmony. It has the ability like no other cuisine to transport you to the forgotten memories of a trip through Italy.

Venice in LODO has this ability, and that is what makes it special.

FRUITS OF LABOR

Fruition on East 6th Avenue has been hailed by most of the local critics as the best new restaurant in Denver opened within the last year. I haven't eaten out enough to actually know, but Fruition is exceptional and one of the better dining experiences I've had in town. Described as upscale comfort food, the kitchen uses traditional French methods to twist regional American cuisine. The menu changes with the seasons to utilize the freshest ingredients.

The space is quite small, but intimate, comfortable and clean. It feels like someone's home.

The maitre'd and proprietor, Paul, was warm and welcoming, as if he invited us himself. The overall service was very pleasant; our waitress was not the most personable, but professional. The crew was attentive, unobtrusive and timely.

Here's a quick rundown of our meal:

Appetizer: Potato Wrapped Oysters Rockefeller, Lardons, Spinach, Pea Puree--I probably could have eaten 50 of the small, crunchy, briny, sweet packages without hesitation. Especially good, was the pea puree--Just the sweet essence of peas that perfectly describe the season.

Entree 1: Pine nut Crusted Petrale Sole, Braised Baby Artichokes, Lemon-Truffle hollandaise--Perfectly cooked and properly seasoned. The sole was moist and fresh and the hollandaise gave the right amount of acidity to cut through the fish and nuts. It's a bowl-licker.

Entree 2: BBQ Pork Shoulder, Celery Root Slaw, Cornbread Cake--The pork was buttery, smoky, sweet and juicy. The most important element was that the pork was served very, very hot. The flavor of braised/slow cooked meats become muttled if served under temperature, but this was hot to the last bite. The crisp slaw gives a good contrast and reminds you of a North Carolina pork sandwich while the cornbread puts you back in grandma's kitchen. My only complaint was the BBQ sauce tasted a little generic.

Dessert: Chocolate Cupcake Tasting--Three cupcakes with different frostings, vanilla and coffee ice cream and caramel sauce. It was good, but nothing to call home about. The cupcakes would have been better if served warm. The ice cream was subtle--not too sweet, and the hazelnut frosting was the most interesting. It'll satisfy your chocolate urge but nothing orgasmic.

Overall, the meal left something to be desired--in a good way. I want to go back and try every dish. The menu is focused with just a handful of choices per course, which makes me wonder what else is up Alex Seidel's sleeve. Every dish seems refined, balanced, interesting yet very familiar.

But, the question remains: What does Fruition do for Denver? It helps solidify Denver as a culinary town. Nothing revolutionary. Just proper. Denver needs more places like Fruition, where things are done right: A focused menu where everything is cooked perfectly, seasoned properly and served in a comfortable, elegant, professional environment. Denver has so many interesting neighborhoods and organic, homegrown restaurants will make this city pulsate. Less PF Chang's, less Maggianos, less Ruth Chris'. Fruition is not trying too hard, not trying anything crazy -- just creating beautiful plates. It's a steppingstone toward Denver's culinary future.