makan malaysian cafe

I found a happy place on Saturday. A place that made me giddy. I place I wanted to stay awhile. A place I plan to go back to many, many times in the future.

Dan and I were able to go out for dinner just the two of us for the first time in a long while. Life has been pretty full lately, and we hadn't been out on a "date" in over a month.

While looking for available reservation times on OpenTable, I saw a listing for Makan Malaysian Cafe. I'd never heard of it, so immediately I checked the reviews. (How did I miss a Malaysian restaurant open almost 2 years!? Shame on me!) People had great things to say, so we obviously had to try it. It's down on South Pearl street, near Park Burger, in a strip of small restaurants and shops interspersed with houses. A friendly waitress and modern Ikea and Asian decor welcomed us into to the mostly empty restaurant. We were seated next to the open kitchen on one side, and a cheery lime green wall on the other.

We could not decide what to order. The menu was packed with all the most well-known Malaysian dishes. From Char Kuih Tiao to Mee Siam and Roti Canai, they had it all. We were tempted by the $60 for 2 tasting menu, but ultimately decided against it.

Each dish was prepared in a wok just a few feet away, and then promptly brought to our table. It was homestyle food in the best possible way. Everything was piping hot and completely fresh. And each dish was cooked all at once -- no flavorless protein thrown in at the last minute. Not only were all our dishes superb, but everything that came out to the other tables made me envious. Why didn't we order that!? 

^^popiah appetizer.^^

^^nasi goreng with tofu // char kuih tiao^^

^^sambal green beans.^^

It wasn't just us loving the food. The restaurant filled up from 6:30 on, and everyone around us was raving about their dishes. A regular next to us talked about how he'd come every Sunday since back when the owner just had a cart at the farmers' market. This place is good.

I was most impressed with the fact the menu didn't include any dishes to appease an American audience. Every dish on there is something I'd seen served in Malaysia. The menu does have long descriptions of each dish, so no experience with Malaysian food is necessary. But good luck trying to decide between all the great options! And the drink menu was enticing too: Australian-style coffees and Malaysian Tea Tarik as well as wine and beer. This would be a great brunch place. Plus they have a happy hour menu where you can get "mini" versions of dishes like Laksa. Must go back for that, too.

Also! If you sign up for their "club," you get a card that give you 10% of everything for a year! No restrictions.

Happy place.

uncle = overwhelmingly wonderful

I've found that the older I get, the less frequently I'm blown away by a good meal. It sometimes makes me sad: I'm only 30 and I've already experienced most of the good food the world has to offer!? Often, it's my own fault: I'm so excited to try a new place, I build it up and up and up in my head and then by the time I finally get to experience it, it doesn't live up to the place in my head. But, come on, it would be absolutely ridiculous if I was really going to claim this as a problem. There is plenty of good food and amazing restaurants out there. I just have to keep going to new places, trying new things, and improving my own cooking. Also, I've been working on lowering my expectations. Not in an insulting way, just ever so slightly so I don't get disappointed. I did this before going to Uncle. I was beyond excited to try the delicious momofuku-esque noodle house (confession: I've never even been to a momofuku, which is kind of absurd given my love of all things noodle and it's role in modern food scene.). A few months ago, we had planned to go to there for dinner, but right before our babysitter arrived, Willa threw up all over me. So.

But finally, right before the holidays, we made it to Uncle. And oh my goodness. I was blown away. So good. Beyond good. I could go back and eat there every day. Seriously.

The vibe was great. The noodle-house decor evoked a Japanese feel but also seemed right at home in LoHi. We sat at a "community table" which was really just a table for six that had one other couple at the other end. A big jar of chopsticks and house-made sriracha sat in the middle. Servers wore no sort of uniform, so it felt like they were just your friends stopping by to ask what kind of noodles they could bring your way. Our gal was super friendly and helpful but not overwhelmingly so.

We started with the brussels sprouts. Those darn mini cabbages. They're so ubiquitous these days but I can't stop myself from ordering them. They're just so, so good. And this was a stunning preparation: nước chấm, fresh herbs, peanuts, and a copious amount of dried shrimp. Piping hot, they didn't last more than a minute at our table.

Deciding which noodle bowl to get was quite the challenge. They all looked very promising. In the end, we opted for the chili mazeman with spicy ground pork, zucchini, crispy shallot, and sichuan pepper, as well as the bibimbap with garlic steak, spicy cucumbers, arugula, soft egg, and gochujang. Rice and noodles. They were both fantastic. The steak was exceptional: well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. But I can never not love spicy ground pork over noodles. There's really nothing more comforting.

Perhaps what I liked most about Uncle was their willingness to put A LOT of dried shrimp on their dishes. I can imagine some restaurants opting to go light on the shrimp so as not to scare away a crowd who probably doesn't consume that many miniature crustaceans on a daily basis. But not Uncle. They were like, BAM. Have some noodles with your dried shrimp. They didn't care how you felt about it, because they knew they were right. The salt and fishy flavor dried shrimp adds is key.

Dearest Uncle, thank you for overwhelming me. Nice work.

(Oh, and also, we saw Joel Coen and Frances McDormand there! They somehow had a reserved table although Uncle doesn't do reservations so that made us realize it was someone important. And then they just sat down and ordered who knows what but undoubtedly enjoyed it. Nothing like a celeb sighting to further validate your restaurant choice, right?)

the source

A couple of years ago in Seattle, Melrose Market opened on Capitol Hill. It was pretty darn awesome, but not that notably unique for Seattle's food scene. Several food purveyors and restaurateurs devoted to all things artisanal opened up in a building that was formerly an auto-repair shop. Locally-focused, trendy, and so Seattle, I of course loved it. My favorite Seattle restaurant, Sitka & Spruce was one of the main features of the market (it'd relocated from its previous space by Lake Union), and Dan and I went there for our first night out after Willa was born.

Since moving to Denver, I've missed Seattle's food culture. And places like Melrose Market. But Denver continues to surprise me, and months ago I was estatic to hear news of The Source. When I read about the project, I knew it'd be very similiar to Melrose. I've been dying to check it out for the past few months, and I finally got there the other day. My sister was still in town (which was awesome) and I thought The Source would be a fun place to spend a few hours. And thankfully, but not surprisingly, it was.

The Source does, indeed, have all the same fantastic traits as Melrose, but with a Denver flair. In a converted factory building-- it's BIG. There's apparently room for 25 vendors, but the dozen or so that currently occupy the space already offer up a great deal. It was kind of an amusment park for people who love food. Coffee! Fresh bread! Meats! Beer! Kombucha! All local. All delicious. And actually, shockingly, all reasonably priced.

^^lunch at acorn^^

^^high five from the butcher!^^

^^these photos make me so happy. it was such a lovely morning; family and food. good times. we'll definitely be back. often.^^

christmas eve music

This morning, on our way home from the grocery for all those last-minute items, we came across a live holiday music performance. A group of 30 or so people were walking down the street, stopping in front of businesses to play a holiday song or two.

Apparently it was students and teachers from the local music store, who meet every year to play the songs they've learned and to spread holiday cheer. It was absolutely delightful! And just what I needed to get into the spirit. Willa loved it too; each time a song ended she'd dramatically sign and say "more! more! more!" Luckily, we caught it near the beginning so we got to hear several songs.

We ran into a few friends as well, and the moment made me feel very grateful. For my family and friends. For this neighborhood. For getting to be a part of such a wonderful community.

Family arrives soon and we're making this for dinner. Followed by many other delicious treats, obviously. Merry Christmas all!

a birthday hockey game

We celebrated Dan's birthday this week. Yay, festivities! Lately, partly due to all the furniture shopping and whatnot, we've been doing more experiential gifts. Just spending time together. That's the best way to celebrate, isn't it? So for Dan's day, we started the morning together with Vietnamese coffees before he headed off to work. When he got home, we shared a cupcake for family snack (Willa signed "more" about 16 times after she finished her portion!). Thoughtful cards and gifts from family were opened. Craft beers drunk. A mini-dance party happened.

Then we headed out just the two of us. Final destination: the Avalanche game. Our plan was to grab dinner at Euclid Hall before the game, but apparently that was everyone else's plan too, so we ended up at Illegal Pete's for some casual yet always delicious fare. I tried The Big Fish in a bowl: fried fish with cabbage slaw and spicy mayo. Good stuff.

The game was great. They won! 5-1. They played the Blackhawks and there were tons of Chicago fans in the crowd. Made for a fun atmosphere, but it's always the most fun to be a fan of the home team.

Much time was spent at the game searching for a decent beer. Dale's Pale Ale in a can was the best we could do. Quite good, but why is beer at sports venues always so terrible? Seriously, Colorado Native is the "premium draft" you're offering? Seriously!? People, this is Colorado. Microbrew central. Although I will say that Pepsi Center is far superior to silly Coors Field which only serves, well, Coors. Ugh. Anyway.

The celebrations ended with late night pumpkin pie. Birthday pie. Who says one must eat cake? Pumpkin pie is delicious.

Happy Birthday Dan!

vintage furniture shopping

The past couple weekends, we've been shopping for used furniture. Vintage. Mid-mod. Old. Whatever you want to call it. It's not-new, local, and pretty much all-around awesome. And finally, FINALLY!, our house is starting to move in the direction of looking furnished.

I don't do well with furniture/decor shopping. It's not that I have a completely terrible sense of style; I just can't pull the trigger. I'll see something I like, but then hem and haw over whether or not it's what we need, and ultimately I'll close my computer or walk out of the store empty handed. Furnishing our house has been slow going.

When we moved in several months ago, we had just a few pieces of furniture to our name. A modular sectional couch. A bed. Willa's crib. A much-loved Ikea chair-and-a-half. We'd been waiting. Waiting until we'd bought a place to buy the "right furniture."  That was an easy cop-out to have random mismatched furniture when we were renting. But now, here we are, finally in that more permanent place and needing to find the "right" pieces for every room. No pressure.

But these past weekends have been extremely successful. When Alli was visiting, she helped me find an awesome dresser/sideboard. Then, on Saturday, my parents were up for a last-minute babysitting session so Dan and I could do some afternoon shopping. (My indecisiveness gets ten times worse when I'm trying to keep Willa from breaking things!) We fell in love with a pair of Harter chairs that ate up most of our allotted funds, so we weren't able to get as many things as we'd planned (lights, coffee tables, and accessories are overrated, right?). But these chairs! Man, we love them. Apparently they are designed to "allow any space to become an impromptu work area." Yep, I'm sitting at one right now.

I am certainly no expert on Denver's vintage offerings, but our recent adventures took us to some awesome places that I thought I'd share. There are surely so many other great places in the area. I can't wait to discover them. Over the next 10 years. Since that's how long it'll be before our house is furnished. But I'm okay with it. It's all part of the adventure.

Red Door Antiques/ 4369 Stuart Street / Denver, CO 80212

Mid-Mod Mall/ 3434 Brighton Blvd / Denver, CO 80216

Garage Vintage / 776 North Santa Fe Drive / Denver, CO 80204

Mid-Mod Vintage / 7174 West 44th Avenue / Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

{cool view from inside mid-mod mall in RiNo}

friends + french 75s

Aren't visits from friends the best? For almost as long as I can remember, I've had to spend long periods of time separated from family and close friends. It's sad and it sucks but it's the nature of our current society and our geographically large country. And even though the methods of communication have increased since the solitary option of writing letters, nothing compares to just spending time together. Hugging, laughing, confiding...so important. So wonderful.

Turns out, having good friends in town to visit is even more glorious when you have a 16-month-old. Willa was DELIGHTED to have friends here. She showed off her favorite toys, grinned from ear to ear the whole weekend, and barely let out a single whine. Which made her mama and dada pretty darn delighted too. Not to mention, having friends who love her and want to spend time with her makes us so happy too.

Our visit with Alli and Pat of course included plenty of good eating and drinking (and a healthy dose of fresh air and exercise to balance things out). After they arrived on Thursday night, we caught up over sweet potato and black bean enchiladas and Unita brews. There was a lunch at Über Sausage (after my Lohi walking tour), a dinner at Old Major, a failed attempt to check out Williams & Graham, and drinks at Linger. (I also tried using Uber for the first time, which seems to me like a giant rip-off compared to a regular cab, but maybe I'm just not hip enough?) We met my parents in Longmont for beer tasting at Left Hand Brewery. I made a variation of these pumpkin waffles. We had lunch at Illegal Pete's.

There also was, of course, a stop at Mondo Vino. We were feeling a bit beer-ed out, as Colorado has a tendency to make one (in nothing but the best way), so we made some purchases to take the evening in a different direction. A gin direction. And gin and champagne direction. Could there really be any better direction?

We cheers-ed our friendship and a fantastic visit with French 75s. It's been a favorite drink of Alli's for a bit, and one we enjoyed together on her birthday recently, so we decided to attempt to make it at home. It's not hard: just gin, champagne, simple syrup, and lemon juice. It's pretty much perfect for anytime you want to celebrate with friends. Or you're beer-ed out.

French 75
Makes two drinks

2 ounces gin
1 ounce lemon juice
1/2 ounce simple syrup
4 ounces champagne
lemon peel

1. If necessary, make simple syrup: combine 1 part water and 2 parts sugar in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until incorporated.

2. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add gin, lemon juice, and syrup. Shake vigorously.

3. Pour half the mixture into each glass (champagne flutes or cocktail glasses).

4. Top with champagne and a lemon peel.

this week + moments out and about

This week was a lot. It included: getting pooped and puked on, setting the smoke alarms off and the dog running away, an inexpicable follow-up false alarm in the middle of the night, a failed trip to Home Depot (who knew stones for an outdoor fireplace are special order only?), a stollen (missing?) Amazon package, and a cancelled date night related to item #1. But the week also brought: a new rug for our dining area, discovering I can put Willa's hair in ponytails, an awesome morning run with a good friend, caramelized onions, a successful trip to the Toy Library, new jeans from thredUP, several great workouts, and a lovely lunch date with my parents at Stueben's. Amidst all the crazy, I stay sane by getting out of the house. "They" say laughter is the best medicine, and while there's some truth in that, I really think a walk in the fresh air is what does the trick. When things just aren't going my way, I grab Willa's Beco or stroller or her hand and we lock the door behind us to go explore some corner of our neighborhood. Sometimes we get in the car and venture further, but often we just make our way down the alley. Yesterday, we discovered a building being demolished. Earlier this month, we watched Canada "ducks" (geese) at the park for almost an hour. Here are some of my favorite pictures from our recent adventures. They make me smile. Life is good. But I really would like my Amazon package.

{who's in charge?}

{casual weekend afternoon enjoying a Hey PB&J sandwich}

{feeling her first fall leaves underfoot}

{fall outfit + pigtails}

{solo meal of three steaks @ the childrens' musuem}

{pushing her friend to the park + ponytail!}

a day at miller farms

My garage is full of potatoes. And onions. And two kohlrabi. And a few other things that wouldn't fit in the fridge. Let's not even discuss the fridge. It's quite full. The carrots are crowding the oversized turnips and the peppers have overtaken the fruit crisper. You see, yesterday we went to Miller Farms in Platteville, Colorado. It seemed like we needed a fall family adventure, and I'd heard Miller Farms was a good place to have just that. Plus, it is halfway between Denver and Fort Collins, so Nana met us there for a day of farming fun!

But I have to say, when we first pulled into the parking lot and saw a giant wooden Sponge Bob Square Pants next to a bouncy house, I wanted to leave. I was looking for the pumpkins and produce, not gimmicks. Why on earth does Sponge Bob need to be at a farm? Can't kids just enjoy farm stuff at a farm? Anyway. We didn't leave. We paid our $15 per adult admission and made our way in.

Willa fed the goats and we tooled around in some miniature tractor bicycles before loading ourselves onto the tractor-pulled hayride for the real deal. Our ride took us to several stops around the farm where we were able to get off and pick our own produce. Our first stop was onions. Getting down from the wagon, I had no idea what we were picking. It just looked like semi-dry dirt fields. But as I got closer, I saw onions, nestled in the ground. Of course onions grow in the ground. I knew that. I'd just never seen it. And boy was I excited.

That was just the beginning of the produce excitement. Subsequent stops included carrots, leeks, celery, kohlrabi  cabbage, potatoes, corn, peppers, eggplant, and pumpkins. Have you ever picked a kohlrabi? Or a leek? You have to PULL on those guys.

It sounds a bit absurd to say it was a hard day's work, but all the fun and learning really was kind of exhausting. After picking all our produce we had to haul it back to the cars (warning: there's a mad dash for wagons when the hayride ends!), and then once home it required a lot of cleaning and sorting (and many curses at Denver Public Works for not yet having city-wide compost collection).

In the end, here's what we came home with for our $30 admission:

  • 6 small pumpkins
  • 10 ears of corn
  • 3 ears of popcorn
  • ~30 small peppers
  • 7 baby Asian eggplants
  • 3 cabbages
  • 2 kohlrabi
  • 5 turnips
  • a bag of kale leaves
  • 6 leeks
  • tons of carrots
  • a bin of yellow, red, and white onions
  • a bin of red and white potatoes

It's going to take some serious strategy to use this all before it goes bad. I started by making a dish similar to this for dinner (peppers in place of tomatoes), freezing the corn kernels, and making carrot cake pancakes for Sunday morning breakfast. I'm excited for the challenge! Although I might be sick of potatoes in a couple of weeks...

DaLat

After a failed attempt to have a late lunch or early dinner at Lao Wang Noodle House ("Come back Wednesday." -- Apparently they close earlier on Sundays than Yelp indicated. Reminder: never put too much trust in Yelp.), we ended up at a place we know would welcome us with spectacular service and delicious cuisine: DaLat Vietnamese Cuisine.

We first tried DaLat several months ago, after Eater alerted me to its existence with their list of "Denver's Hottest Ethnic Restaurants." And yet, despite this press, we were the only people in the restaurant during both visits. People of Denver, where are you? You are missing out! DaLat is some of the best Southeast Asian food I've had outside of Southeast Asia. And the ambiance is great; casual and warm. They make you feel very welcome there. Even when your toddler is dropping noodles on the floor.

Their menu is extensive, so it's hard to know if you're ordering the "right thing," but everything that comes out of the kitchen has explosive and complex flavors that perfectly complement whatever other ingredients are in the dish. Both times we ordered the Chicken Salad, which is essentially Larb, and a perfect starter. Today Dan felt a bit adventurous, ordering the Goat Curry special. I was skeptical, but was undeniably proven wrong. It was unbelievable. Hearty; with the perfect balance of sweet, salty, and spicy. It was served with rice but also had rice noodles mixed in the curry, which added a nice thickness to the sauce.

I enjoyed the Tofu Noodle Bowl, which could have been a bit more spicy (the Siracha was missing from our table and I didn't realize it was on others), but the tofu was well-seasoned with lemongrass and the ratio of vegetables to noodles was perfect. And the Vietnamese coffee with condensed milk hit the spot, obviously. But if you're not there midday like we were, I highly recommend a "33" beer. Whatever you order, I'm pretty convinced you can't go wrong. They know what they're doing at DaLat.

oktoberfest

On Saturday afternoon, we hit up Local 46 for their first annual Oktoberfest.

Who doesn't like an Oktoberfest celebration? I can be a naysayer about many things, but even I can't find anything wrong with celebrating the coming of fall with beer and brats, friends and music.

We got there around 5:15pm, and the festivities were in full swing. There were kids everywhere. It was most definitely a "family-friendly" event, but there were several childless groups as well. The event was to benefit Centennial Elementary, so it was great to see so many local kids running around. So much great energy!

Local 46 was serving a variety of superb fall beers, including some from Prost Brewing, a Denver microbrewery that specializes in German beers. I first tried their flagship beer, a German Pilsner, which was very drinkable and perfect for a late summer afternoon. I have to try some of their other beers at some point - looks like they have lots of good ones. To go along with the beer, they were serving Continental Sausages -- we tried an elk sausage and a smoked sausage. Both were delicious, but the buns they were served on were not. Why is it, when serving food, someone decides to take a great item and put it together with a mediocre one? Not smart. But minus the buns, they were quite enjoyable.

Willa's favorite part of the event was the bocce court. She kept making her way over there, even if there was a game going on. And I couldn't believe how well she lifted up those bocce balls. She's getting strong. Someday we'll play bocce together for real. But in the meantime, we did some dancing and work on her jumping. She's determined to get her feet off the ground, but hasn't had any success yet.

If you missed Oktoberfest, just go check out Local 46's biergarten when you have a chance. It's a fantastic outdoor space for lounging, laughing, and enjoying a beer with family or friends.

Lastly but not least, I want to wish my Dad a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! A post about Oktoberfest is not not fitting, so I am dedicating this one to him. Love you, Dad! Cheers!

downpours coffee + black sheep bagel and bialy

"Nanobatches." That was my new word for the weekend.

On Sunday morning, it seemed the rain had subsided, so we ventured out for coffee and breakfast. We'd heard the relatively new Downpours Coffee not only had decent coffee but also carried local bagels. Turns out, not only are the Black Sheep Bagels local, but, according to the woman at Downpours, they're baked in "nanobatches" during the night and then delivered fresh to a few coffee shops each morning.

I like nanobatches. Nanobatch-baked bagels are good. Really good. Dan tried an everything bagel and I had cinnamon raisin. Which had golden raisins baked into it. Yep, the expensive raisins.

We both tried almond milk lattes because Downpours makes their own almond milk. I can't stand store-bought almond milk in my coffee. The two combined the two react to make a very odd taste, typically. But this almond milk was different. It went well with espresso. Must be made in nanobatches.

Conclusions: Downpours Coffee and Black Sheep Bagel and Bialy are both exceptionally good.

One complaint: they gave me Philadelphia cream cheese with my bagel. Call me crazy, but I just don't think that's quite artisan enough for a nanobatch-baked bagel.

///

Read more about Black Sheep Bagel and Bialy here.

touring denver: a walk through lohi + lodo

Our dear friends Ted and Caroline and their daughter Mae are visiting! They arrived yesterday, and after a brief delay at the airport thanks to a lost carseat debacle, soon enough we were at the West End Tap House, sipping Colorado beers, eating fries, and chasing two 14-month olds around the patio. Bliss. The evening that followed consisted of several more Colorado brews, wonderful conversation, many hugs, and a mini dance party to our love Josh Ritter.

Today, we headed out to show them some of the sights. When we had friends visit us in Seattle, there were so many places to go. Pike Place Market. The Space Needle. Golden Gardens Park. Ferries! But, here in Denver, we're sometimes not sure what to do with out-of-town guests. There are the usual city things, like parks and museums and shopping, but nothing earth-shattering. However, after a handful of visitors, we've finally come up with a good plan: drive to LoHi, park, and continue on foot through LoHi and LoDo.

It's kind of perfect. You start and end right by Masterpiece Delicatessen and Über Sausage, so if you need food either before or after the walk you're well taken care of. The route gives you views of downtown, the water of the Platte, and plenty of Denver brick. I love meandering along the pedestrian paths while discussing the merits of the bike share system and contemplating why everyone feels the need to walk over the grass in River Front Park despite the sign that very clearly asks you to go around.

Once in LoDo, you can stop at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, and debate the pros and cons of city infastructure as you check out the progress of the Union Station redevelopment. There's also a chance to stop at REI, because come on, we all need some overpriced outdoor gear at one point or another.

We were so happy to show Ted, Caroline, and Mae a little piece of our new home. Just a few years back, we were all kidless and living in Seattle. The four of us had so much fun during those years (lots of it involving rainy nights and red wine....) but it's so exciting to be where we are now. We're each blessed with beautiful baby girls, and new adventures in our new cities. We all wish this visit could be longer or we could live in the same place so we didn't have to squeeze so much into a long weekend, but we're making the most of it. Old friends are the best.

recently enjoyed moments

Life has been really good lately.

Life is always good, and often really good, but lately things have just been comfortably wonderful. Good food, family, fun outings, a lovely new house we're settling into... I feel very lucky. Very happy. And even more are ahead: we have good friends coming to visit for the long weekend. And we got a new table so we can dine al fresco. I'm tellin' ya, so much goodness. Happy Labor Day weekend!

{denver brick. always makes my eyes happy.}

{beer tasting at odell brewery in fort collins // note the bib in my hand. classy.}

{gnocchi at root down.}

{"happier hour" with littles at BookBar}

{hiking at white ranch park in golden, co}

{these pancakes for weekend breakfast}

{a trip to the botanic gardens with nana and bobo. // photo by my mom.}

{vintage shopping. i just had to make her sit in the car, and i'm so glad i did.}

bittersweet

Earlier this month, we celebrated our six year anniversary. (I'm not sure why, but six years feels a lot longer than five. More than half a decade?)

Last year we had a two-month old, and so we stayed in and celebrated with a bottle of really good beer. This year, we were able to do it up with several festivities. First, we went to see Josh Ritter. On our actual anniversary, we were lucky enough to have lots of family over for a simple dinner of stacked enchiladas. And the night before that, we went out just the two of us to bittersweet. We've been on a bit of a cold streak with the Denver restaurant scene of late. I don't want to throw a bunch of restaurants under the bus, but in the past couple months we've shelled out more money than we were comfortable with for mediocre fare. We really needed a win for our anniversary, and thankfully, bittersweet was just that! Every single dish we had was phenomenal. It's always a good sign when you can't decide which dish is your favorite.

{fresh peach salad with burrata, proscuitto, and arugula pesto}

{duck sausage with apricot sauce and red pepper and carrot slaw}

{grouper with corn hash, mustard, and spätzle}

The most unexpectedly delicious meal of the night was our dessert. After being wowed by so many dishes, we decided to go out on a limb and try an over-the-top sounding dish. I can't remember the summation name, but it was a corn bread pudding over vanilla custard with maple ice cream, blackberries, micro greens, pecans, and fried duck skin. Needless to say, it had a lot going on. But the flavors came together perfectly and the duck skin provided just the right amount of salt.

{they had a pretty glam bathroom too. felt like the right setting for a selfie.}

Yay for six years of marriage to my favorite dining companion!