Denver is a way cool town!

Mike and I went to visit my Mother who lives in downtown Denver. What a cool city! Back in 1991, Mike moved to Vail and lived there for four years. He says Denver is a completely different city from the one he remembers. One of their biggest problems back then was the smog. The air was so bad they had daily alerts. Now the city is sparkling clean. The air is clear and the streets are free of debris. People are moving to downtown Denver in droves. There are scores of independent restaurants, cool bars, historic buildings, hip shops, Museums and all within walking distance. Right off we managed to make it to a great Belgian Beer Cafe about two blocks from my mother's house called the Cheeky Monk. They have a huge selection of Belgian beers on tap and some in bottles. The happy hour delivers some fabulous deals. If we lived there Michael would have a cot. The Denver Art Museum has a beautiful new wing and superb restaurant, Palettes. For lunch I had the 4 cheese Mac & Cheese. My Mother had a beautifully roasted half chicken covered with fresh cut fries and Michael had scallops sandwiched between crispy potato cakes. To walk off all the delicious food and drink we went through Molly Brown's House. Yes, the unsinkable from Titanic fame. It was an interesting tour. I recommend it. We had dinner at Vesta Dipping Grill in Lodo. The menu consists of different meats or vegetables and a large selection of dipping sauces. I enjoyed the menu all though I found the sauces to be on the sweet side. I did have a fantastic drink made from Green Tea infused Vodka and Ginger Beer. Yummy.

Michael spent a day snowboarding in Vail so my Mother and I ran around downtown. We explored the state capitol which is having its 100 year anniversary. We had cocktails at the new Ritz-Carleton and wandered around the 16th Street Mall.

Michael came home the next morning, unbroken. We had brunch the next morning at home. In anticipation of our arrival my Mother made a cured salmon. She marinated it in Molasses and Soy Sauce and let it cure for a week. What a yummy breakfast. My Mother had an appointment so Michael and I had a cocktail at Parallel 17. It's a Modern Vietnamese Restaurant with a stylish interior and innovative menu. We made it to Jax's Seafood Restaurant for happy hour. They have Chesapeake Bay Oysters for .75 I love that. Dinner was at the most amazing Japanese restaurant called Domo. Their speciality is low country Japanese food and Wanko Sushi. The restaurant is attached to a domo and small museum. There is the most stunning garden patio area that in spring is perfect for outdoor seating. I can't recommend this restaurant highly enough.


That evening Michael and I went to the coolest bar in Lodo. The Cruise Room in the Oxford Hotel seems frozen in time. Fashioned after one of the lounges on the Queen Mary it opened the day after prohibition was lifted in 1933. Its Art Deco interior is as stylish now as it was when it opened. Our final stop was the 114 year old Brown Palace. To me this is one of the most beautiful historic hotels I've ever been in. They were voted Best Martini in the Westworld, our version of the Scene.

We were leaving the next day so our final meal before we drove to the airport was at Steuben's on the corner of Pearl. What a fun place. It has a fun retro-modern interior and a funky Americana menu. Denver is a great town with a ton to offer. I have a whole list of places I want to check out next time a get there. I can't wait.

http://www.thecheekymonk.com/

http://www.coloradoeats.com/palettes/

http://www.mollybrown.org/

http://www.vestagrill.com/

http://www.parallelseventeen.com/

http://www.jaxfishhousedenver.com/

http://www.domorestaurant.com/

http://www.theoxfordhotel.com/cruise-room.htm

http://www.brownpalace.com/

http://www.steubens.com/

Outfit of the day

Those of you who know me, know I have a true passion for clothes. I say clothes and not fashion because to me when most people say fashion it connotes labels and names. Now don't get me wrong. I love a beautiful Gucci dress as much as the next girl but, I love all kinds of clothes. Any era, shape, label or lack of. Right now I'm obsessed with jumpsuits. Kind of like the one Olivia Newton John wore in Xanadu. Fabulous! Fortunately for me, I'm not shy when it comes to wearing all these outfits. I just love an excuse to throw on a party frock. With all that being said...I've decided to start documenting all my costume changes. I'm starting with my Elvis dress. I made this from one of those tacky wall hangings. I wore this Monday night. I forgot to take pictures again until tonight. Tonight is a H&M velvet suit with a military flair and my favorite shoes by Sam Edelman. Hopefully my friends will remind me to take a picture every night so we can document future costumes.

This is me looking at my friend Joi who thinks she's Ansel Adams telling her to take the picture already!

Great exhibit at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts

Mike and I decided to spend a nice quiet day at the Frist this last Sunday afternoon. Little did we know it was a free entry day. There were hoards of families. Loud families. There were so many people to see the major exhibit, Monet to Dali, a line went all the way out the back of the museum. The main show is generously on loan from the Cleveland Museum of Art and the collection is very impressive. Because of the line, Mike and I decided to see the exhibit on the second floor. Aaron Douglas was described as an African American Modernist. His style was a blending of African tribal figures and Art Deco modernism. You only have until April 13th to check it out.
Even after starting upstairs the line was still all the way out the door. We decided to wait for the line to diminish with a cocktail at the newly renovated Union Station bar. The daytime bartender, Gretchen, is a hoot! She entertained us for about an hour and then we headed back to the museum. We were able to walk right in and enjoy the main show. Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Matisse, Pissaro and many more master works are on display.
Even with all the masterpieces around us I was most impressed with the Contemporary Artists Project Gallery in the rear of the main exhibition floor. This small two room space houses the most incredible works by an embroidery artist named Angelo Filomeno. To say he's just an embroidery artist is not giving him justice. His works were spectacular. Vibrant silks are appliqued with metallic threads which are then interwoven with beads and rhinestones to create an an almost gossamer lace-like illusion.
You can see these spectacular works at the Frist until June 1st. Don't wait, you might miss it!

Below is a link I found on google of a gallery that featured Filomeno's work. The pieces aren't nearly as vibrant in pictures as they are in real life.
http://www.marianneboeskygallery.com/exhibitions/2006_2_angelo-filomeno/

Cocktails & Camelot

My mother loves musical theater. Growing up she took me to the ballet every time it came to Miami and the theater as often as we could. I had the great fortune to see some amazing performers like Yul Brenner in the King and I, Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady and Richard Burton in Camelot. Michael had never seen Camelot so I bid on and won a pair of opening night tickets at the Soup for Kids silent auction. We started at the Hermitage Hotel's Oak bar. The bartenders Deb and Kristy are a treat and make some great cocktails. After our cocktails it was off to the theater. Camelot starred Lou Diamond Phillips as King Arthur. I never knew Lou Diamond Phillips could sing and unfortunately he can't. His dramatic moments were fine but he doesn't have the rich baritone needed to carry the role. The supporting cast, especially the actress who played Genevive, was wonderful. The only other problem I had was with the sound. TPAC should be ashamed. Anytime a performer hit a high note, yelled or spoke loudly it was horribly distorted. It was very unpleasant. I think Camelot is a beautiful and moving musical. Even though Lou Diamond Phillips' singing could be much stronger his dramatic moments and some great cocktails still make for a fun evening.

I was sure the news stations were wrong and the snow wouldn't stick. Whoops! Things got covered fast. It was so beautiful Mike and I went for a walk in Sevier Park after we closed the restaurant. Leaving our yard we were ambushed by our snowball wielding friends Hal & Kim. Mike tried sledding down the hill in his trusty giant black garbage bag. X-games watch out!

Mike D's kitchen cam

Here's a quick glimpse into the kitchen on a busy night. Mike is making the seared rare tuna with sweet potato salad and the bacon wrapped crab cakes.  I love the crab cakes!

Soup for dreary weather

With March just a couple of days away we still have a month of cold dreary weather. Soup is the perfect cure for the deep down in your bones cold and it's not as hard to whip up a batch as you would think. Try steaming some vegetables. It can be any kind like broccoli, cauliflower, peas, beets, anything. Cook until tender then put in a blender. Add some liquid. Try bouillon, cream, milk even soy milk. Start with small amounts until you achieve the desired thickness. Add salt and pepper. Serve. Try different seasonings, herbs or infused oils for interesting flavor combinations. I like to drizzle a little truffle oil or sesame oil into the puree. Give it a try and let me know how it turned out.