MICAH: Mama Sannino's

Mama Sannino’s

Arvada, CO

Todd is going camping this weekend so we moved date night to last night, Tuesday. Not knowing what to do or where to go, I found myself on denver.citysearch.com and happened upon a little place called Mama Sannino’s. It was allegedly located in this crappy strip mall by our house, but I’ve never seen it. It got great reviews so it was worth a shot.

We walked in and the place was pretty full…probably six other groups dining. It’s a small restaurant so six was nice, but not overflowing. We were immediately greeted by a young lady that we later overheard had just turned 16 the previous week. She was nice.

A woman whom I believed to be THE Mama came to take our drink order…for such a small place, they had a nice wine selection (I didn’t check out the beer options, but Todd got a Peroni) and they carry my ultimate fave wine, Chateau St. Michele Riesling…mmmm!

The menu was pretty decent sized too, again, for the size of the place. I wound up getting a half order of pasta and marinara with sausage (incl. bread and salad). Todd got the fettuccini alfredo (incl. soup and bread). We both pretty much devoured our dinners…they were everything I expected and more! Yum! We sat around for a l-o-n-g time just enjoying dinner and then, since it was date night, we split a cannoli…holy mackerel was it good! I think it might have been better than then one(s) we had in Boston!

All in all, quite the pleasant surprise…we’ll be going back, but next time, on bikes (since it’s so close).

This place gets a FRIDAY from me.

One other fun thing to note: the bathrooms had all kinds of fun art in them. It was pretty awesome!

TODD: Pete's Greek Cafe

The fact that a restaurant is "on Colfax" should not disqualify it from the relative pantheon of Denver eateries that you must try.

They have non-Greek food, too, for you losers who order a cheeseburger at Mexican places, but their house cuisine is "where it's at."

As Micah already described our dishes, I'll save myself the trouble except to say that the food was fantastic. My salad was drenched in dressing, however, and at one point I do recall making the "bitter beer face" over a mouthful of vinegary deliciousness. The pita bread with the appetizer was warm and solid and fantastic. My "lasagna" was a little bland in the past area (of which there was much because it was stacked about 4" tall) but the mixture of the flavors with the nutmeg-meat and sauce offset it beautifully.

Yes, the baklava was the absolute best. It was warm, which doubled the effect, and I did accuse Micah of wanting to lick the place (though, secretly, I would have made her fight me for it).

Definitely recommended for every night of the week, especially FRIDAY.

MICAH: Pete's Greek Café

This little gem in the heart of Congress Park has been a favorite of Denver locals for...YEARS. It's one of the many Pete's restaurants in the area and neither of us had ever been to Greek Café so it seemed appropriate that we go for date night on Friday...especially since we were at an event at Tattered Cover just 3 blocks away.

Pete's Greek is a pretty large restaurant with the front looking like a classic diner and the back, more like a traditional sit-down restaurant. Our server was really pleasant and, as it turns out, it was only her second night working at the place. She didn't know much about the menu, food or otherwise (or she would NOT have let me drink the wine that I did), but she did get her trainer who made some great recommends to Todd...

So we started with tzatziki and pita which was absolutely perfection.
For our entreés, Todd got Greek-style lasagna which looked delicious and I did not get to try any of it...but the beef was cooked with nutmeg so it smelled AMAZING. And anytime I go to a new restaurant, I go with something that is "standard". I do this because I figure if they can't get the basics right, I'm not going to try anything else. With Greek food, my standard is a gyro sandwich. And boy does Pete do it up right! It was absolutely incredible. So next time we're there, I'll probably get souvlaki or something...mmm!

But the best part of the entier night for me was dessert.

I freaking LOVE baklava and I was informed that Pete's Greek has the best in the city. So try it we did.

And OMG, it was most assuredly the best I've ever had. I kind of want to try to steal the recipe so that I can make it! It tastes like Christmas. Warm, spiced, delicious, wonderful, perfect Christmas. I damn near licked the plate clean.

So given that we went on a Friday night and there were maybe 20 other people in the place, I give this a FRIDAY NIGHT...perfect for all occassions on all evenings...

Definitely check this one out if you haven't already...

Todd: Quick Hits for Highland Breakfast

If you're in the Highlands neighborhood, on or near Tennyson Street and between 38th and 44th, here are some fantastic breakfast choices for you. We're a little sad to be moving out of the neighborhood at the end of this week as we won't have these places within walking distance!

Kyle's Kitchen - Your typical "American" style breakfast with a bit of attitude. This place screams "hole in the wall" and "diner" as loud as it can, sporting fantastic foods like the huge breakfast burrito and their biscuits & gravy. They keep your coffee topped off and their prices are quite competitive for the quality. It's never so busy that we haven't been able to sit in the same table but there are always people there. Recommended for breakfast any day of the week.

DJ's Berkeley Cafe - Bouncing back from a recent internal fire, this place is definitely the fanciest breakfast place on the street. With espresso drinks available to go and a "frittata of the day", DJ's has a menu for the modern Denverite who may or may not be vegan and may or may not eat wheat. They have great eggs benedict, the best home fries I've had (ever), and friendly courteous service. Again, recommended for breakfast any day of the week.

Javier & C Diner - Having only been here for breakfast once, this past Sunday, I wholeheartedly recommend it and am a little mad at myself for waiting so long! This place may look like a tiny brick burrito shop from the outside (with a little less than adequate parking for the crowd they bring in) but the inside is much nicer. The food, particularly the hot chili they drizzle on their mexican-style dishes (which do not dominate the entire menu, surprisingly) is fantastic and they have a fairly large menu. Definitely recommended for a good Sunday brunch, but I think they're closed on certain weekdays.

Micah: US THAI - Edgewater, CO

So this is the first official review of a restaurant for the new blog.

Last Friday, for date night, I chose UsThai Cafe in Edgewater (25th & Sheridan). Since we're moving from the best neighborhood on earth at the end of the month, we're making special effort to eat only at restaurants in our neighborhood until we move (oh sad day).

Todd will explain the rating system in another post, but for now, I give this restaurant a TUESDAY.

It's a cute, small place and the staff was friendly. We were seated promptly and offered something to drink just as quickly. As soon as we'd poured our tea, our server came to take our dinner order. I chose pineapple curry with tofu and Todd opted for Thai chicken wings. We both got the "medium" spiciness, which was delicious and wonderful, but if you're sensitive to spice, definitely choose the "mild"...the medium even kicked me and I can usually handle a good deal of spice :o)

The service throughout the meal was adequate, to be sure. Our server only came by once to fill our water, which we liked. I kind of hate when servers arbitrarily fill my water (or coffee, for that matter) after I've taken a sip of it. It's not necessary and I didn't ask for it to be filled. It's fine to fill my water when it's more than half-full, without asking, but beyond that, it's just not needed.

Because the restaurant was so small, the tables had plastic tablecloths, and the napkins were paper (something Todd loathes), we didn't want to give this a FRIDAY rating. If you want a Friday Thai restaurant, definitely try out Thai Basil (there are a couple different locations, but our favorite is on 38th and Irving).

All in all, we really enjoyed our date night and would recommend UsThai...check 'em out!

Todd: ALAMOS VERDES

Alamos Verdes, Arvada

After not doing much but packing up the house yesterday, we decided to go out for a not-so-expensive dinner (particularly after Bloom on Saturday). We were in the mood for Mexican so I suggested a place I ride my bike near every time I commute.

Alamos Verdes immediately reminded me of a place closer to home, a restaurant called El Paraiso, and continued to do so throughout the evening. The inside was low-ceilinged, they have a nice patio and a large menu. We opted to stick with water for our beverage but shared the Guacamole Dip appetizer and then shared the Dinner #16, a bean-burrito and enchilada combo (we chose beef for the latter) smothered in their spicy green chile rather than mild red.

Both dishes we had were great, though I found the chile/sauce to be a bit thin. It was the perfect portion size to split between the two of us which means you'd best bring a large appetite if you're eating there alone or plan to order your own dish. The menu boasted that we were being served by three generations of the same family and that their dishes were all made by them; I believe this and I think the quality and care showed through.

Though the experience was a little marred by an EXTREMELY loud couple in the corner of the restaurant, I give Alamos Verdes high marks as Mexican places go. I got exactly what I was expecting, the service was good, and I would definitely go there again.

Final Verdict: Judging by the performance from a Sunday evening, the place wasn't all that busy so I can't say how wonderful the service would be on a Friday. You'd be brave to test it, but I'm sure the food would taste just as great.

Todd: BLOOM

Bloom, Broomfield

Though I'd been to Bloom a few times before, I thought it would be worth rating here. We went on a Saturday night with a group of about 7 others, one of them being from Toronto. Not to bias the post but Bloom is the favorite restaurant of my VP when he visits the Denver area and he is incredibly picky about what/where he will eat.

At first glance, the menu at Bloom seems small. One entire side is taken up by Wine Flights and other cocktails while the other presents a seasonal soup, a mixture of appetizers and salads, and about 12 main entrees of varying types.

All told, we had shares of these appetizers: Smoked Salmon, Calamari, Warm Brie, and the Mozzarella/tomato slices. My entree was the special of the night, Mahi Mahi and an additional side of Bleu Cheese Mashed Potatoes (which I didn't know were an option but will be getting them every time I go there in the future) while Micah had the Roasted Ribeye with Roquefort mashed potatoes and asparagus. I also sampled someone else's Wasabi mashed potatoes (it seems they take pride in their mash) which were everything I expected by the name. Finally, we all shared a few bites of the Bars of Sin, a great dessert in general if you are a chocolate lover.

I can't rate the wine but I will say that we had 2 bottles of red and at least 1 bottle of white - I can't rate it because the restaurant didn't produce it. Regardless, the presentation and service were both fantastic with the wine and the food.

Every piece of food that I consumed was fantastic, everything I expect from Bloom. I'd recommend this place for lunch or dinner, any day of the week.

Final Verdict? Definitely a Friday place.