I'm back!

Yes, it's true. After a year off, I have decided to revisit my blog. So much fun stuff is going on this summer, and I want to be able to capture it all!

This past weekend was filled with eating, drinking, friends, and park-time - all fantastic things in my book - and since I typically forget my weekends by the time Monday rolls around, I thought I'd record the events of the past few days here.

We kicked things off on Friday night at Green Russell in LoDo (http://www.greenrussell.com/), a new "Prohibition" bar concept by Frank Bonanno. This speakeasy-style bar is really cool. It's located underground by Lime and Bistro Vendome in the same space as Wednesday's Pie (another Bonanno concept), so you get a little thrown off when you walk in. Just tell the host you're there for the Green Russell, and he/she will seat you. However, a seat must be available - you can't just stand at the bar.

The drinks at this moody, dark space are very creative (and pricey). They have a cocktail menu, but I opted to have the bar tender make a custom gin creation, which was fabulous. They also have appetizers and snacks, but we were headed to a big dinner across the way at TAG, so I'll have to return to try out the eats.

After Green Russell, we went to TAG (http://www.tag-restaurant.com/) for dinner. The place was slammed but had really great energy. The food was, as always, AMAZING. Seriously amazing. From the appetizers - Taco Sushi and Chicken Confit Empanadas - to the mains - South American Kingklip - to the phenomenal desserts - Banana Cream Pie and Sticky Toffee Cake. We enjoyed fantastic wines and had a blast with our hilarious waiter (I'll leave the drama that's happening at TAG right now out). I seriously cannot stop thinking about how amazing the whole dinner was. And we had a great table right by the kitchen. Looking forward to the next time!

After TAG, we headed over to Red Square for flavor-infused vodka shots (http://www.redsquarebistrocom/). Enough said.

Such a fun Friday night, and a great start to the weekend.

Weekend in Wine Country

Hola. This past weekend I was in San Fran and Sonoma for a bachelorette party. AMAZING! There were six of us girls, and we just had the BEST time. Anything that includes wine always turns out well, yes?

I could not tell you where we were or where we went in San Fran, but we had a great dinner on Thursday night and a fabulous lunch on Friday before renting a car and driving up to wine country. We actually stayed in Cloverdale (www.cloverdale.net), which is about 32 miles north of Santa Rosa. We rented an absolutely adorable house with three bedrooms and two baths that was above a spa.

We had a fun little lingerie party for the bachelorette before heading out to dinner at Barn Diva in Healdsburg (www.barndiva.com). The food was good, but the drinks were spectacular! The restaurant is on the smaller side, but has a great bar and a great vibe.

The next day we took a limo to several wineries throughout Sonoma: Ferrari Carano, Preston, Bella, Sbragia and Foppoli. ALL AMAZING. Seriously, you know I enjoy all wines, but these were unbelievable. And truly the limo is the way to go. No worrying about drinking and driving or directions or anything. You can book limo tours though any hotel or wine country limo service. We were also able to order lunch through the limo service, which the driver served us at a winey overlooking the vineyards. Right?

One thing I was pleasantly surprised by was the wine tasting fees. They were like $5 everywhere we went in Sonoma. In Napa, they charge you like $15-$25 for a tasting. Plus, if you purchased a bottle at these Sonoma wineries (which of course I did), they refund/waive the fee. Awesome.

So all in all a fantastic time! I will post pics soon.

Riverfront Park Fashion Show 2010

I love this event (http://www.riverfrontparkfashion.com/). This was the first year it was on a Saturday (had been on Thursdays before), and this time it was only one show (had been three during previous summers). This event definitely brings out the "who's who of Denver" (that was for Matty...he loves when I say things like that), and it's the BEST people-watching ever. WOW. Good Lord there are some awesome outfits. And these ladies sure let it all out. Whew.

This event takes place in the little courtyard area by Zengo in Riverfront Park. They have quite a set up going on...cabanas, food tents, lots and lots of alcohol, a full-on runway...it's pretty cool. The show is produced by Tobie Orr, and she really does a great job. It features great fashion from Colorado stores - OK well the fashion is a bit crazy, but hey, it's a fashion show. But it's totally cool and fun to watch.

All in all, for a general admin ticket price of $60, it's a must-do on the summer bucket list.

Oh, and the best thing EVER is that it benefits the Railyard Dogs, a non-profit organization charged with constructing a much-needed dog park in Downtown Denver/Riverfront Park area (http://www.railyarddogs.org/). PLEASE DONATE!!!

DATE NIGHT: Bones and Yogurt Guru

UGH sorry I am so behind peeps. This whole "work thing" is quite time consuming.

Anyway...

Matty and I were able to sneak in a date night last night (after I battled the traffic home for an hour) at Bones in Govs Park (www.bonesdenver.com). It's part of that whole Frank Bonanno restaurant chain that includes Mizuna, Osteria Marco, Luca, etc, which are all mind-blowingly good. We've been before, right after it first opened, and it was good...not amazing...but good, so we decided to give it another try.

Now, the place is teeny tiny! Which bothers me. So try to get a booth for four people instead of a tiny table for two. Or sit outside on the pretty decent patio.

The food is good. I wouldn't say mind-blowing. The suckling pig steamed buns are pretty outstanding, and I swear I could eat like 40 of those at once. The pork belly ones aren't as amazing. But the whole idea is that it's a noodle bar, so the main courses are noodle bowls. Last time I had the Soba Noodles...with Prosciutto, mushrooms, peas and Miso soup. But this time I had the Shrimp Lettuce Wraps...exactly as they sound, and Matt had the Egg Noodles I believe...duck, bok choy, oyster broth. Eh. I guess if you're obsessed with noodles, these will be good for you, but not so much for me.

Cool place though. The Sangria nearly killed me. And the white wine wasn't cold enough for me. Whatevs.

Afterward, we drove into Cherry Creek North for fro-yo at Yogurt Guru (www.yogurt-guru.com). I really do love their fro-yo, but dear Lord, what is up with all the kids?

4th of July...yes, it was a week ago.

Watching 4th of July fireworks from "Sky Bar" in the Hyatt in downtown Denver...

Dear Lord it's been awhile since I've posted! Lo siento. As you know, I now have a "real" job that has been occupying most of my time. I consider that a good thing, right?

Anyway, I wanted to share some pics and info about what we've been up to (besides me commuting to Boulder everyday), and hopefully I will be able to figure out how to balance this new job with all the other things I love to do in life!

Soooo...last weekend...4th of July...we had hoped to scope out a spot on Vita's rooftop in The Highlands to watch the fireworks from Invesco. Unfortunately, the freaking monsoon prevented us from venturing outside...and the dude there said you couldn't see the fireworks from their patio. DENIED. So we quickly regained our composure and made our way next door to Lola for dinner - which actually ended up being pretty good. I have never had that great of an eating experience at Lola, but this time was surprisingly good. Of course the pitchers of sangrias probably helped.

Afterward, we made our way to the Hyatt downtown and their awesome "Sky Bar" as we like to call it. Not really sure what its name actually is, but it's the Hyatt on 15th and Welton, and you just go all the way up to the top of the hotel. They have this awesome bar with fabulous views of Denver.

The place wasn't as packed as I'd thought it would be, and since the fireworks ended up being pretty lame, we just chilled and drank and kept it mellow!

Renee striking a pose while watching the fireworks! Too cute!Dinner at Lola in The Highlands

4th of July plans?

Yes, it is only Wednesday night... June 30...but I am already thinking about this weekend!!! What do you have planned? So far we have nothing planned. We're thinking about hitting up Vita in the Highlands for dinner and then watching the fireworks from Invesco. And then maybe a hike up Maxwell Falls on Monday? Never been there so I can't really say if it's awesome or not.

Any suggestions?

Lala's Wine Bar and Pizzeria

Soooo last night Matty and I hit up Lala's in Gov's Park (http://www.lalaswinebar.com/) for wine and pizza (notice the order of words there?). I had just finished Day #2 of my awesome new job, and I was in desperate need of a good glass of white wine and a delicious pizza.

The place is always loud. Not sure why because it's not abnormally busy, but it's just loud. There was a small event going on, but still...not that many people to make it that loud. Whatever.

We sat in a booth along the low side of the bar and ordered our $5 Happy Hour wines (any wines under $10 are $5 each, and then any wines above $5 are half price until 7 p.m.). We also ordered the meat and cheese selection for $14...freaking delicious. And then we ordered pizzas! Matt got Beppe's Pizze...a wonderful mix of cheese, pepperoni, caramelized onions, and Greek olives. Hell yes! I got the Pizza Artista..cheese, pancetta, other meats, arugula, and balsamic. AHHH. Perfect.

This place is great because it's low key (expect for the noise), it's easy to just walk right in (parking sucks though), and the food and wine are always awesome (that's the truth!). Plus, the Happy Hour rocks and the prices are pretty good. All in all a good place to hit up on a week night when you're looking for good food and a cool environment.

OH and they also support the Polo Classic, so I like them.