On Saturday night we were guests at a wine tasting presented by Yelp at Lala’s Wine Bar + Pizzeria located at 410 E. 7th Avenue in Capitol Hill.  We have frequented Lala’s (previously Sparrow) since they opened.  We have been for brunch, dinner and most recently their late happy hour.  The same team that operates Govnr’s Park Tavern around the corner opened Lala’s in September of 2008.  I have enjoyed witnessing their progression over the past year into a fun place that is often packed and serves good food at reasonable prices.

The room quickly filled up but there was never too long of a wait at the bar or the two wine tasting stations.  Our first passed appetizer that we sampled was “Roaring 40’s blue cheese and strawberries wrapped with a chive” which was a nice way to begin.  We tried the Lunetta Prosecco from Italy as our first wine.  It was clean, fresh and something I would serve at a brunch or party at home.  Next we tried the Matua Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand which was hands down my favorite - it was more on the fruity side (grapefruit and grass with good acidity) than others I have tried.

Next we sat down at the bar to sample a new cocktail called “For the love of Root” which was smooth and not too sweet.  Root is a new liqueur that is only available in Philadelphia - they brought in a couple of cases for the event.   They combined muddled orange, cardamom seeds, lemon zest and Root with splash of soda and served it on the rocks.  As the evening progressed we got to try “Crispy Speck topped with sweet potato puree, toasted pepitas and balsamic drizzle” and “Smoked salmon stuffed pinwheels with arugula pesto mascarpone with black sea salt.”

We also tried the Delas Cote du Rhone from France, Filus Malbec from Argentina and Mas de la Dame Grenache Syrah from France.  For dessert there was an assortment of bite sized truffles; Ancho chili cocoa, amaretto cookie crumb and lavender sugar (totally awesome).  They have a large front patio and the weather was nice enough to hang out and enjoy our wine.  We had a great time and it was fun to experience Lala’s in a party atmosphere like this. 

This year Denver Restaurant Week will actually be two weeks running from February 20th through March 5th.  As a foodie and restaurant junkie, I look forward to this time when I can enjoy my favorite places and try out some new eateries without spending as much.  I hope that with two weeks it will be somewhat easier to get reservations but some places are a challenge no matter when it is.

I checked out the list of participating restaurants and the only real disappointment I have is that Fruition chose not to participate.  I am sure they have their reasons, but I feel it is a glaring omission.  I was hoping Twelve would be on the list as well.  I am happy to see that a couple of Kevin Taylor Restaurant Group locations, Bistro Vendome, Rioja and Frank Bonanno’s spots are all participating.  I had better make my reservations ASAP or all of my first choices will be booked.

Last week I attended the grand opening of Jiberish on Platte Street in the Lower Highlands.  Jiberish is a Denver based hip-hop and snowboarding apparel company that was founded in 2005.  This flagship, located at 1621 Platte St., Unit F, is the first retail location.  The event was fun featuring a mini fashion show and culminating with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.  While the clothing is not for my demographic this is a very exciting and welcome development for Downtown Denver.  I wish Dave, Pete and Gabe all the best in this new endeavor.

Months of construction at the Denver Pavilions finally wrapped up on November 10th at their Grand Re-Introduction Event held in Welton Plaza in front of the new stairway and escalator.  Having followed the renovation closely it was gratifying to see all of the work that has been completed.   To celebrate there was an escalator fashion show as well as remarks from the Mayor, the owner and other Downtown leaders. 

It was amazing to see what a difference was made from just a week prior when I had thought in the back of my mind that they might miss the deadline.  The event drew a large crowd and I am optimistic that the next chapter in the history of the Pavilions is off to a great start.  To cap off of the ceremony a portrait by Malcom Farley of Mayor John Hickenlooper was presented.  I will be posting a final construction update with photos shortly.

On the evening of Veteran’s Day I attended “A Night in Old Union Station”.  This was a gala to benefit the revival of the former welcome (Mizpah) arch which was originally built in 1906.  Located at 17th & Wynkoop, the arch was removed in 1931 when it was deemed a traffic hazard.  We entered the cavernous waiting room and it surprisingly brought back fond memories of taking the train back to Chicago to visit family in Wisconsin for Christmas ages ago when I was a kid .  Buffet stations and bars were set up in various locations and it was fun mingling about to see the who’s who of guests in attendance.  My favorite part of the evening was when we took the tunnel under the station out to the train tracks where two of the luxury club cars from the former Ski Train cars were open to tour.  Having never been on the Ski Train it was so fun to experience the different rooms, wood paneling and elegant furnishings which made you feel like you were stepping back in time.  It felt like I was in that scene from White Christmas where Danny, Bing, Vera and Rosemary sing “Snow!”.  We ended the evening on the second floor balcony overlooking the main waiting room which was gave us a great vantage point to watch the film that was commissioned for the event.  Denver is very lucky to still have a station like this and I will remember this night for many years to come.

Recently I attended the grand opening of the Cornerstone Residences located at the corner of Park Avenue West and Curtis.  I first posted about this project when I attended their groundbreaking last June.  I was amazed at what a transformation had been made and how similar the final project was to the rendering I had seen over a year ago.  When you look at what was there before there is no question as to how good this is for this part of Downtown.  The first part of the ceremony took place in the new community room and culminated with the ribbon cutting at the front entrance to the building.  I really hope this continues to spur further development for this part of Downtown.

Panzano Restaurant, one of my favorite eateries, at 909 17th Street is doing a fun promotion to kick off their new Zeppole program this coming Monday, September 28th.  On that day they will be giving away 1,000 hot fresh Zeppole and coffee from their patio at 17th & Champa.  Zeppole closely resemble donut holes and are an Italian delicacy.  After this kick off, from 7:00 am to 8:30 am every Monday a Panzano chef will be outside cooking the confections that will be available for sale to people passing by.

Two flavors are planned; plain and one filled with hazelnut chocolate ganache.  Freshly brewed coffee will also be available by the cup for $2.  Zeppole will be sold by the half dozen and dozen and range from $3 for a half dozen plain to $7 for a full dozen of the chocolate filled (prices include tax).  I think this is a fun idea and look forward to trying my first Zeppole on Monday.

Belatedly I am posting about my experience at this year’s Taste of Colorado which was held in Civic Center Park over Labor Day weekend.  I volunteered on Friday night so I went early to walk around and check things out.  While some elements were still being completed for Saturday, the crowds and energy were fun.

My favorite area as always is the fine dining area and the culinary showcase where they have celebrity chefs doing kitchen demonstrations.  There was a wide variety of music and other performances throughout the evening.  Even though I am a native I still am amazed at how beautiful the park, the fountain and its surrounding buildings are - the dome of the Capitol at dusk was stunning.  I tried chocolate covered bacon and bacon ice cream for the first time, both were interesting.  I also had my first Chicago dog at Mustard’s Last Stand.  Taste was a great way to wrap up a summer that just flew by.

Last Friday I attended my very first topping off ceremony for the 1800 Larimer project currently under construction at 19th & Larimer.  Westfield is the developer of the 22 story, 500,000 SF, pre-certified LEED tower that is the future home of the corporate headquarters for Xcel Energy.  Mortenson Construction is the construction manager at risk and the project was designed by RNL.

The ceremony was staged in the future rooftop garden terrace on top of the parking structure.  Historically topping off is a ceremony held when the last beam is placed on top of a building that can be traced to the ancient Scandinavian religious practice of place a tree on top of a new building.  It has now evolved to having the workman sign the last beam attaching an evergreen tree and an American flag to it and then putting it in place.  The tree and flag symbolize growth and bring luck.  A BBQ lunch was served after the ceremony in the lobby of the building.

The Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver is running their 2009 Rocky Mountain Home Raffle between now and September 25th.  The grand prize is a $1,000,000 mountain dream home, a luxury Downtown Denver loft or $1,000,000 in cash.  There will also be two early bird drawings on August 17th and September 7th where you could win anywhere from $1,000, to $5,000 to $10,000 in cash.  Tickets are $100 each and all proceeds go to support the work of the Boys & Girls Clubs throughout Denver.  You can order your ticket online here.  Right now there are discounts if you by packs of 3 or 10.     

I got to tour the luxury Downtown loft earlier this week at Zi Lofts at 2229 Blake Street right across from Coors Field.  All of the penthouses on the 7th floor open onto a stunning Zen water garden which has a giant sky light over it.  Each home is two stories and you enter on upper level where the kitchen and dining room are.  Stairs lead you down to the private living space where the bedrooms and dens are.  The bathrooms had over sized tubs and showers with seamless glass doors.

Each residence that we toured had amazing exposure to sunlight, great views and modern finishes.  All of the kitchens that I saw were unique and one of a kind.  Other homes had two sided fireplaces and one had a butler’s pantry which has always been a dream of mine to have in my own home.  The corner terraces offered both city and mountain views.  I certainly would envy the lucky person that wins one of these homes.  You can check it out for yourself this weekend - they are hosting an open house on Saturday, August 15th from Noon to 5:00pm.