Recently we had our anniversary dinner at Fruition, one of our favorite restaurants.  I have posted about our meals there previously but it had been over a year since we dined there last.  Our table was right on the window overlooking sixth avenue.  Both the food and service were spectacular.

We started with the Marinated Beef Carpaccio that came with a Meyer Lemon Hollandaise and the Alaskan Halibut Cheeks that came with English Pea Agnolotti.  All of the flavors were bright, buttery, flaky and earthy - it was my first time trying halibut cheeks.  For my entree I chose the Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast that came with Carnaroli Risotto, Grilled Arugula, Smoked Duck Prosciutto and was garnished with a sweet Red Onion Marmalade.  I also got a taste of their Sea Bass that was accompanied with a hearty Corn Chowder.

For dessert I had their Palisades Peach Cobbler and some Macallan 12 year.  The cobbler was delightful and a perfect end to my meal.  It is nice to know that one of Denver’s best restaurants is still packing foodies in with a sophisticated, chef inspired menu and top notch service.

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. 

A great deal of progress has been made since my last construction update for the Denver Pavilions back in June.  Both the Welton and Tremont plaza stairways are now open while the railings, new benches and planters are being finished.  The curved staircases on each side of the Pavilions have been demolished making way for new escalators that will be installed later this summer.  Photos are in chronological order.

Another big change has happened on the back side of the project which has been painted and now is waiting for future signage to be installed.  Test swatches of possible paint colors can be found throughout the center and I will be curious as to what color scheme they decide to go with.  Work on the elevators continues and I am looking forward to construction of the new crosswalk to begin.

Recently I got to go on a guided tour of the Ritz Carlton Residences located above The Ritz-Carlton Denver at 1881 Curtis Street.  I attended the ribbon cutting for the hotel in January 2008.  My tour began in the resident’s lounge which was decorated in a type of “Colorado elegance” style.  There are 24 residences available and the project is in the process of transitioning to a new sales team.

We toured a number of homes from their small 1,140 SF two bedroom floor plan all the way up to their 6,000 SF two-story penthouses.  Some units were much more finished then others but all of them will be completed prior to being offered for purchase again.  My tour focused on the first eight residences that will be released this fall. 

Each home’s kitchen features a different kind of slab granite and back splash so every kitchen in the project is unique.  Cabinet and floor finishes also vary throughout the various units and I favored the darker wood palette.  Berloni cabinets and Wolf appliances make for a great entertaining kitchen whether you cook or cater and the larger homes had impressive islands.  Each home had a service entry that opened into a full size laundry room with a stacked washer and dryer with a utility sink. 

Of course the penthouses were most dramatic because of the higher ceiling height which let in an amazing amount of sunlight.  I also liked the unit with the angled window wall right off of the kitchen and family room.  Overall the homes seem like they will be warm and cozy when completed.  The views from all sides of the building were incredible. 

Our tour ended with a walk through of the fully furnished and decorated model.  After seeing so much space that was half finshed and under construction it really helped to see how a residence would look and feel when it was complete. 

July turned out to be the last month of operations for three 16th St. Mall retailers and now represent opportunities for new stores along the Mall.  Sportsfan located in the former Kortz Jewelry space at the University Building closed on Friday.  The souvenir t-shirt shop at the Champa Center next to Payless Shoes also closed last week.

Christopher & Banks at the Tabor Center - next to Ling & Louie’s was not officially closed on Friday but a quick peek inside revealed mostly empty shelves with a few items remaining.  While this is bad news for some I would argue that it is good for the Mall in the long run.  I know that the Tabor Center space is all but re-leased to a new tenant and I think the University Building space is in a prime location that will receive a lot of attention.  I have posted previously about how desired space along the 16th Street Mall is and how deals are just taking a lot longer to finalize in this economy.  I hope the employees affected land on their feet and I look forward to some new stores in Downtown Denver.