Lovely Meals Lately 09-09-2020: Denver Edition!

The hubs and I decided late last week to take a spontaneous trip to Denver over the long weekend to celebrate BABY BOY! We were both craving some mountain therapy and it was so wonderful.

Denver has an amazing food scene and it's always such a treat to experience it. Be sure to check out my What to Do and Eat in Denver post from 2017 for more recommendations! We weren't on our phones very much as this wasn't a trip I wanted to "document" on Instagram, butI did snap some pics of our good eats.

We stayed downtown at The Maven, which is neat because it's super close to Union Station and a quick drive to the surrounding areas we like. Next time I'd like to stay in the RiNo district at The Ramble. We didn't have a car so being in a walkable area was important.

Saturday

We flew in late Friday night and grabbed some sushi as a random weird late night snack. On Saturday, we slept in and then grabbed coffee at our hotel's spot, Huckleberry. Then we walked to Larimer Square for brunch at Rioja.

We split the apple fritters as an app and they were divine. I ordered the Green Breakfast Bowl with spicy greens, eggs, crunchy seed mix, avocado, goat cheese, and jalapeño crema vinaigrette and Jeff got the Hangover cure with all the good stuff.

We sat outside and it was lovely!

We spent the afternoon walking all around the city, up to LoHi and the Highlands and through Sunny Side. My dogs were barking! It was insanely hot out so we stopped for a smoothie at Superfood Bar. The staff could not have been more friendly and you can tell they're really passionate about what they're doing. I love that!

We got the Turmeric Tonic with pineapple, avocado, date, carrot, turmeric, and black pepper. It was the perfect combination of creamy, sweet, tart, and oh so refreshing. I'd totally order it again.

Once we got to Sunny Side, Jeff was ready for lunch so we stopped at Bacon Social House. He got a crispy chicken sandwich and I got a big lemon poppyseed pancake. The food was nothing to write home about, but a fun atmosphere nonetheless!

We took a Lyft back to the hotel and totally crashed for the rest of the afternoon. The relaxation was so needed!

For dinner, we headed to Safta, an Israeli restaurant by James Beard Award-Winner Alon Shaya. What a talented human! Unfortunately I don't have photos because we sat outside and it was super dark...so just imagine all this goodness!

This was the best meal I've had in recent memory. I think I said "mmmmm" seventy five times.

We started with the wild roasted mushroom hummus with chermoula butter and herbs served with fluffy homemade pita. It was just like I remembered the hummus tasting in Israel...ridiculously smooth and luscious and incredible. I'm still drooling over this hummus!

Next we ordered the charred cabbage with muhammara (made with hazelnuts...be still my heart) and arugula with citrusy tahini. You have not had cabbage until you've had this cabbage. It melted in your mouth and tasted like absolute heaven.

Jeff ordered the lamb kebabs which were phenomenal, and we also shared delightfully seasoned sheba potatoes with paprika, ginger, and scallions.

Obviously we got dessert. I forgot to write down exactly what it was but it was some sort of chocolate semifreddo and it was incredible, like everything Safta does.You must try it if you find yourself in Denver!

Sunday

We got an early start and walked to Snooze at Union Station around 8:30am. Luckily when we got there it was only a thirty minute wait, because by 9am it was an hour and a half! We shared the juevos tostados, a veggie omelette topped with goat cheese and avocado, and a pancake. A simple and delish start to the day!

We then took a Lyft to Golden Gate Canyon State Park for a hike. What I wish I would have read in the reviews is that the roads to get the park are extremely windy. I'm quite shocked I kept my breakfast down.

We also didn't have the foresight to realize we wouldn't have cell service for miles so getting home after the hike was an interesting adventure. Thankfully we made a couple friends who were happy to drive us into town!

We stopped at Thump, our favorite coffee shop, on the way home.

We were hoping to grab tacos at Kachina in our hotel when we got back but were super bummed to find it was closed on Sunday. We settled for sandwiches at The Milk Market. Super mediocre but they curbed the hunger beast! We then relaxed for the rest of the day before heading out to dinner.

We walked over to Union Station to sit before dinner since they have lots of great outdoor seating. There was a nice little popup cocktail bar by Cooper's Lounge where we enjoyed drinks al fresco. I helped myself to a delish mocktail with ginger beer, cucumber, mint, and lime.

Dinner was at Tavernetta, an Italian restaurant that came highly recommend by a couple friends. The service was absolutely phenomenal. I think twelve different people thanked us and told us to have a great night as we were leaving. It was incredible!

We started with the scallop appetizer with watermelon and black garlic. They were perfectly cooked and super delish. They also brought out homemade focaccia with the most fabulous crust. I wish I could've taken a loaf in my purse.

For dinner we shared the tagliatelle with Maine lobster, preserve tomato, Calabrian chile, and celery and the agnolotti with sweet corn, crescenza cheese and summer truffle. They were both wonderful and decadent, but the agnolotti was the winner for us!

Perhaps the best bite of the night was the tiramisu, which had the most dreamy flaky salt on top. It was easily the best tiramisu we'd ever had.

We flew home the next morning. No morning airport trip is complete without a bagel and cream cheese, am I right? I also got us some donut holes because it had been way too long since I had the chocolate ones. My fave!

I devoured The Happily Ever After Playlist on the way home after reading a good chunk of it over the weekend while we relaxed in the room. If you're looking for a light-hearted rom com love story, this is for you! I couldn't put it down.

Have you been to Denver? Where are your go-to spots?!