Range – Restaurant Review

Location : 918 17th St Denver, CO, 80202

(720) 726-4800

On Saturday night I found myself going through my newly purchased Denver Dining Out Passbook. If you haven’t heard of this, it is a fantastic booklet, that offers buy one get one free entrees and other great deals at over 70 restaurants in and around Denver. It costs $99 but Groupon is currently having a  55% off deal which takes the booklet down to $45. The booklet is valid through to July 2017 so it’s not too late to grab one! So after a period of searching and reading menus, I decided to give Range restaurant a try. The restaurant is located in the old Colorado National Bank which is now the Marriot Renaissance Hotel. The bank was built in 1915 and the original murals, marble pillars and bank vaults are still standing.

We easily got a booking at 7pm on a Saturday night and the small dining room was quite full. We were greeted and seated quickly and our server was very prompt and helpful with drink selections. I tried a Colorado local cider called “Glider Cider”. I do prefer beer over cider but no gluten free beer was available. However, this cider is not sickly sweet at all, very crisp and refreshing and I will be keeping my eye out for it at other restaurants.

For appetizers, my husband and I shared cheese puffs with basil pesto and loaded potatoes “bravas style”. Our server was able to clearly identify what menu items were gluten free and notified the chef to take extra precautions when preparing my food. The cheese puffs were giant Brazilian cheese balls made from tapioca flour. If you have never tried these, your life is lacking big time. Imagine crunchy outside with warm, soft, gooey, stringy cheese on the inside…my mouth is watering writing this. The potatoes were also good but in my opinion the cheese puffs were hands down the winner. The “bravas” were served with chorizo, goat cheese, saffron aioli and a chile sauce. The cheese puffs were $6 and potatoes were $8 a serve.

For Entrée I ordered the fish special of the day. A crispy skinned sea bass on a bed of mashed potatoes accompanied with tomato puree, basil pesto and an olive citrus salad. I pray that Range makes this a permanent feature on their menu. The fish was cooked to perfection, super crispy skin and juicy, flaky meat. The flavours transported me back to Cinque Terre in Italy. I could quite happily eat this meal every day. It was extremely well priced too at $27 for a great sized fillet of fish.

For dessert we shared a vanilla bean crème brulee. Now this thing is huge! I would be very impressed if someone managed to eat it by themselves. It is served with a baby citrus compote and had a perfectly crunchy top like any good brulee should have. The brulee was priced at $9.

With our Denver Dining Out passbook we got one entrée for free so the final bill was very reasonable. The Range have great happy hour specials Monday to Friday from 4pm – 7pm and some nice tables out on the terrace to watch the world go by. After our meal we went downstairs and explored the old bank vaults as well as read the numerous history facts posted around the main foyer. I thoroughly look forward to dining here again soon.

Rating : 8/10

Food and service were incredible, acoustics of the room and size of the dining area led to a noise issue.

I was unable to crack the vault code in case you were wondering….

 

Protein Bar – Restaurant Review

Location : Denver – 16th St and Glenarm

                      – Union Station

     Boulder – 29th St Mall

Also located in Chicago and Washington, DC

If you are looking to start your work week out healthy, then Protein Bar is the place for you! They offer breakfast, lunch and stay open late enough for dinner. You can order online, pickup, get delivery and organise catering through this fantastic company.

What originally started out as a bar for protein shakes in Chicago, it has turned into a gourmet eatery that can cater to almost every allergy and dietary need.

The menu has gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options.First up I sampled the cold pressed juices. These juices are made at a dedicated cold press facility that keep all the goodness inside the juice. The ingredients that are printed on the bottles are exactly what is inside – nothing more, nothing less.  They have cleansing and detoxifying properties to them. The beet juice was my favourite but I could easily drink all of them. You don’t have to feel guilty after drinking juice when it is this good for you!

Next up I tasted three of the many food options. First up was the spinach and pesto protein bowl. Using a base of organic quinoa and mixed with spinach, basil pesto, Parmesan and all natural chicken, this warm meal was my favourite. The quinoa bulks up the salad and makes it surprisingly filling. I’m not one to normally pick a salad for lunch as I usually walk away hungry but this dish will now be a go to for me.

Moving on to the El Verde. Another protein bowl, it again was served with the organic quinoa blend. Its made with roasted poblano and onion, corn, tomatillo sauce, chipotle greek yogurt, all natural chicken, cheddar, hemp seed blend and fresh salsa. The chipotle greek yogurt gives this dish a nice kick. Not too spicy but full of flavour. My husband, who is a very fussy eater, ate this up before I had even realised. When I stated that he had just eaten quinoa (something that he wouldn’t usually choose) he responded that the flavours were so good it didn’t matter about the quinoa!

Lastly I tried the superfood vegan salad. This salad instantly makes you feel healthy with the first mouthful. Made with roasted organic tofu, avocado, kale, hemp seed blend, chickpeas and house made creamy chia dressing it is filling and very satisfying. I am not a huge tofu fan but this roasted organic tofu is a stand out of the salad.

Not only does Protein Bar offer great cold press juices and food, they also make raw juices and the classic protein shakes. The protein used is a whey protein and the smoothies are made with almond milk – however you can change this. My favourite smoothie I sampled was the Avo Matcha, which is made with avocado, matcha green tea, organic raw (and local) honey and vanilla protein. I also sampled the red rocks shake, which is made from strawberries, banana and vanilla protein and lastly the HI – 5 juice. The high 5 juice is made from kale, spinach, cilantro, pineapple and crushed ice. I expected the cilantro to be a very strong flavour in this drink but I was wrong, it all balanced out perfectly.

I finished up with a Protein Bar black and white brownie. This was like eating a fluffy slice of heaven. Not too sweet and not at all crumbly – which is impressive for gluten free.

The menus provide nutritional information for all items as well as stating what is gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. I only sampled a fraction of this extensive menu and I am already deciding what I want to try next. For a restaurant that provides such fresh and healthy options I was rather blown away with the prices. The cold presses juices are a little pricey ($6.50), but hey, they are packed full of goodness! Shakes are around $5, salads around $10 and protein bowls are $6.50-$10.

If you’re looking for something fun and different for a work lunch, Protein Bar offers catering as well as hosting Drink Events. They will bring the ingredients and blenders to you and you can even name your own shake!

Go on, reward your body with this healthy food today!

Rating : Price 9/10

                                               Gluten free friendly 10/10

                                 Food / Drinks 9/10

Los Chingones – Restaurant Review

Location : 2461 Larimer Street Denver, CO 80205

303.295.0686

If you haven’t been to the RINO district of Denver lately you are in for a surprise. The blocks of Walnut St and Larimer St from Broadway to 27th St host many new restaurants, cafes and bars and simply ooze coolness. These strips have a very industrial feel to them , one cafe being made out of shipping containers, with vibrant art thrown in and pumping music.

I decided to try Los Chingones on a Friday night after having walked past it before. They boast a great terrace dining area and a large rooftop deck for dining. They are a two story facility that have a bar on each level. Unfortunately you can not make a reservation and boy do they get busy!

We left our name at the front desk and went up to the rooftop bar whilst we waited for our table. We were originally told 25 minutes but I hadn’t even ordered my drink from the bar when they texted to say our table was ready. Unfortunately our table was inside, not on the terrace or rooftop (however I hadn’t specified).

Service was great and our waiter was only too happy to notify me of what was and wasn’t gluten free. I ordered a cocktail and the waiter made sure that the Vodka used was gluten free.

First up for the table (4 of us were dining together) we ordered the Los Chingones style guac. It’s made from RATTLESNAKE chorizo – yes you read that right, pickled jalapeno, cotija cheese and guajillo oil. $8 a serve and this is spicy! The flavours all worked terrifically, the only downside being the corn chips are not celiac safe. They are made in house and fried in the same fryer as gluten containing foods. There is something just not right with having to use a soft corn tortilla as a dipping tool…

The others on the table enjoyed Bad Ass Fundido $8 (rattlesnake chorizo cheese dip) and a plate of Tres Pigs Nachos $12. I however could not try either as the cheese sauce had a roux base so contained flour and again I could not eat the corn chips used on the nachos.

Moving on to the Tacos! Hard taco shells are not gluten free here but the waiter said that they could all be made onto a soft corn tortilla for me.

Tacos range from $3.50 – $4 each and even though they are little they are packed to the brim and are super filling. I can tell the chef had lots of fun creating the taco filling options – the range is outstanding!

I enjoyed a fish taco with spinach, charred onions and spicy tomato as well as an octopus taco with celery and sriracha – red pepper coulis. Both of these were $4. Shrimp and pork were also sampled by the table. I would say the octopus was my favourite – mainly because how often can you eat an octopus taco?!?!

I am a big eater and 2 tacos definitely filled me up – though I wish I could have tried more!

So my final say is this….

-Ask to sit either upstairs or out front, the inside dining is simply too loud and I felt like I was in a night club

-Do try the rattlesnake guac – fight through the spice it is worth it

-Come extra hungry to try multiple tacos

-Celiacs BYO corn chips!

Clockwise from top : Shrimp taco, pork taco, fish taco, octopus taco and rattlesnake guac in the middle.

Rating : Food and service 9/10

              Celiac options 5/ 10

The Nickel – Charcuterie Review

Location: 1100 Fourteenth Street, Denver, CO 80202
720-889-2128

Located at the base of Hotel Teatro is the restaurant The Nickel. The Nickel does have a full menu but I went specifically for their charcuterie board which I had heard was fantastic. The meats and cheeses available are a mixture of European imports as well as local produce and some even made in house. All of their meats are gluten free and gluten free bread can be provided too.

We were seated to the right of the entrance in a lounge area. This area is separate from the main bar / dining room and has such a warm, welcoming feel to it. It boasts a large fireplace in the center surrounded by books, artworks and chandeliers.

When it comes to ordering your charcuterie board you are in complete control. You are given an order slip which allows you to select what items you would like to sample. The meats, cheeses, pickling and “goodies” are all priced by weight and the server can easily tell you how much you should order to cover your party. The servers have terrific knowledge of all of the options including how the cheese is made and what should accompany each different flavour.

Between three of us we ordered five different cheeses and three meats. One member of our party is a vegetarian. We also added pickled baby carrots (these are a must!), marcona almonds and seasonal jam. Regular bread and gluten free bread was provided at no extra cost.

My favourite cheeses were the truffle goats cheese and a triple cream brie. Both went fantastically with the seasonal jam. The cheeses range from $3-$5 per oz and are top quality.

My favourite meat was the house made chicken liver mousse. Topped with mustard seeds this spread was perfect by itself on a piece of bread. This was one of the more expensive items on the menu coming in at $11, however we could not finish the large portion. Meats range from $3.50 to $11.50 for 1 or 4 oz servings.

We almost finished all of our charcuterie board and washed it down with a bottle of Prosecco ($32). Total bill – $92.88

Looking for a great place to unwind on a Friday night, check out The Nickel for the ultimate charcuterie board.

Gluten Escape Bakery – Review

Location : 7255 S. Havana St #110 Centennial , CO 80112

(303) 694 9999

After stumbling across the Gluten Escape Bakery on instagram I decided to head down to Centennial to try it out for myself, because gluten free baked goods? How could I say no! The Gluten Escape is a locally owned small family business that is a  dedicated gluten, dairy, soy protein, and peanut free facility. They also have a large range of egg free products and can offer corn free, paleo, yeast free and tree nut free options. Wednesday is the only day nuts are in the building and the whole place is scrubbed clean at the end of the day – even the walls! The building is set up so you can see everything that is going on the kitchen before it is brought out for you to purchase. The bakery also has freshly prepared salads and rolls to go as well as flour blends for you to take home and get creative with. The owner is more then happy to take any requests from you and will do her best to make it happen!

After admiring all of the products it was time to try some!

First up a maple, pecan donut (I went on a Wednesday!) This round sugary delight had just the right amount of sweetness, was soft and fluffy and the pecan gave it a delicious crunch. $1.89 – 2 pack

Bagels – something I love the idea of but can never enjoy, until now! I chose the everything bagel but there is plenty of other flavours. These toasted up lovely and I enjoyed mine with cream cheese and a cup of tea! I still have one in the freezer waiting for me! $3.85

 

Pretzel Roll – Not ever having one before I was surprised that this tasted just like a pretzel! Not really sure what else it would of tasted like though! Topped with some rock salt, this heavy, dense roll was wonderful filled with turkey and salad. $6.29 – 4 pack

Basil garlic loaf – This delicious savoury loaf is full of flavour. Not so much a breakfast bread but morning tea or afternoon tea, toasted with cream cheese is just great. It does require extra time to toast compared to regular bread. Egg Free $8.99

Spinach loaf – Now this is something special. Not only does it contain spinach but it is full of herbs and spices. I can say this is my new favourite breakfast item, toasted with eggs on top! $12.99

Finally the cakes! I sampled the brownie, red velvet cupcake, cinnamon roll, and breakfast cookie. The brownie was magical. In 2013 it was awarded the best brownie by 5280 magazine! It did not disappoint. The red velvet cupcake was topped with absolutely delicious frosting. One thing I would like to mention is every different cake/cupcake  flavour has its own unique recipe. This place does not use one basic recipe and add flavours, a very personal touch. The cinnamon roll heated in the microwave for 30 seconds came in as top of the list as my favourite cake. Gooey, warm and “cinnamony” as it should be! I could eat one a day easily! Lastly the breakfast cookie. If you are a super healthy, love high fiber, seeds and nuts sort of person then this is for you! It uses molasses as its sweetener, as well as dried fruits. Cake price range $2.75-$3.75

I sampled just a fraction of the produce this wonderful place has to offer. Go check out all of these amazing allergen friendly options for yourself, the staff are only too happy to help your every need!

Max’s Wine Dive – Restaurant Review

Location : 696 Sherman St , Denver , CO 80203

303 593 2554

So I stumbled upon this restaurant after simply googling “gluten free fried chicken Denver”. Since going gluten free, fried chicken has possibly been the hardest thing to live without. So after google told me Max’s wine dive serves gluten free fried chicken I booked in straight away. Max’s have their own gluten free fryer which is right down the end of the kitchen away from any traces of nasty gluten. After reading the reviews online I was a little skeptical as they cook their fried chicken “low and slow” and it takes up to 25 minutes to make. Now one thing I know about fried chicken is that it is generally cooked high and fast so this intrigued me even more to try it out.

The restaurant itself has a mixture of high table, bar seating and low tables. We arrived at 9pm on a Wednesday night and this place was at 75% capacity. The walls are lined with impressive wine from all around the world and lights are strung from the ceiling providing mood lighting and warmth. The wine list was impressive as you can imagine but the servers / managers knowledge of all of the wines was what was really impressive. Not only can they recommend what wines are paired well with every food item but they know the exact region, grape and flavours to them. We ordered two glasses of Prosecco which were $12 each but so worth it.

For appetizer we enjoyed Buffalo Carpaccio  – shaved bison, arugula, parmesan, lemon, olive oil topped with crispy capers. This was sensational. Not having had buffalo before I was worried it would have a very heavy, gamy flavour to it but the thin slices accompanied with the freshness of the arugula and lemon was a match made in heaven.

Next we tasted the Pulled Pork Stuffed Peppers – pulled pork and cotija stuffed, topped with chipotle aioli and cilantro chimichurri. Now if im being honest I am not a huge fan of peppers to begin with but my husband loves them as well as pulled pork so I gave them a try. I learnt never to say no to peppers in the future without trying them first. These peppers were bursting with flavour and they made a pepper lover out of me!

 Finally came the dish I was waiting for the Famous Southern Fried Chicken – jalapeño-buttermilk marinated chicken with mashed potatoes, collard greens and chipotle honey. Three large pieces of crispy, non greasy , juicy chicken arrived on a bed of velvet mash, perfectly cooked greens and a side of heavenly honey. This dish was seriously amazing, I could not fault it in the slightest. All for $17 and I would like to point out that there was NO price surcharge for making it gluten free, something that I really appreciate. Who knew that slow and low was the way to go?! And as the restaurants motto says “fried chicken and champagne…..why the hell not?!” or in my case prosecco!

Do yourself a favor and get to Max’s wine dive , chances are high I will be there!

Total $91 – this included a non gluten free fried chicken for my Mr

Rating 10/10 ……seriously, go , now!

Root Down – Restaurant Review

Location : 1600 W 33rd Ave, Denver, CO 80211

(303) 993-4200

For Christmas my husband and I received a gift voucher for Root Down from our family back home. After reading my review of Linger and realizing Root down was a sister restaurant they thought it would be a good pick and it sure was!

We were seated quite quickly but it took almost 15 minutes to be greeted by our server. I think we arrived as multiple tables were leaving and our waiter apologized for the wait.Upon arrival I noticed that you can see straight into the kitchen and you know I always trust a chef who is happy to show where his magic happens.

First up I ordered the carrot and Thai red curry soup. This was the perfect amount of spice with an apple and pear chutney through it. I only wish the portion was larger!

Next came the lamb and bacon terrine served with mustard, huckleberries and gluten free bread. This portion was very large and seeing as my husband ordered his own appetizer I made myself stop eating half way through so I would have room for my entree (main meal). The sweetness that the berries provided was a great pairing with the rich meat flavours from the terrine.

My husband ordered the devils on horse back and he is still talking about them! He wanted to order another 4 servings of them and skip everything else. These little morsels of joy were created using a almond, cheese stuffed peppers and wrapped with bacon.

For my entree I had the special of the day which was prawn and scallops served with baby carrots, brussell sprout leaves, Thai bacon jam, pickled papaya, coconut curry nage and fish caramel. The multitude of flavours on this dish made your taste buds wanting more and more. This dish was 10/10 on flavour but extremely rich on my stomach. I wanted to finish it but did not want to make myself sick.

Dessert we shared the chocolate bombe. This consisted of Whipped Chocolate Ganache, Almond Brownie, Orange Caramel & Vanilla Cream. This dish was a chocolate lovers dream.

Throughout our meal we shared a bottle of Ipsum Verdejo, a Spanish wine recommended to us by our waiter and the crisp, dryness of the wine accompanied the food terrifically.

All of my food was gluten free as is majority of the menu.

Total bill came to $146.34 which included a non gluten free slider and a main meal of gnocchi for my husband.

Thank you for having us and I look forward to coming back soon!

Rating : 9/10

Gozo Kitchen – Restaurant Review

Location : Gozo Kitchen – 30 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209

(720) 638-1462

After spending 34 hours in transit trying to land in Denver from Western Australia I was craving a decent meal. Gozo kitchen was next on my list of “must try’s” so we braved the snow and headed out for a meal with friends.

Finding the restaurant was easy, parking however was not! We drove around the block and down side streets until we found a spot on the side of the road. Once seated we were greeted by the lovely Jonah who took care of us all night. I started with a prosecco which we all know by now is my drink of choice and asked Jonah to recommend some starters.

So first on our starters list was a Gozo platter filled with delicious meats and cheeses and accompanied with olives, pickles and a fig paste. This platter was so well stocked we struggled to finish it! The fig paste was definitely a big hit on the platter. Our bread was served on the side to keep the platter gluten free. More than happy to pay $18 for a platter this size.

Next in our starters was a brussel sprout salad…. I have never tried brussel sprouts as I have always thought I wouldn’t like them (silly I know). Boy was I proven wrong. This salad was so fresh and crisp and dressed with the perfect amount of sauce. Topped with crunchy almonds it had the perfect texture balance and left everyone wanting more. I am already craving another bowl of this green goodness.

Following the salad came some meatballs. Usually accompanied with polenta we had it served on the side to keep the meal gluten free. The meatballs were pork and I mean they are meatballs – I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meatball.

Finally we finished with Manila clams with chorizo. I saw this dish on Gozo’s instagram page and it was this dish that sucked me into visiting. They were delicious, I only wish that clams could be the size of oysters! The gluten eaters enjoyed dipping the toasted bread into the delicious sauce whilst I simply drank it like a soup as it was so good.

For main we shared the scallops which were pan seared served with celery root, pancetta and a browned butter. These scallops were bigger than a golf ball and Jonah was all too happy to ensure 3 scallops were on the plate to ensure us seafood eaters all had one. I have never had celery root before and it was confusingly good combining the texture of a root vegetable but with the flavour of celery.

Our final main meal was pork cooked 3 ways. By this stage we were all so full we only managed half of this dish and took the rest home for lunch today. This is the perfect belly warmer meal for a snowy night. It is a lot heavier than the other meals we choose but the flavours were simply divine.

Throughout our main meal we snacked on some terrific truffle fries – the best way to eat fries in my opinion!

For dessert we all shared a hazelnut mousse. Light, fluffy and not sickly sweet. The perfect portion size to finish the night on a sweet note.

I could not fault the food or service at Gozo kitchen, it was just a little frustrating to try and find parking. I am very much looking forward to having a weekend brunch here.

Total bill $203.04 for 4 people including two alcoholic drinks each.

Rating : 9/10