O·ster·i·a Marco
Just this past Friday, Blake and I finally stopped by Frank Bonanno’s Osteria Marco for dinner. We’ve been to Bones, Bonanno’s Asian-inspired establishment at 7th and Grant, on numerous occasions. This, however, was our first visit to his Larimer Square outpost. Those of you who have been singing its praises… we were not let down!
Upon arrival for our 8:30 p.m. reservation, we were kindly greeted by the front line staff and informed that there was a bit of a reservations back up… and without hesitation Blake and I immediately saddled up to the bar. We both ordered a lovely glass of the Soave Classico. [Side note: Soave has become my tried and true white wine of choice these days. Ever since returning from a trip last spring to Verona and Venice, I’ve been making a rather popular-with-the-locals white wine-based cocktail called an Aperol Spritz—a dry Italian white wine served with a splash of Aperol and topped off with sparkling mineral water. If you haven't tried it, I highly suggest picking up a bottle of Aperol and a bottle of Soave at Argonaut. They're particularly pleasant in the summertime.] Ok, back to the point of the post. Perhaps the most notable event during our time at the bar happened immediately before we had been taken to our table. Out of the blue, one of the bar staffed yelled out “Alastair!” with bill in hand. I was a little confused, but as I was signing the slip a hostess came over and informed us that our table was ready. Now that’s communication… It was a nice touch.
Spritz!
After being seated, Blake and I were startled and amused to hear that it was Denver Restaurant Week, “a two-week celebration of the culinary scene in Denver.” Apparently, someone did not inform them that every week is restaurant week for the DOD boys! In any case, participating restaurants offer special multi-course dinners for the fixed price of $52.80 for two, or $26.40 for one (not including tax or gratuity). We opted to forgo the special menu and chose from the other regularly offered dishes. We immediately started off with the Chef’s assortment of meat and cheeses: prosciutto, salame, sopressata picante, mozzarella, ricotta, robiola, and a red onion relish. It was amazing. I honestly could have consumed the entire plate on my own… but Blake has a big appetite, and well, things would get scrappy. The rest of the meal followed the same pattern. Caesar salad with shaved pecorino and one white anchovy split between the two of us. Really, one anchovy!? Blake has more to share regarding anchovies… In any case, it was a very good salad and by the time our Carne pizza arrived we had moved on. Sausage! Meatball! Pepperoni! And an amazing house ricotta made for an amazing pie, also split between the two of us. Even Blake would have had trouble finishing this pie on his own. An inquiry to our waitress confirmed our thoughts that most people could not complete one entirely on their own. However, considering how good this pizza was, Blake would have put up a good fight! Just saying… we’ll be visiting Osteria Marco again. In the meantime, I will be having dreams of salumi and cheese.
Obligatory Olympics Post
Last night I headed over to Alastair’s place with the intention of watching our regular Thursday night program: Models of the Project Runway. We thought we’d top it off with a little Olympic figure skating. In the end PR and MotR were reruns so we watched the Olympics exclusively. But not before Alastair cooked up a little feast. Dear reader, we do cook every once in a while! We began with a lovely manchego cheese on Carr’s water biscuits (the kind with a little bit of pepper sprinkled on them) and a tart Spanish verdejo. Very nice. The main course was fresh pasta with pesto and sockeye salmon. Alastair was outdoing himself. We finished with mixed greens and a mustard vinaigrette and I have to say that Alastair does love his mustard; I only choked the one time.
After dinner we settled in to watch the ice skating, interrupted periodically by aerial ski jumping or some such mind-boggling sport. A few thoughts:
Joannie Rochette
Longtime readers of DOD will know of my affinity for our neighbors to the North and so it will come as no surprise that I was rooting for Joannie Rochette, even though I knew she probably didn’t stand much of a chance against the teenage powerhouses Kim Yu-Na and Mao Asada. Add to this the tragedy of Rochette losing her mother just a few days ago and her perseverance despite the loss, and I was hooked. Rochette took the bronze with Kim and Asada nabbing the gold and silver, respectively, as expected. What struck me most in watching them skate (aside from the fact that they were all ridiculously good) was how different they looked. Kim and Asada look like the late teenagers that they are (both are 19): they’re slim and tiny. Rochette, 24, looks like a woman. And Rochette is actually the shorter of the three. I tried to find a picture of all three on the podium but they don’t seem to be available, and the official Olympics site is guarding their photos.
This brings me to my next oh-so-deep observation: Kim, Asada, and Rochette were competing in “Ladies” figure skating. According to the official Olympics website, the other Ladies’ sports also seem to involve skating (figure or speed), skiing of any variety, and snowboarding. When female people play hockey or curl or hurl themselves down tracks in various sorts of sleds they are called women. As they should be. ”Lady” is an outdated term with all kinds of class implications. Can you imagine if men competed in “Gentlemen’s Speed Skating?” I think not. Why the discrepancy, Olympics? Is this how the sports are called in their non-Olympic incarnations?
Finally, I offer grudging congratulations to Apolo Ohno, who, NBC never fails to remind us at every other commercial break, is the most decorated US winter Olympian in history (note the use of US there; Norwegian cross-country skier Bjorn Daehlie has him beat for the real title of most winter Olympic medals ever, period). Just as we were told constantly that Michael Phelps is now the most decorated Olympian of all time. Bear with me; this is not just my irritation with the United States’ obsessive need for self-promotion. It has much more to do with the fact that those athletes (and this is not to say that Ohno and Phelps are not both phenomenal athletes) who can be the most decorated athletes are those who compete in sports that have multiple events. If you play hockey, for instance, you’re out of luck: one medal tops per games. You’d have to win at four or five consecutive Olympic games to compete with Ohno or Phelps in only one year. And it’s not just the team sports. Look at Kim Yu-Na’s performance last night. In order to qualify for one medal she had to perform both a short program and a longer free program (the ice dancers — and yes, they are silly — have to do three). Both performances were phenomenal, but she’s only entitled to the one medal for both of them. And those of us who watched last night know that she — and Asada and Rochette and Mirai Nagasu and the other top competitors — are no less skilled and athletic than “the most decorated” of their fellow Olympians, but they will never join their ranks. So enough with this “most decorated” business, I say! In that spirit, let me congratulate the Canadian women’s (not ladies’) ice hockey team, which yesterday won their third consecutive gold medal!
Church Equals State
This post via The Denver Egotist. Sarcasm or not, I’m glad I live in Denver… and NOT in Colorado Springs.
Nice Collective Spring 2010: The Gathering
Okay, I promise to make this the last post regarding my obsession with military-styled clothing for men… Via Cool Hunting comes this rather stunning video from my San Francisco-based fashion hereos, Joe Haller and Ian Hannula of Nice Collective. It was shot at a stylized ‘military encampment’ in northern California for their Spring 2010 collection. Digital artist Andrew Jones’ gorgeously-animated digital projections play out on the faces and bodies of the models. I imagine this is what it’s like tripping on acid during a camping excursion on the Russian River… Excellent soundtrack too.
Nice Collective Spring 2010
Denver Airport Volunteers
I’ve just returned from another trip to the Bay Area to see the Gentleman Friend and, while I could talk about the fun restaurants we visited and the endless tasty food I consumed, this is supposed to be a blog about Denver, not San Francisco.
Photo Courtesy of the Denver Post
So, in that spirit: Upon my return to DIA I took the airport tram to the main terminal, ascended the escalator, and once again was faced with the volunteers in their cowboy hats, bolo ties, and faux shearling vests. Who are these people? I’m assuming that they are volunteers, particularly so because most of them appear to be senior citizens and they are there no matter the time of day. But why volunteer at the airport? What about homeless people? A soup kitchen? The illiterate? Your local women’s shelter? Political campaign? Public park litter patrol? Unlike these sorts of activities — some of which I have done myself — what kind of rosy altruistic glow does one achieve through volunteering at DIA? ”Without me, that woman never would have found the Hertz counter. I made a difference today, I sure did.” ”Sometimes I get up in the morning and I feel a little useless, but then I remember that it’s because of me that weary travelers figure out where the baggage claim is about 15 seconds faster than they would if they just looked at the signs. And then I know that I have a real purpose in life!”
I’m not making fun of volunteer work here; for that I have a profound respect. I’m making fun of this volunteer work, which seems so profoundly useless. Is it just that most volunteer work that I would consider doing — on behalf of women, the gays, the poor, the environment; causes that need my help, in other words – seems political by definition and this is volunteer work utterly stripped of ideology? To me that’s what makes it so pointless but maybe that is precisely its appeal? Any thoughts, dear reader?
Fashion’s Military Invasion Rolls On
As New York Fashion Week comes to an end, I’m thankful for another week of Olympic coverage to help fill the void left in my life. What, no more Runway Reports with sultry audio commentary courtesy of Cathy Horyn? Well, yes… but that doesn’t mean I have to give up. That said, I’m a big fan of military trends, such as field jackets, and especially fond of epaulets… as any friend of mine can attest to. So, I was happy to read Ruth La Ferla’s recent look into the fixation with uniforms in popular fashion, Fashion’s Military Invasion Rolls On, for the New York Times, especially on the heels of my last post.
Three military-inspired looks from Rag & Bone’s Spring 2010 line, below. For a slide show of Rag & Bone’s Fall 2010 line, click here. With looks like these, you can be sure that I’ll be stopping by Rag & Bone the next time I’m in New York. In the meantime, I’ll be dropping by Cherry Creek’s Lawrence Covell at 255 Steele Street to take a look at the few pieces starting to arrive now…
Rag & Bone Men's Spring 2010
Nau Vice Blazer
For spring 2010, Nau offers this vaguely military-chic look, with shaped cuffs, a rear right-side zippered pocket, and a tall collar. A modern blazer with casual style, Vice makes use of double weave 80/20 recycled poly/organic cotton. It sounds perfect as the weather warms and I transition to slimmer jackets and blazers (okay, obviously not yet). Priced at $225 this is a must-buy, at least for me! Versa, the women’s version, is styled more like a smart riding blazer and is built from 100% recycled polyester.
Nau adheres to three credos: beauty, performance, and sustainability. Unfortunately, the men’s line can’t be found anywhere in Denver. (Women have slightly more luck). I found it somewhat surprising, particularly given the smart design, eco-friendly materials, and simple care. The clothing is equally at home in a storm or on city streets. However, a call to The Garment District revealed their plans to carry the fall 2010 clothing line for both men and women. Looks like I’ll have to settle with a visit online for now.
Bea Arthur, Mountains, and Pizza
A random blog devoted to images of Bea Arthur, Mountains, and Pizza? Could this possibly be the ultimate DOD triumvirate?
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