Aria: Dial it Down, Girl!
Aria: Inspired Cuisine?
Dear Reader, it is true: I have been AWOL for the better part of a month. What with the holiday season and time away and the celebration of Alastair’s milestone birthday (though that will continue in early February as well; stay tuned), and a recent trip to Lake Tahoe to see my Gentleman Friend and his friends, I’ve barely had time for our little blog. But I commit to changing all that. Starting right now.
Last night Alastair and I joined our gal pals Gareth, Justine, Christine, and Big Texas for dinner to celebrate Christine’s birthday (and it was just Big Tex’s birthday as well — so many occasions to celebrate!). We went to Aria, the second restaurant from Chef Sean McGaughey (of Opus in Littleton). Aria is located on Josephine between First and Second in the space formerly occupied by Juicy Lucy’s Steakhouse. The space itself is quite large; one might even say cavernous. One definitely would when one is seated at the only table with customers. Which was the case for our party of six for at least half the meal. Yup, it’s early days for Aria but they need to fill those seats if they’re going to stick around. I’m not sure this review is going to help them…
Lamb Meat Balls (foreground); Duck Duck Goose (background)
We began with three appetizers, all of which were really quite good, even if they had slightly ridiculous names (this is a theme, it turns out): Duck Duck Goose (foie gras, goose confit, cured duck breast); Tuna Tar Tar PB&J (tuna tartar with coconut jelly and peanut sauce); Colorado Lamb Meatballs. The lamb was probably my favorite: great tomato sauce and the balls came with mozzarella inside them. But there were genuine fans of the Duck Duck Goose at our table as well, especially of the foie gras.
Oh, we also had wine. Of course. A couple glasses of pinot grigio for me (I was having fowl), and a couple bottles of Emeritus Pinot Noir for the table. On to the main courses… Overall I think most were in agreement about two things:
- The meat was overcooked, though this was not universally true: my chicken was quite tender and juicy. And Alastair’s steak was also the “medium” that he had requested. But Gareth’s pork was slightly dry and Big Texas’s steak more resembled Alastair’s than the “rare” he had requested.
- While many of the flavors were quite tasty, the dishes just need to be edited. There are way too many elements on every plate. Take, for example, my entrée: the French Onion Redbird Chicken. The chicken itself was breaded, then covered with melted gruyère, and topped with dried onions and bread crumbs (I think). It was served with caramelized onions, “spiced pan perdu” (their misspelling of pain; perhaps deliberate?), flavored whipped potatoes, steamed carrots, and cauliflower. The other entrées were similarly over-accessorized. Most of us felt that the plates could have taken the advice of the immortal Coco Chanel, who advised that before leaving one’s home, one should take a look in the mirror and remove at least one accessory. Or, in this case, three. Nina Garcia has similarly counseled contestants on Project Runway: enough accessories. Let the outfit/meal stand on its own.
This is hardly the end of the world, of course, but the entrées were just all too complicated and confusing when they have, on average, about 6 different actual creations on each one.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Spring Rolls
The same thing seemed to hold true for dessert. We only sampled one, and it was very tasty, but a quick look at the dessert menu (which arrives in a picture frame sitting in the middle of your table) revealed that they were overly complicated as well. There is, for instance, a “Tropical Trio Cheesecake” that features a macadamia crust, vanilla roasted pineapple, and passionfruit caramel. One might feel that the entire Hawaiian archipelago had been baked into one’s cake. We opted for the Chocolate Chip Cookie Spring Rolls, which were very tasty, but again, came complete with umpteen separate elements: the actual spring rolls (delicious), a spicy chocolate mousse (less so), a ginger anglaise, and vanilla bean ice cream. There was also a little cookie. And a mint leaf. And maybe berries, too. Granted, we split all this between six, but what would one person have done? And when the rolls and the ice cream are both delicious and so complementary, why add more?
The wait staff, I’m pleased to report, was quite attentive. But how could they not be with so few diners around? The chef came out to ask if we had questions and we were sent over a new experimental cocktail from the bar. There was one problem in service: the birthday gal was taking a little longer to finish his dinner than the rest of us, and yet the runner cleared the rest of our plates first, leaving Christine forlornly finishing his meal as the rest of us sat at a cleared table. This is breaking one of the cardinal rules of table-waiting: clear plates only when the last person is finished! But they were very friendly, including the gay waiter who easily could have doubled as the fourth fruit on the cheesecake (and who wished me a good afternoon as we exited at 9 PM; too many experimental cocktails?).
Will we go back? Probably not, but more so because the location isn’t super convenient for les boys de DOD. They’re just starting out, so give them a try. Maybe they’ll tone down the gastronomical accessorizing and focus on the main event. That would be our advice, but who are we to advise? Well, we are two gays who dine out far too frequently and spend inordinate proportions of our paychecks on food that others prepare for us. Maybe we do know what we’re talking about. You be the judge!
The Best Architecture of 2010
Boulder County Fire Training Center by Roth+Sheppard
‘Tis the time of year when architecture critics pause and reflect on what the year has meant for the built environment. The Denver Post’s Ray Rinaldi, in “Tough Year, Soaring Looks in Denver Architecture,” believes 2010 will “go down as the year ambition counted just as much as brick-and-mortar success.” I agree with many of Rinaldi’s opinions, expecially his praise of Roth+Sheppard’s Boulder County Fire Training Center, pictured above. What I do have trouble with his appreciation of the new headquarters for Xcel Energy at 1800 Larimer, what appears to be just another 22 story box if you strip away the giant patches of dark glass applied about its glass and concrete bands in a seemingly random fashion. Rinaldi seems to praise the building on its “risk-taking,” suggesting that it might offer hope and faith to what’s to come in Denver. I’m all for pushing the envelope, which this building may or may not do, but what risk have the developers taken? Rinaldi is never very clear. He also suggests that the project takes an approach so “advanced” that “we may not get it for years to come.” Well great for those who get it, but what about the rest of us?
Here’s a sampling of some other year-end architectural reviews from around the country:
“Notes on a Year: Christopher Hawthorne on Architecture” Los Angeles Times
“From Towers to Plazas, a Year of Standouts” Blair Kamin, Chicago Tribune
“Positive Changes around S.F. and Environs in 2010″ John King, San Francisco Chronicle
“It Wasn’t All Bad: Bright Spots in LA in 2010″ Frances Anderton, KCRW
“10 Best Architecture Moments of 2001-2010″ Jacob Slevin, The Huffington Post
“New York Architecture: The Events of the Year” Paul Goldberger, The New Yorker
The Anti-Blizzard of 2010
While Blake has been experiencing the Blizzard of 2010 and San Francisco has had its very own (though under recognized) Fogpocalypse of 2010, Denver has been seeing some rather unseasonably warm and sunny weather… For the time being. Now, I’m not a big fan of blizzards. In fact, I’m still haunted by memories of the Storm of the Century aka the (Great) Blizzard of 1993, a large “cyclonic storm” that occurred on March 12–13, 1993, on the East Coast. Yes, yours truly traveled north to Providence and Boston for Spring Break, unlike those who headed to warmer climes. You live. You learn.
In any case, all this talk and reminiscing of snow and blizzards has made me wish for a little winter wonderland all of my own… Something I will not be experiencing as I head off to the City by the Bay for some New Year celebrating. So whether you’re socked in snow, fog or sun, we hope you are spending this New Year’s Eve with someone you love. Wishing you all the best in 2011!
Hop on the Bike!
Tomorrow is your last chance to ride your Denver B-Cycle before winter is upon us and B-Cycle goes into hibernation for the season. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-40s tomorrow, so hop on that bike and use it for holiday shopping (they come complete with baskets), visiting friends, or just for a loop about town.
Denver B-Cycle, we’ll look forward to seeing your familiar red self about town starting March 1st of next year!
Take that, Buck!
Alastair and I hunkered down last night in front of the TV with a bottle of wine, bread and cheese, a lovely caesar salad (anchovies aplenty!), and some pizza. The occasion — yesterday’s midterm election — was considerably less jovial than our usual get-togethers: Project Runway, Top Chef, Glee. And while it wasn’t good news for the Dems, it could have been a lot worse, especially here in Colorado. We don’t often get political at DOD — this may be the first time we’ve used the “politics” tag– but we can’t help ourselves right now.
As of this writing — 11:15 AM on Wednesday — the Denver Post has called the election for Michael Bennet; both CNN and the Times have him up by more than 10,000 votes over the odious Ken Buck, though have not made it official on their websites. Bennet is also giving a victory speech today at noon. Do we love Michael Bennet? Not so much. The appointed Senator had never run for office when he was selected by Bill Ritter in some old-boys-backroom deal to fill the seat vacated by Ken Salazar. Strange as it may seem, we do have various elected representatives in Colorado he could have selected, people with experience in electoral politics. But no. Combine this with the fact that Bennet is not exactly a charmer and we remain skeptical: about his record, about his abilities.
But Ken Buck. Come on Colorado! He was a garden variety Tea Party wing-nut until he made it personal for your DOD boys, comparing homosexuality to alcoholism. According to Buck, both might have some basis in biology, but that homosexuality is a choice. Really?!? (And does this apply to alcoholism as well? A choice?) Combine this with his anti-amnesty, anti-choice, anti-separation-of-church-and-state crazy conservatism, and we were downright embarrassed for lil’ ol’ Colorado. Until that embarrassment was trumped by anger that he was so popular. So we’re pleased that Colorado voters seem to have preferred Bennet to Buck — barely — and that they rejected all the crazy amendments and that they turned their backs on Tom Tancredo as well. We can hold our heads up reasonably high — at least not duck them down — when we leave the Centennial State, knowing that, like Nevada and Delaware, we didn’t send the Tea Party to the Senate. Our condolences to the gays and progressives of Florida and Kentucky.
Walt and Wendy Do Denver (Part Three)
Friday evening, in my new role as Cruise Director, I reunited with my San Francisco gal pals Walt and Wendy and their super cute companion Jess (who was sporting an adorable chunky necklace) for a post-conference cocktail at The Corner Office located in the Curtis Hotel at 14th and Curtis. CURTIS, much? There was only one question on everyone’s mind that evening: What happened to Whitney!? She was not seen at the conference that day… and her roommate was also missing in action. Was she OK? Did she survive the night? Did she get alcohol poisoning? These questions would linger in our minds for the remainder of the night as we waited for Jess to receive a text message update. So, in an effort to take our thoughts off such worries we ordered some tasty cocktails and a selection of delicious shared plates from our tattooed server: a trio of sliders, empanadas, fish tacos, and tempura shoshito peppers stuffed with crab. Yum! We also took notice of the large amount of ink liberally applied to the remianing staff of the Office. Apparently it was a prerequisite to work that evening’s shift.
The Bar at Beatrice & Woodsley
I must confess, over the past few days I had been talking up BoyzTown to both Wendy and Walt. I’m not sure exactly why… It certainly was not for anything spectacular, like the “Male Revue,” but perhaps more for the fact that something like this actually existed in Denver. The boys were excited. After sending Jess off to her flight back to the City by the Bay, Wendy was ready to go! However, it was too early and I wanted to invite my guests to share a civilized cocktail at Beatrice & Woodsley, the South Broadway bar / restaurant know for its unique rustic cabin interior lined with Aspens and chain saws. [Side note: Walt will need to strengthen his hand-washing skills before using B&W’s one-of-a-kind faucet and sink on his next visit. Just saying. It's a simple pully system people. This ain't the dark ages.]
One round of cocktails, one crawfish beignet appetizer, and one a call into the office later, it was still too early to show ourselves at BoyzTown. So, we decided to stop by the nearby not-so-hot-spot, Compound/Basix. This would be the evening that Walt earned his nom de plume. BTW, I love how every gay bar in this town describes themselves as “Denver’s Best.” Really? I digress. Walt, dressed in conference attire: jeans, shirt, tie, sweater, blazer, and chucks, apparently caused quite a stir among the Compound cognoscenti, earning him many compliments. Some welcomed, so not so much. This struck Walt as odd, but this is Denver where ill-fitting jeans, and an Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirt reign supreme. In typical Blake and Alastair fashion, Walt and Wendy often took notice of the terrible jeans that endlessly plague Menver. One gentleman, who took a break from dancing all by his lonesome commented that Walt looked liked something along the lines of an English poet. Walt also had an interesting and similar encounter at 3:00 in the afternoon the same day with a woman drinking her fifth margarita in the Four Seasons elevator. I decided that if I wanted a little more attention in these parts, all I had to do was wear a tie and a blazer, or something along the same lines. Easy enough.
Give it up, give it up for BoyzTown.
Then, finally, Boyztown. Oh Boyztown. Give it up, give it up for Tyler . Give it up for sexy Tyler. A master of disguise… Tyler was striking up conversations left and right with Walt. Oh, our “Little Nugget.” There was lumberjack Tyler, business man Tyler, and Denver Nugget Tyler. Tyler, just about more than any other performer that evening, put some serious thought into his outfits. Give it up, give it up for Tyler .
All of the BoyzTown excitement must have worn out Wendy. He decided it was time to go back to the hotel for the night… shocking indeed! In the meantime, Walt chatted up Tyler, and we had a rather interesting conversation with Jackson regarding his original Rufskin padded chest piece with adjustable straps. And we were generally enjoying ourselves so much that four hours later, the lights were on and we got the hell out of Dodge!
Before sending Walt off into his cab, we stopped around the corner at El Diablo’s late-night taco window to grab ourselves a snack. That torta had to be one of the best I’ve had in recent memory. If you find yourself looking for something lat at night, I highly suggest El Diablo’s taco window. Quick, fresh, and super delicious.
Walt and Wendy Do Denver (Part Two)
On Thursday, Blake and I accompanied Walt, Wendy, and a small band of Walt’s conference gal pals for our second (and big) night on the town. And dear DOD readers, it was a bigger night for some, than it was for others. I was feeling like your friendly Cruise Director, Julie McCoy by the end of the night, and one of my passengers would unfortunately experience a case of seasickness. No. Lie.
Alastair, your friendly Cruise Director
Feeling lightly lubricated, thanks to a conference-related gathering at the DAM (and the higher altitude), our out-of-town guests were looking to start their evening out in the world on the right foot. I was confident they would enjoy the legendary Cruise Room just off the lobby of The Oxford Hotel, based on my past experience. The Art Deco décor, the neon-lighted wall panels depicting different toasts from around the world, and the classic cocktail menu did not disappoint our sophisticated visitors. After some lively conversation and a few cocktails some of Walt’s gal pals ordered food from the McCormick’s Fish House menu and I quickly began to plan our next move.
Given the night of the week, the size of our group, and the growing intoxication of some, I knew JR.’s, “Denver’s favorite, award-winning GLBT bar” was the right choice. We grabbed our taxicabs and headed to JR.’s, but not before Blake and I stopped by Steuben’s for a quick bite that did not require us to rub shoulders with six other guests.
The Cruise Room at The Oxford Hotel
By the time we arrived at JR’s it was clear that one member of Walt’s conference posse, let’s call her Whitney, was letting the booze get the best of her. At one moment, while everyone was seated outside and I was waiting in line to grab a round of drinks, I look over to one corner of the bar to spot Whitney, sitting by herself, drink in hand, and phone on the bar. Despite her intoxication, and frequent declaration of said inebriation, Whitney continued to throw back one cocktail after the next, and to the surprise of many.
After spotting Mondo Guerra from afar, Wendy decided that he had seen all that JR.’s had to offer and yours truly was feeling the pressure to come up with a solution. Charlie’s, the country western themed bar on East Colfax and home to the infamous disco boots! “No matter who you are, you always know that there’s ALWAYS A PARTY AT CHARLIE’S!!!” But, seriously, Wendy could not have been more excited. Walt was beside himself. I could not tear my eyes away from the somewhat hipster hottie in the torn flannel shirt that was tearing up the dance floor. The same excitement was shared by the rest of our guests, except Whitney, who in our excitement realized that she had disappeared, having taken a cab back to her hotel. I think this realization came to us after Blake headed back home. He had an early flight the next morning to the East Coast. So, unfortunately he would miss out on something that would keep Walt, Wendy, and me endlessly entertained for the remaining weekend.
Whitney's first text message
Whitney’s gal pal, who was sharing a room with her during the conference, received a text from Whitney, which she immediately shared with us. “I just vommmmmmed.” Not long after, another text would arrive. “I so siiick.” Seriously. I still laugh out loud when I say that. Maybe you had to be there… We all felt terrible, especially for the woman sharing a room with Whitney. But, what a journey, and what a way to end the night.
Corn-mazing!
The Barn at Anderson Farms
I feel like I have finally become a Coloradan. And it took a visitor — my Gentleman Friend — to make it happen. The GF was here last week and he insisted that he wanted to go to a corn maze. I have done my level best over the past five years to avoid corn mazes. But the GF was having none of it. He wanted fall foods and autumn activities and a hay ride and the corn maze itself. So after extensive internet research, as well as a consultation with his stylist at Supercuts (don’t get me started), we settled on Anderson Farms Corn Maze in Erie. They claim to be Colorado’s largest and longest-running. They also have plenty of other activities, and this was one of the GF’s criteria.
Baby Goats
It was a bizarre, though totally enjoyable, experience. I played hooky from work (don’t tell!) on Wednesday. We were surrounded by lots of children, clearly also playing hooky in the middle of the day. This part confused me somewhat. I didn’t really understand why a corn maze would be open in the middle of a weekday, but they seemed to be getting a pretty steady traffic. First we met the various animals: sheep, goats, bunnies, and best of all: BABY GOATS! Really pretty much too adorable for words.
The Pumpkin Patch
Then we took a wagon ride to visit a few cows — they give you food pellets so you can feed them; cow tongues are insanely large and slobbery — and some buffalo before stopping off at the pumpkin patch, where differently sized pumpkins were available at different prices. If you didn’t want to pick your pumpkin right there, a large assortment was available back at the barn, including gourds (5 for $1; I picked the craziest looking ones of all and they are now the centerpiece of a windowsill autumnal display).
More Baby Goats
But arguably the best part ( I say “arguably” because that’s how much I love baby goats) was still to come. The MAZE of MAIZE! Each year Anderson Farms designs its maize maze to look like different animals from the air. This time there was a big moose and a bear and an eagle carrying a fish. And, dear reader, it is not easy. You are given a map and then you’re on your own. You follow the maze around to different stations, where you punch your card to prove you made it to each station. I am pleased to report that we didn’t get lost, even as the GF upped the ante by making a new rule: only one navigator to get to each station, like an extended trust game. If our relationship can withstand that kind of stress, we’re in it for the long haul!
Another Baby Goat
We finished the afternoon with a caramel apple (him) and a lemonade (me) before we drove to White Fence Farm so that he could pick up an order of corn fritters ($1.75 for a dozen); longtime readers will know that WFF is a favorite of the GF’s from his days as a child in suburban Chicago, home of the original location. All in all, a very Coloradan day was had by both of us. And that was not such a bad thing at all. (Note that this is perhaps the first and only time I have used the “outdoors” tag on a post! Note also that we have an altogether new tag.)
How Adorable? There are no words
Walt and Wendy Do Denver (Part One)
As Blake recently revealed, there’s been all kinds of busyness going on. No. Lie. This past Wednesday Walt and Wendy, my very good San Francisco gal pals, descended on Denver. And dear DOD readers, Alastair felt the need to impress this longtime couple that enjoys the finer things in life. The result, to be relayed here over a series of posts, was an impressive ride across Menver.
The Lobby at the Four Seasons Hotel Denver
The evening of Walt and Wendy’s arrival, my Oklahoma gal pal and I decided to rendezvous with the pair at EDGE Bar, located in the new Four Seasons Hotel on 14th Street at Arapahoe. Walt conveniently secured a great deal on a room thanks to Hotels.com, foregoing the less than sexy Hyatt Regency Denver. For my Oklahoma gal pal, this would be her only chance to meet the much talked about pair and, honestly, we’ve been very interested in scoping out the interiors of this new, high-style hotel. We were rather impressed by the warm and inviting spaces of both the bar and adjacent EDGE Restaurant. I can see EDGE Bar becoming one of the see-and-be-seen watering holes in downtown Denver… Just one request, PLEASE turn down that loud, pumping club music playing just outside of the entrance.
After a few cocktails (and fancy bar snacks to whet our appetites) we decided it was time for dinner. The original plan to head over to Osteria Marco was derailed since it was well after 10:00 p.m. So, instead, we happily strolled down 14th to Euclid Hall Bar and Kitchen which serves food until midnight, Monday through Thursday. The four of us gave the extensive beer list and meat-laden menu a workout. .. and our server, who was very knowledgeable about the many, many beer choices, kindly offered us a number of tastings. We kicked things off with the Fried Cheddar Curds and a Pickle Sampler. The perfect start for our Upper Midwestern born and bred guests. Walt had the Stranahan Charred and Glazed Boneless Duroc Pork Chop with grilled cabbage that he quite enjoyed. Wendy gave the Chicken and Sourdough Waffles a try. While not profoundly pleased with his choice, Wendy did decide to stop by for a late lunch the next day that he very much enjoyed. I had the Fish N Chips. Beer battered cod, chips (literally chips, not fries), and a nice lemon tarragon aioli. Most notably, we all agreed that our Oklahoma gal pal’s choice, the Kobe Beef Kielbasa, was the hit of the night. Paired with a great Apple Cabbage Caraway Slaw, she made the best selections of night.
After dinner, we dropped the boys off, but not before we grabbed ourselves a sneak peek of the room. My Oklahoma gal pal (who knows her interiors) and I were most impressed by the bathroom. A LCD television is built into the vanity mirror, glass wash basins are underlit for a night-light glow, and the deep soaking tub was notable.
Walt and Wendy's Bathroom
It was just the beginning of a whirlwind weekend. More soon.
The Squeaky Bean
We are alive. Even though it seems we have disappeared, we do in fact still exist. There’s been all kinds of busyness going on in the lives of your DOD boys. Work has been hectic for both of us. We’ve both been traveling. And we’ve both had visitors lately. My Gentleman Friend was in town for a few days and Alastair has had some of his best gal pals from SF visiting as well. All of this should have resulted in a series of witty posts about our adventures, but that’s how busy we’ve actually been: all adventure, no posting. I will attempt to right that pattern today, with the first of a series of posts on what we’ve been up to.
My Gentleman Friend and I met up with Alastair for dinner last week at The Squeaky Bean (at Tejon and 33nd in the Highlands). I had been before, but just for lunch; Alastair had been for dinner. We had never dined there ensemble. We were impressed, though maybe not quite as impressed as our gal pal Mama Monroe over at The Denver Omelette, who gave it one of her ravest reviews. We began with a couple glasses of white and a cocktail for the GF, who doesn’t go in much for vino (don’t even get me started). We opted to split a couple appetizers: the pig platter and the chicken liver mousse. Both came with lovely toast points and neither disappointed. This is where we concur with Mama: these folks know their meats. I’m not sure if they know their service quite as well as their meats, as we had to wait to place our orders for quite some time, and this was on a weeknight. I can’t imagine what it might be like on a weekend.
Deconstructed Shepherd's Pie
Alastair and I were also pleased with our main courses. Alastair had a deconstructed “no bake” Shepherd’s pie, though he didn’t actually know how deconstructed it would be till it arrived. Very. He wasn’t actually given a knife to deal with his pie and the pieces of lamb were big enough that he could have used one. I opted for the wild boar chops, served with wilted tatsoi and Brussel sprouts faro. Delicious, but the meat was remarkably difficult to cut. It was tender once removed from the bone, but that removal was no easy matter, it must be said. The GF decided he’d go for a couple appetizers for dinner and neither one particularly impressed. The spinach and artichoke dip, though different from what you might expect — indeed it looked like a soup with a flower headband — was not all that thrilling. But the real disappointment was the kohlrabi and apple soup, which had little in the way of flavor, though is served in its own little teapot, poured for you right there at the table. The presentation at the Bean is done with flair.
Apple tartelet with ice cream and caramel apple
Dear reader, we weren’t done there; we had dessert. After all, it was a special occasion, the GF being in town. I opted for the crisp apple tartelet with ice cream and a smallish caramel apple. I can barely recall what the GF and Alastair had, so long has it been. But Alastair’s involved a mini milkshake of his very own. And all of them were artfully arranged on our plates. I must say that my apple business surely had some sort of nut in it because my mildish nut allergy was making my throat all scratchy, but a few extra sips of Malbec and an hour later and I seemed to be OK.
All in all, we had a lovely time at the Bean, where we were informed by our waiter that all staff members have their own bean-inspired nickname and beans — coffee beans, green beans, all kinds of beans — make appearances on the menu to unite the restaurant in its bean theme.
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