Corinne - Brunch - Denver

 

My second day in Denver was going to be a travel day, though it was also going to be a beer day, so I wanted to make sure that I had a good meal, before I started anything.  I was going to make a brewery stop before I traveled and while I have no problem eating at a brewery/brewpub, but I was visiting on a weekday and wasn't sure what food they would have available, so I decided to play it safe and visit a restaurant that I knew would be serving brunch.  Located downtown, near the capitol, in a Hyatt, Corinne was very open with a garage door wall opening onto a sidewalk patio.  The dining room was divided into front and back with a rail between them.  The front was attached to the patio and had the bar, the rear is where the kitchen entrance is and it more properly looked like a dining room.  The lighting in the front was natural from the open garage doors augmented with track and recessed lighting.  The lighting in the rear dining room was hanging lighting.  I was seated in the front dining room, though I was seated next to the rail so I could see what was happening in each dining room.  I started with some good medium roast coffee from another local roaster (different from the one used at Ivy on 7th).

For food, I started out with some Avocado Toast.  It was served on Country Bread, topped with Pepitas and Lemon Zest.  The Pepitas added a nice crunch and the Lemon Zest added some tartness to the creamy richness of the avocado.  The country bread was a dense whole wheat toasted to a nice medium.  It was crisp, but not so crisp that it became dry.  It was filling and a nice start.

For my main course, I went with a spin on a Breakfast Sandwich.  It had Chicken Sausage, Pepper Jack Cheese, and Scrambled Eggs on a Brioche Bun with Jalapeno Relish on the side.  Texturally, the sandwich was very soft.  It had a nice mouthfeel, but without the Jalapeno Relish, it was a bit bland.  The relish, basically a Pico de Gallo was very fresh and spicy, but not overwhelming.  It complemented the ingredients of the sandwich and improved it immensely.  I enjoyed my food at Corinne and found it to be a great start to a great day.  

Ivy on 7th - Brunch - Denver

When I travel, the most important meal for me is brunch.  I travel to see a specific area, so I will undoubtedly be doing a lot of exploring, so it's good to start things off with a good meal.  This was especially important in Denver when I planned on doing an all day beer crawl.  I was staying in the Speer neighborhood of Denver and Ivy on 7th was both close, in Capital Hill, and on the way to RINO, where I wanted to go.  When I arrived, I noticed that it looked brand new.  In fact, the temporary banner above the door said NOW OPEN.  When I asked, I found the restaurant had been open for less than 3 months, replacing another wine bar.  It had a nice patio, but I decided to sit inside and learn about the place.  The space was very open  with brick walls, a cement floor, and an unfinished ceiling.  While I could see the dining room from the bar, it was separated by a half wall, I imagine to control traffic around the bar.

 

As I would be drinking, I decided both to stick with coffee with my brunch and to make sure I ate something hearty.  The coffee was a medium roast from a local roaster, Pablo's Coffee, and I really liked it.  For my meal, I had what they called an Ivy Cristo which was a spin on a Monte Cristo, a Ham and Cheese Sandwich served on French Toast.  For their version, it had Local Ham, Apricot Jam, and Brie, on Pressed French Sourdough Toast.  It was both sweet and savory and very gooey.  The fact that it was pressed in a panini press made it compact and crisp and very good.  As a side, I had Seasonal Fruits and Berries.  It included Grapes, Strawberries, Blackberries, Blueberries, and Raspberries which were sliced and tasted very fresh.  It also included no Cantaloupe which improved it immensely. 

My brunch was very good.  The place looked nice, it was very relaxed, and the staff was very friendly.  The food was also very fresh and good and if I return to Denver, this will definitely be on my list.       

Clever Rabbit - Tasting Collective

 

In recent years, I have been looking at restaurants by how they do their vegetables.  Most restaurants you can expect to do steak well,  As well, most places can do good pasta or potatoes and you can find a good burger at many higher end restaurants.  The vegetables at many places are going to be very fresh, but how creative is the dish that they are in and does it keep the focus on the vegetables?  In that vein, I have been interested in going to Clever Rabbit, a vegetable-focused, though not vegetarian, restaurant in Wicker Park and I was very happy when Tasting Collective hosted a dinner there.  Located in a row of bars and restaurants on Division, it does have a great patio with a sign above the patio entrance, but the building is painted gray and the sign/lettering is kind of unobtrusive.  The bar and dining room are done in neutral colors, though there were David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust and LCD Soundsystem prints in the back of the dining room and the soundtrack was classic Pink Floyd.  While I mentioned that the menu was vegetable focused, it followed both in both the food and beverage menus.  The cocktail that I ordered, Spanish Moon, contained, in addition to Prairie Organic Gin, Strawberry, Lemon, Mint, White Balsamic, and Q Tonic, and was garnished with Juniper Berries.  Similar to a standard Gin and Tonic, it was was more tart and fruit flavored with an evergreen finish provided by the Juniper Berries.  I like Gin and Tonics, but with the quality of both the Gin and Tonic used and the fruit added, this amped things up and I really liked it.

The food menu at Clever Rabbit, while vegetable focused was also literally all over the map.  There were dishes inspired by cuisine from all over the world.  We started our journey in Mexico with Summer Squash Sopes with Tempura Blossoms, Black Beans, Honeysuckle, and Cotija Cheese.  The Squash Blossom was delicate, flavorful, and had a nice crunch.  The Black Beans gave the dish some heartiness, and the Sopes themselves were thick and crunchy with a nice corn flavor.  It was a very nice start and a good way to bring anticipation for the rest of the meal.

From Mexico we went to South Asia with Sweet Pea Paratha with Carrot Curry and Goat's Milk Curry.  Paratha, like Naan is a flatbread, though Paratha is fried vs. Naan, which is baked.  The Goat's Milk and Carrot Curries were served together and had a tart and spicy flavor which was very good even without eating with the bread.  The bread was soft and fluffy with a nice hollow inside which could be filled with the curry, but it could easily enjoyed on it's own.

From India we came back to the United States (or France, depending on how far you want to take it).  We were served Chicken Liver Mousse on Rye Shortbread topped with Raspberry Jam and Spruce Tips.  This was a really interesting combination that I would never have thought of, but worked really well.  The rye shortbread provided a firm foundation and a bitter base from the rye that actually complemented the Chicken Liver Mousse.  The Raspberry Jam brought a sweet tartness that brought out the sweetness of the mousse.  The Spruce Tips were sweet, bitter, and herbal and tied everything together (as well as going with my drink).

After our trip back to the United States, we returned to Europe, Italy specifically, for some pasta.  We were served Buckwheat Pappardelle Noodles with Porcini Mushrooms, Spigarello Broccoli (an heirloom broccoli considered the parent of broccoli rabe), and Pepperoncino.  It was very savory and hearty with a nice spicy finish and I really liked it.

From Italy, we returned to the United States to times past for a Meat and Three, a Meat entree served with three sides, though as far as the dish was concerned, it was very Mexican.  In this case, the meat was a Goat Barbacoa served with Fry Bread, Pickles and Radishes, and Braised Greens.  Things could be eaten separately or in any combination, though admittedly, the pickles and radishes were better with the meat.  All of the elements were very good and could make for a very good open faced sandwich, though it would stack high and be a little messy.  I found the best combination to be the barbacoa on bread with the radishes and pickles and the greens on the side.

After our journey we finished with dessert which was essentially American, but there was a bit of a an Asian spin on it.  It was a Cherry Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate, Sesame, and Marcona Almonds.  The Cheesecake was fairly standard, but good, though the Sesame did add an interesting flavor.  It was also served on a very cool rabbit plate.  The food here was very good, the vibe was very relaxed, and the soundtrack, which was vinyl, was pretty great.  I will definitely have to return. 

 

Crepes Et Amis

 

I like to see what there is to eat no matter where I go and that includes when I go to Michigan to visit my family.  My parents live in downtown Midland, Michigan and I noticed a crepe place that I was interested in a few years ago.  It took me a while, but I was finally able to visit Crepes et Amis for brunch the last time I was in Midland.  It's a small counter service space with the kitchen on one side and bench seating on the other.  There are also some tables in the front and a couple of tables in the back, opposite the bench seating and next to the kitchen.  The lights are hanging lights, strung above the bench and chandelier-like over the order counter.  There are also some wall hangings consisting of framed coffee bags and Paris art with a vintage clock in the center.  The entire look is both rustic and very homey.

 

Crepes et Amis specializes in crepes, both sweet and savory, but they also do waffles and pastries (and coffee).  While there were several waffles that looked good, as it was my first time there, I wanted to focus on the crepes.  I got two crepes, one sweet and one savory.  I also had a cup of coffee from a local roaster that was pretty good.  The crepes were thin and easy to cut, but they also held together well enough to hold its fillings.  My sweet crepe was the Banberry, which had Bananas, Strawberries, and Nutella, and was drizzled with Nutella and Powdered Sugar.  It was sweet with a little tartness from the strawberries and the Nutella added a sweet and chocolatey nuttiness that tied everything together.  My second Crepe was called Good Morning Paris, and it was a perfect Breakfast.  Inside the the delicate crepe was Smoked Ham, Scrambled Eggs, Swiss Cheese, Brown Sugar, and served with an Orange on the side.  While I will generally order both sweet and savory dishes for brunch, this was both sweet and savory in one.  The crepes were really good.  The space was very friendly and welcoming, and I will be sure to return.