Trés Bien, Merci, Le Central!

Le Central
112 E 8th Ave
Denver, CO 80203
www.lecentral.com
Attendees: Ang., Carol, Caroline, Jen, Katie, Lara, Marie, Rhonda

Here is how I remember our December dinner:

A handful of girls show up to Le Central a few minutes early for our 7:30 reservation. While we waited, we managed to throw down I forget how many rounds of martinis to kick off the evening...

Finally, we were seated in a lovely room at a long, roomy table, surrounded by soon-to-be victims of our soiree.

I remember a lot of talking and gabbing and finally deciding on many appetizers -- the most memorable being the escargot -- sopped up with bread -- amazing and tasty-good. I recall some tasty as always, mussels, and of course, the free-flowing wine.

And then appeared a surprise round of champagne from some fantastic person Katie associates with in the Rioja-world. (I think?!) Oh, it was bubbly and fun. M'hm.

Then a bunch more talking and loudness and then some more food -- I ordered a lovely piece of fish, a large piece of cod, accompanied by rice, cooked-to-perfection and still crunchy, green beans and some cabbage. I ate very little of it at the table because I had too many decadent appetizers but fortunately Le Central puts the leftovers in a nice, recyclable box (if you forgot your tupperware.) Then of course, more wine.

Somewhere in there was the surprise shot of something frenchy and that was probably the shot that sent most of us over the edge...

I believe we managed to close the place down. I think the staff wanted to kill us. But we had a great time once again at Le Central! I thank everyone and I hope they don't really hate us. Comment on... xoxo

Lala Land

Lala's Wine Bar + Pizzeria

410 E. 7th Ave. Denver 80203
303-861-WINE
Thurs 10/9/08
Attendees: Ang., Caroline, Cat, Jen, & Lara

Lala's was a last minute choice for our October dining date but when I heard there was a wine bar in Denver that none of us had been to... I knew it was the perfect place for these vino-lovin' ladies to get together.

Upon entering the restaurant, I was surprised at how big the space is. The ambiance is open and warm, dim but not dark. The bar is beautiful and the decor is very welcoming. We were seated toward the back, near the pizza bar at a great table in the corner that somewhat looks over the whole dining area. Our server was Lynette and she was cheery, friendly and fun and started us off with some waters while we pored over the extensive menus. (There were 3 -- the regular menu, specials, and wine.) I was feeling overwhelmed by the choices for wine so I went ahead and ordered a flight of the evenings specials which were Chiantis. While I thought they were interesting, I mostly found them each to be a bit tart for my taste. We also ordered up some Roman Artichokes which were "lightly breaded and fried, served with Caspian aioli" and they were delicious! The aioli was drizzled along with a cilantro-tasting pesto that paired perfectly with the artichokes. We also ordered the Housemade Burrata which was an amazing, fresh, mozzarella cheese served with "vine ripe tomatoes, balsamic glaze and extra virgin olive oil" and we were equally impressed and enjoyed every last bite along with a warm and tasty flatbread that accompanied the appetizer.

I ordered another flight of wine -- this time choosing to try the "Director's Cut Pinot Noir," the "Prima Voce Super Tuscan," and our waitress, Lynette's favorite wine, the "Alcance Carmenere" and enjoyed them in that order. The Alcance Carmenere was full bodied and delicious - I would try it again.

For my dinner, I ordered the "Il David" pizza, "naked (of course), three cheeses, herbed grilled chicken, artichoke, oven dried tomato, roasted garlic and red peppers." I asked for some olives instead of the chicken and they were happy to accommodate. The pizza was really, really good. The crust is thin and the ingredients are fresh and tasty. There were plenty of tomatoes and artichokes and roasted garlic (mmm) but I might have liked a few more olives. I was otherwise quite full after a few pieces, even though the pizzas are small. The wine and appetizers made it a full meal and I wasn't hungry again until today.

Incidentally, the prices at Lala's are very fair. Pizzas are about 9 bucks as well as the open-faced sandwiches. If you can manage to keep your wine intake to a couple of glasses, you could get out of here without dropping too much cash. I had to stop after two flights ($12 each) and settle on a final glass to finish the night. Getting the flights are a fun way to try some more expensive wines without paying for it.

I'll let the other girls comment on their experience at Lala's but I had a great time and thought the service and the food was stellar. Brian checked in on us from time to time and treated us to dessert. We were well taken care of and I would certainly return. The only issue I see to Lala's is the parking problem that plagues this area. Ang. & I drove around several blocks before settling on parking over on Logan. Lala's says that there is parking at the Govn'rs Park lot just a half-block down but as I recall, that lot is generally full as it is. I would suggest that Lala's posts a sandwich board out front letting people know where they can try and park because we otherwise would not have known to try the Gov's lot.

Carpool, bus, whatever you gotta do... but do give Lala's a shot. It's a welcome addition to the dining scene in Denver and we'd love to see them stick around.

Salute!
www.lalaswinebar.com

Ole'Ole'Ole'

Jack-N-Grill
2524 Federal Blvd
In Attendance: Ang., Carol, Caroline, Jen, Katie, Lara, Marie and Rhonda
(all in!)

We had ourselves a good ol' fashioned fiesta on Thursday at the Jack-N-Grill!
In one of those rare occasions everyone agreed that somehow we could all get to the restaurant early!!!

Excellent...more margaritas all around! And delicious margarita's they were. We just had the house specialty and they were good...an excellent recipe, not too sweet, not too sour and soaked through with tequila. I don't know if it was a mistake or not but my first round was served with a lemon wedge which really put a nice touch on the marg (my second glass came with a lime so who knows...)

Jack-N-Grill was Katie's pick and in perfect Mexican restaurant tradition their menu is large and extensive so it made choosing a tad difficult. Katie was almost bound to pick the same thing she always gets when she goes there but with enough goading she picked something different.
A treat!
I ordered the Stuffed Sopapilla Smothered and Deluxed...and it was awesome. In fact, that's how it made me feel before I even got through with half of it...stuffed!! But it was sooo good and just as yummy the next day for lunch!
I'm gonna have to let the other gals discuss their food cause, quite frankly...I was too busy with my own to be bothered by what was on their plates!

Now...a note...Jack-N-Grill is no in-and-out Mexican restaurant. It says so right on their menu...all their food is prepared to order...which in layman's terms you might have a bit of a wait. But worth every minute you get to spend enjoying another of their margaritas.

A la carte...few words of just-so-you-know:
It was raining the night we went and I was bummed because of the cute little covered patio in front of the restaurant, but after thinking about it a little bit, I would not want to sit and eat on their patio...it is about 10 feet total from Federal Blvd...I imagine it is very loud and dirty out there.
but the inside of the restaurant is very cute and festive, if just a tad small and crowded (cozy???) but the wait staff is friendly and warm.

Now...my opinion (everyone's got one right?) it takes a lot to screw up mexican food...it's pretty basic stuff, beans, chiles, cheese...how hard is that??? But I really liked Jack-N-Grill and would go again for sure.
I mean, c'mon...you gotta love a place that has Frito Pie on the menu, right???

Little Bites - Steakhouse 10

Steakhouse 10
3517 S Elati St
Englewood, CO 80110
(303) 789-0911

If you live in the Englewood area and want a nice place to dine without going too far... ha ha... you are pretty much out of luck. However, we do have an upscale establishment tucked away on Elati at Hampden called Steakhouse 10. The place is "cozy" (read: small and tight) and dimly lit. You can have a seat at the "cozy" bar and sip expensive martinis until your table is ready. You might be wise to call ahead for a reservation.

Our waiter was friendly with a thick accent from I'm-not-sure-where as I was seated the furthest away and had a difficult time hearing him. But he was friendly and cute and hard not to like. I can't remember his name, though.

The menu has several appetizers such as shrimp, escargot and things I can't remember. We ordered Saganaki to start (flaming cheese!) and it was fantastic and served along side some warm bread. We also ordered the only bottle of Malbec on the menu and it was a good choice and went well with everything we ordered. Pete ordered the Chicken Cordon Bleu and Holly & I split the pan-seared Halibut in a basil-y sauce. It was served with rice and it was simple and delicious. The halibut was tender and the sauce added nice flavor without taking over the texture of the fish and we were both happy that we split the plate. Incidentally, they do charge $10 to split a plate but it was worth it for us after the flaming cheese and bread which could have easily been an appetizer for four or more. The meal was topped off with a complimentary shot of Oozo. Yum and O-Pa!!

So no, not one of us had steak which of course this place is known for but we were each happy with what we got. A warning to vegetarians -- there is nothing here for you -- nothing. Unless you like bread and salad and maybe some sides. The prices are high but the service is on par and you can feel swept away from the Englewood fray for any special occasion.

Parisi Italian Market & Deli

4401 Tennyson St
Denver, CO 80212
(303) 561-0234
Caroline's Pick

“Caroline picked the best restaurant, ever!!”

I can’t remember who said this, but someone in our party did. The words are even written in the official Dinnergirls notebook.

Dinnergirl Lara lives in the neighborhood, so we started out the evening at her house to have a glass of wine, see her great home and visit with her puppy dog, Jasmine.

It was such a gorgeous night we considered ordering takeout, but then decided to walk over to Parisi for the entire dining “experience”. You have to wait in line and order at the counter, and pay then they find a table for you. This is not my favorite setup, yet I am open to unique concepts and this is the casual atmosphere of Parisi.

As we drooled over the menu, it was hard to decide what to get. The cute guy behind the counter, whose name we'll put here when we remember it, was very helpful and friendly!! One issue is there was nowhere for us to sit and have a glass of wine while we waited for our table. Panic started to arise in the group!! Luckily a table opened up for as soon as we filled our water glasses. We cheered as we were seated and our wine delivered immediately!

I ordered a Caprese salad and there was plenty to share with everyone! Delicious tomatoes and huge pieces of delicious fresh mozzarella! Yum!

As the food was served, squeals of delight were heard around our table! I have had delicious pizza at Parisi before, so I decided to try the pasta gorgonzola. It was rich and delicious and again plenty to share. The pasta was cooked perfectly and just the right amount of robust sauce surrounded my noodles!

Lara eats at Parisi often and has told us about the “crack” pizza, which she and Katie ordered. The pizza features a delicious house-made sausage with addictive qualities. Lara did not lie, it was amazing!! And the crust was thin and crispy, covered with a flavorful sauce! I for one love only thin crust pizza and this enhanced all of the other flavors immensely.

Now, here’s the problem, I waited way, way too long to write my blog!! I sincerely apologize and although I know I loved every single mouthful that night, I can’t remember specifically what everyone else ordered, so they will fill in the details. I do know that Parisi is one of my favorite places and I am looking forward to going to one of their family-style dinners on Wednesday evenings, which I heard are delicious and fun! You have to call ahead to make a reservation as these special nights can fill up!! They also have a great deli and frozen meals to take home. Their gelato looks scrumptious, although I was too full to eat any that night. Everyone in the restaurant seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as we were! I give Parisi a 10+, A+, lots of stars, whatever!!

Parisi is located at 4401 Tennyson in one of Denver’s hottest neighborhoods! Great restaurants, shops, houses, and friendly people walking their puppies!! Enjoy the great music on their website: http://www.parisidenver.com/

Little Bites

Blue Moon Sushi
2188 S Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80222(303) 782-4888‎

The first few times I passed Blue Moon on Colorado Blvd., I have to admit I chuckled. Is it really an I-Hop turned into a sushi joint? If I go in there and it still smells like syrup, I don't know if raw fish will go down so easy. Anyhow...on to the review:

Jen, Dan and I decided to meet at Blue Moon one Friday evening and give it a try! Several friends of mine said it was good, cute, and worth a trip! Jen also said a few of her friends recommended it too! Dan and I arrived first and decided to grab a table since the place seemed to be filling up fast, which is a good thing! The first impression I had of the place was, CUTE. They have converted the building into a fun and hip little place! I loved the decor, beautiful fish tanks and open and modern looking sushi bar. It is important to me that sushi restaurants are clean, and Blue Moon seemed fresh and new.

Jenny arrived and said how cute and fun the placed seemed too! We quickly moved on to ordering hot saki, and I think Dan had a Tsingtao beer. We chatted and took forever to decide what we wanted. The delightful waitress asked if we needed any help and we replied by asking her what she recommended. She was very helpful and pointed to items on the menu and specials up on the dry erase board that she liked! I personally love when a good server will offer insight into LARGE menus. I just couldn’t focus. Darn saki. I have also had some not so friendly servers at sushi bars, which make you feel like a jerk for asking for more saki. This wasn’t the case at Blue Moon!

This is where my memory needs assistance from Jen! I remember we ordered some “staple rolls and pieces” including spicy tuna, unagi, yellow tail, and tuna. However, we ordered a few special rolls that were OUTSTANDING. I remember one had king crab and it was delectable. The rice was good, not over cooked nor under cooked. The rolls were cut in nice sizes, which were easy to eat in one bite. The friendly waitress kept our saki-a-flowin’ and we were in blissful sushi delight! I also sort of recall ordering a roll that was really fancy and didn’t have rice around the outside but instead cucumber and a special sauce poured on top. Did we pass that one up Jen? I can’t remember.

My experience at Blue Moon was great and I must say I thought it was very reasonable in price. I think Denver has some great sushi bars for a great value and I will definitely add Blue Moon to that list! Sure, you can go pay more at other places around town but if you have the craving as I often do for decent sushi and don’t have a fat wallet, Blue Moon will deliver!

Little Bites: Casa Bonita

Ummm... I've been teasing the Dinnergirls about picking Casa Bonita as my dinner for a couple of years now. Even though I have really wanted to go, everyone threatens not to attend. So I dare not waste my pick. You can imagine my excitement when Ang. called to say, "If you really want to go to Casa Bonita, this is your chance." It would seem her niece is in town and we'd be taking the kiddies. Awesome!

We arrived -- barely remembering how to get there. It has been twelve or so years since my last visit. The big pink tower gave it away at last.

We stood in line for what seemed like FOREVER and the memories started trickling back. We ordered a litre (each, of course) of frozen, fake, non-alcoholic, "Sangria" Margarita, nachos, gorditas and fun for all!

The excitement builds as we climb the ramp with our trays to be seated. Until we were seated in a crappy little table in an awkward corner with no view except a wall and people's backs, that is.

The food sucked -- as I knew it would -- but the entertainment was supposed to make up for that, right? Plus there is always a chance that management changed since the last time any of us were there and everything has been improved and now it is great! Fat chance indeed. Since I was literally looking into a corner that was situated behind some risers, it was hard to see past the bad, bad, really bad, food as it was the only entertaining thing in the vicinity. How in God's name can you screw up NACHOS that BAD? They are $13 and I wouldn't even feed them to my puppy! It really is a feat. The chips suck. The "queso" comes from a can and that is pretty much all there is to it. Mookie's nachos were stale so we sent them back. She still didn't eat them -- we'll assume because they sucked. Ang's gorditas were interesting to look at -- Mattie didn't seem to mind them but you'll have to read on to the comments for that review...

Incidentally, whatever you order, order it without meat and they'll make it, uh, "fresh" and bring it to your table. It won't have been sitting out under that hot light like everyone else's. Either that or return your plate when it arrives and tell the waitress it is stale. They'll bring a newer, better one. Notice -- I did not say "good" - just better.

We finally put our plates to rest, munched on a cheap imitation Sopaipilla, FINALLY paid our bill, swallowed down what we could of the "margaritas" and headed toward the "cliff" that by the way has not been updated in about 30 years. I swear. Of course nothing here has been. The "skit" that was being performed was entirely too long and impossible to understand. All anyone wants to see is someone go over and they dragged it out for days -- the little kids lost interest... and finally it finished. We managed to escape this place after finally finding the exit.

I swear -- SWEAR -- I am over it -- I'm over Casa Bonita and I'll never threaten to take anyone there ever again. If any visitors from out of town are dying to visit -- I'll be happy to print out a Google map to help you find your way.

Don't say you weren't warned...

xxx

PS - Marie's comment won't post because it is a graphic. I'll post it here for her. xxx

OH! Gosh!

Steuben’s Food Service

523 E 17^th

^{Denver, CO 80203}

^303.830.6909

Attendee’s: Caroline, Jen, Marie, Ang. (the return of) Kat and Katie for drinks!

Ah…Steuben’s…finally!

We were all so very excited about this pick, and let me be the first to say, it lived up to all the that we had heard about it and more!!!

First…the drinks menu! We all had several different fun drinks and none of them disappointed.

My first was an enchanting little pirate number of Vodka, Lime Juice and Ginger Beer served in an ice-cold copper mug and for the encore a delicious, sassy, little number with Tequila, Muddled Cucumber, Cliantro, Lime Juice and something spicy…which was uber-fantastic and made me wish we were sitting outside on one of them 100 degree days when it’s too hot to even move!—I cannot remember the names of either of these drinks…but peruse the menu for a bit and you’ll find ‘em, no sweat!

Some of the other gals had fun gin drinks that were delicious as well. I’m not a fan of the gin but the taste was not overpowering in these smooth, shaken, not stirred concoctions.

(I think…someone, not mentioning any names, has a copy of the drink menu…maybe they would be delightful and fill in the blanks on a comment page???)

Anywhooo….the drinks, though a little pricey, hit the spot and were all perfectly sublime and absolutely marvelous.

Kudos to the Bartenders!!!

Second…the appetizers!!! We ordered a couple of things that make this dinnergirl say "Wow…we are so going back to Steubens!!!"

Lara warned us about the gravy fries…we should have listened. We got the gravy on the side but the massive plate of perfectly cooked fries was also covered with cheese…Lara did not mention cheese…lordy! My personal favorite...I want to go back for more right now!

Speaking of cheese…the fried cheese was excellent but the marinara would make any Italian restaurant chef weep….it was practically the best I have ever tasted in a dining establishment.

Then the calamari. I’m not really a connoisseur of seafood (ok…really, I love fish, especially the raw stuff!) but I’ll try things. This calamari, served Rhode Island style, I don't know what that means but it was something else. It was lightly breaded and accompanied with peppers and olives in a light, spicy sauce…out of this world…loved it!

And the third act…entrees!

Quite frankly, we were all a little bit full after the appetizers so we went a little sparingly on dinner.

Caroline, I believe had the barbeque, tender and scrumptious…and she went for the “famous” mac and cheese instead of potato (I’m guessing here). I can understand why it is the premier on their menu…soooo good!!! It was cheesy (I am guessing again but there were probably several different types of the fromage) and the little crusty breadcrumbs on the top…man, yum-Mee!!!

Jen and I split the trout…thank god cause it was a whole fish…perfectly cooked, light and flaky.

Marie had the onion soup and Kat had a Caesar salad, and while I tasted neither they both looked beautiful.

Then our fabulous wait-gal brought a little dessert menu to the table, and quite frankly I don’t thing a single one of us actually looked at it.

Now…I have to admit…this was one of our more “expensive” dinners, but with all the drinks and the service (the lovely Emma was absolutely awesome!!) and the ambiance…it was worth every penny.

I can’t speak for everyone but I am sure that a return engagement (s) is in very near future!

Oshima Ramen

Oshima Ramen
7800 E. Hampden Ave.
Denver, CO 80231
720-482-0264

In Attendance, Ang, Jen, Rhonda, Lara, Caroline, Carol, and Marie

My first impression of Oshima Ramen…….WEIRD. Upon entering, you feel as if you have walked into someone’s dirty office. In fact, there is a sign that says something like, “don’t sit here, this is my office.” The piles of papers and junk are not exactly inviting. However, I have been to some dives before, and tried to look beyond THE OFFICE. I rounded the corner and saw my lovely Dinnergirls smiling back at me, and felt comforted.

It didn’t last long. We were sitting at a corner table as we usually do. The Dinnergirls are known to get a bit rowdy when we are having a good time! The table was dirty, I mean DIRTY. There was ground in dirt all over the plastic checkered tablecloth. I scanned around the rest of the restaurant quickly, and noticed that the whole place was somewhat grungy. Again, I kept telling myself that dives have some of the best food its okay, its okay, forget it! I kept looking down at the tablecloth and didn’t even want to touch it, eeeccck, and gross! I did enjoy the funny Asian cartoon posters on the wall!

Now to the food! The menu was interesting. I had never eaten ramen at a restaurant before, so I for one was excited. Ramen was usually something I ate at home curled up on the sofa and it was a wonderful college meal. There were all kinds of different broths, meats, and veggies to go choose from to go along with your ramen noodles. Honestly, I was scared to eat any kind of meat there, so I stuck with vegetarian ramen. Other girls were more adventurous and ordered meats and seafood in their ramen. Each ramen meal came with gyoza. I LOVE gyoza, but wasn’t looking forward to eating meat that came from a dirty kitchen. Oh the horror!

I almost forgot that before during and after ordering, we enjoyed mass quantities of hot sake! You can’t really screw up sake and it was fantastic! Our servers were very friendly and even helped us with the menu and figuring out what we were doing. The service at Oshima Ramen was good.

The gyoza starters arrived at our table. They were a bit different looking than any gyoza I have tried before. All the dumplings were stuck together and had a strange fried crust all around them.

Oshima Ramen has a bunch of different sauces and spices at each table apparently to use on your gyoza or ramen. I won’t go into how dirty the dispensers were, and I stayed away from them. A few girls were brave and smelled them, but didn’t look like they enjoyed the aromas. I stuck with soy sauce. I tore off a gyoza with my chopsticks, dunked it in soy sauce, and popped the whole thing in my mouth. I hesitated to chew. However, I was delighted with the taste that filled my mouth! I thought the gyoza was great! The gyoza dumplings were very tender and filled with very flavorful meats and veggies. I was ready to give Oshima Ramen the benefit of the doubt! The other girls seemed happy with their gyoza, as I recall. I think a few other girls ordered different appetizers, but can’t remember what they were in my sake haze.

Finally, our ramen appeared at the table. The bowls of hot and steamy ramen were enormous! My bowl was as big as my head. We all dug into our ramen and started commenting.

First off, mine was bland. Maybe I was used to the kind that came in a package, cost a $1, and filled with MSG to add flavor. The vegetable broth in this fresh ramen had no flavor at all. I dumped in at least a cup or two of soy sauce hoping to bring out some flavor, but I ended up with a bowl of bland soy sauce soup. I noticed a few other girls desperately trying to add flavor to their ramen too. The noodles in my ramen were very good compared to the broth. The noodles were fresh and tender. I was slow with my chopsticks, but finally learned you just had to shove in a mouthful of noodles and cut them off with your teeth. It was fun to slurp and twirl the noodles. My ramen also had some veggies added in and they were cooked perfectly, but had the same bland flavor as the ramen broth. In one word, the ramen was just boring.

Unfortunately, I don’t recall if the other girls liked their ramen or not, so I will leave it to them to add some comments!

I also want to say that if you visit Oshima Ramen, beware of the bathroom and the toilet paper weirdness. I imagine they think that they might run out, or they are too lazy to check and see if the bathroom is ever out of toilet paper so they stockpile it! There are literally 5 to 10 rolls of toilet paper shoved behind the toilet in between the toilet handrail. It also looks as if the toilet paper had once been wet and in the toilet. It was nasty in there and I couldn’t get out fast enough. I will leave the bathroom critique at that.

I am sorry to say, but out of all the Dinnergirls picks this one was mine and it was my least favorite. I don’t think I will have any reason to go back to Oshima Ramen and the funny office space in the corner. I might be persuaded to order some to-go gyoza, but that’s about it! I was very disappointed, especially after reading so many great reviews. I will stick with my 10 for $10 ramen at the grocery store, thank you!

Good Wine and Great Company!

Seven 30 South
730 South University

In Attendance: Marie, Rhonda, Ang., Jen, Caroline & Lara

“You can’t screw up wine and company!” with that pearl of wisdom, Rhonda said it all!

I really wanted to love 730 South. I pass it every Monday thru Thursday on my way to work and have been dying to try it. So, with a little help from the bunch, I picked it.

Let’s start with the positives. The décor is fabulous…the ambiance is fantastic…the menu is abundant (there really is something for everyone) and the service is exquisite.

Our waitress, Melissa, figured out early that we are some exuberant and boisterous girls and reacted accordingly…she was fun and accommodating in every way…we liked her immediately and immensely!!

As for the fare…I can’t say that I was at all impressed. My dinner, Rosemary Pork Chop was described on the menu as being served with dates and kalamata olives…it is possible they were mashed up and mixed into the sauce but I saw nor tasted any evidence of them at all. The chop was well cooked but for a restaurant I was looking for better than I could do at home. The pork was also specifically listed as a 10 ounce chop on the menu but I was unimpressed with the cut, it seemed to be mostly fat…let’s just say I didn’t eat it all and didn’t bother taking home my leftovers, which is very rare for me.

As usual, I had a taste of everyone’s dinner and the Tilapia special was very good but the initial Mahi Mahi that was delivered to the table was horribly overcooked and the portion was rather tiny compared to the price, thankfully it was not a problem at all to send it back. (which Melissa handled perfectly).

Overall, I have a very mixed feeling about 730 South. I wanted to love love love it, but that just was not the case. They have great service, a fantastic menu and a beautiful atmosphere but their pricing just seems as if they are trying too hard to be “Cherry Creek” bistro instead of just a wonderful Denver dinner spot, and the food just can’t back up either of those ideas.

But of course, the wine (a delicious Christine Andrew 2005 Lodi Malbec) and the company were excellent…and you can’t screw that up, for sure!

xoxoang.

Ming's Dynasty
Carol's Pick
4251 East Mississippi Avenue
Glendale, CO 80246
(303)757-4923
http://www.mingsdynastydenver.com/index.htm
Monday - Thursday 11 am - 10 pm
Friday 11 am - 10:30 pm
Saturday 3:30 pm - 10:30pm
Sunday Noon - 10:00pm

In honor of the the Chinese New Year we celebrated February's dinner with Ming's Dynasty. Ming's has a very authentic feel with large lion-like dragon statues at the entrance & staff in traditional dress. Ming's Dynasty offers authentic Chinese cuisine including Mandarin, Cantonese, Szechuan and seafood entrees. We arrived on a busy Friday night without reservations and began enjoying cocktails in the bar. The bartender/owner was busy but very happy to make us any one of the tropical cocktails and provide peanuts to snack on before being seated. While chatting with the girls in the bar I noticed a large volume of take out customers coming & going, leading me to salivate even more seeing the popularity of the establishment.

Upon being seated at a large round table, the lovely owner enticed us with the volcano cocktail complete with flaming center & long straws for all to indulge; we ordered two. With such a large menu to choose from we began with the cheese fried won tons, fried dumplings, egg drop soup, hot & sour soup and a pu pu platter which held a variety of yummy delights and a warming center to boot! I must say I like the strips of fried won tons on every table & the homemade sweet & sour dipping sauce with a nice dose of ginger!

As we commenced with dinner I ordered my favorite, the prawns in hot garlic sauce! A spicy brown sauce with slices of garlic & fresh veggies--this is the best I have ever experienced. So many other delights like Jenny's sesame tofu & Lara's pork fried rice were enjoyed along with another flaming volcano. The service was very attentive and everyone so very friendly. The owners, a husband & wife, treated us to a special shot of expensive Chinese sake to ring in the new year. What a wonderful experience we had from the flaming volcano's to the warm hospitality. Reservations are not necessary and they have an all you can eat lunch buffet that would be worth checking out!

--Katie

¡Un Banquete Mexicano Delicioso!

The South
3535 S Huron - Englewood
In attendance: Ang., Carol, Caroline, Jenny, Katie, Lara, Marie, Rhonda
January 10, 2008

Starting 2008 in Englewood, we met at The South, another favorite DinnerGirls restaurant. Unfortunately, the place has had an interior facelift so gone is the dark, late 60's era ambiance... the red lighting, the dated decor... all of it is gone and now has fresh paint, a brighter interior and new lights -- which are covered in photos of the owner from what looks like must have been his college days. Kooky!

The table at which we were seated was kooky too. It was long and we all faced one way. In fact we all faced another couple at a long table who were facing us. We shifted things around and managed to isolate ourselves so were weren't staring at our poor neighbors.

Many things are different these days at The South, the food however, hasn't changed a bit! After ordering a FISHBOWL of margaritas, and a round of chips, salsa & mediocre guac (strangely creamy), we ordered plates of quesaritos, enchiladas, and other mexican delights - individual reviews to follow - see comments.

All in all, another great dinner at The South. Next month - Carol returns from Ohio to take us into the Chinese New Year...