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!