Whether you are celebrating Valentine’s Day, an anniversary or other romantic special occasion, downtown Denver offers an array of romantic Denver restaurants to make your special day a Mile High romance.

Consider the following romantic restaurants in Downtown Denver:

ELWAY’S, Ritz-Carlton, Denver

Ladies, appeal to your sweetheart’s sports-loving side by dining at Downtown Denver ELWAY’S, the Ritz-Carlton, Denver’s signature restaurant. Named for the famed Denver Bronco quarterback and NFL Hall of Fame Inductee John Elway, ELWAY’s is a more than meal – it’s an over-the-top dining experience.

Sit back, order a glass of wine, and enjoy people-watching (and often local celebrities). Signature items include hand-cut, aged USDA prime steaks, lobster, salmon and fresh accompaniments. Read More »

I have a confession to make: I don’t like football. Yes, which means all of you people who’ve had me over for Super Bowl parties over the years – I’m sorry but I was really just there for the food. Shocking, I know, but I’m sure you had an inkling when I kept asking questions like, “Who’s playing?” and “Why are all those people chasing the guy with the oval ball?”

But let’s face it – the food really is one of the best things about a Super Bowl party, right? More specifically, the hot wings. You really can’t have a party on the big game day and not serve up a big platter of these mouth-watering, tongue-searing poultry gems. I’m not saying I won’t come to your party if you don’t have hot wings, but if you see me leave in the middle of the game because I “have to run an errand,” you’ll know where I went.

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One of the city’s finest bakeries, you’ll find Crusto’s lovely loaves on Muntaner Street in uptown Barcelona. I’m not usually in this area of the city, but was in the zone on business and happened upon Crusto right around the time I needed an afternoon pick-me-up.

Here’s the thing about bread in Barcelona: a lot of it is crap. This is Read More »

Right before I left for Chicago, I discovered this email in my inbox:

“It’s BYOB, and they recommend champagne.  Any favorites or preferences?”

Now that’s my kind of email.

My friend was talking about what to bring for our reservation at El Ideas, Chefs Phillip Foss’ and Andrew Brochu’s new improvisational restaurant in the heart of Chicago.  (We ultimately decided to go with some Krug, in case you were wondering).

Have you ever wondered what happens when you put together some incredible chefs, a limited number of patrons and a creative 9-course menu that changes every night?  After eating at El Ideas, I can tell you:  Pure magic.

Each course at El Ideas was a beautiful surprise.  And I’m not talking about surprise about how good the food was–with Foss and Brochu at the helm, that was a given.  But it was hard to know what you were going to get even after viewing the menu.  Items were listed like:

crab
roe/grapefruit/lemongrass

and

marrow
chestnut/chard/blood orange

The lack of description left us anticipating just how these flavors should and would come together.  We puzzled, we wondered, we salivated.  It was a lot of fun to speculate about it all.  But even better to finally taste.

From beginning to end of the two+-hour experience, I found myself drooling with anticipation for the next course.  (Luckily, I had plenty of Krug on hand to help calm me as I waited for each course).  We were also free to wander into the kitchen to watch Foss and Brochu at work, as all guests are, and were occasionally asked to bring an extra plate to one of our lucky seating companions.

Seatings at El Ideas are limited and have a fixed price.  But such wonderful ventures are hard to come by and worth the wait (and every penny).

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El Ideas
2419 W 14th St
Chicago, IL 60608
Email:  info@elideas.com

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Photo courtesy of Kayt Sukel.