GASTRONOMY

I've created a new blog to document my culinary travels through the city. Go to Denver Bites to fulfill all your food related fantasies...Actually,my food related fantasies (and catastrophes).

FORM OVER FUNCTION

Potager is like the new $300 shoes you just bought that make your toes bleed. The gleaming restaurant, lush patio, rustic bar and open kitchen are all extremely beautiful and scream French countryside sans the smelly locals. The organic, Boulder Farmer's Market suppliers scream of Alice Waters' Chez Panisse. But, what it does not scream is, "We know how to cook." The people behind Potager have done a remarkable job with the details: Old cookbooks line the wall bordering the open kitchen, the floor to ceiling wood wine case is sprinkled with hay, the outdoor patio provides a beautiful garden and perfectly weathered wood window coverings, and the menu reads beautifully with wine recommendations for each course. Everything about Potager charms your senses...until the food arrives.

The food is focused on seasonal ingredient from local growers which is exciting yet debilitating. The kitchen tries to treat seasonal vegetables simply to exemplify the ingredients' 'essence', but it also gets repititive. Out of the eight dishes we ordered, seven probably had corn, tomatoes or both. But, most of dishes did not 'feature' the corn or tomatoes. It always seemed like an after thought with little creativity: A goat cheese souffle with a tomato puree. Why not a tomato souffle or tomato bread pudding? Anyways, that's beside the point that the kitchen could not cook a chicken correctly. The first roast chicken to come out was rare in the middle and sent back. The replacement chicken that came out included a dry, tough breast and an undercooked thigh and leg. I can understand the first chicken being undercooked, but the second? When a plate comes back in a kitchen you better damn well make sure the second one is perfect. There is also an instrument called a quick read thermometer that is part of every cooks' uniform. Use it! Make sure your customers don't get salmonella, especially while cooking half a chicken on the bone. Otherwise, my monkfish came out luke warm, the souffle was barely warm, the tomato tart crust was soggy, and the lobster and tomato risotto had no lobster. Given, it was the first night of a new seasonal menu change, but it doesn't make it okay to forget the basics of cooking. Raw chicken and warm food do not bode well for a restaurant critiqued as one of the best in Denver.

Even with the major oversights in our visit, I want to give Potager another chance. I feel they are capable of so much more. They have a great vision that is hard to come by in Denver. The space is too captivating to fail. From the perfectly weather-stained walls to the angelic, pregnant bartender, the restaurant is too charming and the ideas are too big to come crashing down...Yet, that might be their ultimate problem.

THE RESULTS ARE IN

Kanye officially sold 957,000 albums during the first week while Fiddy Cent sold 691,000. Kanye's 957,000 is the largest opening for any album since 50 did 1.1 million in 2005 with "The Massacre". I wonder what the sales would have been if they didn't go head to head...

HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER

Kanye's new album "Graduation" is damn near perfect. Every aspect is amazing. Everytime I've listened to it it seems new, refreshing and unique. Musically, this album is on another level--it's the future. Lyrically, it's his least personal album, but he has enough depth, catchiness, and wittiness to keep it interesting. Even the packaging is rediculous! The fact that he got Takashi Murakami to do the artwork shows how much he cares about his product. I want to buy a second copy and keep it as a piece of art! The album gets better everytime you listen to it.

He might bitch about not winning awards, he might act like a jackass, but he can undeniable back it up.





Ps. Just my opinion.
Pps. Kanye is leading 50 in album sales: 437,000 to 310,000. I love 50, but Kanye is on some next level shit.

NIGHT OWLS

Usually alcohol and large animals don't make a good combination and would probabaly lead to an episode of "When Animals Attack". But, at the 10th Annual Brew at the Zoo it's for a good cause. Over thrity local restaurants and breweries come together for the Red Apple Fund to support educational programs for low income children. Good food, good drinks, great cause, but not many animals (unless you count the ones that come out after 7 or 8 drinks). Overall, a great event!




Jess wonders where the lions are; Pete wonders where the beers are.


Not sure what this lion was doing, but she looked comfortable.


The flouresent lights gave the elephants seizures and made old people dance poorly.


This booth from Taste of the Wild seemed inappropriate...I expected ostrich burgers and croc nuggets. All we got was turkey and pototo poppers.


Jess didn't tell us we were supposed to impersonate an animal in this pic...

STREETS IS WATCHIN

9/11. Who's it gonna be?



Vs.



This could be the day that revives the music industry...