The 9th Door

What's Behind Door Number 9?

We have tried many different restaurants since starting the blog, but The 9th Door is the first Tapas restaurant we have visited.  The 9th Door is located on Blake Street and 18th in downtown Denver next to the Vesta Dipping Grill.  We visited Vesta a while back and noticed The 9th Door at that time.  We have been looking forward to visiting the restaurant ever since.

Please note there is no parking lot for The 9th Door so bring some extra cash for street parking or any of the pay parking lots in the area.

The 9th Door is one of those adorable, smaller scale restaurants that are so abundant downtown.  Exposed brick, low lighting, and flowing fabric dividers stand out against the beautiful red and orange backdrop of the room.  The bar is simply beautiful being fully bathed in an orange glow.  There are two televisions at the bar allowing patrons to watch a game and eat at the same time; however, the televisions do not distract people in the rest of the space.  The dining area consists of booths and tables, and they do have a patio for the warmer months. 

As we stated, The 9th Door is a smaller space so if you are planning on dining there, we would suggest making reservations ahead of time to ensure you have a table.

Jamon Iberico

Tapas by definition are a variety of small plates, appetizers, or snacks in Spanish cuisine.  The basic idea of serving Tapas is to encourage conversations and sharing of the food.  Because people are not as focused on eating an entire meal, they can order more of a variety and try a larger selection of the menu.

The menu of the 9th Door is broken down into several sections which include Tapes Frias (cold dishes such as meat and cheeses), Tapas Calientes (hot dishes consisting of ham, beef, chicken, etc.), Postres (desserts), Vinos Dulces (sweet wines to be served with dessert), and Café and Te (Coffe and Teas).

From the Frias page, we ordered the Aceitunas Alinadas y Almendras or marinated mixed Spanish olives and toasted Spanish almonds; Pera Rollos which are fresh pears, arugula, and idazabal cheese rolled in Serrano ham; Tortilla a la Espanola a traditional Spanish omelet, and the Jamon Iberico which was a very interesting dish.
 
Jamon Iberico is the finest ham in the world and it just recently became available in the United States. These free-range pigs are raised in the oak forests along the border between Spain and Portugal, and are fed only acorns during the final period of their life. After slaughter, or “sacrifice” as they call it in the region, their legs are covered in Andalusian sea salt and cured for 36 months before being served.  This is a very thin, sliced pork and is very salty and rich.  It melts in your mouth and is served with slices of bread.  This was absolutely delicious as were all the Frias selections.  In fact, we don't have any complaints about any of these dishes.

From the Calientes menu, we chose one of the evening's specials, the Paella.  Paella is considered by many to be the national dish of Spain.  Served in a small, traditional Paella pan, it consisted of Spanish rice with pochero peppers, chorizo, clams, and mussels. We also ordered the Pollo Oloroso a sautéed chicken breast with Oloroso sherry mushroom sauce and manchego mashed potatoes.  The Filete con Cabrales - a beef fillet with Rioja wine reduction and Cabrales blue cheese sauce served with spiced potatoes is our favorite of the evening.  Although many of these dishes seemed to be traditional Spanish fare, the chicken and beef dishes seemed to be more of a "comfort food" dish than the others.

For dessert, we just HAD to have crème brulee.  As you know, it is one of our favorites and that being the case, if it is on the menu, we order it.  The 9th Door serves a Crema Catalana or cinnamon and vanilla bean Catalan-style crème brulee.  This was amazing.  The cinnamon was not overpowering and paired really well with the vanilla and custard.  We also tried their Chocolava or warm chocolate cake with a rich ganache center, served on an orange crème angelaise.  Probably the most interesting dessert option was the Higos Rellenos or chocolate covered, almond stuffed figs with candied orange.  These were chewy from the figs, crunchy from the almonds, sweet from the chocolate, and even finished with a slightly sour taste from the oranges.  We loved this very interesting dessert and it's many textures.  This is a must try when you visit The 9th Door.

In addition to the food, we tried some wine from Chile and for dessert had a glass of their tawny port.  Very tasty!

We really like The 9th Door.  It is a fun and economical way to have a high end dining experience without breaking the bank.  Not only is this a great place to dine on your own because of the small portions, but it is also a great place for a large group because you can order many different things and try a little bit of each.  We also like the fact that the food was simple and straight forward.  The dishes had only a few ingredients but were combined really well. 

Another interesting thing about the 9th Door is the fact that they serve many dishes with ham.  Most of the places we visit have the usual chicken, beef, and fish options but very few places serve ham.  Of course this is because ham is such a large part of the Spanish culture, but it was a nice change from our typical selections.

Our server, Lydia, was very accommodating and offered many suggestions for our first trip to The 9th Door.  They are participating in Denver Restaurant Week which is from February 26th to March 6th this year.  This would be a wonderful time to give them a try.  For a wonderful experience we give The 9th Door a fork.  We'll be back for sure!

The Officially Unofficial Voting Legend
Take it with a grain of salt, we're not professionals.
	Awesome place, we’ll shovel more food in our face!
	It was okay. Not our favorite, but we’ll take another stab at it.
	Didn’t make the cut.

Mercantile

From Farm To Table...Act II

We love it when friends have birthdays.  Not only do we get to celebrate a special occasion and spend valuable time with them, but we also get an opportunity to try the higher end restaurants that we have been drooling over for the past year or so. 

Last year, we took our friend to Fruition and it was an excellent experience. This year, we took the same friend to Fruition's sister location, Mercantile Dining & Provision.  Alex Seidel is the executive chef and proprietor of both locations so we knew our group would love the Mercantile.

The Mercantile is located inside the Union Station building in downtown Denver at 1701 Wynkoop Street.  First of all, it is a beautiful setting.  Especially right in the middle of a successful Denver Broncos run.  Union Station was lit up with orange and blue lights and were highlighted with white motion lights.  The Mercantile has a subtle sign outside and it does have a large sized patio space that would be wonderful in warmer months.

Inside you will find tall ceilings with grand chandeliers and the low lighting adds to the ambiance.  They have an open kitchen and a marketplace where you can purchase most of the ingredients found in the dishes they serve.  In fact, our server Jim explained to us that if you absolutely love a certain entrée, you can get a list of ingredients and the recipe so you can recreate the meal yourself at home.

You can request to be seated at the bar in front of the chef's line.  That way you can ask questions, watch the preparation, and enjoy a more interactive dining experience.

We began our meal with starters suggested by our server.  First, we tried the Market Provisions which showcased cured meats and cheeses from the Fruition farms and local artisans.  This also included wonderful pickles, rillette, jardinière, homemade mustard, and two wonderful preserves - a berry kumquat jam as well as a blood orange jelly that was absolutely delicious.  We also tried the Canadian Mussels with toasted fregola, garlic, fennel sausage, and tomato butter.  These were tasty; however, the tomato butter sauce was the best part of the whole dish.

It was garlicky, slightly spicy, and very tasty.  The Hamachi Crudo was their newest starter on the menu so we decided to give it a try.  It consisted of Hamachi fish sliced very thin and served over a black olive sherry emulsion, pickled turnips, sheepskyr, pistachio vinaigrette, and brown butter.  Honestly, we aren't really fish people so the texture of the fish (Hamachi is served in certain Japanese sushi) was a textural challenge for a few of us; however the rest of the dish was delicious.

Mercantile has their menu  broken up into four areas:  pastas, vegetables, seafood, and meat/poultry.  They change their menu often based on what items are ready from the Fruition farm so you could possibly have a different meal each time you go which makes it exciting and interesting.

Adel, the service director, came by the table to chat with us about our experience and suggested a few dishes for the main course.  We went with the Acquerello Mushroom Risotto served with a truffle brined egg yolk and parmesan truffle sabayon.  This was very rich and creamy and the truffle sauce added a great flavor boost.

We also opted for the Creamed Kale Agnolotti with white beans, roasted pepper, and preserved tomato.  This was a type of kale stuffed ravioli with a really delicate, slightly spicy red sauce.  We were surprised how much we liked this meal.  Kale is an acquired taste, but all the flavors meshed so wonderfully in this dish that we actually didn't notice the tough, bitter taste of the Kale.  Good job, Mercantile!   You surprised us. 
The Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast was a pan seared breast served with confit root vegetable cassoulet, duck leg sausage, crispy lentil vinaigrette, and cracklin' bread crumbs.  Simple and straightforward, although a little rarer than we had ordered.  It was a good presentation and had a great flavor.  Probably the most underwhelming dish of the evening, but it wasn't bad at all.  The best and most unique dinner option was the Boulder Natural Crispy Half Chicken.  Adel basically told us to order this or nothing.  The lady knows her stuff.  A crispy half chicken served over heirloom grain porridge, foraged mushrooms,

parsnip emulsion, and a chestnut vinaigrette.  This is a roulade style chicken wrapped in the crispy skin.  Served in three parts or "rolls", it contained both white breast meat and dark thigh meat.  The porridge was amazing and the emulsion and vinaigrette were savory with just a hint of sweetness.  This was without a doubt our favorite dish of the evening.  Amazing and so incredibly delicious!

As a side note, The Mercantile does offer family dinners for larger groups of people.  They do ask to allow at least up to an hour to prepare them but it is an interesting idea.

The dessert menu includes varied options and includes after dinner cocktails and digestif options like port, Laguvulin, and Underberg as well as espresso & milk, coffee & tea.  They also offer a unique coffee tasting & pairing option.  We have seen wine pairings, whisky pairings, and even beer pairing but this is the first ever coffee pairing.  We are already planning a visit simply for the coffee pairing.

We decided on four desserts which was so incredibly difficult.  People, you don't even know how hard this was to choose.  We went with the Carrot Cake served with a valrhona dulcey ganache, cream cheese mousse, rum raisin compote, and candied walnuts.  Also, the mil chocolate Pot de Crème with salted cardamom caramel, chocolate sable, vanilla chantilly, and topped with fudge covered tapioca.  The winner of the most unique dessert goes to the Shepherds Halo.  This is a cocoa beet cake served with pickled beets, navel orange, walnuts, and a triple cream cow's milk cheese.  If you got the perfect bite of cake, orange, cheese, beets, and walnuts it truly was an amazing combination. We are so glad we tried this one!

However, our favorite dessert of the evening was the palisade Apple Fritters.  These were lightly battered fritters served with vanilla bavarios, a toasted almond cookie, and crème fraiche sorbet.  Our usual experience with apple fritters includes a very crispy, deep fried pile of dough with gooey, super sweet apples that are mushy and overcooked.  This is the complete opposite.  The apples and fritters were lightly battered preserving the texture of the apple and the cookie and sorbet were light and refreshing.  Very tasty!

They allowed us to go down the chef line to take pictures and ask as many questions as we could think of.  Our server Jim, was attentive and very knowledgeable.  The thing we like about both the Mercantile and Fruition is the fact that although they are higher scale restaurants, the people are not pretentious or snooty.  Because of the delicious food, wonderful atmosphere, and friendly staff we award The Mercantile Dining & Provision the golden spoon.

Thank you to all for a wonderful birthday celebration dinner.

Also, happy birthday to Bob, the unofficial third member of MenuManiacs.

The Officially Unofficial Voting Legend
Take it with a grain of salt, we're not professionals.
	Awesome place, we’ll shovel more food in our face!
	It was okay. Not our favorite, but we’ll take another stab at it.
	Didn’t make the cut.

Pellegrini Ristorante Italiano Bar

Maniacs on the Road - Bonus Edition

This last Saturday, we visited Pellegrini Ristorante in Greeley, Colorado. We were celebrating the holidays with some friends of ours and they all raved about this place.  So while this isn't a official MenuManiacs review, we did want to let you know our thoughts about this Italian restaurant.

Pellegrini's is tucked away in the Cottonwood Square shopping center on 23rd Avenue and 16th Street.  The owner, Carlo, is from the old country of Italy and is passionate about bringing authentic Italian flavors to the thriving metropolis of Greeley.  The restaurant is a moderately sized building, and it can accommodate both large and small parties.  We found it to be nicely appointed and it smelled like food!  You would be surprised how many restaurants we visit that smell like nothing.  It is a very strange phenomenon.  However, Pellegrini's is like going to a friend's house for dinner and experiencing the wonderful aroma meeting you at the door.  As usual, we were the last to arrive and the rest of our party was already seated.  Our server, Mandy, greeted us right away, let us know the specials, and took our drink order first thing.

Raspberry Italian Soda

We were fortunate enough to speak to Carlo, before placing our food order. He suggested his favorite dishes and explained that most of pasta and all the sausage is made fresh in house every day.  We ordered his suggested dishes and ordered some additional classic Italian dishes and specialty items. There were ten of us so we were able to try a variety of food.  Because of the number of dishes, we will focus on our favorites.

It is SO hard to find good gnocchi and Pellegrini's did a really good job.  The pasta was soft and creamy with a vibrant tomato cream sauce.  Boscaiola, a pappardelle pasta sauteed in white cream sauce with Cremini mushrooms, home made sausage and tomatoes was one of the stand out dishes.  This was one of Carlo's recommendations and he certainly didn't steer us wrong.  The fresh sausage and handmade pasta really gave this dish a truly unique taste. Rounding out our favorites, was a classic lasagna.  The noodles were thin and delicate between a layering of rich bolognese sauce and gooey cheeses.  Nothing fussy here, just classic deliciousness.  There were a lots of other dishes warranting an honorable mention including Ravioli, Salmon e Pesto Genovese, Risotto, Pomodoro, and grilled chicken; however, the three mentioned previously were the dishes the table enjoyed the most.

On to dessert!  We certainly could not leave without sampling the desserts.  I think it is our mutual sweet tooths (sweet teeth?) but dessert was SO good!  The highlight dessert, recommended by our amazing server Mandy, was the Tartufo al Cioccolato.  Served as a single serve ice cream bombe, this is a hazelnut lovers delight with dark chocolate gelato, zabaione cream, and caramelized hazelnut rolled in cocoa powder.  The Torta di Limoncello was another favorite.  A light lemony sponge cake layered with fluffy mascarpone filling.  It was like a slice of summertime on a cold, wintery day.  We also indulged in Spumone, Torta di Cioccolato, and Cannoli Classici.  All were good and worth the calories we added to our holiday tally.

Limoncello Martini

We had a lovely time with lovely people. Pellegrini's is most certainly a cut above the rest. Be sure to check them out when you find yourselves in the Greeley area or as a new place to celebrate the new year.

Because of their delicious food, fabulous staff, and a wonderful limoncello and basil martini, we award Pellegrini Ristorante Italiano Bar a fork!

Hammond's Candy Factory

Find Something Sweet And Twisted At The Annual Candy Cane Festival

Hammond's Candy Factory is something of an institution in the Denver area.  Started in 1920 by Carl T. Hammond, this factory has outlived many of it's competitors.  Carl Hammond spent only one day in high school when he decided education was not his chosen path.  His mother told him that was ok, but he needed to get a job.  He found one as an apprentice at a candy factory and the rest is history. 

December is a busy month.  So many things to do.  There's the new Star Wars movie, the whole Christmas thing, and of course, Hammond's Candy Cane Festival.

For two amazing days, Hammond's hosts a delightful extravaganza that focuses on what they do best.  CANDY CANES!!!! 

Hammond's is known for their traditional ribbon candy, and it is just out of this world.  It comes in many flavors, our favorite being clove, and is just as beautiful as it is delicious.  However, our most favorite creation of Hammond's is without a doubt - the stuffed candy cane.  Cherry stuffed with chocolate, Pecan stuffed with cream, Mango stuffed with Habanero!  The possibilities are endless.

The festival has grown so much over the years.  This year, it was actually snowing which really got people in the Christmas spirit.  Carolers sang a myriad of Christmas carols and even had the crowd joining in at times.  Kids were running around with their mouths stained from the candy and sky high on a sugar rush.  A carriage with two beautiful horses took people on rides around the neighborhood, and a tiny train ran serpentine formations throughout the parking lot as kids and adults giggled and laughed.  There were even bouncy houses for kids to play on.  A few food trucks were there and Celestial Seasonings also made an appearance serving hot tea to help the parents warm up as their children played.

Hammond's offers factory tours every day, excluding Sundays.  On the tour we got to watch the candy cane making process.  This starts with the molten candy being kneaded by hand to incorporate color.  Next the candy is moved to the puller, a three armed machine that stretches the semi-solid sugar by incorporating air, cooling the candy, and at the same time altering it from a clear candy to opaque.  It is almost magical to watch the transformation  The piece of candy we saw on the tour started out a deep red and in seconds after being placed on the puller, had beautiful raspberry colored ribbons developing in the candy.  When the candy was finally removed from the puller, it was twice the size and was a satiny pink.  Finally, we got to watch them hand cut and shape the newly formed candy canes.


Hammond's makes Christmas candy year round and they are already preparing for Valentine's Day and Easter

In the next section of the tour, we watched marshmallow hearts being dipped in chocolate.  While the enrobing machine is automated, each heart receives a personal inspection to ensure the coating is complete, and then it is hand wrapped in foil.  In fact, all candy is made by hand - hand wrapped, formed by hand, and one person will follow each batch from start to finish.

Very impressive for a company that started out with about 10 employees.  Today, they employ around 120 candy makers plus staff.  90 years and still going strong!

We attended the festival on a Saturday and according to the employees, they were expecting approximately 7000 people to walk through their door.  We love to see Colorado companies succeed.  Be sure to visit any time throughout the year.  As we said, they are open every day except for Sundays and tours are available during business hours.  In addition to candy canes and ribbon candy, Hammond's offers taffy, popcorn, fudge, chocolate bars, hot cocoa, and of course their homemade caramel wrapped marshmallows.  All of these are delicious and make wonderful, unique gifts for any occasion. 

Hammond's Candy Factory is located at 5735 N Washington Street in Denver.  You can also shop online as well and their products are sold in several stores such as King Soopers. 

On a side note, a friend of ours placed an order online to be picked up at the factory.  There was a mix up with their order which is understandable when dealing with the vast numbers of people at an event like this.  They corrected the issue and overnighted it to our friend at no additional charge to her.  Everybody makes mistakes, but a company's true value is found in how they correct those mistakes.  Excellent customer service is very important to a business and their actions explain why they have stayed in business for the last 90 years.

MenuManiac's Mascot

Please visit Hammond's.  It is important to support local Colorado businesses.  It's even more important to keep them open to support our sugar addiction.

On a side note, we would like to wish all of our Maniac's a very Merry Christmas and we thank you all for your support.  Have a wonderful holiday season, everybody!

British Bulldog

Rashers, and Bangers, and Mashers, Oh My!

The British Bulldog is a small bar decorated with several tables, dark wood paneling, and enormous TV's that are suitable to watch a myriad of football games (both European and American style).  It is a charming little space where music fills the air from a customer fed jukebox.

The Bulldog serves both English and Pakistani food.  As some of you may know, English cuisine has a very strong Pakistani influence. 

Located  on the corner of Stout and 20th street,  they are easy to spot.  Simply look for the British flag awning.  They do not have a parking lot but there is free street parking.  Lunch specials are offered Monday through Friday at an amazing $8 a plate!  That is an incredible deal considering the generous portions of the entrees.  Happy hours are from 3pm to 7pm and 10pm until the bar closes.  Ian, the general manager, said the pub is packed during lunchtime so be sure to plan accordingly.

Somosas

We took a new approach to ordering with this outing.  Instead of picking and choosing, we asked our server, who also happened to be Ian, to pick two appetizers and three entrees for us to try.  We ended up ordering Samosas - delicate pastries that are deep fried and stuffed with peas, carrots, potatoes, and spices. They are served with a tamarind sauce and a riata yogurt sauce for dipping. 

Punjabi Wings

Ian also suggested their Punjabi wings.  Holy chicken wing!  These wings are probably the best wings we have ever had.  The wings are smoked, and sautéed with ginger, garlic, onions, and chilies and served with a warm pita.  Everything, and we do mean EVERYTHING about these wings was perfection.  The smokiness of the chicken hits you with the first bite followed by a tangy, spiciness that is absolutely astounding.  It is worth a trip to the pub just to try these wings.  Ian said we have never tasted anything like them, and he was 100% correct.  Fabulous!

Chicken Masala

For dinner, we tried the Chicken Masala which is one of the staple dishes for The British Bulldog.  This is a traditional chicken and potato curry that has been simmered for hours.  It is served on rice with warm pita bread.  The masala had a spicy warm kick to it that didn't take away from the other elements of the dish.  It is also served with a side of Cilantro Chutney.

Greco Indian Sandwich

We tried one of their sandwiches as well, the Greco Indian which is peshawari chicken served in an open faced pita.  It is topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, feta, and pickled onions and served with a side of riata and cilantro chutney.  The chicken was plump and juicy and the pickled onions provided a bright note to the sandwich that added a great tang. 

Fish and Chips

One cannot go to a British Pub without trying the fish and chips.  This is simply a traditional beer battered whitefish served with fries, homemade coleslaw, tartar sauce and a chipotle mayo.  The batter was light and crispy and the fish was light and flaky.  Cooked perfectly, it was not dry and not mushy.  Fish is not one of our favorite dishes but this was a delicious entrée that we both enjoyed. Too many times we have ordered fish and chips that consisted of  a huge chunk of batter with just a tiny little chunk of dried out fish in the middle.  The Bulldog's fish is definitely NOT that.

The pub is open from 11am to 2am every day and early for matches on the weekends.  Ian, the General Manager, says that usually a restaurant is 80/20 meaning 80% of business comes from 20% of your customers; however, with this pub, he says it is more like 90/10 because of the amazing food and lunch specials.  Also, the prices are very reasonable with the most expensive item on the menu being just $13.  Very good pricing considering the portions are so generous.

Our server, Ian was incredibly kind and generous.  He knew the menu inside and out and answered all of our questions.

It is always a joy to be surprised by a restaurant.  When we draw a pub or bar, we worry that we will have to choke down fried, greasy fare that has little to no flavor.  The British Bulldog is definitely not that type of place.  The food is amazing, those wings were superb, and Ian was delightful. 

Of course, we awarded The British Bulldog the coveted golden spoon.  We'll be seeing you soon, mates!

The Officially Unofficial Voting Legend
Take it with a grain of salt, we're not professionals.
	Awesome place, we’ll shovel more food in our face!
	It was okay. Not our favorite, but we’ll take another stab at it.
	Didn’t make the cut.