Duo.. two of everything please :D

It’s Saturday night, and while every nite we’ve been eating great dinners.. why not try to find one extra special tonite?…so why not Duo?  They pretty much sold me on the risotto fritters and wild boar when I checked out their menu.

Seasonal Contemporary American: Denver’s Farm to Table Restaurant.

Duo Restaurant is a hidden treasure for those seeking a special dining experience tucked in one of Denver’s hippest neighborhoods, Highland.  Duo offers a relaxed and unassuming environment attracting diners who might wish to linger over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine at the bar, or to enjoy a hearty meal.

Duo Restaurant offers a seasonal changing menu and partners with the best Colorado farmers: Red Wagon Farm, Abbondanza, Cure Organic Farm, Verde Farm, Soule Farm, and many more.

…

[They are] proud member[s] of DINR

– Duo

Cute mismatched napkins and napkin rings for each place setting.

Open kitchen for all to see…

I had really early reservations to dinner [5:15] but as our appetizers were getting served to us people started pouring in. By the time we were leaving [almost 8pm. hehe a little later than we wanted to] the place was crowded and filled with happy people eating, chatting and drinking away….

Since we already went through the menu a couple of times back at the hotel, we already knew what we wanted. We listened to the specials and made our order.  Once again we trusted them on wine pairings for our food… they serve a lot of wines [that] are certified organic and/or [come from a] winery [that] follows sustainable farming principles. To show which ones are, I’ll add a * next to it :]

complimentary olives and crackers

All three amazing appetizers were paired with: *Inama Soave Classico, Garganega 2008, Italy

Mussels
steamed in an anisette and saffron broth with toasted rustico

Light and yummy. There were some scallions and tomatoes at all but it wasn’t heavy in any way. Super airy and light so you could appreciate the mussels for how they taste. Fresh simply prepared seafood always makes me extremely happy [and it’s how I prefer my seafood]

Duck Confit
with a cabbage and apple compote

This was the first time I’ve ever had non-falling apart duck confit. But it was so meaty and ducky :D YUM! The compote [I still think of it more of a slaw] on the side was tart and added just enough acidity to the dish.

Risotto Fritters
with shrimp and tomato sage dipping sauce

EFFING AMAZING. We’ve been on a risotto roll lately and these were NO exceptions. Definitely need to learn to make these. I’m not a huge fried food person but these were amazing. Light and fluffy and with yummy melty mozzarella cheese on the inside. YAY Happy!!!

Fennel Salad
with blood orange segments, kalamata olives, almonds and pecorino cheese
Paired with: Willm Gentil, White Blend- Alsace 2007, France

Tons of fennel with the added red onion… salty olives.. and the crunch of almonds… the pecorino added the last satisfying layer of the bite… along with some mint leaves. I love the nuttiness of a good cheese in salads.

Pork Choucroute
grilled pork chop, bratwurst, bacon, and braised pork cheek with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes
Paired with: Folk Machine, Pinot Noir 2008, Central Coast

The wine our waitress gave me is usually only sold by the bottle :]… but she was awesome enough to share.. :D The wine for the fennel salad actually paired quite well with the pork as well but me being a lush finished it too fast ;D

Wild Boar
braised in Odell Cutthroat Porter, served with a root vegetable mash and topped with shaved fennel and gremolata
Paired with: Creta Roble, Tempranillo 2006, Spain

Succulent and delicious. The meat was slightly fatty and falling off the bone. Reminded me of beef shortribs.. except more of a porky flavor. SOOOOOOO good… the root veggie mash was really good as well [yay sweet potatoes in it] and the crunchy fennel added flavor, freshness and crunch.

DIG INNNNNNNN!!!

Me gnawing on the boar bone… you know I’m like that ;D Getting down and dirty…. *rawr* I is cavewoman!

We CLEARED the table…. [btw notice how we sat at a Table for four… we initially got a two-seater but I told the waitress we needed a bigger table since we were getting more food.. huzzah!!!] SO yeah… as stuffed as we were full of boar and pork…. We ALWAYS have room for desserts [at least I do]

Best. Desserts. Ever. Apparently “Yasmin Lozada-Hissom [just got a] … recent James Beard Nomination for best pastry chef!”

Peanut & Chocolate Icebox Cake
frozen layers of peanut crunch, honey peanut mousse and chocolate cream

Delicious fluffy meringue on top with delicious peanuts on the side and layers of peanut and chocolately goodness. The bottom layer was peanut crunches [tasted very wafer-y/but had a corn flake texture] Oh sigh* SOOO GOOD.

Warm Chocolate Cake
with malted milk ice cream and chocolate popcorn

Yes popcorn. YES malt ice cream and yes yes yes it was warm chocolate cake. In fact, it was HOT on the inside. Oh happy happy happy.. my stomach gurgles just thinking about it.

Sticky Toffee Pudding
with toasted pecans and whipped cream

This takes 10 minutes but it was SOOOO worth it. Definitely the most delicious sweet toffee pudding I’ve ever had. I’m SUCH a fan… it was so moist and sweet and just…. *sigh* I want to bathe in this stuff. Our awesome waitress even gave us a taste of a delicious port to go with our desserts :] YUM! Can’t find the name on their website [boo] but it was good…

*February 2009: Yasmin is named a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef award.

*Yasmin, our esteemed pastry chef, was just named one of the Top 5 Pastry Chefs in the United States by  GAYOT.

– Duo

Anyone lucky enough to be around here Monday, March 29 I would highly recommend going to the Highland Chefs Collaborative Dinner [$55 per person] which is a “A 5 course menu from some of the top Highland restaurant chefs including duo’s own Tyler Skrivanek, Squeaky Bean, Venue,  and Colt & Gray.”