Restaurants

I recently decided it would be a brilliant idea to travel to the east coast on a Friday night, get very little sleep, and then wake up at 5 am on Sunday to fly to Oakland, and then back home to LA on Sunday evening. For anyone considering this, it is a terrible plan. Do not do it. Alas, hindsight is 20/20, and life goes on. There, was however, one astounding epicurean discovery I made in the Denver Airport.

An airport, you say? Has the sleep deprivation and multiple time-zone shifts gone to her head? Quite possibly. However, I would counter that if you ever find yourself in the Denver Airport with say, roughly a 2 hour layover in Concourse C, you may just have to see for yourself what all the fuss is about. Because I had an absolutely delightful meal at Root Down Restaurant – a sneaky local treasure sandwiched in between the X-press Spa and a cell-phone accessories kiosk.

From the moment I walked up to the host stand, service was friendly, engaging, and attentive. The host pleasantly asked how many in my party (I’m a party! .. a party of one), and how long I had until my next flight, and proceeded to lead me to the cutest, smartest “table for one” I’ve ever experienced.

Could this be any cuter? Look at the little space for my adorable luggage. That orange card is the wifi password. They have everything!

Kathleen, my lovely server, brought me piping hot coffee and introduced to me what can only be the most ridiculous array of coffee sweeteners I’ve seen. And I live in LA.

agave, honey, stevia, coconut sugar, sugar in the raw. seriously.

Having sorted out my coffee, I was torn between the tofu scramble, the pancakes, the eggs benedict… okay. Fine. I wanted everything. It’s cold out and brunch is my favorite meal.

The ever-helpful Kathleen recommended I try the steel cut oats – it’s her favorite. That sounded delicious, but I was skeptical, as I’ve had some seriously sub-par oatmeal in restaurants. I find there are a few breakfast staples that, while simple, really give you an idea of the quality of restaurant you’re patronizing. Oatmeal is definitely one of those staples. I shouldn’t have worried. Just a few minutes later, out came my delicious steel cut oats with brown sugar, vanilla-coconut milk, and an almond-mango compote. Warm in my belly, and exactly what I needed on a cold morning layover in the Denver Airport, having risen at a some ridiculous predawn hour.

it was so tasty. the other diners may have my constant photography strange or off-putting, but luckily no one said anything

The meal was simple, warm, delicious; in short it was everything I’d wanted, and exactly what I’d needed. Aside for the luggage and multiple single-diners, this could have just as easily been a delightful local meal. It was instead, one of the best airport restaurants where I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. Absolutely above and beyond, on every level. Root Down is a must if you find yourself a bit peckish in the Denver Airport.

I suppose I should note that apparently I’m not the first one to discover this hidden diamond in the rough- Root Down has apparently won numerous awards and commendations for being delicious, as well as being noted in a number of blogs (and now, one more!) I don’t care- I’m still taking full credit for my discovery. And spreading the word!

So the other night, my friends and I decided we would forgo our usual haunts in favor of a new and exciting restaurant, much hyped, in the area. This was clearly our first mistake. Never give up on the tried-and-true in favor of trendy-yet-unproven. Alas, it happened, and here’s how it went down:

It's so cute! Don't you just want to like it?? We wanted to! — It’s so cute! Don’t you just want to like it?? We wanted to!

We were all pretty psyched to try Scratch Bar – and looking forward to an evening of “truly innovative culinary craftsmanship,” Sadly, what we received was a strong smell of gas leaking out of the kitchen, an odd – yet not entirely unwelcome – array of music from classic rock to Snoop Dogg (because who doesn’t need a little snoop drizzle in their evening??) and a fairly standard upscale bar-fare menu. While Jonathan Gold and Hailey Duff may both be wildly impressed with the presentation and flavors of this menu, my dining party remained decided unexcited by the bar’s offerings.

Our server, though enthusiastic, managed to forget both my drink order and my one and only dietary restriction of no avocados (alas, I can never enjoy this deliciously abundant Californian treat!). By the time our food actually arrived, however, we were high enough on gas fumes from the kitchen and singing along to Snoop Dogg that I’m not sure it really mattered. My girlfriend and I comfortably shared two small plates, while our poor male companion ordered a number of dishes, and after ravenously devouring them, was left with a rumbling stomach and his GPS locked onto the nearest Chipotle.

le box of vegetables... or "convincing your 5 year old to eat her peas" — le box of vegetables… or “convincing your 5 year old to eat her peas”

We ordered the “box of vegetables,” which pretty much consisted of a couple slivers of snap peas, oil drenched oyster mushrooms, a ton of sweet corn, and a construction of fried potato strings (the “box”) surrounding the vegetables. It was fine, a bit too oily, and seemed like a trick to getting your child to eat their vegetables. As an adult, I’ve come to enjoy my vegetables in all forms, even without sly trickery and potato chips on the side, so I felt this was an unnecessary addition to what could have been a pretty tasty appetizer.

oh salmon salad, you had so much potential

Our main course was the salmon and kale salad. Though supposedly one of their best dishes, it arrived (for the second time – the first coming replete with delicious and dangerous avocados) drenched in dressing, with what can only be described as salmon’s version of a tuna salad thrown in. Alas, my Chop’t salad the other day was far tastier, and as a bonus, there was no gas smell. Though I wasn’t serenaded by Snoop Dogg, either, so maybe that was all a wash. All in all, a disappointing experience, and a wasted Taco Tuesday. Sigh. Back to margaritas and carnitas for me!

all the food, all the time

Denver Airport, who are you??

That time I listened to the hype