Aji

First off: THIS RESTAURANT IS GREAT! Whew, glad to get that out of the way. I went with Jeff's family to celebrate his new job! He doesn't start until late January, but we wanted to celebrate anyway. Jeff's brother lives in Boulder, so we all trekked up to eat there. Aji is a traditional South America restaurant that reminded Jeff of his trip to Chile. The service is impeccable, the restaurant is a mix between fancy and fun, and the food is wonderful and authentic.

Jeff and I started our with some cocktails. Jeff got the tradition South American drink, a Pisco Sour. Pisco is a liquor made from grapes. So like wine only stronger, I guess would be the way to put it. The Pisco Sour contains Capel Pisco, fresh lemon, egg white, sugar and nutmeg. It is a real dangerous concoction...tastes really great but packs quite the punch. My drink was pretty much pure lime juice (the real squeezed stuff) and some alcohol. The taste was so fresh!

Hmm, cheese, sausage and bread...how can it get any better?

Fresh baked bread is brought out (including banana bread).

If you like ceviche, it may be the best decision you ever make to try it here. Ceviche is fish that is cooked using the acids of citrus rather than heat. Jeff's dad enjoyed our first order of ceviche and was quick to order a second one even though he hadn't planned on it. Some of the best ceviche he has ever had!

The cocktails were so fresh and used real ingredients. Their variety is great and the choices are authentic, so it is a good way to try something new.

Take a moment to process Jeff's dish here...Bistec de la T- grilled T-bone steak, roasted fried sweet potatoes, peppers rajas, sunny egg, chipotle, ancho broth. Jeff was happy as can be. The meat was cooked great, the egg was poached perfectly and the flavors all stewed together to create this masterpiece.

Jeff's dad, now on a seafood kick, ordered this dish....Moqueca do Frutas Del Mar - Brazilian seafood stew, clams, shrimp, mussels, bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, fried kale, jasmine rice, spiced coconut broth. He said it was some of the best seafood he has ever had, and we are in the middle of a landlocked state! He was having a lot of 'best' moments.

This is what Jeff's mom ordered. I can't remember what the heck it was, but it sure looks great.

My dish: Humitas Peruanas - roasted zucchini, bell pepper stuffed Peruvian tamale, red quinoa, pickled red onion, butternut squash puree. Vegetarian Kori! Aren't you proud? I have never seen red quinoa before, it was very good.

So this is the point in this post where I kick myself, I didn't get a picture of the dessert!! We ordered three desserts that were amazing:
-Panque Argentino - mascarpone dulce de leche crepe
-Bunuelos de Naranja - crispy Mexican doughnuts with agave orange butter, cinnamon chipotle ice cream
-Crema Quemada de Pera de Nopal - prickly pear creme brulee

Although the rest of the food can be a little pricey, the dessert was $15 for all three! I dare say, and I don't say this often, that was some of the best creme brulee I have ever had. (Uhg Jenna, enough with the 'bests' already!)

And just in case I haven't talked you into this place yet...their coffee comes out in your own personal French press.

Colorado Cookin'

After a lovely trip to the farmer's market with my friends Amanda and Sarah, I was prepared with the necessary items to make an all local, Colorado meal for Jeff and I. It is so exciting when you get to cook a meal that you know was grown and raised right in your backyard....or, I guess, someones backyard in Colorado. Eating local not only supports local communities but also does a little something for the environment.  Yea for little somethings for the environment!

The Peaches: So these peaches were amazing! I was trying my best to keep costs low so I tried to walk past the peaches and ignore them. It was futile! Who can ignore soft little balls of summer. If you haven't tried it, trust me....local. organic, in season peaches are way better than middle of February from who knows where. I mean look at them! Definitely the center-fold of fruits.

The Steak: So I talked with the guy selling this meat a little and he assured me that his farm was happy little cows eating grass and chillin. Although I still feel a tinge of sadness for the little big guy...I gotta eat and the beef was calling my name. Jeff made a coffee and cayenne rub to top off this steak.  With Jeff and my terrible coal lighting skills we were forced into using a skillet on the stove but it tasted wonderful anyway.

The Corn: MMMHMMM, I smothered these little guys in butter, salt and pepper and baked them. The corn husks held the flavor in and they turned out wonderful.

The Wine: Grapes can grow in Colorado? Why yes they can. Not only was the wine fabulous...but the label was a cute little tree. Win-win situation. Most of their grapes are shipped and then made into wine here in Colorado, but the Cabernet shown below uses grapes grown in Colorado. The Blue Mountain Vineyard's website is here.

We also had organic, steamed green beans and some crazy pumpkin sourdough bread from Udi's (toasted with butter of course). Udi's is a Denver bread company that has a large line of Gluten-free bread. Their GF breads as well as the normal stuff all tastes pretty delish.

Colorado...thank you for feeding me!