YSL and C&G

Friday night was YSL night. Yes, we made our obligatory pilgrimage to the Denver Art Museum to see the Yves Saint Laurent show.  And what a show it was!  It was so much more than we expected, and the selection of pieces was phenomenal.  If you haven't yet, you must make the time to visit this once in a lifetime exhibit. 

After such an amazing start to our evening, we needed to go somewhere elegant with phenomenal food to satisfy our other senses.  A few places came to mind but we quickly settled on Colt & Gray.  I don't know how it happens that great places like this fall off the radar for us.  We never had a mediocre meal here, but just didn't go back. 

A couple of points that have continued to impress us: 1) The menu is always so inventive and exciting.  It's difficult to make a choice because there are so many interesting takes on familiar dishes.  2) The execution is right on!  We always think, "if they can pull this off, it will be amazing"...and they invariably do pull it off. 3) The service is just the right mix of friendly, familiar, knowledgeable, and informed.

Mitchell seemed to have the whole dinning room covered with rushing or missing anyone.  The rest of the staff is also very well-informed and professional. Definitely one of Denver's best dinning rooms. 4) The bar...these guys know how to make a drink. And their selection is so creative. Again, Mitchell was a master at recommending the right drink, somehow making you feel like you thought of it!  "Cocktail geeks" will love this place's inventive apothecary-like selections.

OK, what did we have?  Pictured above is the rock fish with wild mushrooms and shaved fennel in a coconut sauce.  Perfectly poached in a beautiful sauce that balanced the intensity of the fish. 

We were feeling carnivorous so we had to have their burger and fries.  Once again, perfectly grilled beef with beautiful salty fries.  A glass of pinot noir from France rounded out this homey delight.  Obviously not a dish that will rise to the gastronomical Elysian Fields, but it sure left a big smile on our shiny faces!

A stand-by at Colt & Gray is the crispy pig trotters appetizer.  If you want to taste "pig", this is your dish.  SO rich and flavourful.  Tender pieces of pig trotters formed into a little patty, breaded and fried. Served with a rough mustard...HEAVENLY!  It is very rich, so the three of us had no problem sharing.

We had to try the salad pictured above.  It had pieces of duck and gizzards; what an great idea!  It was quite substantial for a salad, just the right mix of bitter and sweet greens with smoky and salty meats.  Also, we enjoyed the glazed carrots:  mint and almonds add lovely flavors and textures to these sweet and tender carrots.

So, Colt & Grey thank you for a wonderful finish to an amazing evening of sights, textures, and tastes!  We will be back...very soon.