TAG

Restaurants like Tag are what make Restaurant Week great. My boyfriend and I both had a meal that was fresh, carefully crafted, unique and left me even more so than physically- it left me emotionally satisfied. Our three course meal was crafted with unexpected ingredients (kangaroo), fresh ingredients (brussel sprouts in another dish), and ingenious pairings (white chocolate parsnip puree). The service from beginning to end was warm, courteous, and prompt. From the water glasses never being less than half full to the extremely thoughtful, hand written thank you note, TAG is one of the few restaurants I've been to lately that is a joy to dine at after a fourteen hour day.

We visited TAG in Denver Restaurant Week. The food is awesome and delicious. We ordered Rocky Mountain Trout and it was really tasty. Also, the smoked salmon salad for appetizer was so good. We enjoyed it.

Headline: Hip Small Restaurant in Lodo gives good Restaurant Week Food

It's Restaurant Week here in Denver, which is absolutely my favorite culinary week of the calendar.  I've got a friend in town (Hi Sean), so we head for TAG which is on Larimer Street, so you know it's going to be pricy.  Not so fast, my friends.  A limited menu (3 options for appetizer, main course and dessert) for just $26.40 per person + tax and tips.  Each course is paired with a wine, so you don't even have to think about this.  They do have some of their more popular items on the back of the menu for their regular price, and they are giving away a $10 coupon to entice you to come back outside of restaurant week.

I started with the Genghis Khan Style Kangaroo.  I've never had kangaroo before, and was severely disappointed.  As a game meat, you expect it to come out medium rare - not cold.   We were sat right in front of the main entrance, and the dishes were cold when they arrived.  The raspberry parsnip puree underneath didn't really taste of raspberry.  There was a sauce that was mildly and pleasantly spicy.   Also, I got the wine that was paired and it just didn't match.  Sorry - not all red wines pair with red meat.

For my main course, I opted for the Rocky Mountain Trout, with lump blue crab and fried baby artichokes on top and a potato chowder underneath.  First the complaint - I could not have thought of a more impractical dish to server this in.  Clue, people!  If you are going to server something that people need to cut, put it on a plate, not in a dish.  Now taste.  Tasty, Tasty, Tasty.  I loved the food  The chowder was smooth and creamy.  The trout perfectly done and the artichokes nice and crispy.

For dessert, I opted for the Tiramisu Panna Cotta, which was meant to be a macarpone panna cotta on a small espresso cake with chocolate sauce.  The panna cotta itself was awesome - nice and smooth.  However, I didn't really taste any espresso, which left me wondering - why is this called a Tiramisu Panna Cotta again?  Still a nice dessert - just not as advertised.

Yes, I'm going to go back outside of Restaurant Week.  This is a solid restaurant - not quite as good as Rioja (which is on the same block), but certainly the vibe and food have given me an excuse to return.