May 24

May 24 The Butcher's Bistro - Denver, CO

I knew we would be going to a Rockies baseball game while we were in town. I wanted to find a place within walkable distance to the stadium. Luckily The Butcher's Bistro was not only close, but had great reviews across the board. Although I missed out on a couple of items I was hoping they still had on their seasonal menu, I ended up with something beyond my expectations. AND, my vegetarian friends, let this be a lesson to you about not judging a restaurant by it's name (OK, maybe not completely). My bro-in-laws GF was able to find a couple of items that she enjoyed sans the meat. But if you're a hearty meat eater like I am, then you're in for an awesome experience at The Butcher's Bistro.

Since they offer a seasonal menu I had to try the charcuterie platter, which is simply different kinds of cured meat to enjoy with bread and sometimes other accoutrements. In case you're wondering - like I was the first time I ordered such a thing - it's pronounced "SHärˈko͞odərē". In case that still doesn't help I pronounce it like shar-koo-der-ree. All you really need to know is that if you see this on the menu you're getting lovely platter of meat. On my mine there was ox tongue and chicken liver pate. I will fully admit I am not a huge fan of liver, but I was in an adventurous mood. I'm glad I tried it because I finally found a liver dish I really enjoyed. It had a very smooth texture and was easily spreadable on the crackers. The ox tongue was delicious and tender. It had a nice earthy and beefy flavor without being too overpowering. I've had ox tongue before and I will continue to have it every chance I get. To finish off my platter I also had a prosciutto, which is always a delight with it's salty goodness. The whole platter was my dinner and it was more than enough to satisfy my craving. The Prof also enjoyed his Craft Sausage plate, which ended up being a grilled kielbasa. He loved the mustard and the pickles that came with because they enhanced the smokiness from the sausage.

We shared a plate of these delicious fries. They were perfectly crispy on the outside while being pillowy soft on the inside. I loved the audible crunch from every bite. And the sauce! I don't remember what it was exactly, but it was yummy. I almost couldn't stop eating the fries because of the sauce. It was the perfect size to share between a table of four.

My BIL's GF and I also ordered the heirloom tomato that was topped with a goat cheese foam and pesto. It was interesting because although the white topping looks solid, it wasn't. It had a very subtle goat cheese flavor that enhanced the freshness of the tomato. It was a great amuse bouche, another term I recently learned, which simply means a single bite size appetizer. Pronounced something like "amooze boosh". I love these little bite size appetizers because when done right it gives you a great small bite so you have plenty of room left over for everything else!

The spinach croquettes were a great way to round out the meal. They were perfectly fried and had a great crunch on the outside with a creamy center filled with goat cheese and served with a mustard aioli. The aioli had a nice spicy bite to it that balanced out the richness of the goat cheese.

We all enjoyed our dinner at The Butcher's Bistro and I think you will too. It's a small, cozy location so be sure to make a reservation. We got there about an hour and half before the game, which game us more than enough time enjoy the food. In fact we got done with enough time to go down to the local retro arcade, the The 1up. I couldn't have asked for a better pre-game experience. The service was fantastic and our server did a great job explaining everything and answering all of our questions. They look forward to "meating" you so you really should put them on your bucket list.