denver's avanti food & beverage (it's a winner!)



There was this game I played when I was a teenager. It went something like, “If you were stranded on a desert island, name three things you would take with you.” Everyone always included something to eat, which made sense because you wouldn’t want to starve, would you? I haven’t been asked that question in years, but if I did have to come up with an answer, a Venezuelan arepa from Quiero Arepas would be coming with me. It's my desert island dish and yes, they're that good...

Quiero Arepas is one of 7 start-up restaurants in the new and highly-anticipated Avanti Food & Beverage, which bills itself as: “One collective space…inspired by European markets and food truck roundups…” I love it already!

Avanti is a two-level modern food hall located in an old 1930s warehouse in the Lower Highlands (LoHi) at 3200 Pecos. It houses 5 restaurants on the first floor and 2 on the second level. Both levels have well-stocked bars which serve up cocktails (I loved the Palomita Picante), wine, and beer. Many of the craft beers are from local Colorado breweries and the only non-Colorado brand that I recognized was Dogfish Head out of Delaware (it has its own page on the drink menu). Honestly, though, I lean towards cocktails and wine so I can’t add anything more to the beer conversation. But my husband, who enjoys a good beer, was impressed.



Avanti has a lot of appeal. From the affordable high-quality and inspired food to the stunning décor, there really is something for everyone. I can see myself going there on a date, a ladies night, a business lunch or a family dinner.



In addition to Querio Arepas (which has vegetarian and vegan options) you'll find:

Farmer Girl, a farm to table concept committed to local and sustainable food. The menu will change with the seasons. (I should have taken a screen shot of their menu last night, but I do remember a mushroom tartine.)

Poco Torteria, which serves Mexican tortas (baguettes), sides and aguas frescas. They are also offering cake which is delicious! (It's related to Pinche Taco.)

MiJo, a noddle and rice shop with an emphasis on udon. (It has ties to Bones.)

Brava!, which features Neapolitan inspired wood-fired pizzas and sandwiches using lots of local ingredients, including seasonal specials from the chef’s own garden!

Souk Shwarma, a Lebanese-inspired concept that serves up warm pita/gyro, basmati rice, sauces and pickles. (That description makes it sound too run-of-the-mill; the people sitting near us were raving about the flavors.)

And Bixo, which interprets modern Mediterranean and Europen recipes and adds a Mexican flair. 

I took a quick glance around and I think every restaurant is putting out a main dish for $10 or less (though  some prices are a bit higher for dinner service). In other words, #budgetfriendly.

Like many of the recent additions to the Denver food scene, the space and interiors at Avanti got as much attention as the well-curated menu items. The seating (a good deal from Housefish design), lighting, and patio furnishings are all perfect. The use of materials- like container ships- is well conceived. There's great artwork throughout the space and I spotted a succulent shelf positioned on the side of the staircase that's inspiring me to do something similar at home. (You know how I feel about cacti, right?!)

The views of the city are spectacular since Avanti’s rooftop deck faces Downtown and the Ball Park neighborhood. On the topic of outdoor/rooftop space, there is so much of it that I started wondering what would happen in the colder months.  But worry not, they apparently installed heated floor boards on the deck. They thought of everything!

We spent two hours at Avanti and I can’t wait to go back. Upon leaving we were asked if anything could be improved and neither one of us could think of anything…except maybe building something like Avanti over on Colfax. Like right by East High School. Because teenagers love good quality affordable food right? And I live close by, too. I'm just gonna plant that seed...

Avanti opens tomorrow (July 13th) at 11 a.m.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 
Happy eats!

xx,
Batya

A shout out to Beckie + Igor, the dynamic couple behind Quiero Arepas. Thank you for extending an invite to the Friends + Family preview. Matt and I had a blast!

* All photos were taken with my iPhone (which is sort of broken. Oy.)
Click here for the Westword piece - it has images that will give you a much better sense of the food and the space.

cook the mag: bon appetit's feta with sumac and black sesame seeds

If you would have said to me, say three years ago, "Batya, how are the Broncos doing this season?" I would have shrugged and stared back at you blankly. The confused look might have been followed by something like, "You mean the football team, right? The one from Denver?" But that would have been the extent of it. I come from a long line of Yankee stock, and other than baseball, we didn't follow other sports. Football hardly registered at all.

Things changed exactly one year ago when my husband's cousin Melissa gave us tickets to see the Denver Broncos, a gift for our 5th anniversary. It was my first trip to the stadium, and even though I was hopped up on meds (following a diagnosis of acute tonsillitis with an extreme form of strep), I fell in love with the sport. Football is a religion around here, and I've become a pretty faithful practitioner. I'll admit that I don't know every rule or intricate detail of the game, but my heart is definitely in it. 

In addition to cheering for the home team, Sunday football has become a catalyst for our weekend gatherings too. Sometimes we head over to our neighbors' house, other times we host at our home. And since there's never really enough time to clean the house and cook a meal, I opt for dishes that are big on flavor and easy to make. Last week's menu included olives (the good kind), a cheese plate, hummus (2 ways),shakshuka (sauce made the night before), and this feta sumac spread from Bon Appetit. Though our team didn't win the game (don't worry, they're still in 1st place), we all had a great time. And isn't that what football gatherings are really about? (S

xx, 

Batya

Feta with Sumac and Black Sesame Seeds (Courtesy of Alison Roman for Bon Appetit Magazine, October 2014)

Ingredients

1½ pound feta, sliced ¼” thick

1 tablespoon fresh oregano or marjoram leaves (optional, I made it with and without) 

1½ teaspoon black sesame seeds

1½ teaspoon ground sumac

Olive oil (for drizzling)

Crackers (for serving)

Preparation

Divide feta among small serving dishes. Top with oregano, sesame, and sumac. Drizzle with oil; serve with crackers.

Notes: 

If you're looking for really good cheese, olives, crackers- that sort of thing- and you live in Denver, head over to the Truffle Cheese Shop on 6th Avenue. It's one of the best in the city. 

Sumac, a tart, citrusy spice, is available at Middle Eastern markets or specialty foods stores. I have a friend who brings back sumac from the Middle East (Lebanon), but when I run out I head over to Arash Market in Aurora. 

my mom's challah bread!

Photo credit: My mom, Debby 

For me, the holidays have always been about meaningful gatherings and food. Ever since I was a little kid we would host our family and friends. My grandparents, great-aunt, and cousins would come over and everyone would get dressed up. The leaves outside would be turning colors, cooler air would come through the open windows, and the house smelled great. It was my favorite time of year. 

 Since moving to Denver three years ago, we have been working hard at building our community, and by that I mean inviting our friends and neighbors over (regardless of their ethnicity or background) to share in a few of our traditions (tradition!). We've hosted some interesting Passover seders (too much wine drinking, too little afikomen finding), lit Chanukah candles, consumed potato latkes, and invited guests over to dip apples and challah in honey which is the way we start Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. 

This New Year has been hard, as it's the first round of holidays without my father who passed away in May. I was feeling a bit withdrawn and I wasn't even sure I wanted to do anything to mark the holidays. But then, about 2 weeks ago, a FedEx package arrived at my front door. In the parcel was a plastic bag which contained 2 perfectly round challah, wrapped in my mother's signature packaging of choice- aluminum foil. I didn't even have to look at the return address to know who sent them; I knew immediately. It made my day, and it served as a reminder that traditions carry on despite the difficult losses we suffer along the way.

Photo credit: My mom!
I put the challah in the freezer (because without preservatives they don't last long) and took them out to thaw a few hours before they were to be served. Moments before our neighbors arrived, I popped them in the oven at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes. The entire house smelled like home; not my current home, but my childhood home. It's incredible how a tickle of the olfactory nerve can conjure up years gone by. Anyway, I cut a few slices of challah, and we dipped it in some outstanding local honey. Then we made a few toastsM. ay this be a year filled with love, health, happiness, peace, compassion, prosperity and understanding. Happy 5775!

From My Mom: 
Throughout the year, the traditional Sabbath bread, the Challah, is usually made by braiding strands of dough.  At this time of year, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, as well as the other High Holidays, it is customary to use round challahs.  Some say it points to the cyclical nature of the year.  It is also traditional to dip the challah (as well as apples and various other items) in honey which symbolizes wishes for sweetness in the days to come, and along those lines, round challahs usually have raisins baked inside.
I recently graduated to using a bread machine to get the dough started. 
Here is my recipe:

 CHALLAH BREAD
Ingredients
1 cup very warm water
¼ cup oil
1 egg + 1 for top, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour + more as kneaded
½ cup sugar
1 package yeast
Raisins, as needed

Check out your raisins before you begin. If they don’t seem plump enough when you open the bag or box, place in a bowl, pour some boiling water to cover, and let them sit.  The water will absorb and fluff out your raisins and make them sweeter, too.

Place all ingredients except raisins into bread machine and select ‘dough only’ cycle.  Take the egg for shine on top out of refrigerator; if it is too cold it may inhibit the dough from further rising.

When the ‘dough only’ cycle completes, remove dough to a large, floured bowl.  If you want to make braided challah, you will then need to work on a large, flat surface.  If baking round challah, you can shape them straight from the bowl. 

Knead the dough till all air bubbles are out, maybe 10 -15 minutes.  Add flour to your hands as you knead, to avoid sticky dough getting glued to your hands.  Divide the dough into an equal number of portions, continuing to eliminate air bubbles and minimize stickiness.   This is the appropriate time to add raisins.  Tuck 2 or 3 at a time into a portion of dough, knead some more, add a few more raisins, trying to space them out.

Shape the challahs, either in pans or on cookie sheets.  Let rise about 1 ½ hours, possibly covered with slightly moist towel.  If your oven has a ‘proof’ cycle, that works wonders at this point. “Line” the top with egg to give the finished product a nice shine. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 35 minutes or until challahs appear done.

If you will be baking challahs often, you might want to ‘cheat.’  Go to www.thekoshercook.com and look for their varied sized challah baking pans.  They are easy to use and turn out professional-looking challah without braiding.

palm trees in LA + jerusalem's swiss chard with tahini, yogurt & buttered pine nuts

So here’s the thing about being a mother that's taken a bit of time to get used to: I’m very, very rarely alone. I’ve got two awesome boys who depend on me for pretty much everything, and as much as I love them, I was hitting a wall. I needed a break. Not a night off, but a true break—for a few days, at the very least. Thankfully, I had a little cache of frequent flier miles squirreled away, so I booked a round-trip ticket to Los Angeles. I was excited to go back to a city I haven't been to in years, and even more excited to see one of my closest friends who lives in L.A. with her wonderful girlfriend (and gifted cook). But before we get to Los Angeles, here's a little something that happened just before the trip…
* * *
The morning of my departure was anything but smooth. My husband and mother-in-law (visiting from NY) had taken Otis to school, and I was left with Theodore and my father-in-law in the house. My father-in-law, Dave, was quietly reading his book in the living room and Theodore was actively engaged in story telling with his new action figures. I saw this as a good opportunity to wash a load of laundry and tie up some loose ends for a work project. I would be taking the entire weekend off-- there'd be no work emails and I wasn’t bringing my computer, so I thought I should wrap things up before I left for the airport. This vacation was going to be all down-time…completely. 

Everything was going according to plan, well, right up until a pigeon  decided to fly down our chimney (no, they aren’t capped) and fly around the dining room for over 45 minutes- crashing into windows and excreting everywhere. PigeonGate was a total mess. I’ll spare you the rest of the details, but let’s just say I couldn’t wait to get to the airport...

The flight was a breeze and I landed in L.A. a few hours after departing Denver. I was feeling a bit hungry and an incredible meal was waiting for me at Min's house. There was  freshly baked challah, sweet potato gratin, charmoula tempeh, cucumber salad, and Meyer lemon pie. We made one more dish, a Swiss chard and tahini recipe from Jerusalem: A Cookbook (below), and dinner was on. We drank, we laughed, we ate, and after cleaning up we walked the dogs for well over an hour. Then I slept like a baby…
The rest of the weekend looked like this...
  • I read the morning paper (leisurely) and noshed on homemade granola (another Ottolenghi recipe) with yogurt.

  • We walked around historic Downtown L.A. and wandered through the Grand Central Market, where I got pupusas for $2.99 and a killer cappucinio from GB. We stocked up on DTLA cheese—and even purchased one with green chiles from Colorado's Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy!

  • We stopped by The Last Bookstore (where I picked up a Martha Rose Shulman cookbook for $6.99), walked around the Old Banking District and then inadvertently wound up on the set of Glee. (How Los Angeles is that?!)
  • We dined at Elf, an wonderful Echo Park spot that serves vegetarian food with Middle-eastern and North African flare. The dishes were flavorful and spicy-- it was my kind of food.  Then we checked out Mohawk Bend, a former theater-turned-bar with an awesome patio, just for a moment. 












  • We made our way to the Pacific Ocean, and then strolled around Venice and Santa Monica. Having worked up an appetite, we stopped by Malo for a delicious Mexican dinner... 

  • And we walked around Silver Lake...a lot.





Being back in Los Angeles was awesome, but the best part was spending time with someone I truly love and respect. As the years tick by, I’ve come to understand that not all my friendships will survive distance or time. There has to be effort on both ends of a relationship. There are lots ways to keep touch, but at the end of the day there is simply no substitute for seeing someone face-to-face. And I'm so glad I got a chance to reconnect.
I'm incredibly grateful that my husband is the kind of partner who supports my independence and acknowledges that we are two people who can't be (and shouldn't be) tethered to each other all the time. There is a value in having your own experiences, in addition to, and separate from, those you share with your family. I also think that my absence made my work in the home, and the things I do with our boys on a daily basis, even more valued and appreciated...or at least I'd like to think so!
Palm trees, friends, walks, art, the beach. Yeah, I could’ve stayed on for a few more days, but two little monkeys in Colorado needed me back home... 
* * * 
Thank you Min and Hil. You are gracious and wonderful in all sorts of ways.
Xo,
Bats
Swiss Chard with Tahini, Yogurt & Buttered Pine Nuts Adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi
Ingredients
2 3/4 pounds Swiss chard (I used two bags of Trader Joe's Kaleidoscope Chard and it was the right amount. I also used 2 large bunches of chard from Whole Foods and that worked too.)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
5 tbsp pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine (I've made it with and without…)
Sweet paprika, to garnish (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tahini & Yogurt Sauce
3 1/2 tbsp tahini paste
4 1/2 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tbsp water

Prepartaion
Start with the sauce: Place all the ingredients in a medium bowl, add a pinch of salt, and stir well with a small whisk until you get a smooth, semi-stiff paste. 

Separate the white chard stalks from the green leaves (using a sharp knife) and cut both into slices 3/4 inch wide. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add chard stalks. Simmer for 2 minutes, add leaves, and cook for another minute. Drain quickly and rinse well with cold water. Squeeze the excess water from the chard with your hands and allow the chard to dry completely.

Put half the butter and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the pine nuts and toss until golden (about 2 minutes). Remove the pine nuts from the pan (with a slotted spoon) and then throw in the garlic. If you're using wine, carefully pour in the wine. Leave for a minute or less, until it reduces to about one-third. Add the chard and the rest of the butter and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chard is completely warm. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some black pepper, to taste.

Divide the chard into serving bowls and spoon some tahini sauce on top, and scatter the pine nuts. Finally, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, if you like. 

ALTERNATIVELY: You can make the buttered pine nuts in a separate pan by gently toasting them in a little bit of butter or oil. Then heat 2 tablespoons of oil or butter on a medium flame and add the Swiss chard. Trader Joe's carries bags of Kaleidoscope Chard that is pre- chopped-- we used 2 bags- and added all of it (stems and leaves) into the pan, omitting boiling step. We sautéed the greens, stirring occasionally, and covered the pan till the leaves and stems were soft. Then we added the minced garlic and stirred for about a minute more. We decided to drink the wine instead of adding it to the dish (the first time I made this recipe). Then we added salt and pepper to taste. We removed the chard and placed it in a large serving bowl. Then we drizzled it with tahini sauce, pine nuts, olive oil and paprika. Enjoy!

walking wednesday: florissant fossil bed national monument and ina's chipotle & rosemary roasted nuts


We've taken the kids on some pretty spectacular hikes in Colorado, but since my husband and I don’t ski or partake in winter sports (this will change next year when I take up Nordic/Cross Country), we never thought to take the boys on a winter hike in the snow or up in the higher elevations. When we do go on winter hikes, we opt for trails near and around Denver—which means that there isn’t much snow on the ground and temperatures are usually in the 50s and 60s. But this past weekend we wanted to try something new, and since the kids are getting better in the car we decided the 2 hour trip to Florissant Fossil Bed National Monument would work out well. What I didn’t realize, as I left the house dressed in a light cotton flannel, was that this hike is way up in the mountains (over 9500 feet) where it's about 20-30 degrees cooler than it is in Denver. I was obviously underdressed (thankfully the kids had extra layers in the car), so as we climbed up and up, and as we passed town after town without a suitable store to fix my little problem, I started to think this wouldn't work out so well. But we finally came upon what I'll call a larger “city”- and we spotted a Goodwill Store which I knew would have something suitable. I found what I was looking for in under 2 minutes - an “I Heart Colorado” sweatshirt with a hood! And just like that, for the low price of $3.99, I was outfitted for altitude…so we made our way to our final destination. 

Florrisant Fossil Beds National Monument contains the remains of an ancient Redwood forest dating back about 35 million years. Usually whenever I think of the Redwoods my brain immediately goes to the California coastline, but in fact millions of years ago the Colorado climate was actually much more hospitable to these ancient tress. (This would be a good time to tell you that in my pre-kids life I was an environmental lawyer and worked on a campaign to protect the Tillamook Forest in Oregon, so I tend to geek out on all things forest-related, and this trail had me jumping for joy.) Anyway, back when these enormous trees dotted the Colorado landscape, the climate was much warmer and much wetter, which meant that the habitat was perfect for forests and trees here could grow up to 230 feet high. It must have been something. The valley also saw its share of volcanic eruptions, an ever- changing landscape, and it was home to hunter-gatherers (the Paleo-Indians, the Ute and Jicarilla Apache peoples), early Pioneers and scientists. There's a lot of history here- that's what I'm trying to get at...
Unfortunately before the area was protected, much of the petrified wood was taken by tourist as trinkets and collectibles, so not much remains. But there are a few large stumps that you’ll see as you make your way through the 1 mile loop. And you can learn about the ancient fossil beds that contain the remnants of trees that no longer exist in Colorado (but some of which have modern-day relatives in Asia). 

The kids loved walking in the snow and though the temperatures were around 40-something degrees, the sun made us warm and the two little guys were real troopers and did most of the hiking themselves. Wet feet aside, it was the perfect way to spend the afternoon…





And this is what we snacked on...

Ina Garten's Chipotle & Rosemary Roasted Nuts
Courtesy of Barefoot Contessa: How Easy Is That?
Serves 8 to 10
These are sweet, salty, and spicy--with lots of brown sugar, maple syrup, chipotle powder, and fresh rosemary. Roasting is the process that brings out the most flavor in nuts, and serving them warm is a particularly nice touch. 
Ingredients
Vegetable oil
3 cups whole roasted unsalted cashews (14 ounces)
2 cups whole walnut halves (7 ounces)
2 cups whole pecan halves (7 ounces)
1/2 cup whole almonds (3 ounces)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder* (I used 1 teaspoon)
4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves, divided
Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brush a sheet pan generously with vegetable oil. Combine the cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, the maple syrup, brown sugar, orange juice, and chipotle powder on the sheet pan. Toss to coat the nuts evenly. Add 2 tablespoons of the rosemary and 2 teaspoons of salt and toss again.
Spread the nuts in one layer. Roast the nuts for 25 minutes, stirring twice with a large metal spatula, until the nuts are glazed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 more teaspoons of salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of rosemary.
Toss well and set aside at room temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking as they cool. Taste for seasoning. Serve warm or cool completely and store in airtight containers at room temperature.
* Chipotle chile powder is different from ordinary chili powder- it's ground dried smoked jalapeños and has a distinctive hot, smoky, sweet flavor.