Organic Gnocchi and a Midnight Ride
11 Aug 2010 3 Comments
Denver hosts an annual Moonlight Classic – essentially, a super fun bike ride that goes around Downtown Denver, hitting some nice spots (i.e. starts at Capital building and meanders through well-known popular neighborhoods, Washington Park, Botanical Gardens, etc.) that starts just before midnight and ends a few hours later. We got overnight babysitters lined up and hooked with a bunch of friends to join the thousands of Denver-ites on such a fun ride. If you have not experienced it yet, it is a must! For the fun and rowdy, families, serious riders, casual riders, you name it. And for a good cause too! Check it out http://www.moonlight-classic.com/
Here is a shot of our team…
Before our midnight ride, Mike and I got suited up to ride to our dinner date at Root Down, a fantastic local restaurant featuring an interesting amalgamation of ingredients that you would not believe would be so delicious together. Not only was their menu wonderful, Root Down prides themself to focus on sustainability. In their efforts, they usw 100% wind powered energy, locally farmed, sustainable and organic foods wherever possible, 70% of Root Down was built and finished with reclaimed, reused and recycled materials, just to name a few. http://www.rootdowndenver.com/menus
Leaving one of our very dearest friends, Jeff and Adrian’s place, riding bikes to dinner – gotta love urban living!
What we ordered:
- MadrasCurried Corn & Tempura Asparagus salad, with organic avocado, micro basil, and harissa vingagrette,
- Steamed mussels in a Thai red curry broth, Israeli cous-cous served with grilled bread
- Sautéed organic carrot gnocchi with seasonal wild mushrooms, asparagus, and parmeggiano, and carrot coriander sauce (wow! Wow!), and
- The delicious veggie burger with red pepper jam, sprout salad and a side of organic sweet potato fries.
Our waiter, Chinadu, was really cool guy from Nigeria. We chatted up with him a bit, learning about how his name is like “Mike” in Nigeria and very common. Learned about his family and the food they eat and a bit about the culture. His shift ended with such a sweet gesture – he sent over two specialty drinks on the house for Mike and I – watermelon, gin, fennel, salt and pepper. It was actually quite tasty!
Me, reflecting about such a delightful meal and great eating spot.
The amazing organic gnocchi from Root Down. Yummmmm…
The next day, we all slept longer than I had ever slept in since college, probably! The morning welcomed us with a terrific urban view from Jeff and Adrian’s place.
After that night’s spectacle, I was in desperate need of some detoxing, sleep and yoga!
Wishing you a beautiful and peaceful day,
Sasha
Aug 11, 2010 @ 11:14:56
Hmmm, I’m going to put ‘keep your bike clean’ in the same category of thoughts as ‘always be sure to leave the house in clean underwear’.
Aug 16, 2010 @ 12:18:56
Mmmm…Root Down is a favorite. We keep trying to go other places for date nights and almost always end up there or Duo – especially since we can ride to both restaurants so easily!
Sep 08, 2010 @ 21:41:11
Root Down is definately a favorite of ours. I was trying to get my parents to go there while they were here over the long weekend, but we had too much packed in a short time. They would totally love it! Wouldn’t mind if there was one in our hood