TasteCasting :: Hi*Rise

We have joined Denver's TasteCasting team. This team is invited to various Denver establishments to taste their food and then write about it.

***TasteCasting Special***
Just mention “TasteCasting” and receive 2 for 1 on any lunch entree!
Expires July 31st, 2009

Our first TasteCasting was today at Hi*Rise Handcrafted Bread in the ballpark neighborhood of downtown (2162 Larimer St, Denver).

They specialize in artisan breads, bagels, sandwiches, salads and sweet treats.

The decor is a mix of pop art and contemporary minimalistic chic.

Today we sampled each of their savory sandwiches.

Mesquite Turkey

:: leigh :: this classic sandwich had great flavor. I especially enjoyed the addition of avacado and gouda to their smokey turkey and hearty nine grain bread. I would definitely order this sandwich again.
:: Mike :: this sandwich was very good, and i can see why it is there number one seller. i would perfer to have smoked gouda as opposed to regular gouda, but i love the smokey taste which it provides.

Muffeletta

:: Mike :: this was interesting. i have seen muffeletta on the food network and wanted to try it. it is definitely different with a salty spread of olives, prosciutto, salami, and provolone cheese.

Paninio Caprese

:: leigh :: this was the sanwich I was most looking forward to. It was good but I've had a better meld of caprese flavors before. I would possibly order it again but I was a little disappointed.
:: Mike :: i think that the concept was well done, however i feel that the flavors kind of ran over each other. with a little refinement this could be outstanding!

Roasted Veggie

:: Mike :: great for the vegetarian. had a good flavor and was filled with good stuff like mushrooms, tomatoes, hummus, feta, balsamic vinegarette...just watch out for the occasional large, tough piece of artichoke.

Cajun Pork Po'Boy*

:: leigh :: this was my big surprise! I would never order this sandwich - starting with Cajun in the name would take it off my list right away, then the description including creole mustard, and coleslaw (two of my least favorite ingredients) would have sealed the deal. Since this was a tasting, I took a small bite and I was shocked! The sweet apple chutney and delicious caramelized onions made this sandwich quite sweet. The flavors were complex but I wouldn't call them "Cajun" - if they had been, I don't think I would have liked it at all. This was sandwich was not only my favorite but also a sandwich I think I will find myself craving in the days to come.
:: Mike :: i on the otherhand would have ordered this if i saw it on the menu. however, i feel like the title is a little misleading. to me cajun is supposed to have some kick to it...actually a lot of kick to it. for me the more spicy, the more i'm gonna like it. so when i tasted this i was a little disappointed in the sweetness of the apple chutney. the pork was very tender and had a great flavor. i feel that if the name was changed to hint at the sweetness, this sandwich would be much more appealing.

Roast Beef*
:: leigh :: I thought this one was a bit too bread-y and the blue cheese overpowered any other flavor in the sandwich.
:: Mike :: i agree that the bread was a little too thick for this sandwich, however i loved it! i am usually not a roast beef person, but it was so tender and flavorful. i also happen to be a huge fan of blue cheese, which as you can see this sandwich is covered with it!

Jamon
:: leigh :: this upscale take on a ham and cheese, using brie and sliced apple. I really thought this would be a favorite but the dijon mustard was really heavy and over-powered anything everything else. I would like to try this sandwich again sans the mustard.
:: Mike :: mustard was a little overdone. however, without the mustard, i feel that this would be a little boring. this sandwich is missing something to bring out the flavor of the ham.

Tuna Nuicoise
:: leigh :: I'm a tuna fan but the surprising olive mayo they layered under the tuna really overpowered the bite. The tuna on the nine grain was quite tasty though.
:: Mike :: the olive spead was too much for this tuna. when you order a tuna salad sandwich you want to taste the delicate flavors of the tuna and the stuff mixed into the tuna...not salty olives.

Dessert - chocolate cupcake with salted carmel buttercream, white cupcake with espresso buttercream and blackberry galette
:: leigh :: I must say I was pretty excited when they brought out a few desserts to taste at the end. The chocolate cupcake with salted carmel buttercream was a really surprising flavor combination - one you have to try again to try to figure out, definitely intriguing. The espresso cupcake was tasty, with a light buttercream with strong espresso infusion - a definite favorite for espresso lovers. The blackberry galette was a little disappointing. I love fruit desserts but the blackberries were a bit bitter and the crust's slight sweetness didn't counter the bitterness of the berries.
:: Mike :: agree.

Detour :: Seattle

Ironically enough, our first Denver Eats with The Petes review is a Detour (food reviews from outside our home-base of Denver).

We spent Memorial Day Weekend in Seattle, Washington and enjoyed every bite!

The undisputed best find our our trip was Wasabi Bistro in Belltown. This place has an awesome happy hour (everyday from 4pm - 6pm; Sunday - Thursday 10pm - 1am; Friday - Saturday 11pm - 1am). The menu consists of many of their usual offerings but at about half the price!

:: leigh :: complimentary edamame greets you as soon as you are seated.

:: leigh :: we ordered the yam fries - I know, not very Japanese but they were really good. the sauce that accompanied them had a bit of a kick.
:: Mike :: yam fries are definitely a fun switch from traditional fries.

:: leigh :: our sushi! the main event - we ordered two Seattle rolls (salmon, cream cheese, avocado, teriyaki sauce, usually $9, $5 at happy hour), two Las Vegas Rolls (eel, crab, avocado, cream cheese, teriyaki sauce, usually $10, $5 at happy hour) and a spicy tuna roll (spicy tuna, cucumber, asparagus, garlic, green onion, usually $8, $5 at happy hour). Since we're suckers for a deal, we ordered strictly off the happy hour menu although they had many, many other rolls that looked delicious (ranging from $7 to $17). I didn't realize that 4 of our 5 rolls were tempura when we ordered, and looking back, wish we had ordered more of a variety but the rolls were huge, delicious and very filling.
:: Mike :: the sushi was outstanding! very fresh with a great combination of flavors from the cream cheese, avocado, and sauces. the spicy tuna was very flavorful, despite being a puree of tuna as opposed to the chunk cut tuna. the spicy sauce that covered it had a great kick to it.

After our sushi feast, we walked over to Bottega Italiana for dessert (one block up from the Pike Place Market).

:: leigh :: their gelato all looked so good - it was tough to decide.

:: leigh :: we settled on pear and raspberry and were very happy with our choices! I've never had pear gelato before but definitely think it's one of my new favorite flavors. Bottega Italiana gelato was very fresh - like biting into the fruit itself but with a smooth, velvety texture. Their wasn't a bit of icy-ness and the portions were just about the same as I've gotten anywhere in the states (all gelato reviews may have to be amended after our trip to Italy this fall).
:: Mike :: delicious...can't wait to taste the real thing this october!

The next morning we strolled down to Market Bagels near Pike Place Market.

:: leigh :: I ordered their orange cranberry poppyseed bagel with low fat cream cheese. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they used a moderate amount of cream cheese - more often then not, places gob on so much cream cheese I have to scrape most of it off and feel awful about the waste. The bagel had good flavor - a unique combination, but the texture was a little bready for me. Not bad, just not quite New York street-vendor texture.

:: leigh :: Mike had their egg and cheese on a sesame bagel with bacon. I just had a small bite but it was quite tasty.
:: Mike :: my usual was awesome and started off the day right!

Our last day in Seattle, we traveled over to Spud's Fish and Chips on Alki Beach at the recommendation of a friend. The line stretched out the door and the counter service was quite slow. The prices seemed a bit high and they charge extra for tarter sauce and ketchup which seemed pretty odd to me.

:: leigh :: the prices seemed pretty high, so we decided that "The Special" would be the best bet: 3 piece fish & fries, large tarter sauce, ketchup and an extra large drink.

:: leigh :: the portions were large and the tarter sauce was unbelievable - definitely homemade with distinct pickle flavor. The fish was just ok, large pieces but the breading and fish kept falling apart from each other, making it tough to eat. The "chips" were good, although a little greasy for my taste.
:: Mike :: i liked the fish. i thought that it was very light breading, which allowed the taste of the fish to come through much stronger. the malt vinegar was very interesting because in the bottles were large cloves of garlic which infused into the vinegar...vampires would not go anywhere near the person who consumed this stuff!

welcome!

The Petes love to eat. We love to try out new restaurants and new recipes in our own kitchen. Through this blog, we will review both.

Mike has an eclectic palate - thoroughly enjoying anything and everything, especially the spicy and unique.

Leigh is a little less adventurous - spicy is not her thing but a good calamari or apple pie will flip her switch any day and comfort food (in all it's forms) are king!