A New Food Adventure

My husband and I got to lunch together every Wednesday. We used to debate about where to go, what's good, what we were in the mood to eat. Instead of keeping with that pattern, we have decided that we are going to visit every restaurant in the downtown Boulder area. We started at the West End of town and are systematically working our way east. Although there are many restaurants we have already tried and really liked, we're skipping them for this adventure. It will probably take at least 3 years to complete this goal, but by the time we're done, we'll know downtown Boulder's restaurants really well. Of course there are some restaurants that are only open for dinner. I suppose we'll have to find a babysitter so we can try those ones. I'm pretty sure we'll both be okay with that.

We started last week with Sushi Tora. It was really good. I had the sushi lunch and pork shumai. Everything was very tasty. Then, even though we didn't have room for it, we split the apple dessert. It was kind of like an apple crisp without the oats and was topped with really good vanilla ice cream. It was so delicious. I really liked this place. Partly because of the food and partly because of the atmosphere, very relaxed and comfortable. And since the servers leave a pitcher of water on the table, I always had a full glass. That's a very big thing for me. When I go out to eat, I can easily drink an entire quart of water and still need more. Sushi Tora gets a big thumbs up from me.

This week, Eric and I tried Centro Latin Kitchen and Refreshment Palace. It was pretty good. We arrived just after they opened, so it was pretty empty still. Again, water pitcher was left on the table and quickly replaced when it was emptied. Centro has a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Eric and I split an Empanada Platter and the Chicken Enchiladas. They were both tasty, but not the best I've ever had. I think my favorite part of the meal was the achiote rice. It was so good. I could have eaten just that and been satisfied. But then came the dessert. We split the Roasted Peanut and Dark Chocolate Torte. (My mouth is watering just thinking about it.) It was amazing! Creamy roasted peanut flavored filling with a cheesecake texture on a blond cookie crust, topped with a thick, dark chocolate fudge layer, sprinkled with roasted peanuts and covered in whipped cream. If that isn't the epitome of decadence, I don't know what is. It was like a gigantic peanut butter cup but a thousand times better. I've come up with a recipe that I think might work to replicate this dessert, but I still have to try it out. If it turns out well, I'll post it right after I'm done eating way too much of it in one sitting. If it isn't up to snuff, I'll just have to keep trying until I get it right. *sigh* The daunting tasks that I set for myself, but I'll power through somehow. Not sure I can say the same for my waistline though.