The Best Deal in Town: 5280

The best food deals in town ended yesterday, and fortunately, Jake and I were able to take advantage of them twice. I am referring, of course, to Denver Restaurant Week, when the best restaurants in town offer dinners for two for $52.80. (http://www.denver.org/denverrestaurant/) This is an amazing deal if you know the fare at many of these restaurants. Jake and I have easily spent around $100 per person for dinner at some of these places, so $26.40 per person if phenomenal. What I love about the 5280 special is that you get a pretty darn good sampling of what the place has to offer--dinners are usually 3 or more courses.

This year, we hit The Oceanaire and Zengo. We had been to Oceanaire before, so we knew what to expect. It was, of course delicious. We had a crab cake slider, their awesome Caesar salad, Tombo tuna steak, trout generously stuffed with crab and shrimp, and chocolate mousse and key lime pie for dessert. The Oceanaire is also known for their bacon-and-tabasco hash browns, so we ordered that as an extra side. Delicious.

Last week, we went to Zengo, a new restaurant in town--one of the Richard Sandoval restaurants (Tamayo, Sandia, etc.) This one is a fusion of Mexican and Japanese influences. To some of you, this may sound a little iffy, but I can tell you, after having lived in Albuquerque for two years, that the mix of Mexican with Japanese cuisine is an awesome fusion of flavors. Anyhow, we weren't disappointed with Zengo. Jake ordered a spicy yellowtail roll as his first course. Usually, we steer clear of the fancy schmancy rolls, especially if they are labelled as spicy because they tend to be loaded with mayo and cream cheese and who knows what else. This one was delightfully different. None of that filler stuff. Just straight yellowtail and spice, with a generous smattering of green roe on top. We also had steak and tofu as well as dessert in our dinner selections. All delicious.

And all for $52.80. If you have never taken advantage of this, please do next year. You would be a fool to miss out!

Just as a side note, other restaurants we have been to in past years: Panzano and Bistro Vendome.