Scratch to Table

On the night before surgery and all through the house, I decided to get out of the house and tag along to dinner with my editor and her husband at Annette, a “scratch to table” restaurant out in the Stanley Marketplace.

The design is fresh, the service was outstanding, and the food was on point. Take a look.

butter lettuce + tarragon

To start, we ordered this lovely number topped with pickled onions, sunflower seeds, and ricotta salata. It was so good that we ordered another! It paired really well with my delicious rosé of pinot noir.

ramp + radish toast

At first glance, this sounded and looked unappetizing, but then I quickly changed my mind. The toast was perfectly buttered and fried. The anchovy, broken shovel chèvre, and lemon creme on top was just so, so tasty, comforting, and savory. I would’ve eaten another one of these, too!

gnocchi

You can always tell how excited I am about eating something by how blurry/frantic the photo looks. The minute I saw the word gnocchi I was adamant we try it. The melt-in-your-mouth gnocchi, green garlic, artichokes, ramps, and pea shoots were all tossed in a garlic cream sauce that I could’ve bathed in!

grilled carrots + peas

This palate cleanser was topped with cilantro, charred orange, and spiced cream. The carrots were cooked perfectly.

half roasted chicken

I usually am not a huge meat-eater, but it only seemed fitting to partake in this buttery chicken as part of my pre-surgery “Last Supper” (I could eat normally before the procedure, but I definitely milked my need for comfort food anyway because it’s me). The skin was crispy and the meat was tender. Yum!

pecan pie

There was nothing of the chocolate variety on the dessert menu (except one with mint, which is a big no-no in my book!), so we opted for this pecan pie. It was divine. The crust was so flaky and scratch-made.

random thing

We also got this thing, but I don’t remember what it was. I do remember that it was highly disappointing, especially compared to the pecan pie. You can’t win ’em all, Annette.

The night was a fantastic one, filled with a glorious meal and even better company. If you’re in the Denver area, you should check it out! And if you haven’t visited the Stanley Marketplace out in Aurora, you totally should. I aim to go back and really peruse the shops.