A most lovely weekend

Friday night Kevin and I had dinner at Patsy's Inn, a dark Italian restaurant that has been in Denver since 1921.  It wasn't fancy but it reeked of authenticity and tradition, just like the old days, which I gladly welcome on occasion;  my favorite places are so new and chic and pretentious. Kevin said it reminded him of The Godfather and luckily still extended the dinner invitation after I admitted to never actually seeing the movie..  
We drank the smoother of two Malbecs on the wine list.  And after 3 days of browsing the online menu, I ordered the Balsamic Vinegar Chicken, which was every bit flavorful as the name suggests.  I made a mental note to choose the Homemade Bolognese on my return visit.  Kevin chose the night's seafood ravioli special, which was super saucy and a tad bit boring.  Or perhaps I'm so used to small plates of pumpkin ravioli (3 to a plate!) served in neighborhood bistros and gastropubs that I forget this just might be how real Italian food should taste.

Patsy's Inn

3651 Navajo Street
Denver, CO 80211

Saturday, it was off to the races!  My new favorite running mate, Brett, and I ran the Quicker Quaker 5k, a fun little run in Lafayette.  I was one minute shy of achieving my 29 minute goal, but my mental state of mind left my feet dragging.  Perhaps it's race pressure or the do-or-die 3 mile course that got to me; today I ran the 2.5 mile trail at Wash Park in 26 minutes flat.

And let's be honest, since I will run for food, the race finished with an oatmeal breakfast.  There were over 100 toppings to choose from, think heath bar, peanut butter, gummy bears, but I topped my bowl the old fashioned way with fruit, nuts and brown sugar, and it was delightful (definitely worth going for a 28 minute finish next time..)

Saturday night we celebrated my new bff's birthday at Uptown Tavern.  It was smoky inside the patio (apparently the smoking ban doesn't extend to enclosed restaurant patios), but there was cake and wine and fun friends and football on the big screen ta boot!  Kaci baked a pretty little chocolate and lemon cake filled with sweet raspberry filling.

                                                 

On Saturday, to my surprise, Mom spiced up her culinary skills and made a pot of Vietnamese noodle soup; she is a fantastic cook, but rarely is this exotic in the kitchen!  But in the name of adventure she chopped bok choy, sliced ginger root and carefully prepared sticky rice noodles.  The steak was tender.  Fresh lime and green onion added flavor.  This soup was good.

                                    

                                      

Needless to say, I didn't starve this weekend.  I just wish my shopping excursion to Urban Outfitters had been as successful.. Or, perhaps it'd be more successful if I actually fit into the garments that look best on the size 0 mannequin.. Which makes planning next weekend a cinch: shop more, eat less!