Denver Adventurous Eaters Club at Parallel Seventeen (Denver)

Hopefully this post doesn't ruin too many appetites.

A while ago I joined a group on the site meetup.com called "the denver adventurous eaters club".  This past weekend I went to my first outing with them, which was a special one-off bug-based meal made specifically for us by Chef Mary Nguyen at Parallel Seventeen.

Overall, everything tasted great and was prepared very well.  Once you get past the psychological barrier of the bugs, it didn't seem much different than having any other protien in the dish.

The coursed out menu:

Salmon Roe Boba

Roasted Veal Bone Marrow, Himalayan Red Sea Salt

Ant Larvae Salad, served Thai style and with a shrimp cracker.  They didn't have a lot of flavor, they might as well have been beans.

Thai Basil 3 Ways

Sorbet, Coulis, Basil Seed Caviar

Anchovy Spawn Citrus Gelee, Baby Frisee, Mandarin Orange Ginger Confit

Individual Silkworms.  They had a texture like feta, and were slightly bitter.

Stir-fried Silkworms, Sauteed Vegetables.  Spicy Chinese style

Lychee and Lavender infused Aloe Gelee

Lemongrass Steamed Apple Snails

Caramel Braised Pork Butt and Trotters, Poached Quail Eggs

Blood Sausage Stuffed Quail, Wilted Crysanthemum, Nida Potato, King Trumpet Mushrooms

(Sorry for the bad pic)

Sea urchin Cheesecake, Shiso Sabayon

Root Down (Denver)

Root Down is an organic-themed restaurant in Denver.  We ate there sometime last week and really enjoyed it.

Tomato-Canteloupe Gazpacho - Hangar One Chipotle Vodka, Lime Crema and Fig Balsamic

Bread

Sauteed Organic Carrot Gnocchi - Seasonal Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus, Parsley, Parmeggiano, Carrot Coriander Sauce

The best/worst bloody mary ever.  It was fantastic this time, but we went back a few days later and it came out tasting completely different and not very good.

Sambal, Sun-dried Tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, basil, 42 below vodka, smoked salt rim

Steamed PEI Mussels - Thai Red Curry broth, White wine, Israeli Cous-cous, Scallions, Micro Cilantro, Grilled Bread

Country Fried Organic Tofu - Spice Battered Tofu, Smashed Agave Yams, Organic Braised Greens

A Salmon Special (not sure the details)

Prospect in SF

Bro-in-law is the executive chef at a restaurant that he was heavily involved in making happen.  They opened about a week before we got to eat there.  Delicious!

Golden Beets - Sherry Honey Vinaigrette, Spiced Walnut Brittle, Manchego

Soft Shell Crab - Green Tomato Tartar sauce, Jalapeno Corn Relish

Garden Lettuces - Caesar Croutons, Herb-Lemon Vinaigrette

Yellowtail Crudo - Seaweed Rice Cracker, Pickled Cucumber, White Miso

Buffalo Carpaccio - Fried Oysters, Tasso Aioli, Spinach Salad

A little Trotter Cake

Pork Cheeks - Ancient Grains, Confit Fennel, Kumquats, Toasted Garlic, Radish

Petrale Sole- Butter Bean Mousseline, Bacon, Chanterelles, Summer Bean Ragout

Organic Chicken - (Breast, Sausage) Broccoli Cheddar Grits, Morel Mushrooms

Lamb Loin and Rib - Feta, Potatoes, Olives, Padron Peppers, Lamb's Quarters 

Halibut - Tasting of All Farms Carrots, Pistachios, Melted Cippolinis, Basil Butter 

Whole Wheat Crepes - Ricotta, Nettles, Roasted Wild Mushrooms 

Ice Cream Sandwiches - Gingersnaps, Stone Fruit 

Farmer's market at the Ferry Building in San Francisco

This last trip to San Francisco we stopped by the Farmer's Market, mainly to snack.  There were a lot of great things to snack on.

Here are a few highlights, sorry for the lack of information.
meat cone

Korean Meat-seaweed thing

Hot Dog (fancy and really good)

Corn Dog:

Bones

Dinner at Bones in Denver on saturday.  Delicious noodle house/asian fusion sort of restaurant. 

Suckling pig and Pork Belly steamed buns

Roasted Bone Marrow

Jicama Salad: Roasted Poblano, Shiitake Mushrooms, Oranges, Ricotta Salata

Egg Noodles: Crispy Duck Confit, Bok Choy, Oyster Broth

Trompeau breakfast

Delicious Trompeau again, still one of my favorite breakfast spots.

Louisiana Quiche (red peppers, sausage, etc..) and an apple turnover-esque thing (forgot the name, starts with a "c")

closeup of the quiche

Den Deli in Denver

We checked out Den Deli today, from the makers of Sushi Den and Izakaya Den.  It's a more casual deli/coffee shop sort of feel.  They have some delicious stuff like ramen, kobe beef sliders, french dip and cheesesteaks.  They also have onigiri which I loved when I was in Japan.

Pork Ramen as it was served.  Perfect on a cold, rainy day.

Closeup after mixing it up a bit