Adega Restaurant & Wine Bar (May 26, 2004)Denver, CO On the last evening of a six-day business trip to Denver, I had time to hook up with an old friend and foodie who lives in the area. I was already thinking of visiting Adega based on some glowing reviews on the web, but since he's the native, I thought I'd let him make the call. It turns out he already had plans to take me to Adega, so clearly we're on the same wavelength. The restaurant has a modern decor, with a central focal point, a glass-enclosed wine cellar which itself contains thick glass shelving subdivided into rectangular bins, full of wine bottles. It radiates the low-level blue light of thick clear glass, and to a wine aficionado, it's a beautiful sight. We're seated, and the wine list and menus arrive. The wine list is wonderful, covering nearly every wine-growing region and subregion of interest, with just enough depth in each. The menus come in two forms: a six-course tasting menu, and a second menu divided into vegetable, fish, and meat sections, from which the diner can cobble together a custom tasting menu. I opted for the six-course menu, and my friend rolled his own. We shared just about every dish, but I only have the menu from the six-course, so I'll only report on that. I chose the wine-pairing option for the six-course menu. Split Pea Ravioli A pair of ravioli were flanked by meaty mushrooms in a sauce redolent of truffles. The ravioli had a nice toothy bite, with a tender sweet pea filling that blended well with the mushroom and truffle aromas. The pinot grigio was a crisp complement to the dish. This was really nice, but I was a little worried at this stage that six courses might not be enough, as the portion was quite small. Rock Shrimp-Lobster Cake A cylindrical cake of shrimp and lobster meat was presented in a bowl with a puree of fava beans. At tableside, our server then poured a steaming yellow-orange soup around the cake. I found the shrimp and lobster cake to be relatively subtle in terms of flavor, but surprisingly, so was the mustard soup. It was very mild, flavored with the slightest hint of citrus fruit, and in conjunction with the floral scents of the viognier, I think this dish was as light as the preceding vegetable dish. Again, the portion here seemed small. Seared Pacific Black Cod Wonderful dish. The cod was prepared perfectly, with a crisp exterior and juicy, tender flesh. The sweetbreads provided a chewier, meatier bite, and the diced potatoes, while a little less than crispy, had a wonderful potato flavor that sometimes gets lost in the quest to provide the perfect potato texture. The lemon-thyme sauce tied the whole thing together without dominating the dish. A really nice blend of ingredients and preparations. Roast Poussin Breast Another wonderful dish. The poussin was also done perfectly, with flavorful tender meat; the stuffing provided additional savory flavor, and the lentils and frisee provided texture. We noticed at this point that every dish so far, including the choices my friend made for his menu, seemed to incorporate fruit in some way to bring up the flavors of the dish, without becoming a showcase for the fruit. I don't know if this is representative of the chef's work, but we were both impressed with the way the fruits were worked into the dishes seamlessly to provide extra flavor and balance. Camembert Cheese Course I'm not a huge fan of cheese courses, but this was reasonable, and the fruit chutney was sweet and spicy without being overwhelming. The sherry was surprisingly strong, and cut through the camembert perhaps a bit too much. This was the only wine pairing of the evening that didn't hit the mark; other that this, I found the sommelier's choices to be quite nice, and he did an excellent job of describing each pairing as it was presented during service. In particular, the shrimp-lobster cake with the mineral viognier and the cod with the pinot noir were excellent pairings. I also noted that my earlier concerns about portion size were unfounded; at this point in the meal, I was becoming comfortably full. Adriatic Fig Without the port, this could have passed for a savory course. The fig was tart, the mascarpone was not sweetened, and the lady fingers were buttery without being sugary; the port wine sauce surrounding this was syrupy, but not particularly sweet. With the port, however, the whole dessert came together. A nice dessert which I really enjoyed, but which might not appeal to people who really want that strong sugar fix at the end of the meal. I should note at this point that we splurged and added a passion-fruit custard as another dessert, because it looked too tempting to pass it up, and I can verify that this would satisfy a sweet tooth quite nicely. The six-course tasting menu was $69, with an additional $45 for the wine pairings. At those prices, given the quality of the food and wine, the level of service, and the total dining experience we enjoyed, Adega represents a remarkable value. I'd happily return.
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