Every Tuesday at Rioja, starting at 5pm, Rioja has Sips & Snacks, which is a food and alcohol pairing in the bar area for $15 a person. My friends and I went a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it. We went during Tequila Tuesday, and there were small bites complementing each tequila sip. It was awesome to see how the tequila and bites brought out different aspects of each flavor. My personal favorite was the Don Julio Reposado paired with salmon ceviche and grapefruit.
After getting fairly buzzed off sipping tequila and not eating enough, we decided the best idea was to stay there all evening, order our favorite entrees, and even some dessert. And it wasn’t even a super-special Tuesday
Our single favorite entrée (perhaps in Denver) is the Artichoke Tortelloni, which you have to have a whole order of, because it’s so easy to eat. And the moment you finish eating 1 Tortelloni, you are sad that it’s gone.
We also ordered the Parmesan Gnocchi, and I thought the flavors were perfect together. It actually rivaled the Tortelloni. I particularly enjoyed that it had grapes to complement the blue cheese and red wine sauce.
Both dishes came with absolutely delicious sauce, so of course we had to order the bread basket to soak up every last bit of that sauce.
We ordered the special for dessert, which was a pistachio lover’s dream. It was pistachio cake, financier, vanilla coolis, roasted pears, some sort of yummy reduction, and star anise meringue.
It was the first time I had been there since they renovated, and the environment felt modern and elegant without being too stuffy. Loved it.
Address: 1431 Larimer Street Denver, CO