Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar: A Celebration

Did you ever grab your little point and shoot camera, take a look at the photos on it, and wonder what they heck they were? Well, it was so long ago – well over two months ago – that I almost couldn't remember this dinner at Row 14. But then I recalled that empanada and it all came back to me. It was a Philly Cheesesteak Empanada, something irresistible to someone who was born in Pennsylvania (me – Bethlehem) and someone who lived and worked in Philadelphia after college (my husband – with P&G).

Row 14 has been around for a bit now, but it's still in my book one of those newer restaurants, trying to establish themselves with something unique. Aside from the great location right across from the convention center and performing arts complex, Row 14 features Colorado cheeses and cured meats, and those alone, along with a nice wine pairing, which they do occasionally, make it worth the visit. They also support Cooking Matters Colorado's Chefs Up Front event, and our friends had snagged a gift certificate to the restaurant by purchasing their chef decorated apron. They also feature a signature grilled avocado vegetarian entree – while I wouldn't want that much avocado for my entree, it's great to share that among your group along with some other choices like we did.

Whenever a chef is bold enough to feature rabbit, I order it. Not that it's really that bold of a food choice – if there was ever anything that DID taste "just like chicken", rabbit's it. But to me that's a sign of a confident chef, so I like to follow the lead.

The other two in our group order two fish choices: the crispy skinned Alamosa Striped Bass (which I would not have known about had not so many chefs recommended it for recipes in the cookbook I'm working on), and Salmon. Every morsel we had was delicious and the service was great. If you've not been yet, definitely add Row 14 to your list of must try venues.

Check out more Denver restaurant reviews at Cooking with Michele.