Party Planning 101: Creative Invites.

I recently received the most creative (and cutest) wedding invite from my friend Jason and his bride-to-be, Rita. Jason's a photographer - and the invite captured both of them perfectly as a couple!


~ The invite unrolled from the film canister and includes a magnet to attach it to the fridge! ~

That got me thinking - what other kinds of invitations are out there? How do they capture a personality - be it for a formal wedding, or someting more casual like a summer block party? So my curious mind led me to Pinterest, where I knew I was bound to find out. Below are some of my favorites (which I repinned to my Party Time board) - I hope they spark some creativity in you as you get ready to plan your next event!

Frasca Food and Wine: Buon Appetito in Boulder.

One step inside the doors of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado and you can immediately sense that you will more than enjoy your experience. The atmosphere is a mix of casual and elegant, the decor clean-lined modern mixed with rustic touches and a large wall of wine bottles serves as the perfect backdrop to the overall ambiance.

Opened in late 2003 by business partners Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey and Chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, the pair met while working at Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in California. Inspired by the northeast Italian region of Friuli, of which they both shared a passion (well, of that and wine!), they set out to create a little spot reminiscent of the area and named it Frasca. Historically found in Friuli was what was known as the neighborhood Frasca, "a friendly and informal gathering place, a destination to share a meal and a bottle of wine. Identified by a tree branch hanging over a doorway portal, they were a symbol of local farm cuisine, wine, and warm hospitality (adapted from the Frasca Food and Wine website)."

With history and inspiration at it's helm, I had the amazing opportunity to dine here on our last night in Colorado. So, on to our deliciously memorable experience -

Upon our arrival, Bobby greeted us with the warmest of hospitality (even remembering one person in our party from a visit a a few months back!). Since we were waiting for a fourth to arrive, he immediately provided us with an aperitif (a lovely crisp white wine) and upon being led to our table we were served an amuse bouche of a fried squash blossom. Which, little did we know, was a tiny preview of the menu we were about to enjoy.

Our four-course meal of "Zucchini E Fiore Di Zucca" or Zucchini and Blossoms (loosely translated) - focused on the beauty of the squash that's so prevalent this time of year. Our server also stressed that all other ingredients are sourced as locally as possible, to showcase the culinary offerings of Colorado. As expected, the menu was broken out into Anitpasti (appetizer), Primi (first course), Secondi (second course) and Dolci (dessert). We had the pleasure of getting some menu and wine recommendations from our very knowledgeable servers, chose wine based on our preferences (I like white, the rest of my table chose a bottle of red), then we selected each of our courses.

I hope that the following pictures and descriptions captured the experience for you -  because it was phenomenal!

The Antipasti:
As explained by our server, I assumed that this dish would feature zucchini, but this was done to perfection and like nothing I've had before. The delicate flavors of the squash came through beautifully, but the richness of the addition of brown butter added a lusciousness to this custard-like presentation. I can still taste it now as I write this! Obvously, this one will be unforgettable for a long time to come.

The Primi: 
Think of this dish as a deconstructed lasagna - a smaller portion, but still on the decadent side, the thin fresh pasta was layered with creamy bechamel sauce, thin slices of fried eggplant, grilled summer squash and fire roasted cherry tomatoes. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth goodness! As a side note, I must also mention that all savory courses were accompanied by unending servings of fresh-baked, rustic Italian bread and whipped butter. I think we each had 4-5 pieces - talk about a carb lover's dream!

The Secondi:
I could talk about this dish for hours, but I don't think I could keep your attention that long :o). Simply put, it's Poached Cod, wrapped in a thin piece of squash, pickled onion, the plate dotted with Squash and Squid Ink Bechamel, and garnished with a fried squash blossom. This is the art of presentation at it's best - and the combination of flavors was no less impressive.

The Dolci:
Being someone who is no longer used to such indulgence for so many days in a row, I chose to go the lighter route and chose a trio of house-made gelato and sorbet for dessert. Nonetheless, the simple dish still impressed as the sorbet was uber-fresh and the custard added a richness to the flavor profiles. Also, it came with a surprise as the trio was dusted with a light crumbling of white chocolate. Yum!

The Dolci Bonus: 
Two of my party ordered the torta below, and I just had to include it due to it's sheer beauty. The cake had a creamy texture with a creme brulee-like finish. The fresh berries, sauce, house-made chocolate gelato and dusting of white chocolate added dimension and an artistic quality to the dessert - which got rave reviews from our table! I had a taste as well - and I concede that it was delicious! 

I just had to take a picture of the James Beard Nominations and Awards that lined the walls and a rustic piece that I loved. And finally, here we are with our VERY full bellies!

If you've gotten to end of this post, I am 99% sure that you can deduce that I LOVED this restaurant! Frasca serves up everything - environment, wine and food that combine to transport even the most untraveled to a small neighborhood haunt in Italy. I HIGHLY recommend you visit if and when you get to Boulder - you will not be disappointed! 

Adventure of the Senses: Denver and Boulder, Colorado.

For those of you that know me, you know that my 9-5 involves event planning and marketing of the virtual variety. To date I have produced hundreds of webinars and 95% of those were done with the technological support of our preferred vendor and partner, ReadyTalk. Our relationship with them has strengthened with time, and we've met so many great people (and have eaten so many great meals) when they've come to visit us in Chicago.

So, when they graciously extended an invite to our online events team to come out for an open house at their new offices; and to meet face to face with some of their strategic/sales teams, we couldn't say no! Obviously this was a business trip, but it was mixed with a ton of fun, some amazing food experiences and a little adventure in the Flat Irons of Boulder.

But before I chronicle the past few days, I have to go back a few years to my first visit to Denver and Boulder. In the fall of 2009, I had the pleasure of stopping at ReadyTalk on a short 36-hour trip while en route to Santa Barbara for a wedding. This trip, too, was filled with great food and a dinner at Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, which really put Boulder on the map as a little untapped foodie paradise. I wish I had documented it then, but I had the most amazing meal - a first course of the most decadent Butternut Squash Soup topped with Smoked Trout, followed by an entree of Fennel Pollen Dusted Sea Scallops (which were seared to perfection) served atop a Sunchoke Puree. I still remember it to this day, which I think speaks volumes since I've had a lot of great meals since!

Fast forward to this trip and the experience was no different - on Wednesday night we arrived and enjoyed coastal Mexican food at Lola (located in the adorable northwest neighborhood LoHi), where we had an amazing ceviche flight as an appetizer and I dug in to a bowl of Caldo de Mariscos, complete with saffron broth and bread to soak up the yumminess!

On Thursday, following our day of meetings, new office tour and a open house party, my colleague Anna and I went to dinner with some of the RT team at Linger (located in LoHi). This place was really cool, not only because of their tapas-style food and drink offerings, but because of the semi-creepy history behind it. Here's how Eater.com put it when it opened in June of 2011:

"The former site of Denver's historic Olinger Mortuary is now a new bar and restaurant called Linger. Rather than being skeeved out by the building's history, chef/owner Justin Cucci has embraced the concept, darkening the first letter of Olinger's prominent neon sign to name his place, and changing the word "mortuaries" to "eatuaries.'
The body of Buffalo Bill reportedly spent six months in the space in 1917. Fortunately the restaurant, which has a menu divided into different regions of the globe, avoided the temptation to give creepy names to the cocktails, or include buffalo wings on the menu."

Cool, huh? I thought so!

And despite the indulgence of the day and early evening, I really enjoyed the overall experience at Linger. They even customized some of the tapas to my pescatarian diet, which was nice since I was able to try a lot of the same items as everyone else. I would say a few of my favorites were the Masala Dosa, Roasted Beet Salad and the Seared Diver Scallops. After dinner we went up to the roof deck, which has an amazing view of downtown Denver and enjoyed one last cocktail (as if we needed more) before we called it a night.

Friday during the day was filled with some friendly competition with sales, detox yoga (we needed it!) and a hike at the picturesque Chautaqua Trail - of which I've included some photos for your enjoyment!

Notice a trend here? These were ordered at 3 different places throughout the trip, but were basically the same drink. Guess I have a thing for cucumber, lemon and gin!

Highlights from the trip - including a fierce game of giant Jenga, a hike and drinks, of course!

Friday night the Rocky Mountain culinary tour climaxed at dinner with a once-in-a-great-while foodie experience at Frasca Food and Wine (and it will get it's own post since it was THAT good!). Following dinner and full on decadence, we went to a hipster-ish spot called Bitter Bar for a last cocktail underneath the stars. It seemed like an apropo ending to a fabulous trip - I have to say a big THANK YOU to our friends and colleagues at ReadyTalk for showing us a great time. We can't wait to come back!  

Neon done Right.

I recently went to a concert and was bomabrded by neon. It might have had something to do with the band since Neon Trees were the headliner, but I must say that the sheer amount of 80s-like fashion was assaulting from all sides of the venue.

Teens dressed head-to-toe in spandex, high-top Nike sneakers, heavy-metal rock t-shirts complete with fringe and neon-accented acrylic nails were REALLY just a few of the instances that transported me back to my elementary school days. 
 
Aside from being a little disturbed that the decade of my childhood was back in full swing, I realize that there are some redeeming qualities to this trend. It's a great way to add a pop of color to your wardrobe for summer, as long as it's done in a tasteful way. And like any trend, you can easily inject it into your look without spending a lot of money. Follow my advice and you should be ok: You do NOT want to look like you just stepped out of 1982. 
 
So, here are some ideas of ways to add neon to your fashion mix, while still keeping it classy. Also, most of these items clock in around $40 or less, so it's fairly inexpensive to take advantage. I'm particularly fond of the flats, bracelet and of course, my look from a couple of weeks ago!

Happy Shopping!