I am in love with Garbanzo’s Mediterranean Grill.  If you have no idea what I am talking about you need try it ASAP!  Garbanzo’s is basically the Chipotle for Greek food.  It is the same type ordering process and you can taste anything before they slab it on your plate.  The flavors are so fresh and flavorful it seriously makes my tummy gurgle just thinking about it.  They have fresh pitas, falafel, hummus and the best salads ever.  It’s a great alternative to fast food especially if you are watching the calories or even a vegetarian.  I work in the Denver Tech Center and I have slowly become addicted.  I have my frequent customer card and have earned a free side of falafel twice in the last month.  I have never been a frequent enough customer anywhere to ever earn any awards!   In Denver we are lucky enough to nine locations to enjoy.  They are slowly expanding with locations in Boulder, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs.  Seriously… Go try it.  You will not be disappointed.
As a marketing/advertising gal and avid fan I obviously took the time to check out their website and see what kind of marketing they were doing.  As a media buyer I have never seen or even heard one of their ads, but every time I go there is a line out the door!  I guess that goes to say how successful you can be with a quality product and word of mouth!  Just imagine what they could do if they did advertise!  They would have to open more locations to handle the crowd!  I think it’s only a matter of time before they expand outside of Colorado.  Hey Garbanzo if you need a marketing/advertising/pr gal – pick me!   www.eatgarbanzo.com

Check out Sheehan from the Westword’s blog post on it here.

Or here’s Hush’s own blurb:

Hush Denver is an underground eatery designed to pay homage to the incredible rising talent in today’s culinary world.  Hush Denver exists to honor the men and women working long, hard, hot days so that foodies like you and I can enjoy countless great memories in the restaurants we know and love.   It is our promise to provide diners with an experience unlike anything they have seen in the past.  We at Hush spend our days dreaming up new ways to enlist some of the countries top rising chefs, then spend our evenings working with those chefs to bring you a night you will never forget.  Hush Denver operates on suggested donations only and proceeds of our events help advance the success of our featured chefs.

Next event is February 20th, featuring Chef Ian Kleinman, formerly with Restaurant O. Phil Armstrong says they have a great line up scheduled for the year, so stay tuned on more Hush events.

The Lobby
2191 Arapahoe St
Denver, CO 80205
303-997-9911
www.thelobbydenver.com

Lala’s was fantasatic! We had a dinner with about 12 people (had reservations for 14 but they didn’t mind the two didn’t show). It’s not the type of place where your party has to be there to sit down, we sat and were served wine and drinks and apps while we waited for the whole group to show. Try the fried artichoke (yum) or something off the specials menu. The highlights of the night were definitely the service, though. Our waitress was thorough. Plus, the manager checked in with us a couple times, once bringing a card that the staff had all signed happy birthday along with a gift card to come back to Lala’s at a later date. And to top it off, a dessert that wasn’t included in the final tab. Pretty darn good.

Bistro One takes a second. The food was DELICIOUS but more pricey. The service wasn’t quite as great as at Lala’s but it was still better than most places, and we were served a nice round of birthday shots on the house (just what we looked like we needed)!

If you choose your location wisely, it’s a really good deal: $52.80 for a generally fixed menu for two, or $26.40 for one. Visit the site for more info, or to pick from a list of fantastic restaurants.

I’ve hit up Capital Grille and Bistro Vendome prior years and it’s been well worth it! This year I’ll be going to Ruth’s Chris and hopefully a couple others!

Update: Ruth’s Chris was great for the $$ (steak oscar is a good choice)! Tonight I’ll hit up Elways for a late dinner (all we could get a reso for), and tomorrow is Baur’s which has gotten great reviews.

Many places have extended 52.80 for a week. Check the ones on the site with an “E” next to them.

Do you Tweet? Check out Denver Restaurant Week @DenverRestoWeek or twitter.com/denverrestoweek.  They’re also giving away free DRW meals if you tweet about your Resto Week Plans!