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The Blue Plate

Avon Colorado Restaurant

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How to Taste Wine: No-Shame Basics for Beginners

The first wine tasting I ever attended was at the Irish Pub where I worked in college, which specialized in imported beer & amazing Irish whiskeys. You can imagine how it went. Let’s just say that this was the first time I heard “cat piss” and “garden hose” as descriptions for flavor profiles, and my coworkers decided it would be cool to drink the dump bucket when the wine rep concluded his spiels.

I apologize. I did not start with this story to make you all gag, but I wanted you to have a little info on my background so that you could understand my dilemma when I started tasting and learning Blue Plate’s wine list. You see, Blue Plate’s owner Elli Roustom is a very learned wine woman. She strongly believes that her staff should know the flavor profiles of her entire wine list and be able to recommend wine to guests without any B.S. (she knows good wine folks see right through the bullshit anyway 😉 ).

So, when we started our bi-weekly wine tastings leading up to the holiday season, I pretty much needed to learn it all. I don’t mean our wine list. I mean wine.

I hope that some of you are snickering behind your plump Cabernet glasses, wondering how a 28-year-old woman could know so little about this illustrious drink, because I DID ask a lot of, ahem, dumb questions during these tastings. Luckily, Elli & our wonderful wine reps were happy to answer these questions, and so today, I’m happy to share a bit of beginner knowledge about HOW TO PROPERLY TASTE WINE.

Observation

The first step to a proper tasting of wine is a simple examination (with your eyeballs alone). After filling your glass to just above its curvature (NEVER fill a glass to the top as the wine needs room to breathe!), lift & tilt the glass to a 45 degree angle.

Determine the wine’s:

  • LIMPIDITY: Are there particles floating in the wine?
  • COLOR TONALITY: Is it straw colored or more golden? More ruby than rust?
  • HUES: Does the edge of the liquid have a gradient?
  • LIVELINESS: Is the wine bright or dull?

Next, swirl the wine in your glass to discover its consistency. If it flows smoothly & freely, it has less alcohol and structure. If it is more dense & viscous, the wine will be of higher alcohol & complexity. When you stop swirling, you may see transparent glycerine “legs” running down the side of the glass. More legs generally means more alcohol, and vice versa.

Smell

Now, we use our noses. Smelling wine is very important (and very interesting!) because scent is dependent on your own experiences. Basically, everyone smells things differently, and you will often find various scent comparisons being thrown about by different people during a group tasting.

When smelling a wine, stick one nostril on the rim of your glass (because you can’t smell with both at the same time, I’m told… I can’t make this shit up!) and sniff swiftly & purposefully.

Be aware of the wine’s:

  • OVERALL INTENSITY: How intensely does the odor hit your nostril?
  • COMPLEXITY: What is the extent of the scents in the glass?
  • FINESSE: Are the smells clear & elegant?
  • SPECIFIC ODORS: Can certain smells be identified, such as fruity, floral, spicy, etc?

Be sure to smell your wine when it has been sitting still and after you swirl it (and with both nostrils, but one at a time! 😉 ) because the swirling can cause more aromas to be released.

Taste

Okay, cool…but can we taste it yet? Yes, young grasshopper, now you are ready. Take a sip. (Some people “chew” their wine. That may be covered in the intermediate course?)

The first thing you need to observe is the wine’s softness:

  • SUGAR: Is the wine dry or sweet (or excessively sweet)?
  • ALCOHOL: Is the wine light or alcoholic?
  • SOFTNESS: Is the wine sharp or velvety?

The next thing you think about is its hardness:

  • ACIDS: Does the wine taste flat or fresh?
  • TANNINS: This feeling can be hard to pin down. Basically, after you swallow, does your tongue feel dry (more tannins) or not (less tannins)?
  • MINERALS: Is the wine tasteless, tasty or salty?

After these assessments, you can go on to determine its:

  • STRUCTURE: (also referred to as depth or body) How do all these previous assessments fit together?
  • BALANCE: How do the wine’s softness and hardness complement (or combat) each other?
  • INTENSITY: How smack-you-in-the-tongue is the taste of the wine?
  • PERSISTENCE: Does the taste linger on your tongue?
  • QUALITY: How good (or bad) is it?
  • MATURITY: Did you open the bottle too soon, too late, or just at the right time? (cue Goldilocks joke)

And finally, Your Opinion

So… Did you like it?

That’s really all that matters in the end. Everyone’s taste buds (like our nostrils) are different, and it really comes down to this simple truth. However, knowing how to properly taste wine can make you appreciate and enjoy the event more.

Keep an eye out for more blog posts with wine wisdom to come, and have a happy Monday! 🙂

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5 TIPS to Run Your Wedding Rehearsal Dinner Smoothly…In a Restaurant!

Oh my Lordy, you’re getting married! You’ve got the dress, the date, the guest list…and about 50 million other things to plan. You’ve read blog after blog, talked to all your already-hitched cousins and have a Pinterest board that may just break the internet if you’re not careful. It’s a lot to organize, and in hindsight, there’s always more planning that could have been done to make things run more smoothly.

One part of a wedding that often gets swept under the rug is THE REHEARSAL DINNER. It’s a seemingly small event compared the the actual wedding (which is why it’s often forgotten about), but a little extra planning can go a long way. If you’d like to learn a few basic things to consider when planning your rehearsal dinner, here’s a good article to get you started. And if you’ve already decided to host your rehearsal dinner in a restaurant, we’re here to help!

Blue Plate has been hosting wedding rehearsal dinners & other special events for nearly a decade, so here are a few things to consider when you decide to host your special day-before-the-big-day party at a restaurant.

Venue Limitations & Atmosphere

All restaurants are structured differently and have different atmospheres. For example, Blue Plate has 3 separate interior areas: a larger family dining room, a cozier dining room & our cocktail bar area. These areas all accommodate varying numbers of guests and have distinct ambiances, as well as provide privacy for your party (in the case that you do not reserve the entire restaurant).

We also have 3 unique patio areas, which are great for parties during Colorado’s mild summer months. Our garden area sits under a canopy of crab apple trees and is great for a rehearsal luncheon, or you could reserve our larger patio area for dinner with our beautiful twinkle lighting & cozy outdoor heaters.

Like we said, every restaurant is different, so make sure you explore the options for seating & atmosphere with your host.

Cocktail Hour

Take a look at your guest list. It probably includes your Great Aunt Margaret and your fiance’s Cousin Earl, as well as your good friends from both high school & college who have heard of each other, but haven’t actually met. It can be a bit awkward to find yourself sitting next to strangers & listening to speeches without a chance for small talk. This is where a meet & greet cocktail hour can come in handy.

At Blue Plate, we suggest setting aside an hour before mealtime to meet in our bar area & chat with your guests. This allows you to greet your visitors & thank them for coming without having to go awkwardly from table to table during the meal. It is also easier for your guests to make small talk when they can meander through the crowd (possibly with a cocktail in hand) instead of sitting stationary in a forced seat.

 

Every restaurant’s cocktail scenario may differ, but at Blue Plate, we try to be as flexible as possible. We offer everything, from a fully open bar to a “starter drink ticket” to a specific wine/beer/cocktail menu. You can also opt to have your guests pay for their own drinks. Additionally, you may want to consider providing passed appetizers for your guests during this time. We have a large selection of delicious, easy-to-eat snacks to choose from.

The Meal: Menu Items & Dietary Restrictions

You already realize how difficult it is to decide on the menu for a large group of people (you’ve thought about it for your reception!). Well, the rehearsal dinner is basically the same thing with slightly fewer people. Along with the simple fact that your guests have varying taste buds, there are food allergies & dietary restrictions to consider.

We suggest you think about your guest list and budget to help you decide on your menu items & how much variety you would like to offer. When you book a rehearsal dinner at Blue Plate, we provide 5 preset three-course menus with not only different dishes for you to choose from (to set the menu) but also different outlines that may allow your guests to make dinner choices (for example, a choice of soup or salad, or steak or fish, etc). Our pricing (per person) depends on the menu items & number of options you choose.

Pastas
Pastas

Our preset menus are tried-and-true suggestions for pleasing large groups. They consist of tasty but simple flavors with options that appeal to nearly everyone’s taste buds, but we are as accommodating as possible if you wish to request a specific dish. We also always provide vegan or allergy-free options at no extra charge for those with dietary restrictions. (However, we DO suggest you find out if you’ll need these dishes beforehand, so that we can be as prepared for your party as possible. READ ON for suggestions on how to find out about restrictions & make the dinner a smoother and more enjoyable process.).

Invitations with an RSVP & Pre-Order of Dinner

Here is one of our most helpful tips for running a smooth rehearsal dinner: RSVP’s with Dinner Orders. Firstly, this allows you to get a head count for dinner, which means that you won’t end up paying for someone’s dinner who could not come. It also helps us to create the most comfortable and intimate seating arrangement for your party as possible.

Secondly, asking for guests’ choices for dinner beforehand will: a) make you aware of any dietary restrictions or allergies that will need to be accommodated, and b) ensure that we have prepared enough of a specific dish, if one option were more popular than another. We try to do our best to please your guests and host an amazing party, but these are easy ways to ensure there are not any mishaps.

Name Tags

Remember our suggestion of a breaking-the-ice cocktail hour? Another way to avoid embarrassing situations for your newly friendly guests is to provide name tags. Not only does this help with forgettable names & faces (I mean, sometimes your guests are meeting 20+ new people within 15 minutes!), but we suggest taking the organization of dinner a step further by marking the name tags with your guests’ dinner orders.

Hear me out. You sent out the RSVP’s months ago, right? And now poor Aunt Margie can’t remember if she ordered the steak or the chicken. You can cut out this confusion by marking the tags with a little “S” or “C” in the corner. Firstly, this will cut down the ordering time in which our servers are at your tables and give you more time to move through the events of the night such as gift giving & toasts. It can also serve as a conversation starter: “Oh, you decided on steak, too?” #redmeat4lyfe

Well, we hope you found our TOP 5 TIPS for a SMOOTH RESTAURANT REHEARSAL DINNER to be useful (and enjoyable)! We could go on and on about planning (we didn’t even touch on decorations & extra special features) so keep an eye out for blog posts to come 🙂

And if you’re interested in hosting your wedding rehearsal dinner with Blue Plate, you can find out more info here!

 

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On the (Blue) Plate: The Making of a Crumble Cake

2018 was the year of the CRUMBLE CAKE at Blue Plate. I witnessed owner Elli Roustom go from hoping the recipe works to completing a cake in under 7 minutes (minus the bake time of course 😉 ). Oh yes, it’s true. We timed her with a stopwatch.

I also saw these (now) renowned crumble cakes go from an unknown special menu item to a best-dessert-seller! Patrons were even requesting a slice of crumble over our amazing Austrian Apple Strudel (unheard of before this time!). So, why is this dessert such a crowd-pleaser?  Let’s take a look at the making of these cinnamon-y delights.

Deciphering The Recipe

For those who haven’t heard, Elli grew up in Austria with a close-knit family. She would spend holidays with her grandmother, helping to prepare the meals (when she wasn’t outside catching frogs and snails for pets). She most enjoyed making desserts, as they were beautiful, decadent & everyone’s favorite part of the meal anyway. So of course, when she & Chef Adam decided to open a restaurant, she requested a few of those recipes from her relatives.

Unfortunately, her grandmother had scrawled the crumble cake recipe on a stained piece of paper with a lot of abbreviations & missing pieces, so it took some trial-and-error before Elli’s cakes resembled the yummy pies she remembered as a child. After a bit of tweaking & a lot of cake tasting, she got the recipe down pat. Cheers to Grandmas & their awesome sweets!

Why is this cake so delicious?

The crumble cakes grew in popularity very quickly…but why? Aside from being created with grandmotherly love, Elli uses only the freshest ingredients.

The best part of a crumble cake is the fresh fruit filling. Last summer, when the Palisade peaches were beautifully ripe, Elli went into a peach crumble cake mania and baked about 5 cakes a day for good month! (And somehow, there were still peaches left over for Chef’s amazing Syrian jam.) She’s also experimented with other fruits, such as pear, blood plum, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, and of course, apple. I could not begin to pick a favorite flavor, but I can guarantee that they are all made with fresh & juicy fruit. Then there’s the actual crumble crust & topping, made from scratch with cinnamon, flour & the perfect amount of brown sugar. It all mixes together for a heavenly flavor with just the right crispness.

In all honesty, the deliciousness & popularity of the crumble cake stems from its maker’s enthusiasm (much like many of Blue Plate’s dishes). Elli loved figuring out & perfecting the recipe, then baking the cakes again & again until she could do it in her sleep. It became a habit to wind down by baking after a full day of work, rather than laying on the couch and watching TV, and she said it gave her more time to relax with her thoughts. And of course, there’s the sentimental factor of continuing Grandmother’s tradition of baking.

So next time you’re at Blue Plate, after finishing off your Authentic Veal Schnitzel, ask your server about the special Austrian cake of the day (or just play the Russian Roulette of cake flavors & go for it without asking 😉 ).  You will not be disappointed — especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and glass of Taylor Fladgate port!

About the Restaurant

The Blue Plate in Avon, Colorado, is the home and heart of Chef Adam and Elli Roustom. It is a place to gather and simply share a good meal with good people.Top-notch food and drinks without the fuss (or the giant hole in your wallet). Bring your kids and your hairy uncle alike, we cater to ALL. Fine dining with a casual twist, if you will. Read More…

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Power to the Parents: Blue Plate’s Kid Friendly Efforts

Before we begin, I’d like you to take a moment to pat yourself on the back… We made it through the holiday season! As wonderful as this time of year is, we understand how stressful it can be to brave the crowds (and tense family members 😉 ), and it can get even harder when you need to bring your children to dinner. I mean, forcing them to sit still during a nice meal at a busy restaurant? I don’t know if there’s a greater torture we could ask our kiddos to endure.

At Blue Plate, we get it. Many children can turn from precious to handful faster than we can say “fresh-squeezed strawberry lemonade,” so we try to give our child (and parent) patrons as many amenities & food options as possible!

Kid-Friendly Amenities

When you bring your children to Blue Plate, they are immediately greeted with a cartoon-y paper menu and a fresh handful of crayons. We have both highchairs & booster seats and, of course, plastic cups with lids for those lively drink spillers. We have also equipped BOTH the men’s and women’s restrooms with diaper changing tables, along with a few chairs for holding baby bags and whatever else you may need to set down during the process.

We want to make your visit as effortless and enjoyable as possible, so if you have any other suggestions for amenities, we’d love to hear from you.

Kid-Friendly Menus

We know so many kids (along with a few adults 😉 ) who are simply picky eaters and do not want to venture out of their comfort zones. Not to worry! We’ve concocted a variety of dishes for children of all taste buds.

On our kids’ menu, we offer:

  • Mac n’ Cheese (homemade – we know this detail can be important 😀 )
  • Shell pasta with
    • marinara
    • marinara & meatballs
    • butter & cheese
  • Meatloaf with mashed potatoes & peas
  • Grilled Chicken Breast with mashed potatoes & peas
  • Grilled Cheese with fries
  • Fish n’ Chips
  • Chicken Fingers with fries*Please note that only the grilled cheese, fish n’ chips & chicken fingers are available during our Lunch hours

For the kiddo’s dessert, we might suggest a scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream, or possibly go a little crazy with our chocolate fondue. And let’s not forget about our non-alcoholic beverages, which include Coca Cola fountain sodas & fresh-squeezed lemonades.

To see the full menu with prices, click here.

Kid-Friendly Practices

As parents, we know that keeping the kids happy is the best way to make your experience amazing! We always suggest making a reservation beforehand, so that we can get you to your table as quickly as possible. It’s also helpful to mention the need for highchairs or booster seats when making the reservation, so that we can better prepare for your visit. To make a reservation, you can call (970) 845-2252 or click here.

When our servers take the food order at your table, they will generally request your preference for the timing of your children’s food (either with the adults’ meals or ASA-Chef can prepare it!), but please let us know if we forget to ask.

We try to accommodate any & all request for our guests, but sometimes our dinner service can get quite busy, so please be proactive with your requests & understanding of our processes. We truly want you to have the most enjoyable night out (we know this may not be a common thing).

If you have any questions, please email us at info@blueplateavon.com.

Hope to see you soon!