Rioja was for a long time one of Jen's favorite restaurants in Denver - no more. I've been there twice previously, but will not go back.
The first time I visited Rioja, I thought the food was good, but boring. Nothing really stood out about their cuisine. Same thing with the second visit. Our friend Lisa has given me shit for a long time about the fact that I believe Bloom is a much better restaurant (and yes - I know Bloom is basically on an arm of Flatirons Mall - this definitely kills part of the experience, but their food is seriously amazing).
Tonight was my third visit to Rioja. Although the menu seemed more interesting this time, I didn't realize that Rioja had become an art food place. Prices had went up and portions were ludicrously small.
I had a Roasted Chestnut soup with foie gras that was really good. We split an appetizer of freshly made fig newtons accompanied by prosciutto, arugula and a balsamic reduction. This was seriously good - the highlight of the meal. But there were only 3 bites - literally. It could barely be classified as an amuse-bouche much yet an appetizer. There were 3 fig newtons the size of grapes, one thin shaving of prosciutto, one piece of arugula and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. At $17, this was a joke.
For her entree, Jen ordered the special which was a seafood ravioli. She got 3 raviolis. I asked the waiter if this was a mistake and she had been served an appetizer order. He said no, this was the dinner size entree. You could tell he was embarassed.
As we were leaving, Jen remarked that she is done with that place. I completely agreed although the fig newtons were amazing.
http://www.riojadenver.com/
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