TAG Restaurant at Larimer Square in Denver, CO

Larimer Square, Denver’s most historic block and arguably its busiest tourist area, is decked out for the holiday season.

We're traveling again. First stop: Denver, for less than 24 hours. We do a quick overnight on our way to Las Vegas and then Park City. What to do with such limited time? Call up and old friend and make a dinner date. She suggests TAG Restaurant in Larimer Square, a brief walk from our hotel. Gonna do it.

Larimer Square is Denver's first designated historical district, with a collection of shops and restaurants - a few chains, for sure, but mostly independently owned shops and eateries. The streets are lit up and decorated for the holidays still, so it makes for a lovely stroll.

A collection of storefront windows along Larimer Street in Denver, Colorado. Colorful and inviting!

After doing a little window shopping, and maybe even stopping in a store or two, we arrive at TAG and meet Samantha and her new husband. The restaurant staff promptly seats us, as it is the Monday after New Year's and pretty quiet. We chit chat over a cocktail and Bob orders some wine. When we finally get around to looking at the menu, it is impressive! There are so many ways I could go here. This is one of the best menus I have seen in a while! So looking forward to this. I start with the steamed and crisped seafood potstickers while the rest of the table shares the Kobe beef sliders with duck fat fries. We are all talking so much I forget to take pictures. Sorry. It is all delicious!

Our entrees at TAG Restaurant, left to right: Hong Kong Style Steamed Sea Bass, Miso Black Cod, Magret Duck Breast, and the Daily Vegetarian Dish: Pad Thai with Black Trumpet Mushrooms and a bunch of other delicious stuff.

The entrees come as described above and everybody is happy! I have the Sea Bass, since we don't see a lot of it on the East Coast. Samantha's husband gets the cod, Bob is duck guy and Samantha enjoys the pad thai. A wonderful meal with wonderful company!

On my way to and from the ladies' room I take a few interior photos and also troll the kitchen staff for a few shots, hoping to get a pic of the sliders and/or potstickers. No luck, but here you go.

Some interior shots of TAG Restaurant, plus a few of the immaculate and well-organized kitchen.

When I return, we collectively decide we should share a dessert plus do a taste comparison of a 10 year old tawny port versus a 20 year old tawny port. The port will pair ridiculously well with the Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake, so there. Check it out. PS, the 20 year old was super smooth. We sip on them both and nibble on the cake until they are all just a memory.

The sticky toffee cake with a caramel sauce, raspberry coulis and fresh blackberries, plus a dollop of vanilla gelato under that tuile. This cake is dense so it is perfect for sharing! Pairs beautifully with the 10 year and 20 year old port, above. They don’t look much different, but it is easy to pick out the older. A great ending to a great meal.

It's time to get back to the hotel as we leave for the airport at 5:30am, so we say our goodbyes and stroll back through the chilly night air. If you go to Denver, Larimer Square can keep you busy for a solid day. Other things we did not see include the zoo, botanical gardens, museums, etc. So much to do in a beautiful city, I hope you get there sometime soon!