Traveling Date Night is probably not a phrase you are familiar with because I came up with it. Traveling Date Night is a sort of progressive dinner starting at one place for drinks and appetizers, another restaurant for your main course, then moving onto your final destination for dessert and drinks. When I moved to Denver, I wanted to go and try ALL the places. Denver is bursting at the seams with delicious dinning options that you could probably eat at a different restaurant every night for 3 years and not hit them all.
After our first, unofficially titled at the time, traveling date night in RiNo in Denver, I knew I wanted to plan more because it was so fun to try multiple places in one night. I will be sharing the different traveling date nights my husband and I have done. Most of the places are in walking distance of each other, but a few you have to drive. So get out there and enjoy your city! Also let me know if there is an area you think would be great for a traveling date night in the comments. I am always looking for new restaurants and areas to explore!
Traveling Date Night in RiNo District | Denver, Colorado
Drinks & Appetizers: Julep | Southern
Julep is a cute Southern restaurant at the east of Larimer. The bartenders definitely know what they are doing, and we enjoyed a few drinks here. The French 75 with cognac, lemon and champagne was my favorite. It was the perfect mix of tart and sweet served in a vintage champagne coupe. My second favorite was the Ginger Julep with bourbon, ginger and mint served with a giant mound of shaved ice like and adult snow cone. My husband had the 1965 Lucky Debonair with vodka, chartreuse, elderflower and cucumber. He will try almost any drink with elderflower, and he really enjoyed this one! To kick off the food part of our date night, we paired our drinks with the deviled eggs which were so good!
Main Course: Barcelona Wine Bar | Tapas
Take a short 7 minute stroll down Larimer to Barcelona Wine Bar. This is probably our go-to date night spot because there is literally so many options, and each is equally delicious. While it’s a small chain, we like to overlook that part because it really is that good and you can’t beat the ambiance. Start with the Whipped Truffle Cheese topped with a swirl of honey. I asked for raw veggies instead of bread, which was still so good. Next up the Hanger Steak with truffle oil. Yes we had two truffle dishes. I love truffle, but it can be an overpowering flavor, but in both dishes it had just the right amount of subtle truffle flavor. We finished the meal with albondigas aka spiced meatballs for me and jamón and manchego croquettes with for my husband. The menu changes seasonally, which makes it fun to come back and try new dishes. Being at a wine bar, we ordered a bottle of the Assyrtiko from Santo Wines in Santorini, Greece. I had this wine years ago in Santorini, and it took me right back there with its subtle flavor with mineral and acidic notes.
Dessert & Drinks: Work & Class | American, Latin
Now the hard part. Hopefully you aren’t too full to finish the final step of Traveling Date Night. Walk off your dinner with a brisk 8 minute walk or short scooter ride to Work & Class. This Latin and American restaurant serves up innovated cocktails and everything from fried catfish to pork carnitas. We saved just enough room to split their gluten-free chocolate brownie with chocolate ice cream, and it was the perfect end to our meal with a nightcap of Blackberry Tarragon Limeade.
Photo 2-6: Restaurant’s Facebook Pages
