I like to consider myself a bit of a Denver brunch aficionado. No matter what time of day it is, if I haven’t had ‘breakfast’ I need breakfast foods. It’s just how I’m wired. When I heard that one of my all time fave Denver Resturants, Marcella’s was starting to serve brunch I knew I needed to check it out. I visited Marcella’s on a beautiful fall day and thanks to the wonderful weather we were having was able to enjoy brunch out on the patio overlooking the Denver skyline. When spring finally works it’s way back to Denver this is a MUST weekend spot.
Bottomless sangria served in a table side carafe start off the meal. Both red and white options are the perfect fresh and fruity start to a fantastic meal. Give me a couple of carafes and I could hang out on the patio all day!
First up on the menu is Zeppole. Served as a side, zeppole is the perfect brunch appetizer. You can think of zeppole as the doughnut’s cultured older sister. Deep fried dough is filled with lemon ricotta and served alongside chocolate dipping sauce to make this decadent side a meal within itself. One order is enough for several people at the table to share.
Moving on from appetizers there are entrees for every palate type. I’m more of a savory breakfast person so I loved the truffled eggs and breakfast pizza. Poached eggs are served on top of toasted ciabatta topped with a truffle sauce and oyster shitake mushrooms. This hearty dish is meal enough for two to split if you want to try a few of the items off the menu.
You may not normally associate pizza with breakfast but Marcella’s sunny side up egg breakfast pizza will change that perception forever. I could eat breakfast pizza everyday. Full of flavor this was my favorite item off the mornings selection.
Rounding out the savory selections Shrimp Polenta is a gluten-free option with a true Italian spin on breakfast. A poached egg is served on top of polenta with toasted garlic, tomato, and a parmesan cheese sauce. Intended for breakfast I could easily see this dish as a favorite on the dinner menu as well.
For those with a sweet tooth the Ricotta Crespelle will hit the spot. Each crepe is filled with sweet ricotta cheese and then topped with strawberries that have been soaked in Grand Marnier. This decadent dish is so much better than any pancakes you might normally associate with brunch.
As a Brunch lover I can happily say that Marcella’s menu is the perfect addition to the Denver dining lineup. Brunch is served on Sunday’s and as a bonus Marcella’s accepts reservations making it perfect for dining out when a group of friends are visiting Denver or just gathering with family here in town.
Denver’s Restaurant Week kicks off today (Feb. 22) and runs through March 3rd. If you haven’t visited Marcella’s yet this is the perfect opportunity! View the 2019 Marcella’s Restaurant Week Menu.
Disclaimer: I received a hosted meal to facilitate the writing of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I received no other compensation.
With all the population growth we’ve seen in Denver throughout the last few years, my daily commute to and from the office has gradually increased from 20 minutes each way to sometimes 40 minutes to an hour. Once you’ve added at all up, using round numbers for simplicity, I spend approximately a total of 10 DAYS each year in the car.
With that much time driving to and from work, finding a commuter car that is both comfortable and affordable on gas is incredibly important. Just last week I received the opportunity to test out the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 SEL AWC and I’m excited to say that this car checks all the boxes for the perfect commuter car for Denver traffic.
With the temperamental Denver weather, the All Wheel Control (AWC) is a key part to what makes the Outlander perfect for commuting to and from my Denver office. On days when the weather turns sour before the work day is done, having full all wheel drive is super important to getting home safely. We are lucky that we don’t have as challenging of a winter as other areas of the county, but surprise snow storms always seem to catch me off guard.
The lane departure warning is another innovative safety feature that I love for winter weather. The Outlander tracks the lines on the road and alerts you if you start to drift out of your lane. These minor corrections goes a long way to preventing accidents. I can imagine if you were teaching a teenager to drive, this quick alerting safety feature would come in handy as well!
One of the most important elements of a good commuter car is fuel economy and the Outlander Sport 2.4 SEL AWC hits the nail on the head! With 29 mpg on the highway and an eco boost setting to help keep gas consumption on track, I was able to drive an entire week to and from work AND up to the north side of town twice (30 plus miles) without filling up.
Spending as much time as I do inside the car, having a cushy interior and good music is super important to me. With leather seats, Sirius XM and a great speaker speaker system I was all set for any kind of commute the day threw at me! Also, get a hold of this HUGE sunroof! There is nothing like soaking up some vitamin D on the way into the office.
One of my biggest issues with my daily commute is dealing with the uneven road and surface streets before getting to the highway. As a compact SUV, the Outlander is perfect, lifting me up just high enough to ensure that I can’t feel any of the road and providing a bit of a vantage point over the smaller cars around me.
I loved getting to experience the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2.4 SEL AWC for my daily commute! What are your priorities when picking a daily driver?
Disclosure: I received the opportunity to borrow the 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander as a complimentary experience. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
With both our families in Colorado, the holiday season means spending a lot of time traveling in the car from one gathering to another. Both Drew and I are really close with our families so we are lucky that most of the Denver metro area is close enough that we can celebrate the holidays with all of our family without needing to book plane tickets!
When Mazda invited me to try out the new Mazda6 I was excited to give it a go during the holiday season when we’d be spending a lot of time in the car and on the highway. When Drew and I first started dating he drove a Mazda Speed 6 and while the new 2017 model is a bit of a different car it felt very similar in both body style and ride.
I’m a sucker for metallic paint jobs and I love love love this red. The color is just a snippet of how fun the Mazda6 is to drive.
The Nappa leather trimmed sport seats have in-seat heating, perfect for chilly winter weather around the holidays and comfortable enough for a long car ride.
The feature I love the most and wish was in my current car is the amazing heads up navigation display. Once the location is programmed into the center console navigation, directions appear directly in the drivers line of vision, meaning you don’t need to look away to find the next turn in your route.
Beyond not needing to be distracted trying to navigate through town, the full panel of safety features was perfect for driving on the highway. The auto monitoring cruise control helps provide a safe distance between cars and the blind spot notifier lets you know if a care is hiding out of sight in the lane next to you.
With tight door seals and thick front and rear class, there’s little to no road noise to disturb the Bose sound system as your travel throughout town. Having XM radio for a few days spoiled me with hours of new Broadway musicals in fully immersive sound.
The sporty Mazda6 was a lot more fun to drive than my typical daily driver SUV and I could definitely tell that Mazda has made a commitment to creating a vehicle with improved power and control. With a starting MSRP of $30,695 the grand touring trim of the Mazda6 is a great car at an amazing price point. I’m really impressed that a car with this many features and a great style is available at a mid range price point.
Getting to drive the Mazda6 over the holidays was the perfect car for making our in-state road trip more special! How do you celebrate the holidays with your family?
Disclosure: I received the opportunity to borrow the Mazda6 as a complimentary experience. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
