Full Circle

Greetings to all that read my first posting. Strange to be a huge wine fan and then open my blog with a restaurant review of sorts. Upon further review, this is full circle type of event that helped shaped who I am.

My wife has few friends, the main one, Carol, and her husband are moving from Denver, CO to Indiana in a week. We made the quick 100 mile drive north to spend some time with them and grab some dinner. We looked online for the information about a place called Farro. The Owner/Chef is a guy named Matthew Franklin, whom was the Chef at another favorite place, 240 Union. Matt is a self-taught culinary guru that can do no wrong in my book. He is good guy too!

There website is informative with Menus and Wine List as well as hours of operation and they are open on a Sunday night, Yeah! We called and made the reservation and head out.
We arrive to find the restaurant in a King Soopers Shopping Center on County Line Rd and Holly St. There is nice comfortable neighborhood feel to the place yet a step- up in ambiance. The menu is all Italian but what grabbed my attention was the Carpaccio. There are not a lot of people in my neighborhood that do raw meat, let alone know what Carpaccio is, but I love it and this version was delicious. Some of the others tried it and were pleasantly surprised. This was topped with some arugula that gave it a wonderful peppery flavor that accented the beef. I could have eaten several more, but there were other wonderful things to taste.
The others wanted Calamari and this one was amazing. Cooked perfectly, no rubbery rings, just the right amount of coating and perfect seasoning.

I order Lasagna as I am a huge fan and I wanted to see how basic dish would taste in this great place and I was not disappointed. It was like cheese fusion inside and great tomato flavors covering the portion, which was perfect sized as well. My wife had linguine and clams it was delicious. So full flavored and not complex or over the top. All the food was exceptional to me and then we, I mean, I, had to have some Tiramisu, which followed suit in the excellent category.
Knowing how deprived I would be for living so far away I ordered a pizza to go that we will enjoy tonight. It was Gorgonzola, fig, prosciutto, as the main ingredients. I can't wait to try it.
Matt's new place exceeded my expectations by a large margin. Service was excellent, timing perfect, and the whole experience was wonderful. Did you think I wasn't going to mention wine?
I had the house Montipulciano and my wife the Pinot Grigio to start and then we had a nice Sangiovese from Emilia-Romagna that was perfect with the lasagna (both are from the same area) and moderately priced at $25.00 a bottle. Great evening.

In the late 80's I had the opportunity to be a server at Strings, in Denver. I learned so much in those 3 years, but it was at this time I became greatly interested in wine and the wine business. I loved selling a great bottle to a table to enhance their experience and make their evening with me more memorable. My manager at the time asked me if I wanted to attend a wine tasting for those in the trade, and I did. It was at this event I realized I wanted to make wine my hobby and maybe even my livelihood.

The owner of Strings opened a Italian Trattoria called Ciao Baby! and I had the opportunity to help manage the place. He also had interest in another place on the west side of town, called 240 Union, which is how I met Matt. Always a treat to eat there, and the owner, Michael Coglin, put together great staff and wine list. Michael bought some of my wines when I was selling wine, for which I am grateful.

I have had an interesting life. I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, or what I wanted to be when I grew up. In that search, you do different things to see if that is just interesting work or just another means to pay the bills. Wine is always interesting to me for several reasons. One is the combination of history, geography, and farming. There are many variables, which creates this ever-changing world of flavors. My exposure to great food and wine has lasting memories and continues to create new ones. I want to share those feelings with any that will spend any time with me. To turn my back on these things would be a sin to me. I opened my wine store with intent to provide an alternative source to great wines, and perhaps share my passion and experience with my friends that patronize my store. I am fortunate to have Bill Pershin as a dear friend and culinary talent that prepares meals just short of Matt in his home. We have been fortunate to enjoy his excellent meals and share great wine. He produces the best food in Pueblo, and the company is the best too! Maybe that is why I do what I do now, to enjoy those great moments with friends.
John Myers