For anyone unaware, Denver Restaurant Week 2011 started Saturday night – YAY! I *highly* suggest you all go to the website, find a restaurant you’ve never been to that is way out of your budget, and TRY IT! It’s an awesome time to try something new, at a fixed price. There is a fixed menu, but you can see them ahead of time to make sure you’ll get something you love. The cost is $52.80 per couple, or $26.40 per person if you’re flying solo, and that usually includes four courses of yumminess! Last year I went to two different restaurants – Texas de Brazil (which deserves a whole different post because that place is just SOOOO good!) and The Melting Pot, which is always awesome. Something else to check out – several of the restaurants will extend the “week” so that you can go a little later. The Melting Pot in particular offers the $52.80 special through the end of March. So just because you can’t go this week doesn’t mean you can’t go!

This year I decided to stretch my tastebuds for the first restaurant week visit, and try something new – Elways Steakhouse. Yes, I am a Bronco fan. Terrell Davis was my favorite Bronco ever. An amazing player, and a smile that could melt any woman into a she-puddle. Am I right girls? I’m always a little leary of any restaurants that bear a famous name. It’s like, is your food really good or is it just a gimmick because it has a Denver legend’s name on it? However, when my lovely friend Helen decided that would be our first visit for a Glam, Glitz and Bling Dinner – I was all in. Mainly because of the Bling. A chance to dress up and wear sparkly stuff, while eating fabulous food and laughing at completely inappropriate jokes? Yeah, all over that.

When we sat down at the table, there was a little gift box sitting at each place setting, with the letters for our dinner on the box. Helen is SO flippin’ creative and thoughtful, she got us all a gift! She had the table decorated with feather boas, and the boxes were blinged out too! The chocolate balls came later though… you’ll see. :)

I knew I should have brought my CAMERA but I was going minimal that night – point and shoot tucked into clutch. Bummer!

First course: YUMMY roasted red pepper soup, with some weird green garnish in it that tasted wonderful!

Ohhh yeah here it comes. Main course: prime rib with mashed potatoes! I gotta say though, having the potatoes in a separate dish confused me. I kept forgetting about them. Easy to do with a yummy piece of meat in front of you right?

Dessert was cheesecake and brownie balls for everyone to share. {Insert inappropriate balls joke here, please.} We certainly did. And we laughed until our cheeks hurt!

There are some amazing pairings out there. Champagne with strawberries. M&M’s and popcorn. Beer and pizza or hot wings. I think this might be one of the best though – diamonds and chocolate!

I wish I could say that it was the wine that caused this silliness, but that would be a lie. We are really just this silly without wine. We don’t need any help being a little crazy!

That’s right, we’re awesome.

For any other restaurants participating in Denver Restaurant Week, beware. This is the danger of entertaining a table of 12 scrapbookers. We ALL have our cameras. And we will ALL want you to take a group picture of us with our cameras. EVERY SINGLE one of us! Five isn’t too bad, last year at Texas de Brazil there were about 20!

Oh and another warning. Because we will most likely all be scrapbooking this event, we will want a GOOD group picture. So if our eyes are closed, we will ask you ever so nicely to take another one. The gentleman helping us at Elways did a good job though!

I had so much fun. Restaurant week is flippin’ awesome, and sharing that with fun friends is even better! Thank you so much ladies, especially you, Helen. You are such a great hostess!