TAG

For my Twenty Eighth birthday (gulp) we went to TAG. Troy Guard's newest restaurant on Larimer Square (T.A.G. is Troy's initials). Guard lived in Hawaii and Asia for many year's working for Roy Yamaguchi restaurants--including the famous "Roy's" in Maui. He also was the executive chef of Tao in NYC, and he started both Zengo and Ocean in Denver. Not surprisingly, his menu at TAG is filled with Asian influences and fresh fish options.

We had reservations for 7:45 on a Saturday night. The restaurant was packed, and unfortunately the reservation, while it did ensure us a table (there were plenty of drop-ins that waited unsucessfully for tables) did not ensure us a quick trip to the table. We ended up waiting about ten minutes for our table, and braved the bar to order a drink before dinner. The cocktail menu is as forward and fresh as the food menu. The mixologist has included beverages that include the newest trend in cocktails--egg whites. Something about mixing dairy with booze just doesn't sit right with me (I pass on white russians too) so I opted with something a little safer. I ordered the "Between the Sheets" Cocktail--a blend of Cognac, Cointreau, Lime, a burnt orange peel and benedicto. The waitress was very knowledgeable about the cocktails and suggested this cocktail from both my preferred liquors and the menu items we were thinking of.

The atmosphere in TAG is nice. It is dimly lit and the decor is interesting but not distracting. However we sat downstairs where it was a tad drafty. Additionally, as the night went on, and the clientele got a little more liquored up, it did get quite loud. But this was really not a problem.

Taylor and I decided to go mostly the small plate route--ordering four appetizers and one entree to share. The appetizers, unfortunately came out a little too quickly. But they were brought out in the appropriate order of lightest to heaviest and were spaced properly apart. We ordered the Hiramasa, the butterfish, the bone marrow and the "French Onion Soup" dumplings. The fish items were outstanding. While the Hiramasa was much like the "new style sashimi" that you can find at places like Sushi Den and Sushi Sasa, it was more inspired. It had the usual bean sprouts and jalapeno slices but it also included a very interesting red pepper oil and, oh joy of joys, POP ROCKS! While not adding much (and rightly so) to the flavor, it did add a new texture to the dish. The fish was very fresh and a tasty alternative to the usual white fish you find at other restaurants. The butterfish was also outstanding. Coupled with mushrooms, fuji apples bits, and edamame, the highlight of the dish, aside from the "buttery" taste of the fish, was the sauce. A sweet sauce that was to die for. The french onion soup dumplings, while not untasty, were a little less memorable. It was definitely a cheeky dish and tasted like one of those last bites of french onion soup with the soppy bread and cheese--yum. The taste was a little muted, but when coupled with the gelee that topped it, was more complete. We liked this dish, but next time would stay truer to Guard's true gifts--seafood and asian. The bone marrow was tasty, and prepared with more thought than the other place in town that serves this--Bones. While we like the bone marrow at Bones, this dish was better--and rightfully so, as it is more of a fine dining restaurant than Bones. However, the bone marrow was served with a fruit jam that was superfluous. The taste was too strong and the texture was not right. But the bone marrow alone with the balsamic reduction sauce it was served with was excellent. We also had a house salad before the entree which was exactly what you want a house salad to be: very fresh, and a decent size. It had a nice, uncomplicated soy dressing.

The lamb arrived and was prepared very well. Cooked to perfection, the two large chops topped a couscous with garden vegetables. The asian sauce was tasty, but I typically prefer a more traditional sweet or herb sauce with lamb. Taylor, however, thought it was to die for.

Finally we finished with the churro dessert which was served with a lemongrass cream anglaise and chocolate sauce. It was well done, but also, not terribly memorable. We ordered a dessert wine that we had discussed with the waitress. She discovered that they were out and made the thoughtful choice of bringing us a muscat instead, on the house.

The service was very good once we were seated and the food was delicious. Pricey, as you would expect of a fine restaurant on Larimer square, but worth it. The meal took us about two hours, which we both want and expect when we spend a lot of money on dinner.

We will definitely go back to TAG, but as I said before, we might make some different choices by staying truer to Guard's true gifts.

http://www.tag-restaurant.com/dinnermenu.html