The restaurant is located on Larimer Square in downtown Denver. In the warmer months you can sit outside overlooking the happenings on the street which I'm sure is real nice. Our evening wasn't optimal for outdoor seating so we took a seat in a large backed booth next to the kitchen. The space is filled with about 3 High backed booths opposite a large counter height table that could be used for large groups or fitting together a few smaller ones. They have a glass encased wine display showing off a variety of wines to choose from. As you walk past the wine case, you walk on a glass floor that overlooks a dining room set for private functions. there is also seating at a bar that sits in front of the kitchen in case you want to see all the action going on.
My siblings knew Troy Guard, the owner of TAG and he had met us a few times at our table. TAG promotes themselves as Social Dining and encourages sharing dishes at the table. When my family gets together we tend to do this quite a bit anyway because we want to try everything we can.
For starters we had raw Kampachi with shaved jalapeño peppers on top of it. The flavor was bright and spicy. I had requested the Korean BBQ Kalbi Taco's (go figure right, see blog below) as my suggestion and it delivered as a nice Mexican/Korean combo. The Korean Marinated Short rib was piled high on a thick corn Tortilla which was full of flavor. Next Appetizer was a true clever fun surprise. French Onion Soup Dumplings. This was served atop an Escargot dish. Caramelized Onions which were super sweet were encased in a dumpling wrapper and topped with guryere cheese. Each bite made you feel like you were drinking a very savory French Onion Soup. This was the most clever of the dishes. If you go, please get this, you won't be disappointed. The last of the appetizers was the Veal Cheek. This already tender piece of meat was slowly cooked and placed on a bed of creamy risotto. Both the Veal and the risotto were bursting with flavor. The Veal was probably the most tender pieces of meat I've had in a long time. The dish was prepared with pears and apples that added to the complexity of this dish. The mix of the sweet of the pear and apple and the savory meat accompanying the risotto gives your mouth a real treat.
Half way between the apps and the mains, we got some sushi. The first one was the Angry Volcano roll which was similar to a spicy Tuna roll with extra kick of Serrano peppers. The other roll was the Mr. Miyagi Roll. That roll had a flavorful battered Shrimp tempura encased in white rice and nori. We liked this roll so much that we ordered it for dessert later on.
The main dishes were just as good as the appetizers. Hanger Steak with fingerling potatoes covered my beef craving that I've been having for a while. The steak was tender and flavorful and there was some soft cheese served with the dish that really added to the flavor. We ordered a veal and pork belly special that was rich and full of flavor. I'm a big fan of Pork Belly so I tend to try a dish like this whenever I can and this one delivered. To finish off the main dishes we ordered the Miso Glazed Black Cod. The fish was placed on a bed of fragrant rice and topped with peppery pea shoots. The fish was cooked to perfection as it flaked easily with a fork and melted in your mouth. I highly recommend this dish.
When given the choice for dessert, we decided to go non-traditional. We ordered another Mr. Miyagi roll and the seared Scallops. 4 very large Diver Scallops were heavily seared and caramelized on one side which really brought out the flavor in the dish. a great way to end the meal.
For those of you daring, they do offer an after dinner drink called Absinthe which is historically a highly alcoholic anise flavored drink. The presentation is fun to watch as it is dripped from a spout onto a sugar cube placed on top of a spoon and flows into a glass below.
If your in Denver and would like a good meal, you won't go wrong at TAG.
TAG can be found at www.tag-restaurant.com
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