Luca di Italia, I love you.

While we were in Denver, we visited our favorite of favorite restaurants, Luca di Italia with our friends D and R. We happened upon Luca for our first anniversary, when we decided to go to Italy. No one wants to go to Italy in January, so we decided to have a nice Italian dinner and postpone our trip until May. In doing so, we discovered Luca.

At Luca they have this amazing menu of fabulous and wonderful dishes you can try, but we have never bothered ordering from the menu. We always always order the chef's tasting menu (Menu Degustazione) and let the chef come up with an assortment of things for us to try. The tasting menu can be paired with wine, and typically we'd do this, but this year we opted for a single glass of wine for Erich and the excitement of San Pellegrino for me. The menu (which they give you a copy of after the meal is over, along with a slice of heavenly Italian sweetbread) consisted of the following joys:

• Antipasta Freddo (Cold Antipasta) - Bresaola & Robiola Bruschetta with Arugula & Pickled Carrot Salad
• Antipasta Caldo (Warm Antipasta) - Crispy Bass & Celery Root Risotto with Meye Lemon & Salsa Verde
  
• Primo (First Course) - Herbed Ricotta Tortellini with Porcini Brodo & Spinich Puree
• Secondi (Second Course) - Roasted Quail with Pancetta Fregola, Confit & Spinach Salad, Marcona Almonds and Dates
• Dolce (Dessert) - Raspberry & Chocolate Torta with Vanilla Crema
  

All of these have equally delicious wines paired with them, but I can't comment on those this year. If this reads like a menu or an advertizement, I'm sorry. It's worth it. I like to gush from time to time. I can tell you how much fun we always have going here. Always. Even when I'm pregnant and really don't enjoy poultry and the main course is quail, it's all still delicious. The food is fantastic and you never have to be convinced to try something different. They bring it right to you. Go. I'm telling you. Go.