Armando's Ristorante & Pizzaria

We came to check out Armando's because it has received awards for best pizza a few times. I’m a pizza girl. This is a pizza place. I love all pizza but let me tell you, if you like gourmet, hand tossed, handmade, amazing toppings then Armando's is going to win your heart.

This is the pizza I ordered. It has Prosciutto, red onions, garlic, basil leaves, tomatoes with a olive oil base. Sounds like heaven and well... it tastes like it too! I liked the crust though it was a little harder than I like, but hard thin crust is popular these days. Overall, this pizza was amazing! It was even better the next day as leftovers too!

I wish they had an online menu. I could tell you what this dish is... It's their pasta in marinara sauce topped with a ton of cheese and a sausage. The waiter told us that their sausage is made fresh locally! As much as I LOVE pizza, this dish is tied in deliciousness. It's a heavy meal too so it worked out to feed my hungry husband dinner and lunch!

I loved Armando's and wish it were located closer to my house. We don't usually repeat restaurants but Armand's is worth it! They have great service, in fact, it's a family run business. As you can see, they offer crayons and paper to color on as you wait for your food! Best of all, they truly have some of the best Italian food in Denver!!!!

Noodles & Company

I've seen quite a few of these little noodle shops around town and have been quite curious about the quality of food. Finally I gave it a shot! With a group of friends who had been there before, I went in for my first visit. Amazingly enough, I didn't hesitate making a choice Pad Thai was it! I only ordered a small since I don't eat much and was given a free drink after presenting my student i.d.

We went and sat, waiting for our food to come out and admired the young customers that surrounded us. This is a very hip place apparently as it was filled with college aged kids. After a few short minutes our food came and I was excited! The Pad Thai looked great! The chicken was flavorful; the noodles had a great texture! I'm not sure how authentic the Pad Thai was but I loved it! It was lacking the peanuts but the tangy lime made up for it.

My friends plates all looked appetizing! Two of them ordered the Pasta Fresca and both enjoyed it. They ordered the normal size plates which had a lot more food! I will say, even for a person who doesn’t eat much, the small was really small. If it weren’t for the chicken I would have still been hungry. If you are hungry, order the full size plate! If you don't finish, which you probably won’t, you can just grab one of their cute take-out boxes that they provide on the drink counter.

Overall, I was happy with my Noodles & Company experience. The service was very quick yet tasted as if I were at a fancier restaurant. Their prices are not a steal of a deal but fair and the food is great!

The Cheesecake Factory in downtown Denver!

If you want a luxurious dinner in a fancy restaurant, I’d suggest you head to The Cheesecake Factory. Their Denver location is stunningly beautiful. With dim lighting and the wonderful service, your sure to enjoy a romantic meal!

Their menu is probably the largest menu I have ever seen! With pages and pages of selections everyone is bound to find something they like. We noticed that many items have mushrooms. One person in our party was allergic to mushrooms so we asked our waitress if mushroom sauces could be substituted. She explained that when there is an allergy, the cooks will do anything and everything for the safety of the customer.

After a long battle of deciding what to eat, we all had it figured out! I ordered their Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta. It is a “Honey Glazed Chicken, Asparagus, Red and Yellow Peppers, Peas, Garlic and Onion in a Spicy Chipotle Parmesan Cream Sauce”. My husband ordered their Shrimp Scampi and Steak Diane, which is their “famous Shrimp Scampi sautéed with whole cloves of garlic, white wine, fresh basil and tomato. Served with medallions of Certified Angus Beef Steak covered with black peppercorns, a rich mushroom wine sauce, & mashed potatoes”.

I can’t even begin to express how divinely delicious the food was! My pasta was sweet, yet spicy. At first it appeared to be a small portion of food but as my stomach grew full and my pate was still packed with appetizing food, I realized that in fact, it was a ton of food!

To keep from getting used to the flavors of my meal, I snuck bites of my husband’s garlic mashed potatoes. They too were beyond amazing. They were bursting with flavor. Gary mentioned that he really loved the shrimp scampi and was impressed with how large the shrimps were. When it came to the steak, he was neutral. The steak portions were small and the flavors were average. He did say he was thrilled with the amount of potatoes he was given as they were what filled him.

After my dinner was boxed, we asked for a dessert menu. Once again, we were overwhelmed with the amount of choices. From their Godiva® Chocolate Cheesecake, to their Dutch Apple Caramel Streusel you have approximately 30 choices of cheesecakes! Thankfully my husband make my choice for me, otherwise I’d have been there all night deciding! I tried their White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle® and Gary picked their Warm Apple Crisp, as he sadly doesn’t like cheesecake. Oh how divine these deserts were! It’s as close to Heaven as you can get! Honestly, truly, and fully delicious!

(Our friend's Banana Cream Pie Cheesecake!)

Overall, we were very impressed with the wonderful service at the Cheesecake Factory. The waitress was sweet and fun. The decor was beautiful! I do wish their menu was half as long, just because it’s so hard to choose what to eat with 6 pages of choices! Other than that, this place is going on my top favorite list!