Saturdays are for Fun!

Saturday night was so much fun! I was fortunate enough to attend an awesome event with my Denver Bloggers Club and then spend time with 3 of my favorite girl friends! 

The first part of the day was spent at a restaurant that I have driven by hundreds of times, but haven't ever gone into. You know those new restaurants that you haven't ever heard of so you kind of shrug off but also want to eventually try one day? This is that restaurant for me. But, man... I should have tried this place earlier and NOT shrugged it off because it was AMAZING!!! You guys... Dion's is SO good. Dion's originated in New Mexico after the owners were driving across country and their vehicle broke down near Albuquerque. They decided to open a restaurant which eventually turned into Dion's! They are a fun Italian spot where they make everything from scratch, including their dressings. They also have green chiles on some featured pizzas! New Mexico is known for their Hatch Green Chile's!  Another thing they put their Green Chili in is their amazing Green Chile Ranch Dressing. Holy. Crap.  As soon as I tasted it, I found myself reminiscing about high school and how Pizza + Ranch was the best thing in the entire world. So, I proceeded to dunk each and every bite into the Green Chile Ranch and I enjoyed every second of it! 

Check Dion's out by visiting their website here  or check out their Facebook page

Here are some photos of the amazing lunch they provided to me and our Denver Bloggers Club!

So, after lunch... I drove down to Parker to meet up with the girls. Judy, Nicole and Delphine joined me for an incredible dinner at Element Kitchen. We decided to meet in Parker at the Board & Brush location that we would be coming back to after we ate.  Yes, I literally ate everything, all day long! 

I drove the 4 of us to Downtown Denver, to this amazing spot on Broadway! I have some history in Denver, on Broadway and around these parts. I love that this new restaurant is doing some amazing things in an area that I am so fond of. 

Element Kitchen is on S. Broadway, between 12th and 11th on the east side of the street. Their exterior windows have cute pink pigs and it is tucked into the row of businesses on this block. 
When we walked in, I could tell it was going to be a fun place. There was sort of a sports bar feel, but with a cozy and welcoming ambiance! We were seated, greeted and promptly brought drinks by our server that was super amazing! 

The Manager, Kenyon, came by and introduces himself and ordered us a variety of his favorite appetizers to start. Deviled Eggs, Yellowtail with Avocado and then... their Bacon Tasting. If you love BACON, you better stop what you're doing right now and get down there to eat this ASAP. Ok, well... whenever you can, order this because it was legit. 4 different types of bacon plus bacon jam... we devoured that and the other two apps without hesitation! 

Next came the entrees. Fish & Chips, Roasted Chicken Club, The Element Pub Burger and a few sides. And we shared their decadent Brownie dessert. We all left full, happy and excited to have tried this new spot and I know we will all be back! The service was great, the menu has an awesome selection and they definitely know what they are doing. I have to give them kudos for being so new and having it all together. A lot of new spots have some obstacles and growing pains, but you would never know these guys were new kids on the block with how well they executed everything! Well done!

Find Element Kitchen and their bad ass menu here and follow their Facebook Page too!

Here are some photos of our fun! 

When we left the restaurant, we had just enough time to hustle back to Parker for our evening at Board & Brush. Now, I haven't said much about Board & Brush yet because I am saving the best for last. This place is like the painting and drinking thing only 10x better and WAY more fun. And so interactive! I honestly had no idea what to expect. Now, when you sign up for a class, you have to do so days in advance and pick out your design when you register. Judy, Nicole, Delphine and I all picked out our designs the week before and I wasn't sure what everyone else chose but I was about to find out! 

When we arrived, each table had your project laid out, ready to go. The boards were untouched wood. We would soon be sanding, distressing, staining, building, painting and more! Say what?! This was so much fun!  
So, first up, we sanded the corner so they would be soft and not splintery (that is a word, right?).  Next, we were instructed to use either side of a hammer or meat tenderizer to add some texture to the front of the boards. Now... staining. Thank goodness they provided aprons for us all to wear! They have a variety of stains to choose from, and I went with the dark walnut. I am obsessed with dark woods. After the stain dried for a bit, we all applied our stencils.  If you have a cricut machine and cut vinyl, imagine this as something 10 times bigger that cuts thick, pliable plastic like stencils! After peeling the back off, you set it on the board and carefully peel the top cover off, making sure all the fine details of your image stay in place because next up is the paint! 
So, I got a little crazy with the paint. Less is more, right? Well... That concept escaped me that night and I had a heavy hand. We were worried that the paint was going to bleed through the lines in the stencil to the next letter/section but... it turned out perfect!! The owner and instructors are so sweet, helpful and ensure that everyone has an amazing experience! There were other ladies there that were celebrating birthdays and just having a fun girls night out like we were! They have drinks (wine, beer and sodas) to purchase and you are allowed to bring your own snacks! We had such a blast and I cannot wait to come back and do this again, and again! 
Book a class with Board & Brush on their website and follow their Facebook Page also! 

Here are the photos from our class! I LOVE how amazing all of our projects turned out! 
Mine is the Holiday Cheers, Nicole did the Quartiero Family, Judy did the Halloween one and Delphine created the Mountains one. I love them all!
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Thank you to Dion's, Element Kitchen and Board & Brush for hosting us all.  It was definitely an amazing day of fun events and I cannot say enough good things about you all!