A Lonely Lobster: Lunch at Stoic & Genuine
All by myseeeelf, I wanna be (just for a sec).

After an intense, meticulously planned first weekend away with Y, a solo lunch at Stoic & Genuine was just what I needed. He was already halfway to the airport while I was settling into the practically empty restaurant I had been eyeing for weeks now.

The restaurant’s decor was on point: I felt like I had stepped into a lobster trap, sun filtering through the cold waves that splashed above.

Since I was eating alone, I was making an extra effort to order things that were out of the norm for me. Not that I had any particular aversion towards these foods, I just didn’t usually go for them.

For “First Cast”, I got the Octopus Mortadella, which came with micro sorrel, pistachios, and a candied lemon vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was sweet and tangy and played off the octopus’s own subtle sweetness. It all worked so well together; I just wish there was more of it.

Truth be told, I ordered the cavatelli more for the bottarga than I did for the squid ink, longing for the pasta Arturo made me once in his and Nils’s tiny little kitchen. A far cry from that dish, but equally as satisfying, the cavatelli was topped with olives, artichokes, tomatoes and of course, bottarga. It was salty, spicy, briny, and very filling. Multiple gulps of mint-fennel soda were required.

I had just enough room to order the Raspberry Lemon Crème Brûlée, which had a vanilla bean lemon custard, a raspberry, and white chocolate Lemon-Ups crumble. I love these Girl Scout tie-ins. 

As good as the crème brûlée might have been, it didn’t quite taste like raspberries. The lemon crumble was amazing, though. 

I stayed much longer than I expected to, picking at the crumbs on my plate while the restaurant started to fill up. Good food truly is an excellent distraction.

Where do you like to eat when you need a little alone time? 

Stoic and Genuine is located in Denver Union Station at 1701 Wynkoop, Denver, CO.