El Five

El Five is another restaurant owned by the restaurant group Edible Beats.  We just went to El Five, a Mediterranean Tapas house, with Janet, Bob, Mike and Lauren. We were still celebrating the two birthday girls. The Birthday Party Janet, Bob, Larry and I have now been to 4 out of the 6 restaurants in the Edible Beats group. We still have yet to enjoy Ophelia’s, as well as Root Down DIA. Ophelia’s is most definitely on our bucket list, however, I don’t think Root Down DIA will be, though definitely not because of the food. We like to experience the restaurants together, and haven’t traveled with each other yet. Besides, Larry and I usually get the o’dark hundred flights in the early hours of the morning, so it is highly unlikely we will be experiencing Root Down DIA anytime soon.

The Edible Beats Restaurant Group are known as the “renegades of flavor and masters of of remix. [They are also] known for responsibly-grown and innovatively simply sourcing veggie-forward fare.” The restaurants are all creatively named and grouped to spell out L.O.V.E.R.R. A Trip To Linger

L – Linger

O – Ophelia’s

V – Vital Root

E – El Five or El 5

R – Root Down

R – Root Down DIA

El Five is nestled high above LoHi on the fifth floor of 2930 Umatilla, El Five boasts spectacular, unobstructed city views of the downtown Denver skyline, and a wide frame of sprawling highlands for an unrivaled sunset view. The Large open-air patio sits adjacent to its big sister: Edible Beat’s concept Linger.

The views from the rooftop of Denver and Bronco Stadium at Empower Field.

This is the entrance to El Five. It was a little hard to find at first, since we had to go through the parking lot and then enter the lobby. From the lobby, we had to take the elevator up to L5. Once we got off the elevator, we entered into the fabulously fun world of El Five, the Restaurant.

The Kitchen

The Bar

The Bathrooms

El Five was a new experience for all of us, but Janet, Bob, Larry and I all at least had an inkling of what to expect. It was all completely new to Mike and Lauren though. They have some catching up to do. 🙂

The Mediterranean Sea has a rich export culture, all connected by one region : The Strait of Gibraltar. Like the port, El Five is a melting pot of all the Mediterranean regions, creating dishes without a home country, that taste like favorites from each one : Tapas De Gibraltar. El Five is a restaurant that specializes in tapas, or small plates. Tapas are small plates of food that are meant to be shared amongst friends. The more people you have to share with, the more fun it is. We all ordered something different and then we all enjoyed small samplings of everything. We all had little bits of Heaven with each bite, starting with fabulous Portuguese wine, Macanita, recommended to us by our fabulous server and sommelier, Anton.

Since there were 6 of us, the first bottle of wine didn’t last very long, so we all felt inclined to purchase another bottle. It was a special occasion after all.

Our server Anton was such a delight. He was on top of everything and thought of things even before we did. He was there to take care of everything, and that he did too.

Anton, as well as everyone else, including the Manager Frank, were all so helpful and truly made our evening an experience to remember. Some of the delicious wine was accidentally spilled, and Anton and Frank, as well as the rest of the staff were right there, on top of everything, within seconds.

Since we all ordered something different, it seemed like there was an endless supply of food coming our way. Just as we would finish one dish, another would take its place. Everything was out-of-this-world delicious too.

We started off with a couple of platters of the Lebanese Garlic Dip and Vegetables.

Next came the goat cheese croquettas and rabbit confit crujientes. These were our starters.

From the starters, we moved on to the “main entries”, which included Patatas Bravas,

Iberian pork loin,

pork cheeks,

and the seafood paella.

Yes, it looks like A LOT of food, and it was, but it wasn’t at the same time. We all enjoyed little bits of everything. We were all full and very satisfied, but none of us were too full. It was just the right amount.

And because we had two birthdays that were celebrating, we also ordered some desserts as well, once again to share with everyone. We ordered the malabi, which is an orange blossom, sesame tuile, pistachio butter, strawberry compote,

and the chocolate terrine, which was a combination of caramelized white chocolate with Turkish delight, candied orange and a passionfruit coulis. The birthday girls each also received some spiced dragees, or dark chocolate coated hazelnuts.

Everything was just perfect. We are all still talking about the fabulous dinner, the spectacular views, and the tremendously fun evening we enjoyed together. It was definitely a fun night to remember. We can’t wait to go back.

El Five is located on the 5th Floor at 2930 Umatilla Street, Denver, CO. Definitely make reservations before going. You can contact El Five at (303) 524-9193. You will definitely be in for a delightful evening that you will not forget. El Five is a treat for all the senses. It will make for a magical evening indeed. You will most definitely be glad for the experience.

Food is meant to be enjoyed, and it is better enjoyed when shared with friends, family and/or loved ones. This is definitely the definition of living the good life. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.