My first Diva Review! Sambuca Jazz Cafe

This weekend’s dining delight?
Sambuca Jazz Café in LoDo
http://www.sambucarestaurant.com

The atmosphere is dark and sultry. The designer Holly Forsthe’s vision is incredible. The décor melts perfectly with the smooth jazz and raspy blues floating from the stage.
Exposed brick, mustard yellow hand trawled walls, dark wood fixtures, glowing chrome light fixtures, the warm glow of candles. Rich yet funky. To add to the décor, the walls are lined with Siberian tiger print seating, rod iron sculptures and smoked mirrors.

The service definitely makes my top 10 list. If I didn’t know any better, I would think our server Carley owned the place, her warm presence and extensive knowledge of the menu made her the crème de la crème of servers.

Enough fluff, let’s eat!

We began our meal with the “Dueling Tuna” featuring ahi seared tuna & tuna Tartare
The ahi seared was in fact seared to perfection, seared in a pepper rub which made a perfect balance warm buttery tuna w/a kick of pepper. The rub embraced the fresh & tender ahi tuna like long lost friends lost in an embrace.

The tartare was well not top top, the tuna was over cooked (who cooks Tartare anyway?), minced so small it very well may have come from a can. It was overpowered with so many herbs and spices I couldn’t distinguish a single taste…well except the taste of yuck!
In this duel the ahi wins hands down.
Diva’s Dish: Ahi 8/10 Diva Stars; Tartare ½/10 Diva Stars

Next up “Shrimp & Crab Bisque”. The rich bisque rolled over the tongue, tantalizing the taste buds with a warm comfort that was somewhat new and exciting. The base was a little too crabby for my liking, but still had good depth once you got through the crab. The rich buttery base was full of large pieces of crab meat and shrimp.
The body & aroma of this rich bisque made it worth every calorie.
Diva’s Dish: 6/10 Diva Stars

On to the main event! “Seared Scallops on Risotto Coins”
The scallops were placed on 1½ inch tall risotto towers, beneath these beautiful towers were tiny rivers of smoked tomato cream sauce. Floating in the river where beautiful asparagus tips, rolled in sesame seeds.
The scallops were seared to perfection, they had that melt in your mouth buttery texture, most places keep you longing for. The risotto was warm, full bodied and rich with flavor, the smoked tomato cream sauce was rich yet surprisingly light. The asparagus tips grilled with sesame seeds were crisp and flavorful. This dish was worth every calorie & earns a
Diva’s Dish: 9/10 Diva Stars.

So the lowdown on LoDo’s Sambuca?
Smooth music & Jazzed up food make Sambuca a must eat!