Yia Yia's Euro Cafe

YiaYia’s Euro Café
www.yiayiasdenver.com

What’s the latest Denver hot spot that makes this Diva say yum yum?
Yia Yia’s of course!

YiaYia’s décor is reminiscent of a 18th century Swiss castle. The décor features open pine trusses, stone pillars, quilted walls featuring a mix of sage and mustard panels with a light iris pattern, stone tile floor, cozy booths covered with a variety of tapestry patterns mixed with dark leather and faux marble table tops. The rustic yet stately interior is completed with rod iron & merino glass chandlers. The atmosphere is completed with phenomenal service. Overall, Yia Yia’s is cool yet cozy especially on a frigid Colorado night! To experience the phenomenal service ask for Christian.

On cold Colorado nights, one must warm up the taste buds before delving into the main course. We started our Divalicious meal with warm goat cheese fondue. Now as you well know, I love cheese, all cheese, so without batting an eye I order the fondue. My faithful dining companion however is not so sure about the goat and responds with “goat?” “eww!”. At this time I educate him on the difference between a goat and a ewe, explaining that a ewe is a sheep and a goat is well a goat! (I also take this opportunity to explain that wool comes from sheep and cashmere comes from goats.) Seriously! For as much as this man likes to eat he knows nothing about food!

Anyway, back to the fondue! The warm aromatic goat cheese was served with crispy fried artichokes, toasted bread, and topped with oven roasted tomatoes. The goat cheese was warm and full bodied; the artichokes were fresh and crisp. This goat cheese fondue is a must do!
Diva’s Dish: 9/10 Diva Stars


Now that my taste buds have been warmed and stimulated I am ready to move on to my Grilled Atlantic Salmon served with shrimp ravioli, crisp asparagus tips and sweet onions in chardonnay-shrimp butter reduction. If this salmon was in the wild it wouldn’t have made the trip upstream, instead it would be lackadaisically relaxing in a pool of cool water content with just being alive. Although the salmon was sushi-grade it was a little soft and rather bland. In the words of Mr. Jim Carrey in Liar Liar “I’ve had better”. The shrimp ravioli however was amazing. The succulent tender shrimp was enfolded in a fresh and tender pasta dough to form perfect luscious raviolis. Although the sweet onions were a little bitter, the chardonnay reduction was superb. The reduction was warm and rich without being heavy or starchy. Next time hold the salmon and make the ravioli the main attraction.
Diva’s Dish: 8/10 Diva Stars


As always, I am required by my title (Queen Diva of the Denver Dining World) to sample all food that is placed upon my throne, I mean table. So naturally I had to sample the pan seared scallops served with seafood ravioli in a light creamy tomato sauce. The scallops were light and buttery, the ravioli was bold and tangy. Amazingly the seafood ravioli and the shrimp ravioli taste nothing alike! This proves that the chef at Yia Yia’s is indeed a true chef. The sauce was a light creamy tomato with a kick of roasted pepper, a little too much of a kick for my taste, but good none the less. Although this dish was delish, to make the perfect meal I would take the scallops and add them to the shrimp ravioli, that would be a perfect 10!
Diva’s Dish: 7/10 Diva Stars

On to dessert!
There are certain delicacies that are difficult to find. As such, the rule is as follows: if you see a hard to find item on a menu you must order it! One of the hard to find dining delights is in fact a dessert, chocolate soufflé. Soufflé is one of those to die for desserts that are so difficult to make that many pastry chefs would rather die than make the tricky little dessert. So the rule goes if the chef is willing to cook chocolate soufflé you must order it!

The chocolate Soufflé at Yia Yia’s is served with fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream and a sweet yet tart strawberry sauce. The soufflé is warm and decedent, the outer edges have a perfect flaky texture which compliments the full and multi-dimensional center. The soufflé is dynamic and worth every last calorie!
Diva’s Dish: 9/10 Diva Stars

Diva’s Dish on Yia Yia’s: yum yum!