Dinner at Fruition

I've been hearing some good buzz about Fruition, so I called Tuesday and made a reservation for that evening.

Fruition is tucked into a former house on Sixth Avenue. The dining room has two parts. We were seated in the smaller part, nearer the kitchen. The tables are super-close together, enough so that I was tempted on occasion to join in our neighbors' conversation. But the seating was comfortable and I was charmed by the bookcase full of cookbooks to peruse.
Some really tasty herb butter (with crunchy salt mixed in) and fresh bread arrived promptly, as did my glass of sparkling rosé. Mom was a little disappointed they didn't have a non-alcoholic beer or some lemonade for non-drinkers. Only iced tea or soda. The server just looked puzzled when I asked if they could mix up something festive for her. (I was thinking cranberry juice and soda or something.) So Mom stuck with water.

We started with an appetizer: Seared Maine Diver Scallops Fava Bean Hummus, Spring Onions, Green Olive-Almond Vinaigrette. (Can you tell I just cut and pasted from the online menu?)
Oh, they were very sweet and tender. Lightly crispy on the outside and succulent inside. Yummy fava puree, too.

For an entree, Mom ordered Pan Roasted Petrale Sole with Scallion Latkes, Roasted Vidalia Onion & Haricot Vert Salad, Rock Shrimp-Tarragon Hollandaise.
She kept exclaiming over how good it was. She forgot to give me a taste.

But that was OK. I was too busy snarfing down the Prime Certified Stockyard Beef Culotte with Olive Oil Crushed Fingerling Potatoes, Grilled Romaine, Creamy Fourme D’Ambert Dressing.
I thought I was just getting a few slices of beef, but it turns out they had the rest of the cow tucked under the romaine. Seriously, there was a huge amount of beef there. I brought three slices home to make a nice sandwich. Yes, I have become my grandmother. "I can make a nice sandwich out of that!"

I also wanted to save room for dessert: Caramelized Banana Pudding with Fresh Bananas, Chantilly Cream, Warm Double Fudge Cookies.
The picture isn't very exciting, but let me tell you, we were sorry the pudding wasn't in a container you could get your face into.

We were there fairly late (second-to-last table to leave), but never felt rushed. The service was unobtrusive, and we were always able to get more bread when we wanted it (it was good bread, and we used a lot to mop up all the good sauces).

The prices are on the steep side, but we enjoyed everything so much that it felt worth it.

Fruition
1313 E. Sixth Ave.
Denver, CO 80218
303-831-1962

P.S. No flash was used in any of these photos, despite the low light. I set the white balance myself and used a long exposure with the 2-second self-timer, bracing the camera on a water glass. Not pro-quality pics, but not bad, I think!