Enzio's--superb Italian food

I never had much exposure to good Italian food growing up. Mom had a home-made sphagetti sauce that was really quite good (I still make it occaisionally) but that was the limit of her Italian repetoire. When I sometimes had lunch at the next door neighbor kid's house, his parents, who were retired CIA operatives, would heat up Chef Boy-Ar-Dee, which I personally found to be disgusting. Later, when Shelley and I first got married, and the only meat protein we could afford was either tuna or hamburger, we started making Lasagna...it was actually pretty decent. When we moved to West L.A. for med school was when I finally discovered good, gourmet Italian food, and it has quickly become my preferred ethnic food. I have 2 favorite Italian restaurants in Northern Colorado, and the one I frequent the most is Enzio's on Mountain. Enzio's has a lot of things going for it. One big one is the staff: incredibly friendly and knowledgable. When I walk in I often feel like Norm walking into the Cheer's bar---it's like my home away from home. Enzio's is also amazingly consistent. You know how you go to some restaurants, all excited because of how wonderful it was last time, and you order a dish and it just doesn't cut it? Like the chef is either taking a holiday and forget to pass on his recpies or else he has passed out in the back? That never happens to me at Enzio's. Shelley is the conserative part of our dining duo: once she finds a dish she likes at a particular restaurant, she almost never orders anything else. So for Enzio's, this means she is going to get either Chicken or Eggplant Piccata (never Veal, because, after all, they live in boxes all their lives.) A good piccata has that wonderful blend between the lemon, the capers and spices and the Enzio's sauce is truly amazing--the breaded crust on the chicken makes Shelley immensely happy--the portions are also ultra-generous. The pasta served with it is obviously home made and just the right consistency. As the more liberal/adventurous part of our duo, I like to try different items. I have had a fair amount on their menu, but one of the last times I was there I tried their Chicken Rosemarino. I don't know how others are, but there are certain ingredients in a mixture that start really getting me excited. So when I read what was in the Rosemarino I found my psyche really starting to go wild--like listening to a really good Bach fugue (for you baroque affectianados) build and build to the an amazing finale. Now I also have had that same experience of getting excited and then being really let down by the true product--sort of like the previews for the remake of Clash of the Titans versus that actual movie. I was really hopeful for the Rosemarino--I mean how could you go wrong with artichokes, sundried tomatoes, capers and a gorgonzola cream sauce. I started eating it...and my world changed forever. Now I also need to make some confessions about my eating style: I am normally a very fast eater. Some of this is genetic and some learned (eating on call as an intern was always a gobble-down fest). But...if I really like something then I become ultra-slow. I have to pause, and savor, and wait for my head to get straight, then take another bite and repeat. Rosemarino did this to me in spades, it was like gastronomic eroticism...may my puritanical friends reading this please forgive me. If you are around my age, it was like the food scene in the Albert Finney version of Tom Jones. (If you have know idea what I am talking about then you are missing an important part of sex and cinema history). Then, as if that wasn't enough, they have this amazing idea for dessert: a sampler flight of desserts, like Tiramisu and some wonderful Limoncello thing with lot's of creamy goodness. I should also mention that Enzio's has one of the best wine selections in the area and the staff are really well versed in what is good with what food. As I am writing this, I frankly already am planning when I can go back...superb food and being made to feel like a special customer...how can I not return. Berm P.S. I am late writing this because of a recent trip to see my son and DIL in Salt Lake City. Two "must eat there again" places while we were there: The Red Iguana, with the most amazing selection of Mole's I have ever seen, and the Naked Fish Bistro, which had superb sushi and wonderful creative fish dishes---try them if you are there.