Thank you Bar Dough for the compensated meal in exchange for our oo’s and ah’s of approval (all our own opinions) and Toyota for the loan in consideration.

Nothing is more fun than picking up your friends and taking them for a spin around Denver before enjoying a fun lunch at new popular restaurant. And that’s just what I did… to quote Grace Jones: “pull up to the bumper, baybay!” It’s like an episode of “Sex and The City” but cleaner.

The car du jour: the 2016 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Limited. Yowza, this car has it going on. Sleek interior that is extremely roomy. My friends Allison Farrar and Angel Tuccy piled into the backseat and they both said it felt super roomy and they would be more than happy to take a road trip (stay tuned for that!).

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My girl Michelle Hoglan was in the front (she’s the leggiest of the bunch) and she definitely felt comfortable & was able to stretch out without squishing the ladies in the back!

The car interior has been redesigned from the 2015 Camry & the look is fabulous. To sum it up with this – driving around in that car made me feel fancy. The material quality was buttery which means it felt good to the touch (yes, that’s how I describe it)

Features I loved:  easy to read gauge cluster, roomy console area, easy controls, heated seats, sooper comfortable drivers seat

Best of all – the combination of kickasserole gas mileage (average of 28 MPG City)

The Hybrid engine makes you feel like you are driving a fluffy cloud that has a gas pedal. Definitely has the power of a V6 and Hybrid Synergy Drive makes it get up and go.

The front wheel drive performed fairly well in the snow (and boy did we have some during my test drive time frame since Mother Nature decided to dump a bunch of snow).  Overall, this roomy sedan felt young & cool and I can see taking this on a road trip in the summer.

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So, after that, we parked the car in a safe spot for the night and headed over to Bar Dough Denver!

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Angel, Michelle, Allison and I were joined by my good friend Hilary Horan and we sat down to an amazing food fest/party in the mouth! Recently named by Zagat’s as one of the 10 Most Important Denver Restaurant Openings of 2015, Bar Dough has really stepped up the Italian scene and is serving a ton of great food that is off the chain.


Here’s what we had the delight to taste during the meal:

Meatballs (HELLO, IT HAS PANCETTA IN IT!)
Brassicas (perfect light blend antipasto)
Garlic squid – super tasty & the fennel was the perfect accent
Tagliatelle – again with the pancetta..AND CLAMS
Pappardelle – excellent bolognese
Garlic bread – homemade foccacia – party in the mouth
3 cheese Pizza – so light and delicate – perfect crispy crust
Mountain Man pizza – this is a busy pizza but i LOVED it and the calabrian chile honey drizzle is the best!

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Chef Max MacKissock, Manager Steve Gallic and the staff have really put together an amazing spot. The wood fire oven is NO joke and the pizzas are delicious. And so is everything else. They truly have mastered the idea of “elevated Italian”.

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