Troy Guard to open TAG | RAW BAR Early 2011

“We’re in the very beginning stages of developing the menu concept, but there’s no hood and there’s no grease trap, so everything that we serve will be raw,” says Leigh Sullivan-Guard.

That’s the idea behind TAG | RAW BAR, a new restaurant from Leigh and her husband, Troy Guard, the chef/owner of TAG, the whimsical, globetrotting food temple at 1441 Larimer Street that the couple opened in 2009.

TAG | RAW BAR, which will be the first restaurant to inhabit the soon-be-be-renovated pedestrian walkway on the north side of Larimer Square, is scheduled to open in early 2011 in a former gift shop. The space, according to Leigh, is small, with room for 20 to 30 seats, which will be divided among a bar, counter and dining room. “It’s teeny-tiny, but it’s going to be a really swanky, cutesy, intimate restaurant with a sexy vibe,” she says. “I love the idea of this restaurant, because the size is manageable, we can share the staff from TAG, it’s familiar to us, and it gives Troy an opportunity to break out of his box and do something a little bit different with raw foods.”

Read the rest of the Westword article here.

Best Fusion Restaurant 2010 : Westword Magazine

Troy Guard’s TAG, which he launched last May in Larimer Square, swaggers one of Denver’s brashest border-crossing kitchens — a kitchen that slants toward the other F-word. So what? Guard is a master of multiculturalism, and his menu, which is full of playfully modern dishes that usually erupt into something wondrous, is smart, hip and approachable. He sets off his flash-seared hiramama with pricks of jalapeños and Pop Rocks in a basin of white soy and yuzu; creates his own interpretation of French onion soup, which results in irresistible “soup” dumplings that explode with juice; and plates his duo of meaty lamb chops, studded and glazed with all things Asian, in a pool of no fewer than four sauces. In the hands of a less confident chef, all this might spell disaster — but in Guard’s grasp, fusion turns out food that’s nothing short of miraculous.

#79 TAG University Cooking Class – Denver’s 90 Days of Summer

You’ve read the hype about TAG Restaurant in Larimer Square.  The food, the drinks, the chef, the awards – it’s all true.  And the best news yet is that they don’t want to keep secrets.  They’re ready to share continental culinary techniques and modern cocktail artistry through a series of culinary classes hosted by the best in the business.

The lunch hour on September 16th will be the first in the series of culinary classes.  The two-and-a-half hour class is lead by chef Troy Guard and cocktail master Brian Melton.  Seats are extremely limited, give TAG a call to reserve your seat today at 303-996-9985.  The next class is already scheduled for Saturday, December 18th.  $55/seat.

Thanks to Vali Hooker and Denver Loft Homes.

CCAF on CH7: Chef Troy Guard

This video, part of a series of Cherry Creek Arts Festival interviews that aired on Denver Channel 7, features chef Troy Guard, who will be featured at the Culinary Demonstration Stage.

FIVE at Five @ James Beard House NY

When: Wed Sep 22, 2010
Where: Five @ James Beard House NY

POM Cube with Chocolate Streusel – By Chef/Owner Troy Guard

As part of POM Wonderful’s 2010 Chef Series, TAG’s Troy Guard has provided his recipe for a POM Wonderful Pomegranate Cube with Chocolate Streusel, perfect for the holiday season. Check out the recipe here.