Guest Post from Denver

Now WE were in Denver a little over a year ago.  Even though D-town was the last little piece of our trip, it was memorable for both it's adorableness and an epic brunch line (that yielded delicious results).  When EG (not to be confused with EM of Harry Potter fame) went to Denver on business, she came back like any good friend/relative of mine would--armed with photos, descriptions, and serious opinions about the chow and the experience.  Thanks for sharing EG!  Have a great holiday weekend, everybody (if you aren't gone already)!

Dining alone can be a great experience.  Some places did it well, others didn't.

Best Meal: Sam's No. 3.  Found it on Yelp, got a vegetarian skillet.  Was amazing: potatoes, cheese, peppers, onions, a little kick.  So delicious.  Have photos for you.  Got to sit at old school counter, the staff was fast, attentive, and gave me a full carafe of water for myself. 

[Ed. note: I want that.]

Worst Meal: El Chile Rojo.  Food wasn't terrible (wasn't great either), and took forever and they sat me AT THE SAME TABLE AS A COUPLE!!  So awkward for them.  I just read my book and drank my Corona. Later met up with friends and walked to this old school taco stand that looked like a MUCH better choice.  Our buddy had tongue tacos and they looked amazing.  I have photos of this place, because it was funky and memorable, although I sadly did not dine there.  Why did I not Yelp that night?!

Most Overpriced Omelet: Marlowe's.  Started at $6.50 and then they charged me for every veggie they added!  And I ordered a side of potato latkes (which tasted like the McDonald's breakfast potato things) and they charged me extra for the sour cream!  A reasonable breakfast for one person should never be $22.  The worst part was they didn't mix anything in the omelet!  All of the avocado was in the middle and I took one bite that was all onion.  Yuch.

Best Salad: Appaloosa Grill.  Felt like I was eating crap all week, so when the waiter mentioned their special that day was a shrimp salad with mushrooms, avocado, tomatoes and oh-so-much-more I got excited.  Except it was made with shrimp, and this girl doesn't do shrimp.  But I asked if the chef thought it would be good with chicken and he made it for me and mmmm there was nothing left on my plate (this is a rarity for salads in my life).

Best Ballpark Meal: Coors Field Helton burger and chocolate milkshake.  This isn't really a fair category because I only ate one ballpark meal and I asked the usher where the best food in the stadium was.  Not only was the Helton burger delish, but the line wasn't too long and it only cost me $7, which is totally a stadium bargain.  (The yummy milkshake was $5!  I bought a $40 ticket that included $10 toward food, which I first used for a $6.50 Blue Moon.  Cheapest stadium food I think I've ever had!)

Best Cheese: Osteria Marco.  Gorgeous place.  Not too expensive at all.  And ready for this, iEat? They make their own cheese!  I had to order it.  Amazing caprese salad that I gobbled up so fast, I had no room for the huge pizza in front of me.  (Luckily, the friend I brought with me, who I hadn't seen since 1995 happily took it home!)  The waitstaff was great - and thrilled that we were having a 15-year-friend-reunion - they knew the menu really well and made recommendations. This place is not crazy expensive, but you'll still feel like you had a fancy-schmancy meal.  (I have photos of this meal too!)

Best Vegetarian Meal: Leaf (Boulder).  Trying to find a place where your vegan friend, your Kosher friend and your meat-eating friend (me!) can all enjoy a meal is tricky, but Leaf hit the spot.  My portabello burger and sweet potato fries were yummy and the waiter knew everything about the menu, what he could make vegan, whether or not something has honey, what was in EVERYTHING.  I had to tell him "brother, I'll eat anything here, it's all good!"  I was actually FULL after the meal for our "hike" (read: shpatzir) around Chautauqua and it sustained me until I ate crap at the airport.

 (Chautauqua in Boulder)

Postcard from Denver

A while back we hit up Denver and were pretty surprised about how young and hip that town can be.  Every which way you look you'll see a converted warehouse that's now a funky loft, and compared to D.C. prices it's a steal.  Below are some things to eat on your next trip to the Mile High City--we stayed in LoDo, and that's where all these places are!

Lime is a local chain that looked pretty fun, so on our first night we figured it would be a good quick bite.  The freshly made chips were pretty addictive, so be careful not to fill up.  The Southwest Eggrolls were lightly fried and filled with beans, corn, etc.  My salad with shredded beef was good but relatively uneventful, and J had the margarita chicken with beans and rice.  The portions were pretty huge, as was that bowl of chips.  Yikes!

For J's birthday we had reservations at Rioja. Named after a region in Spain, this place doesn't actually specialize in Spanish food--surprise! We enjoyed a half pasta with peas and morels--it was perfect for the season. Peas scream springtime, and we'd been enjoying their presence in our pasta dishes lately. Next, the chorizo flatbread and pickled melon with fresh basil--great flavors and textures, and not too bready (a legitimate fear). Lamb medallions w/tricolored lentils--AMAZING. My exact notes are "Unbelievable. Best ever. Crust/crunch outside, perfectly cooked middle. So tender. So smoky." OK, so now I'm sort of hungry. I loved the pan-roasted halibut with Romesco sauce--it was sitting on asparagus and artichokes, all things green and happy. The chilled smores pot de creme with graham cracker sticks was like a childhood camping trip gone chic. For his birthday, J enjoyed free dessert with a candle and a card signed by the staff. Maybe the real joy was perusing the tea list. The after dinner mints were homemade sugar-coated mint leaves.

Coors Field has a lot to offer you--beers like Blue Moon round out the typical ballfield choices, and "Infield Greens" serves up salads to go with your Rockie Dog (all-beef foot long). And if you want hot chocolate with whipped cream, just ask one of the wandering vendors. YUM.

Last but CERTAINLY not least, we waited a very very very long time to enjoy brunch at Snooze.  I read that it was a must, and besides the fact that it was Mother's Day, it was still a shock to see moms and kids and babies and elderly folks OUTSIDE on this drizzle morning in a huge line.  Where I come from we make reservations for Mother's Day to avoid this kind of mess.  Or make her breakfast in bed.  Something like that!

The 3-egg omelet with spinach, salsa (which they forgot), and chicken sausage was really tasty--the sausage wasn't chunky, it was almost ground up.  The toast seemed grilled, not toasted, which was a huge plus.  Even though I'm a fan of a fruit-filled, chunky jam/preserve/spread, the strawberry jam here was thin but delicious.  Even J dipped his bread in it, and he's not so jammy.  His corned beef hash was AMAZING--super thin and fresh, more shredded than chunky/piecey.  It was almost sweet, and according to him, it tops Good Enough To Eat--CRAZINESS.   On the drink side, the hot chocolate at Snooze isn't too rich--instead, it has a pleasing cinnamon thing going on.

OK, and you cannot and will not (promise?) go to Snooze without getting a pancake.  If you think pancakes are dessert (hi!) and would rather have eggs, then make a friend split ONE with you--you can order single pancakes (they are still huge btw) on the "Ahh...la carte" menu.  We had the caramel cinnamon swirl pancake.  It was thick yet fluffy and light, almost spongy, but in a good way.  It had a little bounce!  This things was the thickest pancake I've ever seen.  It had pecans, cinnamon butter, white chocolate chips...it was insane, and also majorly delicious.  The decor was funky, with round tables and benches, cool lights, and bright colors.  And have I asked you yet, how freakin' cute is that coffee mug?  Seriously???