Denver Fall Break 2017
We drove out of Dodge City toward the mountains as soon as I got home from work Friday afternoon! Once we got checked in we went to Noodles and Company next door to our hotel. Paul ordered the spicy Korean beef bowl and I ordered the Wisconsin Three macaroni & cheese bowl with a cup of tomato bisque. We’d never been to a Noodles and Co. Everything was delicious! I’m a new fan of this place!
Saturday morning I drove straight to a Starbucks to try a maple pecan latte because I had been told it was delicious. It is! It’s like drinking a delicious butter pecan ice cream coffee! As yummy as affogato! As I walked out of Starbucks I looked across the street and saw a sign on a restaurant that always stops me in my tracks: As Seen on Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives! The restaurant was Sam’s Diner #3. I ran in and ordered a High Maintenance hash with grits to go. It was pretty tasty but I was on a mission to eat as much food as possible. I didn't try everything in my to-go box.
I drove to Whole Foods for some of my favorite groceries and then walked over to the University and 3rd Farmers market where I tried Jubilee Coffee Roasters and a local gf pumpkin pecan muffin. It is 100% pumpkin season all over Denver and I tried everything pumpkin flavored that I could get my hands on!
After a stop in World Market for some Pickapeppa sauce and other groceries I drove back to the hotel to pick up Paul. We went to the university district and walked along South Broadway where we looked in antique store windows, stopped in Azucar Bakery, and went to Corvus Coffee Roasters for a delicious cappuccino. My husband loves sushi so we stopped in Komotodo for tasty sushi burritos and then explored beautiful Union Station. We lingered for a while in the nearby Tattered Cover bookstore. This is a perfect bookstore. Stocked with every genre it also has many nooks and corners where you can sit and read in serenity.
Then we walked over to Falling Rock Tap House for their outdoor/indoor New Hop Festival. There were 40 beers to try and each was $3. One man behind us in line boasted that he was going to try all of them! We tried 2 and they were delicious. Aged in wine barrels and rum barrels, beers adopt the flavor they’re stored in. The next time we visit Denver I want to take a beer tour!
Paul and I walked around Cherry Creek and visited Sur la Table and Crate & Barrel. Since I was hungry I asked Paul if we could stop in the Cherry Cricket for a quick hamburger. It was delicious and so were the fried mashed potato balls dipped in ranch. For dinner we ate delicious pizza at Patxi’s and then visited another brewery: Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery. This brewery was our favorite. The concept of a brewery that didn’t serve food was new to us. Essentially there are many of these in Denver (and everywhere else). These are places with a large selection of in-house beers. There are TVs broadcasting sports and large tables that create an atmosphere of community. You can order a flight of small glasses of beer or a pint of your favorite. We watched baseball while Paul tried a flight. The rum barrel beer was his favorite. People-watching was fun too. We saw a large beer tour group walk in with their note-taking cards in hand. Next trip, that’s us!
Here are a few of my favorite images from the day: The kitty in the window of a retro clothing store on South Broadway. It was seated among 6 or 7 retro ceramic cats. The crunchy golden leaves on the trees. The dried hops on vines decorating the patio of the new hop beer festival, some of the hops had fallen to the ground and in the crisp air the wind whipped them around in mini tornadoes.
Sunday
Sunday morning I woke up early and drove straight to Syrup, a breakfast place par excellence! I ordered the gf waffle and the eggs Benedict on a gf English muffin. I smiled all through this breakfast because the flavors were so spot on. I walked around Cherry Creek for little while and stopped in Starbuck's for a NYTimes and an iced coffee. Then Paul and I drove over to Twist and Shout Records. (This is one of my favorite music stores of all time...and I've been to a LOT of them.) There was a farmers market happening across the street so I wandered over to it while Paul looked at records. For lunch it was Sushi-Rama for pumpkin sushi, shishito pepper and lemon rind sushi, a California roll, a fresh shrimp roll, and a smoked salmon + salmon ceviche roll.
Afterwards it was on to the Denver Art Museum for the Mi Tierra exhibit. Outside there were rocking musical chairs that people could play on. Later we drove to the Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, Co to try Comida. Paul loved everything about this place and I loved the salsa trio appetizer and the shrimp tacos. We’ll definitely visit again. Afterwards we stopped in the Cheluna Brewing Company for a beer flight and a nice conversation with the bartender Stacy.
Favorite images of the day: My husband’s happy face as he drank his tequila shots and ate gorditas. Talking to a woman who was wearing a Waynesville, NC canvas tote. Feeling dizzy and lightheaded in a giddy way at the Denver Art Museum and wondering how the angles of the architecture and textures of the art were changing my brain in a positive way. Listening to the cool music in every brewery and restaurant we visited. Having brief but meaningful conversations with strangers.
Monday
I left in the dark and drove to the university district to try Jelly Café. Once inside I ordered the unbelievably delicious cinnamon roll pancakes, and homemade jelly and Mexican chocolate doughnuts. Techno music made my caffeine high even happier as I ate. I was impressed with the friendly waitstaff. While I waited for my doughnuts to be made the waitress brought me some free Mexican chocolate doughnuts thanking me for my patience! I also liked the way the waitress said, "Sit where you feel comfortable" when I walked in. I need to use this phrase in the classroom and in meetings. For lunch Paul and I went to Steuben's. This place came recommended by the internet and my colleagues who grew up in Colorado. It's an old establishment that serves comfort food. Every stick is furniture is art deco perfect. We started with the fried Brussel sprouts and they were as amazing as we had been told they would be. They were crispy on the outside and crunchy cabbage on the inside. I ordered the pot roast and mashed potatoes and it was so, well, comforting and yummy, like pot roast should be! I ended up taking the rest of it in a to-go box and then I gave the to-go box to a homeless man who was overjoyed to receive it. After lunch Paul and I drove to Evergreen, Colorado to take a two-mile hike with our dog. This hike was perfect because it wasn't too long and the drive to it was beautiful. Our dog loved it and it was so nice to just forest bathe, to stand next to golden aspen trees, to soak up the silent mountains.
After a stop in Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters (retail bathing) it was time for dinner. I picked Ophelia's Electric Soapbox because the chef is Justin Cucci, the same man who owns Root Down and a few other restaurants in town. The man understands flavors!! Paul and I did not know it was a burlesque theater as well. It felt like a modern chic Moulin Rouge inside and the movies on the large screens were..um..for grown folks only. Our food was perfection, of course: fried shishito peppers and cheese curds with orange marmalade, plantains in pistachio pesto, a shawarma sandwich with crunchy cucumbers and a candied elk burger with a million other perfect toppings and crispy French fries. Afterwards we walked two blocks to Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery again for one last brewery fix.
Tuesday morning
As soon as I woke up I drove straight up Colorado Blvd to Snooze for the pancakes. I made sure to get there as soon as it opened because this place is so very popular. I got a pineapple upside down cake pancake, a sweet potato pie pancake and a chocolate chip pancake. These pancakes were astounding!! I will be recovering from their deliciousness forever. I made one last grocery stop in Trader Joe’s and then another grocery stop in King Sooper. Paul and I stopped in Wax Trax Records on Colfax before getting on the interstate to head home. It was a perfect fall break!
We drove out of Dodge City toward the mountains as soon as I got home from work Friday afternoon! Once we got checked in we went to Noodles and Company next door to our hotel. Paul ordered the spicy Korean beef bowl and I ordered the Wisconsin Three macaroni & cheese bowl with a cup of tomato bisque. We’d never been to a Noodles and Co. Everything was delicious! I’m a new fan of this place!
Saturday morning I drove straight to a Starbucks to try a maple pecan latte because I had been told it was delicious. It is! It’s like drinking a delicious butter pecan ice cream coffee! As yummy as affogato! As I walked out of Starbucks I looked across the street and saw a sign on a restaurant that always stops me in my tracks: As Seen on Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives! The restaurant was Sam’s Diner #3. I ran in and ordered a High Maintenance hash with grits to go. It was pretty tasty but I was on a mission to eat as much food as possible. I didn't try everything in my to-go box.
I drove to Whole Foods for some of my favorite groceries and then walked over to the University and 3rd Farmers market where I tried Jubilee Coffee Roasters and a local gf pumpkin pecan muffin. It is 100% pumpkin season all over Denver and I tried everything pumpkin flavored that I could get my hands on!
After a stop in World Market for some Pickapeppa sauce and other groceries I drove back to the hotel to pick up Paul. We went to the university district and walked along South Broadway where we looked in antique store windows, stopped in Azucar Bakery, and went to Corvus Coffee Roasters for a delicious cappuccino. My husband loves sushi so we stopped in Komotodo for tasty sushi burritos and then explored beautiful Union Station. We lingered for a while in the nearby Tattered Cover bookstore. This is a perfect bookstore. Stocked with every genre it also has many nooks and corners where you can sit and read in serenity.
Then we walked over to Falling Rock Tap House for their outdoor/indoor New Hop Festival. There were 40 beers to try and each was $3. One man behind us in line boasted that he was going to try all of them! We tried 2 and they were delicious. Aged in wine barrels and rum barrels, beers adopt the flavor they’re stored in. The next time we visit Denver I want to take a beer tour!
Paul and I walked around Cherry Creek and visited Sur la Table and Crate & Barrel. Since I was hungry I asked Paul if we could stop in the Cherry Cricket for a quick hamburger. It was delicious and so were the fried mashed potato balls dipped in ranch. For dinner we ate delicious pizza at Patxi’s and then visited another brewery: Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery. This brewery was our favorite. The concept of a brewery that didn’t serve food was new to us. Essentially there are many of these in Denver (and everywhere else). These are places with a large selection of in-house beers. There are TVs broadcasting sports and large tables that create an atmosphere of community. You can order a flight of small glasses of beer or a pint of your favorite. We watched baseball while Paul tried a flight. The rum barrel beer was his favorite. People-watching was fun too. We saw a large beer tour group walk in with their note-taking cards in hand. Next trip, that’s us!
Here are a few of my favorite images from the day: The kitty in the window of a retro clothing store on South Broadway. It was seated among 6 or 7 retro ceramic cats. The crunchy golden leaves on the trees. The dried hops on vines decorating the patio of the new hop beer festival, some of the hops had fallen to the ground and in the crisp air the wind whipped them around in mini tornadoes.
Sunday
Sunday morning I woke up early and drove straight to Syrup, a breakfast place par excellence! I ordered the gf waffle and the eggs Benedict on a gf English muffin. I smiled all through this breakfast because the flavors were so spot on. I walked around Cherry Creek for little while and stopped in Starbuck's for a NYTimes and an iced coffee. Then Paul and I drove over to Twist and Shout Records. (This is one of my favorite music stores of all time...and I've been to a LOT of them.) There was a farmers market happening across the street so I wandered over to it while Paul looked at records. For lunch it was Sushi-Rama for pumpkin sushi, shishito pepper and lemon rind sushi, a California roll, a fresh shrimp roll, and a smoked salmon + salmon ceviche roll.
Afterwards it was on to the Denver Art Museum for the Mi Tierra exhibit. Outside there were rocking musical chairs that people could play on. Later we drove to the Stanley Marketplace in Aurora, Co to try Comida. Paul loved everything about this place and I loved the salsa trio appetizer and the shrimp tacos. We’ll definitely visit again. Afterwards we stopped in the Cheluna Brewing Company for a beer flight and a nice conversation with the bartender Stacy.
Favorite images of the day: My husband’s happy face as he drank his tequila shots and ate gorditas. Talking to a woman who was wearing a Waynesville, NC canvas tote. Feeling dizzy and lightheaded in a giddy way at the Denver Art Museum and wondering how the angles of the architecture and textures of the art were changing my brain in a positive way. Listening to the cool music in every brewery and restaurant we visited. Having brief but meaningful conversations with strangers.
Monday
I left in the dark and drove to the university district to try Jelly Café. Once inside I ordered the unbelievably delicious cinnamon roll pancakes, and homemade jelly and Mexican chocolate doughnuts. Techno music made my caffeine high even happier as I ate. I was impressed with the friendly waitstaff. While I waited for my doughnuts to be made the waitress brought me some free Mexican chocolate doughnuts thanking me for my patience! I also liked the way the waitress said, "Sit where you feel comfortable" when I walked in. I need to use this phrase in the classroom and in meetings. For lunch Paul and I went to Steuben's. This place came recommended by the internet and my colleagues who grew up in Colorado. It's an old establishment that serves comfort food. Every stick is furniture is art deco perfect. We started with the fried Brussel sprouts and they were as amazing as we had been told they would be. They were crispy on the outside and crunchy cabbage on the inside. I ordered the pot roast and mashed potatoes and it was so, well, comforting and yummy, like pot roast should be! I ended up taking the rest of it in a to-go box and then I gave the to-go box to a homeless man who was overjoyed to receive it. After lunch Paul and I drove to Evergreen, Colorado to take a two-mile hike with our dog. This hike was perfect because it wasn't too long and the drive to it was beautiful. Our dog loved it and it was so nice to just forest bathe, to stand next to golden aspen trees, to soak up the silent mountains.
After a stop in Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters (retail bathing) it was time for dinner. I picked Ophelia's Electric Soapbox because the chef is Justin Cucci, the same man who owns Root Down and a few other restaurants in town. The man understands flavors!! Paul and I did not know it was a burlesque theater as well. It felt like a modern chic Moulin Rouge inside and the movies on the large screens were..um..for grown folks only. Our food was perfection, of course: fried shishito peppers and cheese curds with orange marmalade, plantains in pistachio pesto, a shawarma sandwich with crunchy cucumbers and a candied elk burger with a million other perfect toppings and crispy French fries. Afterwards we walked two blocks to Jagged Mountain Craft Brewery again for one last brewery fix.
Tuesday morning
As soon as I woke up I drove straight up Colorado Blvd to Snooze for the pancakes. I made sure to get there as soon as it opened because this place is so very popular. I got a pineapple upside down cake pancake, a sweet potato pie pancake and a chocolate chip pancake. These pancakes were astounding!! I will be recovering from their deliciousness forever. I made one last grocery stop in Trader Joe’s and then another grocery stop in King Sooper. Paul and I stopped in Wax Trax Records on Colfax before getting on the interstate to head home. It was a perfect fall break!
October 30-November 1, 2015 - Paul and I met up with Stephanie Wilson for a fall getaway we planned during the summer.
I had read about Root Down but I had no idea how chic and cool and cozy it would be. I took pictures of everything. Even the bathroom. Since Paul had hiked nine miles he needed a plate of food to inhale. He ordered the veggie sliders and his first Moscow Mule. Recently Paul was commissioned to write an arrangement of the song You're the Top. In it the song mentions a Moscow Mule and he'd never heard of one or tried one. He loved this drink. I loved the Cassis Clay with whiskey and cassis. Stephanie and I ordered small plates to share: cheese plate, acorn squash risotto, cheese arepas, stuffed peppadews wrapped in bacon and coated with cheese, and spicy lamb sliders. Each bite of this meal was like a perfect souvenir to remember every time I cook or entertain. The cheese plate was bleu cheese, fresh honeycomb, cocoa and cayenne dusted walnuts and homemade cinnamon and quinoa crackers. This was my first acorn squash risotto ever. It was creamy and delicious with maple marscapone and crunchy pistachios on top. The acorn squash almost tasted fruity. It was delicious comforting fall food. The cheesy arepas were yummy with pablano pistachio pesto and pico de gallo on top. They probably would have been a brighter star of the meal if I hadn't tasted the devils on horseback. The devils on horseback were my favorite. This perfection on a stick is unforgettable: tender belly bacon wrapped around peppadew peppers wrapped around smoked almonds under a bed of Gournay cheese fondue with a splash of sherry gastrique. The lamb sliders were so spicy I couldn't finish them but they came with two dipping sauces that were heavenly with the other small dishes. There was a tangy, creamy mint garlic sauce and a creamy citrus sauce. This chef has not missed one detail of flavor. If I could cook like this, I'd never leave the house. Jerry Lee Lewis said in his autobiography that as a child he would play piano all day and lie in bed at night planning what he would play the next day. I want to cook this way, like Justin Cucci the chef at Root Down.
I had read about Root Down but I had no idea how chic and cool and cozy it would be. I took pictures of everything. Even the bathroom. Since Paul had hiked nine miles he needed a plate of food to inhale. He ordered the veggie sliders and his first Moscow Mule. Recently Paul was commissioned to write an arrangement of the song You're the Top. In it the song mentions a Moscow Mule and he'd never heard of one or tried one. He loved this drink. I loved the Cassis Clay with whiskey and cassis. Stephanie and I ordered small plates to share: cheese plate, acorn squash risotto, cheese arepas, stuffed peppadews wrapped in bacon and coated with cheese, and spicy lamb sliders. Each bite of this meal was like a perfect souvenir to remember every time I cook or entertain. The cheese plate was bleu cheese, fresh honeycomb, cocoa and cayenne dusted walnuts and homemade cinnamon and quinoa crackers. This was my first acorn squash risotto ever. It was creamy and delicious with maple marscapone and crunchy pistachios on top. The acorn squash almost tasted fruity. It was delicious comforting fall food. The cheesy arepas were yummy with pablano pistachio pesto and pico de gallo on top. They probably would have been a brighter star of the meal if I hadn't tasted the devils on horseback. The devils on horseback were my favorite. This perfection on a stick is unforgettable: tender belly bacon wrapped around peppadew peppers wrapped around smoked almonds under a bed of Gournay cheese fondue with a splash of sherry gastrique. The lamb sliders were so spicy I couldn't finish them but they came with two dipping sauces that were heavenly with the other small dishes. There was a tangy, creamy mint garlic sauce and a creamy citrus sauce. This chef has not missed one detail of flavor. If I could cook like this, I'd never leave the house. Jerry Lee Lewis said in his autobiography that as a child he would play piano all day and lie in bed at night planning what he would play the next day. I want to cook this way, like Justin Cucci the chef at Root Down.
Snooze Restaurant - Stephanie and I had both done research on Denver eats beforehand and this place was as good as the reviews said it is. We had breakfast for lunch. I ordered an omelet with cilantro, onion and chicken sausage. This came with a side of hash browns and an English muffin. I ordered a heavenly bloody Mary without the vodka (I didn't want to lose steam in the middle of the day) and it tasted like spicy tomato juice and crunchy Claussen pickles. Stephanie ordered the drunkin' punkin' pancakes with her breakfast and they were intense. They are my new favorite pancakes with a pumpkin flavor I won't get over anytime soon. There was cream cheese in the middle like toad in a hole that made each bite even more intense.
After lunch we got coffee at Pig Train and the coffee was tasty but very muddy. We walked in Milkbox next door and I ordered raspberry sorbet and coconut lime sorbet. I always forget how much I love sorbet until I taste it again. We walked into The Tattered Cover bookstore and I bought a collection of Alice Munroe short stories and a Bill Nye book for Paul. The next morning Stephanie and I met up at Starbuck's across from our hotel and then walked to the Mod Market for breakfast. This was a cute place to start the day. We had the place to ourselves. We ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, gluten-free multigrain toast with Bonne Maman strawberry jelly and hash browns that are delicious with Frank's buffalo sauce on them.
Summer 2013 Paul and I visited Denver for a few hours before we headed to South Dakota for cave tours. We ate at the Caveman Cafeteria food truck and wandered around 16th Street. I can't wait to explore more of the city on our next trip.
