The first meal my family and I had while on vacation in Estes Park was at Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ & Taphouse. My dad recommended it after reading some reviews before our trip. The first thing that really surprised me was the beer selection, which was really great for a small BBQ restaurant. I decided to go with a Smoked Porter from Alaskan Brewing to compliment the smoky food. I seem to recall other fine beers on tap including Breckenridge Vanilla Porter as well as solid choices from both Odell and Avery.

For meals, we all decided to choose from the smokin’ platters and while everyone else went with the single pulled pork, I decided to try the roasted half chicken. Each platter comes with two sides and with so many options we had very few repeats at the table. I chose the cole slaw along with red beans and rice.  Both of my sides were good and the half chicken was plenty filling. There were four sauces on the table to sample and I think the original and tangy were the best. I also sampled the pulled pork, which was really good, as well as their sweet potato fries, BBQ  baked beans, and spiced apples. All of the food was very good and I would easily put it at the top of my list in Estes Park.

Pulled Pork And Chicken

I brewed my latest batch of beer on January 2nd.  My friend Rob came over to learn all about brewing, and I actually helped him bottle his first batch this past Sunday.  I took home a bomber bottle of his American IPA that I hope to sample in a few weeks after I give it some time to carbonate.  Anyway, back to my own batch of beer, the third Pale Ale in a row.  I’d like to think that I’m slowly perfecting the style, but the truth is that I still have some ways to go.

Things started off well with a perfect 20 minute steeping of grains at 165 degrees.  That led to the hop boil, 40 minutes with both the 1 ounce of hops from the kit, plus another ounce of cascade hops that I added in.  Unfortunately we turned our attention away from the kettle for a few minutes, and bam!  Boil over.  Not only is this messy on the stove, it also hurts the starting gravity of the batch.  The recipe said that the beginning gravity should be 1.043 to 1.045, but mine was at 1.037.  Basically this means a lower alcohol content when it is all done.  I did hit the final gravity right on the money at 1.010, so at least that part went well.  The result is only 3.5% alcohol.

After I let it sit connected to CO2 for a couple of weeks, I have had a few small samples and I’m actually happy with the way the hops came through.  However, I am not happy with the maltiness.  I’m not sure if this can also be attributed to my boil over, or maybe the fact that I bought the grains for the recipe and maybe I made a bad decision.  Perhaps the beer will grow on me,  after all  I do have an entire keg of it to drink now.  I’m also curious to see what other people think of it.

My mother in law  is in town visiting for the week.   Last night she took us out to dinner and I got to choose our destination.   I decided to pick someplace that I had never been to before, Steuben’s.   In the years that we have lived in Denver I have heard many great things about Steuben’s, but somehow we had never checked it out for our own.   We arrived to find the restaurant fairly crowded, much more than I thought it would be on a Tuesday night.   We were told  the wait would be about a half hour.   Perhaps it’s all the recent exposure on Food Network (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) that is bringing the large crowds, or maybe it is always this popular.

We all started with cocktails from their lengthy list.   I chose the house favorite, Moscow Mule, with  Sobieski  Vodka, fresh squeezed lime, and  ginger beer, served in a copper mug.   My wife went with Steuben’s Rock & Rye (Wild Turkey 101 rye infused with orange zest, lemon zest, clove, cassia bark, horehound and rock candy) while her mother decided on the  Ward Eight (Buffalo Trace bourbon, orange and lemon juice, and  grenadine).   All of the drinks were tasty, though the Ward Eight was a little strong for my companions’ tastes.   I especially liked the Moscow Mule and would definitely order one again.

Moscow Mule in Copper Mug

I considered convincing the group to start with gravy fries, after reading good reviews of them, but instead we went from something completely different with the Habanero  honey fried corn.   Upon ordering I was picturing that somehow they were breading  corn, frying it, and serving it with a dipping sauce.   However, when the dish arrived I realized I was completely wrong.   The plate had four pieces of corn on the cob, which had apparently been deep-fried.   It was also covered in cheese (possibly feta) and served with lime slices dusted with  spicy seasoning and a honey butter.   Despite it being much different from what I had expected, it was actually really good, especially when hit with all the  flavors of the accompaniments.

Habanero honey fried corn

For entrees  I decided again to order the house favorite, fried chicken served with  mashed potatoes, biscuit, and gravy.   My wife decided to order the Cubano  sandwich with a side of crispy brussels sprouts after reading reviews of this sandwich.   And my mother in law went with the maine lobster roll & fries, which was one of the featured dishes on the previously mentioned TV show.   The fried chicken plate was massive, consisting of one piece each of breast, thigh, leg, and wing.   Each piece was very delicious and different from the next.   The mashed potatoes were also good, as was the gravy, but the real standout was the biscuit.   It had a hint of sweetness to it that really balanced out the meal.

Fried Chicken Plate

Both my wife and her mother really enjoyed their meals as well.   I did not sample any of the lobster roll, so I’ll have to let the picture do it justice.   I did have a little bit  of the Cubano  sandwich, which was served  on a wonderful bread with a side of a really tasty sauce.   I’m not sure what the sauce was, but it was a nice addition to the ham, pork, and cheese sandwich.   The crispy brussels sprouts were disappointing, as they tasted little more than fried flakes, and perhaps were overdone.   The accompanying sauce was good, but really hid the flavor of the vegetable.   I did also manage to sneak a couple of fries from my mother in law, and I could understand how the gravy fries could be so popular, as I tried to scoop  any remaining gravy from my plate onto the fries.   It was a great meal and I hope we return soon.

Maine lobster roll & fries

Cubano Sandwich

Crispy brussels sprouts

I’ve been to the Appaloosa Grill many times in the past.   Whether it be to watch a band play (SoundRabbit), to have a couple of drinks at the bar, or to sit down for a nice meal, I’ve always enjoyed this little restaurant and bar on 16th Street in downtown Denver.   It is probably my go to place on 16th, since the results are pretty consistent.   Good food, great selection  of beers, and adequate service.   Typically the music starts around 10pm, so it can be loud after that point, but earlier in the evening it is a suitable place for families or for a nice date.    

My wife and I decided to eat dinner here on Friday night, brining along our one month old son.   For an appetizer we decided to try the hummus  with balsamic cous  cous, house falafel, fresh vegetables, and toasted pita.   The appetizer was a lot of food and it was all very tasty.   For dinner I decided to try the Cajun Fettucine with blackened red bird farms chicken, tasso  ham, tomatillo, poblano  cream, and pico  de gallo.   My wife ordered the Thai Curry Udon with  sweet potatoes, red peppers, onions, cilantro, and fresh basil.   The fettucine was very good, though I did not care for the tasso  ham, which was very hard and chewy.   Otherwise the mix of blackened chicken with tomatillos and the cream was excellent.   My wife’s curry was also very good and pretty spicy even ordered medium.   I would easily order either item again.    

Cajun Fettucine

I’m sure this will not be  the last time we visit the Appaloosa Grill.    

While out running errands on Saturday afternoon, I found myself craving some Mexican food.   We were already driving south down Colorado Boulevard, and though I was aware of a couple of chain restaurants along the stretch of road, I was hoping to find something more unique and authentic.   That was when my wife found Little Anita’s New Mexican  on her phone, and after checking the reviews we decided to give it a try.   At the time I wasn’t aware that the location was just one of a dozen locations in Denver and Albuquerque.   We arrived at the small restaurant contained in a strip mall and quickly found a table that would be agreeable with our newborn son.   I stayed back with him while my wife went to the counter to order.

Combination 4: Chile Relleno and Cheese Enchiladas

It was hard to see the menu from our table, but I agreed that she could pick out a combination plate that I would enjoy.   She decided on the #4 combo which had a chile relleno along and two cheese enchiladas  served with rice and beans as well as green chile on top of it all.   My wife ordered the chicken stuffed sopapilla, also smothered with green chile and served with rice and beans.   I started with the enchiladas which were tightly rolled corn tortillas with some tasty cheese inside.   Immediately I could tell that the star of this meal would be the green chile, which was delicious!   Moving on to the chile relleno, which I found to be  too thick with batter and not to my liking.   My wife’s stuffed sopapilla was also very good.   So two great items out of three wasn’t too bad.   I would just skip the relleno in the future.

Chicken Stuffed Sopapilla

To top it all off, each meal comes with a sopapilla and honey for dessert.   Though they are no more than fried dough, they were very tasty, especially when filled with honey.   Overall I was very pleased to have discovered this fine little New Mexican restaurant.   Apparently I’m not the only fan though, as there was actually a line for tables halfway through our visit.   One couple’s food was even ready before they had a table open to sit at.

Desert Sopapillas

The Yard House  has been open in Denver for two and a half months, and I finally made it in over the weekend.   It was one of the first things we passed as I took my visiting family on a tour of downtown.   We didn’t stop until after we had successfully toured much of the downtown area.   The signs outside the restaurant say that they have the world’s largest selection  of draft beer, with over 110 different selections on their 130 taps.   I know that I had a Russian River Damnation in addition to some others, while my wife was delighted  to find one of her favorites on the menu, Franziskaner  Hefeweizen.  

Yard House

In addition to enjoying some beers, we also sampled some of their food. The food menu is equally as  long as the beer list, so decisions were hard to make. We started with a delicious plate of chicken nachos with spicy pinto beans, cheddar and jack, red and green sauce, tomato, cilantro, onions, guacamole and sour cream. The plate of nachos wasn’t as big as some other restaurants, but the taste was great! I decided to keep my meal light and tried the roasted turkey club with avocado, swiss cheese, applewood  smoked bacon, tomato, lettuce, mayo on toasted sourdough bread.   The sandwich was gigantic (only half of it is pictured  below) and was served with a tasty handful of shoestring fries.  

Roasted Turkey Club

Others in our group ordered the spicy chicken breast sandwich (grilled with blackening spices, cheddar and jack, cabbage and Cajun  aïoli  on cheese flat bread), the penne with chicken (crimini  mushrooms, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes tossed in Marsala  cream sauce and dusted with parmesan), and the spicy jambalaya (blackened jumbo shrimp, spicy chicken–andouille sausage, red bell pepper and pasilla  peppers pan blackened with sweet crawfish and Cajun tomato cream sauce).   All of it was delicious from what I could tell.   I think this is a great place to take visitors who would like to sample a huge list of craft beers.   We will likely return soon.  

While my family was out visiting this weekend, I took my dad, brother and his girlfriend all to the Denver Winter Brew Fest.   I had previously been to the Summer Brew Fest a couple of years ago  and had a great time.   This time was no different.   There were 39 breweries pouring over 100 different brews for unlimited sampling.   The cost was only $30 ($5 cheaper than the previous time I went), which is a bargain for three hours of tasting.   Upon entering the gates just past seven, we did a quick lap through the downstairs of the Mile High Station.   I found old favorites from Odell and Oskar Blues along with my first sample of Upslope’s latest release, Brown Ale, which was great.

From there  we ventured  out to the covered patio area for samples of Stone and Great Divide, among a crowd of others.   My favorite of that group definitely had to be the  Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout from Great Divide. I was also glad to finally sample the beers from Strange Brewing Company, including their very unique Cherry Bomb Belgian Stout.   After an hour on the patio, and a couple of power outages, we headed back inside to see what was offered upstairs.   There we enjoyed more offerings from Breckenridge, Ska, and even the Denver ChopHouse and Brewery with their Wild Turkey Barrel Conditioned Stout.   It was once again a great event and  I really like that they continue to have bands play.   One thing that could make it even better would be if the breweries brought along even more hard to find beers.

Last night I headed back to Dream Dinners  for the second time.   Kim and I first visited before Trey was born so that we could stock up on easy to prepare meals that we could make once he was here.   This plan worked perfectly!   At the start of the week we  take  a few of the already prepared  meals out of the freezer  and then use them throughout the week.   This allows Kim to very easily prepare a delicious meal while staying home with our son.   She will be the first to admit that she can easily ruin a freezer to oven meal, but so far these recipes have been so easy to execute.

As an added bonus, everything that we’ve had has tasted wonderful, easily on par with restaurant foods and home cooking.   And since you actually put the meals together in the store, you know exactly what is going into them.   Mostly it is frozen meats as well as frozen or dried fruits and vegetables, along with spices and other condiments.   The quality of  all the  food products appears to be  very good as well.   I would prefer to have some organic options, but they haven’t quite reached that level yet.   However their chicken meat is all antibiotic and hormone free!   I would highly recommend them to anyone who struggles preparing tasty, timely, and healthy meals at home.

Last week my wife met me for lunch at Costa Vida, which is just across the highway from my office.   Neither of us  had visited this small chain that appears to have originated in Utah, so we had no idea what to expect.   Upon arrival I was shocked  at how crowded the counter service restaurant was.   Taking a quick glance at the menu, I quickly decided on a chicken burrito while my wife chose the sweet pork enchiladas inside of flour tortillas.   We each followed along the counter as our selections were prepared  and we were able to pick the ingredients that we wanted to go into each.      

I opted for rice, black beans, chicken, cheese and what I think was  Tomatillo  Cilantro Sauce.   It was a little hard to understand  the offerings so I just went with what looked the best.   I also had my burrito smothered, which added more cheese and the selected sauce to the top.   From there the burrito is sent  through a rolling oven similar to what you’d see at Quiznos.   And finally some lettuce and pico  de gallo  was added  to the side of the big burrito.   The choices for my wife weren’t as difficult.   The enchiladas come with your choice of meat and cheese and then smothered with Red Enchilada Sauce and more cheese.   The rice and choice of beans (pinto or black) are served  on the side and again this dish is garnished  with lettuce and pico  de gallo.      

Top: Burrito. Bottom: Enchiladas

My first taste of my burrito was filled  with lots of sweetness.   This initially threw me off as I had never tasted Mexican food that was so sweet.   I soon realized that I may have been given their Raspberry Chipolte  Chicken.   When I ordered I wasn’t given an option on the type of chicken, and I only saw one offering, so everyone must be getting the raspberry flavored chicken.   This isn’t completely strange to me as I often use lemonade when preparing chicken for tacos at home, but the sweetness was very overwhelming in this dish.   Once I found a bottle of Cholula I was able to spice the meal more to my liking.   I’m also thinking that the sauce I had selected may have been sweet as well, since the sweetness didn’t come out in my wifes enchiladas as much as my burrito, and  she even ordered the sweet pork.  

We also ordered a side of chips and salsa to go with our meal, and were given an obscene amount of chips (a filled pan the same that our meals came in)   and some pretty good tasting salsa.   I was afraid that the salsa would be overly sweet as well, but it wasn’t.   So perhaps I somehow selected all the  sweet ingredients for my burrito, and there are ways to create something that would more suit my taste.   I’m not sure, and I’m not sure I will ever find out.   I don’t go out for lunch very often at all, and I don’t think the restaurant competes with my favorite Chipotle burrito,  even though they are quite different.  

Over the weekend I had my first dining experience at the Mellow Mushroom in downtown Denver. When I first heard of this restaurant I didn’t realize that it was actually a chain, and though my wife and I don’t often choose to eat at chain restaurants we decided to give it a try anyway when I found out it was a chain. I must say that I’m glad we did give it a try. It was a great dining experience. We arrived late in the afternoon on Sunday carrying our newly born son in his car seat. We were offered our choice of table or booth, and when I couldn’t get the car seat to fit in the booth we decided on a table. The hostess gladly dropped off a high chair to use to hold the car seat.

Pretzel Appetizer

Immediately upon entering the restaurant I noticed all the beer taps on display in the bar. Even after hearing from our server that Coors Light was on special, we couldn’t resist ordering tastier beers from the menu. I had a Dale’s Pale Ale (one of my favorite pales) and my wife had the Sam Adams Winter Lager. Since we hadn’t had lunch yet, we decided to order an appetizer, a half order of pretzels served with garlic butter and parmesan on top along with a side of marinara. The pretzels were very good and I would definitely order them again, though they appear to be the exact same as their pizza crusts.

Kosmic Karma Pizza

I decided to try the Kosmic Karma pizza with red sauce, mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, feta, Roma tomatoes and a pesto swirl. My wife opted for the Funky Q Chicken with BBQ chicken, mozzarella, cheddar, caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon and a BBQ sauce swirl. Both of these pizzas were excellent! After splitting the 3 pretzel appetizer I could only manage to eat half of the 10″ pizza and my wife could only conquer one piece of pizza (equivalent to a quarter of the 10″). I was happy to take the leftovers home for lunches this week. We will definitely return to sample more of their great pizza selections and perhaps even the tempting list of hoagies.

Funky Q Chicken Pizza