This past weekend was Kim’s birthday weekend.   To celebrate the occasion, we ate a number of meals outside of our house.   For starters was Little India on Friday night.   This was our first time at Little India, though we have heard many good things about it, including 5280  Reader’s Choice for top Indian restaurant for many years.   We arrived around 8pm and found that there was still a wait for tables, twenty minutes for two of us.   The wait was fast, and we were eventually seated in a side room that looks like it may have served as a patio at one time.

We quickly decided that we wanted to try the  Pakora Masala for an appetizer. This features mildly spiced spinach, onions, and potatoes, batter-fried and topped with masala sauce. Our server was a bit slow getting to us, but after she made her initial introduction, she was very quick to check on us. The appetizer arrived quickly and was very delicious. We had also ordered meals just before the appetizer was served. I went with the chicken curry, while Kim decided on the chicken Tikka Saag.

I’m glad we didn’t order everything at once, because once again our meals were served very quickly, for us it was just after finishing the appetizer.   Each entree is served steaming hot in an individual pot, with a large plate of rice on the side.   Both of these choices were delicous as well, though I was expecting it to be a little more spicy than it was.   When we go back, I may opt to try the vindaloo, which is marked as the spicy dish.   Even though it looked like a ton of food, we were able to put a pretty sizeable dent in it, taking home only enough for one additional meal.

Last night I met up with one of my college roommates, Nick,  at BJ’s  Restaurant and Brewhouse.   Though we haven’t really stayed in touch, I still see him from time to time, though it had probably been a couple of years.   He has been doing  some work related training in Boulder all week, so we decided to meet up for some drinks in Broomfield, which is between Denver and Boulder.   I remembered eating at the BJ’s in Boulder a few years back, and suggested we meet there.

Kim and I arrived to find Nick in the waiting area with a beer already in hand.   We grabbed a table for the three of us and started catching up.   Nick and Jessica have a son that is almost six months old, so we had lots to talk about, especially with our upcoming adventure into parenting.   I started with a Pumpkin Ale, my first of the season.   It was a little sweet for my liking at first, but the spicy pumpkin pie like finish brought me back for more.   It obviously wasn’t my favorite beer ever, but it was an alright start to the night.

For dinner, we decided to split two medium pizzas.   We ordered the vegetarian and the southwestern, with chipotle  tomato sauce, spicy blackened chicken, green chilies, cheddar cheese and diced tomatoes topped with fresh cilantro.   The vegetarian tasted very much as I expected, but the southwestern was delicious!   The thick deep dish pizzas reminded me a little of Pizza Hut pizza, but much better  quality.   I think it was the bubbly crust with a hint of grease  that reminded me of the Hut.   However, the tomatoes were giant slices, and all of the  fresh toppings were piled high.

To round out the night I sampled both the Piranha Pale Ale and the Tatonka Stout.   I had the  Piranha before and remembered it being a very solid pale ale with a great hop character.   The stout was the real surprise of the night, actually an imperial stout, with a nice spiciness at first, followed by a mellow balance of malt and hop that you’d expect from a stout.   It had much more flavor than I was expecting, and I would definitely order it again.   I enjoyed these beers over continuing conversation with my old friend.   We both agreed that we needed to get together more often.   To make it easier to stay in touch, I tried to convince him to join Facebook, but he has no interest.   Oh well, I’d rather meet for beers anyway.

We tried a newer place in town on Friday, Stoney’s Bar and Grill.   After meeting up with some other University of Cincinnati alumni the week prior, we suggested checking this place out for the next football game on TV.   As mentioned earlier, the Bearcats took on South Florida this past Friday, an eventual loss for the Cats.   But this isn’t about the game, it’s about Stoney’s.

Kim and I arrived just as the game was getting started to find a small group already seated just inside the front door.   They had arranged a large table, which we joined, and soon enough took advantage of their wonderful 2-for-1 happy hour.   This includes all drafts, premium wells (not sure what that means), Colorado wines and margaritas.   I decided to go with Great Divide’s newly released Hibernation Ale, which was just as great as I remembered it from last winter.

Halfway through the game we decided to order some food.   Stoney’s menu is pretty much limited to sliders, along with some sides and salads.   I ordered the chicken fried chicken sliders, which featured  mashed Yukon  potatoes and country gravy on the sliders, and decided to try the tater tots on the side. Kim had the Habanero  roasted Colorado pork sliders served with Jack Daniels BBQ sauce with truffle Parmesan fries on the side.   All of the food was excellent, but if I had to pick a favorite it would definitely be the chicken fried chicken sliders.

The restaurant itself is a huge improvement over the prior  occupant (Andrew’s on Lincoln).   There are over twenty TV’s and lots of space to accompany  two large bars and skee-ball  machines.   There are large garage doors across the front, which allow the nice Colorado air inside on the many nice days.   We had a great experience at Stoney’s and we will definitely be back.   I already know that I want to try the vegetarian black bean sliders, flash fried black bean cake and caramelized onion, served with spicy pineapple chutney.

This past Saturday friends of our decided to host an Oktoberfest party.   They provided their handmade brats, and everyone else brought along a German side.   While researching my options, I realized that either Germans eat a ton of potatoes, or we Americans think they do.   Either way I decided to make potato pancakes based on this recipe.   The prep work wasn’t too bad, but cooking well over thirty pancakes took some time.   The recipe said to cook each side for about three minutes, but I found it was closer to four minutes.   At the suggestion of a few reviewers, I added parsley to the ingredients, but followed everything else exactly.   I wish I would have taken a picture of my creations, but they looked a lot like this.

Other items at the party included German potato salad, fries, sauerkraut, and even some home-brewed Hefeweizen!   It was all so good, and the potato pancakes were a hit as well.   Prost!

After work on Friday, Kim and I met up with a group of friends at the Uptown Brothers Brewing Company.   The name would lead you to believe that the restaurant was also a microbrewery, but that is not yet true.   According to their website blog, they’ve applied  for a    license and are waiting for it all to come through.   In the meantime, they do offer a fantastic selection of beers from other breweries across the country.   Just take a quick look at their current beer list, and you are nearly guaranteed to see something you love or would love to try.

To complement  their excellent selection  of beers, they also have a pretty long food menu with lots of variety.     I went with the Fried Green Tomato BLT served with jalapeno blue cheese coleslaw.   Kim had a chicken sandwich covered with green chiles and cheese, served with fries.   My BLT was great, and just as it sounds.   Fried green tomatoes were used  in the sandwich rather than  the standard red tomato.   Kim’s sandwich was also very good, as were her fries.   The only thing I was disappointed  with was the jalapeno blue cheese coleslaw, which I expected to be packed with flavor.   Instead it was rather bland and very similar to a relatively dry traditional coleslaw.

Saturday evening Kim and I drove up to Louisville, Colorado, a town that neither of us had ever been to before.   SoundRabbit  was playing a little gig at the Art Underground for the Louisville Arts Hub event.   We hadn’t seen the band play in awhile, so it was nice to hear their familiar sound again.   The show itself was a bit odd being in a small room that usually serves as a church but for the day was a studio for various artists and their works.   The band tried to quiet down their sound for the intimate performance, but maybe it would have been better as an acoustic duo show.   Regardless, I enjoyed hearing them play, as did the dozen or so children in attendance.   I hope our son enjoys music as much as these kids did.

Afterward, Kim and I met up with one of the band members at a local restaurant and bar called Waterloo.   The band had takeout from here earlier in the day, which they enjoyed thoroughly, so we thought we would give it a try.   Kim went with the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and ranchero  beans, while I ordered the grilled chicken with pepper jack, bacon, and avocado along with a side of fries.   The chicken sandwich was standard, but very delicious thanks to my selections of toppings.   The fries were perfectly  hand-cut and flash fried, delicious!   The pulled pork was also very good along with the beans.   The band raved about the hamburgers, so those must be good as well.   If I were to ever make it back, I’d definitely want to try the gorgonzola cream sauce for fry dipping, which I am reading great things about now.   We had a great meal and would definitely go back if we ever find ourselves in Louisville again.

Tonight starts the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver.   Though my session isn’t until Saturday, I’m already excited for it.   I missed the Beer Fest last year while we took a trip back to Cincinnati.   To make up for it, I am doing the members only Saturday afternoon session.   Just like years past, I put together a list of breweries that I must hit, but I am always open to other suggestions.   Just take a look at the list of breweries that are participating.   I’m bummed to not see 75th Street Brewery  on the list, but I’m sure there will be plenty of others to make up for it.   Obviously Kim will not be partaking this year, but fortunately a friend of mine is in town so I’ll likely tag along with him.   Cheers!

Harvest season is here and we are finally reaping the rewards of our vegetable garden.   So far we have picked  a half-dozen or so tomatoes as well as tons of kale.   The kale is used  to feed Amstel, our pet rabbit, while we have really enjoyed the tomatoes.   There is nothing quite  like a fresh tomato.   So far we had BLT sandwiches last week, and I made a delicious  Arrabbiata pasta sauce last night with the remaining tomatoes.   The recipe I followed was one that I have used many times  before, but I substituted all fresh tomatoes instead of the can.   I think it turned out the best yet.   I’m still holding out hope for some green peppers, jalapenos, and squash before colder temperatures set it, but I’m not sure it is going to happen.   Next year I may have to move the garden to a different location.

Yesterday was our two-year wedding anniversary.   To celebrate we choose a restaurant that we hadn’t been to before, Gumbo’s Louisiana Style Cafe.    It didn’t hurt that I had bought a coupon a  couple of months ago from LivingSocial  (similar to Groupon) that gave us $50 of food for the $25 the coupon cost.   We had a couple of other ideas for dinner, but those restaurants were all closed on Mondays.   Anyway, we arrived between six and six-thirty to find Gumbo’s mostly empty.   Again this might be due to it being a Monday, but I was a little surprised.   We were seated at a nice booth table and service was very quick.

We had already decided to try some gumbo before ordering meals.   Kim went with the chicken and sausage, while I ordered the red beans and rice.   Both of these were delicious, though I’d give a slight edge to the chicken and sausage gumbo.   The red beans and rice were fairly typical, but not that it’s a bad thing.   Our server was excellent, suggesting other beers when the one I had chosen was out of stock, as well as voicing her opinion during the crucial entrée selection.   Kim decided to have the pistachio crusted Mahi, which is served over roasted shallot jalapeno cream sauce, topped with sautéed crabmeat and grilled asparagus spears.   Our server commented that this was her favorite.   I decided to have the blackened chicken pasta, typically served over tomato basil sauce.   However, the server recommended that I order it with the mushroom bacon garlic sauce, which I did.   Both  of our choices were delicious.   Well I’m assuming Kim’s was delicious, as I didn’t try it, but she did finish the entire piece of fish.   I was glad that I switched the sauce on my pasta, as I thoroughly enjoyed every last bite.

So the food was very good, the price wasn’t overly high, and the service was excellent. I’d definitely recommend this restaurant to any fans of creole food.

We spent a considerable amount of time dining out over the weekend.   Saturday evening was no exception,  when  we decided to try  the nearby Mecca Grill.   This Lebanese restaurant appeared to get mostly favorable reviews, minus one or two that mentioned  very slow service.   After dining here I can agree with the service being extra slow, but the food was so good that I nearly forgot about the service.   We arrived around eight in the evening to find one server outside on the patio chatting with a couple of customers, along with one or two tables of people inside.   We walked in and didn’t know if we should seat ourselves or not, but a man who appeared to be the owner came out soon enough and asked us to sit where we liked.

The owner was not only serving as the cook and dishwasher for the evening, but also as baby sitter for what appeared to be his grade school aged son.   Needless to say, he had his hands full, so the slow service from him was understandable.   However, the whole  experience could have been much better  had the server who was sitting on the patio actually was doing his job.   Eventually he did help out, but at that point it was already too late.   Anyway, back to the food.   We started with some humus, which was served  with plenty of warm pita bread.   Kim ordered the vegetarian plate, while I went with the falafel plate.   Both of these were excellent selections!   Their falafel were perfect, as was the baba  ganoush  and tabouleh.   We were given even more pita bread with our meals that we filled with various ingredients before eating.

If you do decide to try this restaurant, be sure to allot plenty of time for the experience.   Though it was slow, the service was friendly, and the food was definitely worth the wait.