To kick of the weekend Kim and I walked over to The Local Daylight Diner (2217 East Mississippi), a place we had visited once before back at the beginning of July.   On that visit, I recall ordering lunch as it was getting late in the morning.   I enjoyed the chicken salad sandwich very much, and Kim really enjoyed the  crème brûlée oatmeal that she ordered.   We both tried different items on this weekend’s visit.   I went with the mini Belgian  waffles, which are served  with a mixed berry compote and fresh whipped cream.   I also ordered the signature hash browns, which are covered  in green chile and cheese.   Kim decided to have an egg sandwich with pepper jack cheese and soyrizo.

Once again the food was great!   I would absolutely order the mini Belgian waffles again, and while I did enjoy the signature hash browns somewhat, I would have preferred a little more of a spice to the green chile.   Kim remarked that she enjoyed her egg sandwich, but that she should have ordered the egg over hard, as it was very runny upon arrival.   The service isn’t the most speedy in the world, but they were definitely busy on our latest visit.   There wasn’t an open table both inside or outside on the small patio.   This newly opened diner must be doing something right, and we will definitely be back in the future.

While my dad was in town, we also took a drive up to Fort Collins to visit both Odell  and New Belgium  Brewing Companies.   We stopped at Odell first where we sampled twelve different brews (all the  regular beers and a flight of pilot brews as well) and then took a very nice tour of their facility.   Despite producing some of my favorite brews, I had never taken a tour and I was glad to finally check that off the list.   Our second stop was at New Belgium, where reservations are now accepted for tours.   I didn’t realize that before my dad’s visit, but we decided to stop anyway and have a few tastes.   The waitlist was pretty long for the tours, if there were even any no-shows, so we took the three free sample chips each and headed inside to taste some brews.   Next time I will have to plan ahead for any visitors who want to head up north for the tours.

The real highlight of this trip occurred on the way up as we took a small detour over to Lyons, Colorado for lunch at the Oskar Blues Grill & Brew.   I’ve driven past this restaurant numerous  times on our way to and from Rocky Mountain National Park, and have always wanted to stop in.   I figured with my dad in town, this was a perfect opportunity to stop in.   We arrived on a quiet Wednesday afternoon and were immediately seated at a booth by the windows.   I had my dad sample Dale’s Pale Ale first (another of my favorites), while I opted for the One-Nut Brown Ale.   For lunch I decided to try the Turkey Reuben, while my dad picked the Pulled Pork Sandwich, and Kim opted for the Chicken Avocado.   The definite highlight was the Chicken Avocado served grilled with  bacon, lettuce, tomato, swiss, and guacamole on naan bread.   Also delicious were the side of Texas Toothpicks, deep-fried slices of onions and jalapeno, along with the rest of the meals.   I didn’t hear any complaints as we nearly cleared all of our plates.   I definitely hope to stop again on our next trip through Lyons.

Fort Collins on Dwellable

For breakfast on Sunday, Kim and I headed to the  Krameria Cafe.   I think she found it through a brunch suggestion in her email, and after checking it out online we decided to give it a shot.   It was a little further from our house than we typically drive for breakfast, but they did advertise the best breakfast in Denver on their website.   We arrived to find a mostly deserted restaurant save for a few  tables of people  inside and one out on the patio.   Not exactly what I expected to see from the self-proclaimed  best breakfast spot.   We were seated  right away and looked over the menu while we waited for a server.   Well we waited and waited.   Finally Kim caught the attention of  one of the servers, who immediately apologized and took our order, after we had sat there for ten to fifteen minutes.

Fortunately the food came out really fast.   I was starving, and a little  under the weather from the previous night’s pub crawl, so this made me happy.   I don’t think I could have waited much longer for  food.   If I remember correctly, Kim had an omelette of some sort.   While I ordered the biscuits and gravy  (on the “sides” portion of the menu) along with some hash browns.   Immediately I was thrown  off by the lack of sausage in the gravy, but at least it appeared to be homemade.   It was okay, but definitely not the best biscuits and gravy in town, that title belongs to Lucile’s.   The side of hash browns was an entire plate of potatoes, which helps explain the nearly $4 price tag.   Again, not the best food in town.   I think Kim pretty much agreed with me as far as the food goes.   The service ended up being good, but I doubt we ever go back as the food just didn’t cut it.

After work on Friday I had a craving for some pizza.   Kim and I decided to try something new and found Fuhgidabowdit Pizzeria  over near the University of Denver.   At first I wasn’t too sure of our decision after walking into a small and dingy restaurant.   I was expecting more than just a few tables and chairs and order from the counter service.   We quickly looked over the menu and decided to start with some garlic knots and also to split the Venetian Pizza with Ricotta, Spinach, Mozzarella, and Marinara  sauce.   We were told  that there weren’t any knots ready, so it would take time to prepare.   I’m glad we decided to wait for them to be  prepared  fresh as they were very good and were served  with a large cup of marinara.

Our pizza came out shortly after the garlic knots, and was a large 18″ pie that was cooked  perfectly.   This is New York style pizza with huge slices and rather thin crust.   Our choice in pizza turned out to be  pretty unique and also really delicious.   One of the two employees commented that one of the owners came up with this pizza on his own and that he thought it tasted a lot like lasagna.   He was definitely right about the ricotta and marinara  blending together to give a lasagna taste.   The huge pizza was more than enough and we ended up taking half of it home.

Despite my thoughts on the physical restaurant, the food is great, and the service was excellent.   I’m sure it’s much busier when school is in session at DU, but it was a perfect quiet night out for the two of us.

Last night Kim and I prepared a corn on the cob  recipe from a book I mentioned earlier titled Patio Daddy-O at the Grill. I highly recommend the book as everything we have tried has been full of flavor and relatively easy to prepare.   Here is the recipe:

The cure for fresh corn fatigue: Char the ears in their husks, strip them naked, then roll them in soft butter spiked with basil and lemon.   For a final flourish, hit the glistening rows with a   flurry of grated Parmesan.

• 6 ears corn, husks on
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Vegetable oil for the grill
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Soak the corn in a large bowl of water for 1 hour (so the husks don’t catch fire).
2. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or preheat a gas or electric grill to medium-high.
3. In a small bowl, mix the butter with the lemon juice and basil, and season with salt and pepper.   Spread out the butter in a 1/4-inch-thick layer in the center of a large plate or baking sheet and set aside.
4. Brush the grill grate with vegetable oil.   Grill the corn, turning often, until the husks are evenly charred all over, 25 to 30 minutes.   Carefully peel back the corn husks, but leave them attached to the cobs.   Discard the corn silk and use the husks as handles.   Roll the corn in the softened butter, and top with Parmesan cheese.   Server immediately.

We only prepared  half of the recipe, and used only 2 tablespoons of butter.   That seemed to be enough butter for us and we left the remaining butter mix ingredients at their full six serving amounts.   We didn’t have lemon juice so we used lime juice instead.   The results were delicious!

To kick off the long holiday weekend Kim and I ventured out for dinner on Friday evening.   She was craving something spicy, so we consulted the latest 5280 magazine’s Top of the Town  and decided to head to the editors’ choice for Indian Restaurants, which is creatively named India’s Restaurant.   Fortunately, as we would soon realize, the food is much better  than the name and the location of  this restaurant.   It is situated  in a suburban  strip mall and shares an entrance with  a discount movie theater.   That doesn’t exactly scream authentic, but we soon were treated to some of the best Indian food I have ever had.

We started with the Shahi  Bhajia, Crisp deep-fried vegetable fritters.   The variety of vegetables were all good, but I especially liked the broccoli.   And for dinner Kim went with the    Ticca  Saag, Boneless tandoori chicken diced and cooked in a spinach and cream sauce.   I chose the Malai  Koftam, Indian vegetable and cheese balls in a delicately spiced curry.   We both ordered the meals to be  prepared  to the medium spice level.   Even this came with a warning the server that it would be, “hot like jalapeno.”   We shared both dishes and I can admit that the Ticca  Saag  was definitely spicy and there was no way we could have eaten it prepared  hot, but the Malai  Koftam was not as spicy, though that could be intentional.

Both dishes were excellent and I would order each again, but with so many choices on the menu I’m sure we would try something else the next time.   We also ordered a side of garlic nan  with our meals, which was also very good.   My only complaint would be that each entrée was only served with a small dish of rice.   I prefer much more rice to help balance the heat if needed.   I’m sure we could have asked for more rice, but instead we prepared some of our own at home to go with the leftovers for today’s lunches.   It was just as good reheated as it was when we first had it a few days ago.

I started off the weekend with back-to-back appearances at the Irish Snug.   I’m no stranger to this restaurant as it has become our latest Bengals bar in town, after the Bears fans reclaimed  Wyman’s.   I rode my bike up to the Snug on Friday after work to meet some friends for happy hour.   They have a great two-for-one deal on draft beers during happy hour, including a couple of special brews from the Tommyknocker  Brewery up in Idaho Springs.   I would definitely recommend the Naked Tinker beer over the 5 Lamps Lager.   Neither of them are outstanding, but at two-for-one prices, they are hard to pass up.   Also on the happy hour menu are a variety of small plates.   I’d recommend the jalapeno poppers, curry chips (slightly messy), or the soft shell tacos.   Our group had nearly all the happy hour food items on the menu and I didn’t hear any complaints.

After Friday happy hour, I ventured back to the Snug on Saturday afternoon to watch the World Cup game, dragging Kim along to watch.   I’m glad we ate before we arrived Saturday, as they were only serving a limited menu after getting slammed during the USA and England match a couple of weeks ago.   They were serving their fish and chips, which always seems like a popular staple of the menu.   Rather than wasting time with food I concentrated on a couple of Guinness and the game on TV.   Speaking of TV, they bar is loaded with many of them throughout the two floors, all of great quality.   It’s a wonderful place to watch a game, unfortunately the same could not be said for the results of the game on TV that day.

Besides the obvious cravings for Skyline Chili and LaRosa’s Pizza, occasionally I miss a restaurant back in Cincinnati called Penn Station.   Penn Station serves “east coast” subs, think cheesesteaks and such.   I’ve long been a fan of their chicken teriyaki   and  chicken parmesan sandwiches.   Fortunately I think I’ve found a replacement in Denver that is nearly as good, Cheesesteak Connection.   Including last night’s visit, I have visited twice and have sampled both their chicken  teriyaki and pizza Philly (with chicken).   I would definitely have to choose Penn Station’s chicken parmesan over Cheesesteak Connection’s chicken pizza, which was the first sandwich I tried.   Luckily I gave the restaurant another chance, and I must admit that their chicken teriyaki is definitely a good sandwich, different from Penn Station’s, but equally as  good.

Now I’m not claiming to be  an expert on Philly sandwiches, in fact I’ve never even visited Philadelphia, but I’ve read that the Cheesesteak Connection serves the best Phillys in Denver.   There are a few other restaurants in town that also have the same distinction from other reviewers, so I’ll have to give them a try sometime as well.   One thing that the Cheesesteak Connection could improve on would be their fries.   I always enjoy waffle fries, but I think fresh-cut skin-on fries are best served with Philly sandwiches.   It is still refreshing to know that I now have  someplace to fulfill my occasional chicken teriyaki Philly craving.

For dinner last night, Kim found a black bean burger recipe that she wanted to try.   Normally I would be hesitant to try one of these “veggie burgers.”   No, not because I love regular burgers.   It’s quite the opposite actually, as I don’t really eat red meat.   I just have never had a desire to pretend I’m eating something that I really don’t want to eat.   No turkey burgers, no veggie burgers, etc.   However, a few weeks ago Kim ordered a black bean burger from a restaurant, though I can’t recall which one.   She remarked at how good it was and offered a bite.   I decided to give it a try and was surprised at how tasty it really was.

Anyway, Kim found a recipe and she prepared the burgers while I finished painting our entryway.   The recipe says that they aren’t quite firm enough for the backyard grill, but we had no problem grilling ours.   I think she used all of the flour called for in the recipe, which actually helped to firm up the outside of the burgers.   We added some slices of cheddar cheese to ours, along with toasted wheat buns, ketchup, mustard, and pickles.   They weren’t quite as good as the burger Kim ordered a couple weeks ago, but they were still pretty good.   I’d give them a seven or eight on a scale of ten.   I’d like to keep experimenting with the recipe and adding additional things to the mix to spice it up, but it is defnitely a great starting point for some healthy food.

To kick off the Memorial Day weekend, Kim and I took a walk up to the newly opened Moe’s Original BBQ near the intersection of 6th and Broadway.   We’ve eaten at a couple of other Moe’s locations in the past and have always enjoyed the food.   This visit was no exception.   Another Moe’s location that has a small bowling alley inside is only three and half miles from our house, but this new location is a walkable mile and half for us.   We arrived just after seven in the evening and there was a steady flow of people ordering food, finding tables either inside or out on the large patio area, or just hanging at the bar for a few drinks.

As with Moe’s other locations, food is ordered at the counter, or in this case at the bar.   Kim went with the smoked chicken sandwich with beans and slaw and I ordered the smoked turkey sandwich with mac ‘n cheese and fried okra.   After placing the order we found a table out on the front patio that still had some shade.   Our food was delivered to us in under ten minutes and everything was smoked or cooked just right.   Both of these sandwiches are served “Alabama style” with both red and white sauce along with coleslaw all piled on a white bun.   Both were delicious, though we both opted to add a little more of the regular BBQ sauce to each.   The sides were also excellent, with the fried okra being the big surprise of the night.   I guess it is true when people say that anything fried is good.   This was more than enough food, and the price is just right!   I’m glad to have a BBQ restaurant so close to home.   We will absolutely be back soon.