After the early afternoon whiskey tour at Stranahan’s, we all took a nap during the middle of the afternoon.   Perhaps starting the day out with a few drinks wasn’t the best idea if we wanted to have a productive afternoon.   Eventually we all rebounded in time to head up to a going away party at the Highland Tavern.   Our friends Corinne and Ted are moving this weekend out to San Francisco.   Kim and Corinne grew up together and have remained good friends through the years.   Her boyfriend, Ted, accepted a new job promotion out in San Fransisco and Corinne has decided to go along as well.   I can relate to this very easily, as I decided around seven years ago to join Kim in her move to Kansas City.   Looking back it seemed like such a simple decision at the time, but it definitely changed my life for the better.   I hope the same is true for Corinne and Ted.   They are definitely going to be missed, and judging by the large turnout at the party, we aren’t the only ones with that feeling.   San Francisco has been on my cities to visit list for a while, so this is just another excuse to plan a trip there.

As far the Highland Tavern goes, this was our first time there.   We don’t make it up to the Highlands area of town too often, and I do believe that it’s a rather new restaurant and bar.   We arrived just past seven, and immediately a member of the staff asked if we were with the party.   We were escorted to a table with a reserved sign on it.   We hadn’t had dinner yet, so we quickly decided to try the mac and cheese appetizer (3 cheeses + creamy goodness + elbows + buttered breadcrumbs).   It arrived quickly, and after assuring the food runner that I wasn’t eating it all myself, we were given some bowls and extra spoons.   It was a delicious appetizer, and I especially enjoyed the breadcrumb topping.

For dinner I ordered the don’t be such a turkey sandwich (roasted turkey + bacon + cheddar + avocado + arugula + sweet onion relish) with fries. Kim ordered the special, which was a chicken pot pie, and Amy ordered the no, i ain’t from Philly sandwich (5oz grilled steak + melted provolone + american + grilled onions). My sandwich was excellent, especially the sweet onion relish. Kim also enjoyed her pot pie, which wasn’t a traditional dish, but rather a crock of soup topped with a puffy biscuit like bread. Amy also mentioned that she enjoyed the Philly sandwich, and both of us agreed that shoestring fries are awesome. I shouldn’t have eaten my whole meal, but it was too good to stop. I don’t know if we will venture back that way anytime soon, but I would definitely recommend the food at Highland Tavern.

While Amy was visiting over the weekend, we took a tour of the Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Distillery.   I made the reservation late on Friday night, and decided to do the 1pm tour.   We arrived about ten minutes early, and noticed that the attached restaurant, Rackhouse Pub, was hosting some sort of event for American Craft Brew Week.   Could this be any better?   Good whiskey and good beer all in the same location!   The tour started just a few minutes late, but the wait was well worth it.

Two Stranahan’s employees greeted us near the bar of the Rackhouse, asked for our IDs, and then quickly began the tour for the small group of just over a dozen people.   We were led into a large open warehouse that was filled with various tanks for mashing, fermenting, and distilling.   We were guided through the full process of creating whiskey, and I quickly realized how similar it was to brewing beer, at least in the early stages.   The distilling process was something that I wasn’t too familiar with, and the guide explained it in great detail.

After everyone in the group had a full understanding of the process so far, we were led into the cellars to see both empty and filled oak barrels.   The process of aging the whiskey is known as maturation, and though easy to understand, the sight of so many filled barrels is pretty cool to see.   Finally, at the end of the tour, each tour goer is rewarded with a free sample of this wonderful whiskey.   Before tasting, we were given a variety of glasses filled with a small amount of whiskey for smelling.   The idea was to show how much the smell can change in differently shaped glasses.   Finally, I tried smelling the whiskey in my provided tiny plastic cup, but after little results, I allowed my tongue to do the tasting for me.   Yum!

I was on my own for dinner last night, and after recently eating at all the restaurants near our house, I decided to go for a walk. I was on the lightrail heading north toward home and decided to get off at the Louisiana/Pearl station, one stop before my regular stop. I walked west on Louisiana toward Broadway aiming for Spicy Pickle, thinking that I would pickup a pizzetti (their version of a pizza). I arrived at the restaurant to realize that they close at 4pm, much earlier than my arrival time.

After walking along Broadway for a block or two and not finding anything else to eat, I walked back over towards Pearl and took a stroll south.   One of the first eateries I passed was a newer pizza place that I hadn’t yet tried, Kaos Pizza (new website badly needed), so I decided to give it a shot.   I remember reading that the restaurant was pretty much carry out and delivery only.   I did notice that there is a rather large patio in front of the small one room kitchen that provides some outdoor eating space.   Also, it looks like they are soon going to take over a neighboring building and offer some inside dining space, as well as a bar and beer garden (once the liquor license goes through).   This should definitely help improve the aspect of the restaurant that everyone seems to complain about, there are very few eat-in options.

I ordered the pepperoncini pizza, which is topped with tomato sauce, provolone & mozzarella, completely covered in pepperoni, tiny slivers of red onion, and obviously pepperoncini on top.   I was told it would take ten to thirteen minutes, and I was surprised when it was removed from the large pizza oven well under the fifteen minute mark.   I took my pizza to go, and ate the entire ten inch pie at home.   I must admit that I’m a big fan of Southern Italian Naples style pizza, and this pizza definitely hit the mark.   The crust was chewy and cooked perfectly, and the sauce had a bit of spice in it along with great tomato taste. The toppings were abundant, fresh, and tasty as well. I was very satisfied with my first Kaos pizza and I hope to have another soon.

Image taken from Denveater

Saturday afternoon, Kim and I took a walk for some lunch. I recently read a review of Socorro’s in 5280 and we decided to head there to try it out.   They are known for their “street tacos” but neither of us decided to order those.   Kim decided to order a torta filled with some sort of pineapple pork, if I remember correctly.   Neither of us were exactly sure what the torta was, but after having it, I would highly recommend it.   A torta is just a Mexican sandwich, and the tortas at Socorro’s are served on fresh sweet bread.   I ordered a burrito filled with chicken, rice, beans, etc. and topped with vegetarian green chile.   We also started with a basket of fresh chips and salsa, which were also very good.   We both look forward to going back to Socorro’s soon to try some of their other menu offerings.

Before our big race on Saturday, Kim and I finally made it to the often packed breakfast eatery called Snooze.   This wasn’t the first time we tried to eat here, but each time we’ve driven past, the large crowd gathered outside has forced us to look elsewhere.   We even tried their newer location on Colorado Boulevard, but it too was packed on a random weekend morning.   This past Saturday morning would be different though.   We were up and moving before 8am.   I’m pretty sure we were at the restaurant before nine, and were seated at a table within ten minutes.   While we were leaving, I overheard that the wait was already up to 30 or 45 minutes for two people.

Kim and I both had a chai tea latte to drink while we looked over the menu.   I had heard all about their pancakes, and decided to order the pancake flight, which is three pancakes of differing flavors.   I went with the Pineapple Upside Down (fresh chunks of caramelized pineapple with housemade vanilla crème anglaise and cinnamon butter), Sweet Potato (signature sweet potato buttermilk pancakes topped with homemade caramel, pecans and ginger butter), and Cinnfull (glorious buttermilk pancake with white chocolate chips, drizzled with our homemade Bacon Caramel, vanilla cream sauce and topped with cinnamon butter).   I must admit that the latter was by far my favorite, though it was very sweet.   I also enjoyed the Pineapple Upside Down pancake, but thought the Sweet Potato was a little plain.   Or perhaps it just wasn’t as strong as the other two on my plate.   Kim ordered an omelet, which she also really enjoyed.

I’m not sure I would wait 30 or more minutes to try this restaurant.   It definitely has good food and great service, I just don’t understand the large mob that often hangs on the street-corner waiting for an open table.   Give me Lucile’s over Snooze any day of the week, though it too often has a really long wait for a table.   I guess you have to wait for good food at times.

Have you ever wondered what beer might have tasted like before prohibition?   Well now you have your chance.   Coors has just released Batch 19 Pre-Prohibition Style Lager.   Based on a recipe that is over 90 years old, this beer delivers a “bold, hoppy flavor that is surprisingly well-balanced.”   From a recent 5280 blog:

Keith Villa, the MillerCoors brewmaster behind Coors’ Blue Moon, explains:  â€When Prohibition banned beer in 1919, breweries went under and recipes were lost. In our case, the archived logbooks with these old recipes were stored in the basement of the brewery and forgotten about, until a small flood prompted me to move them to safety. When I realized what I had found, it was something I knew I had to brew. This recipe is part of our history, and I think beer fans will really enjoy a chance to taste the past.”

Unfortunately the brew is only available in five cities: Chicago, San Fran, San Jose, Washington, D.C. and Milwaukee.   I’m disappointed that it won’t be offered in Coors home of Denver, but perhaps that will change in the future.   I know that I’d like to give it a try.

Over the weekend, I poured a couple of glasses of my latest homebrew for myself and a few friends.   Overall, the reactions were mixed, but I think the majority thought that it still needed more carbonation.   So we only had a glass or two that day, but over the last couple of days I’ve tried it again and I think it is much better than before.   The carbonation really helps bring out the bitterness of the Pale Ale style and gives it a nice crisp taste.   I’m the only one who has tried it again, so I may be a bit biased, but I’m sure it won’t be long before Kim or some friends decide to give it another try.   Cheers!

Wednesday night Kim and I hosted a gathering at our house for part of the group from our recent hut trip.   We were getting together for dinner and to exchange pictures.   Though I didn’t end up offering samples of my recently kegged homebrew, I prepared another hit at the party.   In addition to serving grilled chicken, I prepared this green bean recipe that I’ve used numerous times before.   Though it is very easy and requires very few ingredients, the results are very tasty and approved by our group of snowshoeing hikers.   In fact, it is so simple that I’m sure we could make it on next year’s hut trip as it doesn’t require more than the beans, a premixed sauce, and some garlic.   Give it a try.

I recently kegged my third batch of homebrew.   This is an American style Pale Ale that I brewed on March 14th.   I then let it ferment from that day all the way until this past Saturday, April 17th.   So it sat for over a month, which may have helped increase the alcohol content.   In the past, I’ve struggled to get the final gravity as low as they recipe said it should be.   However, this time it started at 1.051 and went all the way down to 1.012.   That equates to 5.11% ABV making it my strongest beer yet!

I poured a small sample of the beer last night, and it tasted a little bitter but overall pretty mellow.   It definitely still needs some carbonation, so I’ll continue rocking the keg and letting it sit connected to the CO2 tank and hopefully it will be tasting great by this coming weekend.   I would have liked for it to be ready for a gathering at our house tonight, but I don’t think it’s quite there yet.   Though I may dish out a few samples anyway.   Since the kegging day was the day between my dad and my brother’s birthdays I am calling it Fabro Pale Ale, the combination of Father and Brother.

Friday night, after I had arrived back in Denver, Kim and I stopped for some dinner on the way home from the airport.   Initially we had plans to eat out near the airport, but after a delayed flight and little traffic on the highways, we ventured closer to home.   Our destination was Pete’s Central One, which we have dined at a time or two before.   I remembered that the Greek food was great, and that the little neighborhood spot would be just what we wanted for the night.   The tables are definitely close to each other, but I think that helps bring all the regulars together in a big conversation that often fills the restaurant.

We decided to split some hummus for an appetizer, which quickly arrived with warm pita slices.   I also decided to order the chicken kabob, which came with a side of tasty rice, and some vegetables.   Also served with it was a small cup of Avgolemono soup and a dinner salad as well.   It is a ton of food and it is all so good!   With a little of Kim’s help I was able to eat nearly all the dinner plate and even had room for a couple of Ouzo shots.   The manager of the restaurant is famous for giving away free shots of Ouzo after you have finished your meal.   If you stay long enough, we found out that he will keep pouring them for you too.   Dining at Pete’s is always a great experience and I’m sure we’ll be back soon.