I really enjoyed Warped Wing beers and was hoping the same would be true about their Brewpub & Smokery in Mason. We stopped by during a soccer tournament for lunch and found immediate seating available both inside and out. The space is very large and can host quite a crowd.

Beers

You can’t go wrong with a tall glass of Gamma Bomb IPA. But they also have a wide variety of drafts on their two dozen or so taps. In colder weather, you cannot go wrong with Whiskey Rebellion, their barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout.

Chicken Sandwich & Grits

For lunch, I had the chicken sandwich, which combines smoked chopped chicken with Swiss cheese, Carolina gold bbq, and fried onion straws ($14 with choice of side). The smoke flavor of the chicken was great, and the Carolina sauce was on point, sweet, and tangy with just a bit of spice. On the side, I chose the jalapeno grits, which were a little soupy for my liking. The flavor was good though. Overall it was a good meal and we will be back I’m sure during another soccer tournament.

Since my time living out in Denver, Oskar Blues has always been one of my favorite breweries. It’s hard to go wrong with their Dale’s Pale Ale. When I realized that they now had a restaurant in Denver, it was time for my family to stop in for dinner one night while on spring break. Oskar Blues Grill & Brew is located just off the 16th Street Mall on Market Street, just a few blocks from Union Station. There was a good crowd when we arrived, but the spacious restaurant space allowed for a table to be had right away.

Inside

Obviously, you will find Dale’s Pale Ale on draft, but they also have a ton of other beers that aren’t so common, especially out in Ohio. If barrel-aged Ten FIDY is there, be sure to give that a try! Other popular beers include Mama’s Little Yella Pils and Old Chub. The restaurant also features a full bar and signature cocktails.

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

For dinner, I had the spicy chicken sandwich which is tossed in honey sriracha, topped with coleslaw and pickled jalapenos on a brioche bun ($15 with fries and pickle slices). This was a really unique and good spicy chicken sandwich. It was pretty hot, so be sure you have plenty of Dale’s Pale Ale to wash it down with! My wife enjoyed the pulled pork, and the kids menu had just about everything our littles could want on it.

The Stanley Beer Hall concept is something I wish I saw more of at home in Cincinnati. You check in at the front desk and open a tab. The staff provides you a card to use during your visit to then use when you pour your own beer. You can get as much or as little of a taste as you want. It’s like a buffet of beer!

Pour Your Own Beer

Add to that some really good food. My wife loves pork green chili and found that theirs was spot on. Pork shoulder, Monterey jack, sour cream, cilantro, served with flour tortillas ($13). It had the right level of spice and plenty of chunks of pork.

Pork Green Chili

I enjoyed the B.L.A.T. with candied bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato, and mayo on brioche ($16 with a side). The candied bacon was perfectly cooked and I loved the addition of avocado to the sandwich. The only thing I should have done was added green chili to my tots for an extra few bucks.

B.L.A.T.

My only complaint would be that the prices are a little high, especially considering that you are often your own server. But overall a great experience.

We almost always stop in Idaho Springs either on our way to or coming back from the mountains. Often we stop at Beau Jo’s, but on this latest trip back to Denver we stopped at the Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub. I’ve been to Tommyknocker often when my wife and I lived in Denver a dozen years ago, but this was the first time we’ve been back since moving away. I forgot just how spacious the pub is on the inside. We had no trouble getting a table on a Friday afternoon.

Mountain Melt

For lunch, I went with the mountain melt, grilled sourdough stuffed with cheddar, jack, pepper jack, and American cheeses plus bacon and tomato ($15). On the side, I had a cup of tomato artichoke soup. The soup was awesome and paired really well with the grilled cheese. This is a great comfort food for the winter (or even spring break).

Charcuterie & Empanadas

My daughter ordered the charcuterie featuring select artisan cheeses, salami, beer brat, cranberry apple chutney, mustard, and her bakes crostini ($16). This was a large plate that was plenty to share. I would have liked to see more cheese on the plate, but what was there was good.

My wife ordered the spinach and cheese empanadas ($15) which were really good. Another solid recommendation for something to share with the table, as the serving size was pretty large for one person to try to tackle.

Overall we had a great visit to Tommyknocker and will make sure to stop back again soon.

Odell Brewing was always one of my favorite breweries during my time living in Denver. They still do not distribute anywhere near my home in Ohio. When visiting Colorado now, one of the first things I typically do is find an Odell beer on draft somewhere. On our latest trip to Denver, we decided to check out their Sloan’s Lake Brewhouse.

Art

This is a very casual spot with a great location with views of Sloan’s Lake. Orders are placed at the bar. There is a great variety of beers including beers that are made in-house on their 10-barrel pilot brewhouse. I always start with their flagship IPA and go from there.

Inside

My family and I split some food, starting with the chicken chopped salad. This featured Altius Farm’s greens, oven-roasted chicken, bacon, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and asiago cheese topped with honey mustard vinaigrette ($11). This was a pretty big salad, easily enough to share with a pizza. The dressing was really excellent!

Chicken Chopped Salad

We also had the Margherita pizza ($16) and a kids cheese pizza ($8). The crust was pretty thin, but still managed to be chewy with a light char to it. The toppings were fresh and overall we enjoyed the pizza.

Margherita Pizza

Odell has awesome beer and the food at their Sloan’s Lake Brewhouse was pretty solid. Easily worth a visit and I will return on a future trip to Denver.

Spring break in Colorado has been our go-to for a number of years. Before heading up to the mountains, we always spend some time in Denver. This time we stayed downtown near Union Station and ventured out for dinner one night. After a couple of strikes, we eventually ended up at D’corazon Mexican Restaurant, just a few blocks away. There was a little line out the door, but we were told that the wait would only be twenty minutes or so. Fortunately, it was more like ten minutes until our table was ready!

Inside D’corazon

D’corazon has been around for over 25 years. Their space is much larger than it appears from the outside. It’s not wide, but is quite deep and even has a bar in the back. Service is quick and efficient. They are able to turn tables over pretty quickly.

Chimichanga

When I see a chimichanga on the menu, nine times out of ten that’s what I will order. This particular chimichanga ($12.88) was among the best I’ve had. The star of the dish is their delicious green chile sauce.

Green Chile Plate

Similarly, my wife is a sucker for green chile, a staple dish of U.S. Southwestern cuisine. The green chile plate here ($14.88) is served with chunks of pork, rice, beans, and tortillas on the side. It is spicy but incredibly flavorful. No matter what you order from D’corazon make sure it comes with green chile!

The Pickled Pig in Walnut Hills is one of my favorite recent finds. The small deli specializes in smoked meats and fermented/pickled sides. Orders are placed at the counter and the menu focuses on sandwiches and deli-style salads.

Inside

For lunch, I decided to try the smoked turkey sandwich ($12) topped with sauerkraut, tomme (a French/Swiss cheese), and Russian dressing on sourdough rye, a sort of turkey Reuben. I really enjoyed this sandwich with its piled high delightfully smoky turkey. The bread was also outstanding!

Smoked Turkey Sandwich

On the side, I had their Korean carrots (a $3 add-on to the sandwich), a sweet and sour pickled delight. They also have potato salad, beet & apple salad, chicken salad, egg salad, hummus, and more.

Korean Carrots

If the Pickled Pig were closer to my house it would definitely be in my weekly rotation for lunch. But even so, I will have to remember to stop in again for more delicious food.

The Truck

Urban Vistro is a chef-driven food truck from Vitor Abreu. He runs Vitor’s Bistro in West Harrison, Indiana, and also this food truck that I stumbled upon one day. The menu for the day was large, especially for a food truck, and featured tacos, quesadillas, burgers, grilled cheese, and sandwiches.

Menu Boards

I had the chicken tacos which featured braised chicken, roasted corn and tomato pico, and lime sour cream (2 tacos for $9). The tortillas were filled with plenty of chicken and toppings and the taste was great. We went back for hush puppies later in the day, and my daughter still talks about how good those were. I wouldn’t hesitate to hit up this food truck in the future and will have to remember Vitor’s Bistro if I’m ever out in West Harrison.

Chicken Tacos

Happy New Year! Below is the list of cities that I visited in 2022 with at least one night spent in each place.

• Cincinnati, Ohio *
• Denver, Colorado
• Dillon, Colorado
• Copper Mountain, Colorado
• Aurora, Colorado
• Dublin, Ohio
• Williamstown, Kentucky *
• Elizabeth City, North Carolina
• Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina
• Norfolk, Virginia
• Santa Claus, Indiana
• LaFollette, Tennessee
• Hilliard, Ohio
• West Chester, Ohio
• Logan, Ohio
• Boyne Falls, Michigan
• Traverse City, Michigan

* Those cities marked with an asterisk were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

See also: 2021 |  2020 |  2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |  2015 |  2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

It took me too long to write this review. Our neighborhood has a newer carryout pizza joint and it is incredible. St. Francis Apizza is a family-owned and operated artisan pizza shop. They were formerly named Parlor Pizza Project when it first opened in early 2021.

Sausage & Jalapeno

First of all their crust is outstanding! It is light, airy, and cooked to a nice crisp. Their housemade fennel sausage is really good and pairs well with jalapenos, onion, or olives.

Pepperoni & Banana Peppers

Another outstanding topping is the local oyster mushrooms. The New Richmond Signature pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, pecorino romano, grana padano, extra virgin olive oil, mushrooms, red onion, and local fresh basil to finish is a favorite of my entire family.

Mushroom & Onion

All pizzas are served 16″ with 8 slices. They do offer half-and-half pizzas if you would like to try a couple of varieties.