My opportunities for travel are most often business-related,
meaning I fly into a place, take a cab to my hotel, spend the majority of my
days in a conference room or convention center, then limp exhaustedly out to
dinner, alone or in a large group, at the best place I can find without too
much hassle.
I get to eat at really great places in this vein – don’t get
me wrong – but it’s not the most relaxed way to experience a city. But
recently, I went to visit Big Hungry Jill for a long weekend in her newest
city, Denver. I’ve somehow never been to Colorado, and getting to see it as a
tourist and in the company of a resident rather than as a business traveler was
an absolute treat. Here’s where you need to eat when you go there.
Denver Biscuit Company is run and patronized by very, very
cool people. They are cooler than me, and it’s probable they will be cooler
than you. Ignore the intimidation factor, and order yourself a giant,
bacon-topped cinnamon roll made from biscuit dough along with the spicy bloody
mary. Carbs and vodka can make me feel better about almost anything, including
what a dork I am.
This roll was luscious with sugary icing, just a wee bit
smoky from the bacon shards decorating the top, and ooey gooey on the inside
while also somehow being flaky. The biscuit dough make it less yeasty than your
typical cinnamon roll, but it was still tender and buttery on the inside.
You could opt next (oh yeah, you’ll already be full. Order
more food anyway – you’re on vacation!) for the biscuits and gravy or the
shrimp and grits, depending on your gluttony inclinations. Both were delicious,
but I’m going to give the slight edge to the biscuits and gravy because the
savory, creamy gravy was well-seasoned and not too rich, but still in great
supply. We found the shrimp factor and the sauce factor to be a bit lacking in
the shrimp and grits.
Next up, Uno Mas Taqueria on South Pearl not only has a
great back patio for Happy Hour, but free chips and salsa to go with your
skinny margarita. The green one is fiery, and the red ones are excellent.
Moving right on down the street, we had our best meal of the
trip at Ototo Raw Bar and Robata Grill. We enjoyed the Happy Hour menu here, as
well, and really made the best of our limited time at this gorgeous respite.
The very best dish was called Kinpira, lightly sautéed julienned burdock root
and carrot dressed in sesame oil and soy sauce. This was simple, but absolutely
wonderful – the root vegetable providing earthy texture and flavor that was kissed
beautifully by the sesame oil and sweetened by the carrot.
The honey miso eggplant was clearly crafted by angels. The
mixture of the earthy, salty, fermented miso flavor with the sweet honey and
the slightly bitter, soft eggplant was genius.
The grilled squid was no slouch, and I dish I liked better
than I expected to. I like grilled octopus and I like fried squid preparations,
but I don’t wholly love either. This managed to become smoky on the grill, and
was cooked perfectly so that it was tender but with just a slight crunch. The seaweed
and sesame sprinkled on top and the soy and sake liquid underneath complimented
the creamy flavor of the fish really well.
The grilled pork belly didn’t disappoint, either. The star
of this dish was the yuzu-kosho sauce served with the lightly grilled, fatty
pork. It was brightly citrusy with the punch of fermented chiles that elevated
this from a bacon dish to an exotic wonder from another land. The sauce cut
right through the richness of the meat and anything than can out sing pork
belly is a star in my book.
After all that Happy Hour-ing, you’re going to want dim sum
the next morning. We sure did. We had a procession of awesome Chinese
specialties here, and I can’t possibly describe them all, except one: rolled-up
rice noodles stir fried with jalapenos, soy, and garlic that knocked my socks
off. I have no idea what they are called, since we picked them off a steam
cart, but you have to get them in your life. And I need to learn to make them
at home, because you all know Upstate NY is a dim sum wasteland.
Star Kitchen is very authentic and absolutely worth the
drive out of the more touristy areas to seek it out.
A you need to know about if you’re heading to Denver is
Avanti, which is unlike any other eatery I’ve ever visited. This place is
essentially a co-op of different restaurants, and it is BRILLIANT. The base
building has a couple bars on different levels, plus indoor and outdoor seating
options (and lots of them), with vendors occupying stalls selling schawarma,
burgers, sushi, pizza, pasta, and arepas.
I had to go for the arepas, and my pabellon from Quiero
Arepas was massive and delectable. The mix of savory black beans, sweet
plantains, rich braised beef and salty cheese was in perfect balance. I was sad
not to be able to sample the pork and guacamole version, but honestly, this
thing was big enough for three people. There was no way.
Avanti is also exceedingly cool in that very Denver/rich hipster
way, but a little bit lower on the intimidation scale. Everyone is just doing
their own thing here, and to grab a bite to eat and a drink and cop a squat
outside on the deck on a nice day is pretty much Heaven. The variety keeps it
interesting, too. I think this concept could be a great idea for Armory Square
in Syracuse or anywhere where people want to pre-game – it provides lots of
options for large groups so everyone can find something they like, and then sit
all together and talk and enjoy.
One more brunch for my Hungries, because I know you love it.
Maddie’s, in the Rosedale neighborhood, has a cool mix of Jewish deli foods
with Mexican specialties and southern-tinged dishes. We started with a flight
of pancakes. Hey! I don’t want you to read right over that – you can order a
FLIGHT OF PANCAKES for the table at Maddies, like, to start your breakfast.
Yeah, I know. I know! Life is amazing.
We got a trio of tiny blueberry, banana walnut, and cinnamon
sugar pancakes to share between the three of us, and were pretty proud of our accomplishment.
These were sweet and tender. Not as fluffy as I may would have liked, but
absolutely delicious nonetheless.
For my main, I ordered Maddie’s BYOBOWL of green chile,
bacon, home fries, sautéed peppers and onions, cheddar cheese and two SSU eggs
with a side of challah toast. It’s going to be tough to describe how much I
loved it. Should I write a sonnet? Because green chile is my jam, you guys. It’s
spicy, but not too; it’s savory, but not salty. The bacon leant the salt, and
the eggs and cheese brought the richness, while the vegetables rounded
everything else and prevented total gut-bomb status. I want to start making myself
this dish on the weekends because I am in love with it.
You can also get an Israeli breakfast with hummus, eggs, and
salad at Maddie’s, and if that doesn’t sound scrumptious, I don’t know what
does. Do you think they would build a second location in Endicott?
All in all, my visit to Denver was a gastronomic feat. Jill
and I gallivanted around Red Rocks and green parks, we shopped and watched too
many episodes of Drunk History and renewed our evergreen friendship in all the most
important ways – and many of those ways are laughing over really great food.
What a gorgeous city and a terrific trip! My personality is big; my hunger is
bigger!
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