Weekend links for NoCo

Why is it always so much easier to remember how awesome your life is in the summer? Oh right, because it is more awesome in the summer. 

Best Brunch Spots

Door 222, Loveland (opens at 11:30am)

Lucile's, Fort Collins

Rise!, Fort Collins

Snooze, Fort Collins

Sugar House, Eaton

Best Breweries

1933 Brewing, Fort Collins

Coopersmith's, Fort Collins

Loveland Ale Works, Loveland

Verboten Brewing, Loveland

Weldwerks, Greeley

Outdoor Fun

Boyd Lake State Park, Loveland

Gateway Natural Area, Fort Collins

Horsetooth Reservoir and Mountain Park, Fort Collins

Poudre River Corridor, Greeley, Windsor, and Fort Collins

Windsor Lake, Windsor

Summer in Estes Park

Estes Park, Colorado, is one of those mountain towns that's probably more heavily inhabited in the summer than in the winter.  Because skiing is nonexistent in this town, it serves instead as a great escape from the heat down in the Front Range for locals, and as the home of the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountain National Park to the rest of the world.

I'm not even going to try to cover the park here.  There are books and books out there, which is probably a good indication that my little old blog post will be inadequate. Instead, let's talk about the town itself.

Restaurants are not amazing here, but they're trying.

COFFEE/BREAKFAST: A must before a long hike in the Park, right? Kind Coffee is the alternative to Starbucks, with well-made cappuccinos, a beautiful, sun-drenched store, and mediocre pastries. I love going here in the afternoon for a pick-me-up when the daily rain shower starts, and when it's over, I take my leftover coffee outside and walk along the river behind the store.

Kind Coffee, 470 East Elkhorn Avenue

Notchtop Bakery has perfectly fine coffee, but nothing fancy, and they also serve looseleaf teas (standards and their own blends) in French presses for the tea drinkers in your group.  They bake all of their own goods, which are delicious, and they also serve a pretty satisfying plate of eggs.  They're only open from 7am-3pm, so I like to make this my breakfast stop. It's a bit hidden within the Safeway shopping complex off Big Thompson, so maybe use a GPS for this.

Notchtop Bakery & Cafe, 459 E Wonderview Ave

LUNCH: Please do yourselves the favor of eating at the buffet (or off the menu, if you prefer) at the tiny and charming Nepal's Cafe.  It's basically Indian food, if you're nervous about what the Nepalese eat, it is delicious and kept fresh on the buffet, and the old couple who own the place are sweet, sweet, sweet. It's also located along all those touristy shops and galleries, the perfect place to be when it starts raining around 1pm, which it will, every single day. 

Nepal's Cafe, 184 E Elkhorn Ave

DINNER: This is where it gets obvious that you're in a mountain town, which are not generally known for their fine cuisine.  I am a sap, and the very first place I ate two days after moving to Colorado was Grumpy Gringo, so I still go there.  It's on the edge of town when you first enter, it's fine (but not amazing) Tex-Mex fair, and the patio has a perfect mountain view.

Grumpy Gringo, 1560 Big Thompson Ave
970-586-7705

Sweet Basilico has simple, unsurprising Italian food that is cooked well.  I have often gone here for a late lunch after a big hike, but going for dinner means you can enjoy the interesting wine list, as well. I always get a plate of pasta with my choice of sauce and protein or veggie. The pesto with mushrooms is great. The pizza is very good, too. 

Sweet Basilico, 430 Prospect Village Dr

970-586-3899

There are several expensive restaurants that promise a fine dining experience with amazing local cuts of meat. Most of these places are full of shit (I'm looking at you, Nicky's).  But if you must take the plunge, Appenzell is quite good, and a bit newer, which gives me hope for the future of my Estes Park dinners. Happy hour is from 3-6, and the cheese plates and tapas are nice (and probably enough if you went to Sweet Basilico or Nepal's Cafe for lunch).  The wine list is nicely varied. 

Appenzell Restaurant and Pub, 1100 Big Thompson Ave.

(970) 586-1122

Housing is all over the place, from simple motels to luxury vacation rentals. Book early.

In town, take advantage of the greenbelt while your lazier family members are still snoozing. Pick it up from the beautiful Estes Park Visitor's Center and walk along the river, behind the shops and good old Kind Coffee.

Estes Park Visitor's Center
500 Big Thompson Avenue
800-443-7837
Not unlike my memories of Wisconsin Dells, there is a small contingent dedicated to maintaining a retro collection of family-friendly activities.  The dorkily named Fun City offers mini-golf, go-karts, water slides, bumper cars, and paddle boats, and it's smack in the middle of downtown.

Fun City
455 Prospect Village
970-586-2828

Ride the Aerial Tramway from downtown up to Prospect Mountain.  It's not as spectacular as a ride in, say, the Alps, but it's pleasant and it's not going to freak out Grandma, either. 

Aerial Tramway
420 E Riverside Dr.
970-586-3675

There are an inordinate number of shops in town--you'll know you've hit them when you start dodging large groups of slow-moving pedestrians wandering in the middle of the road, zombie-style, from one "Indian" jewelry shop to the next.  There are a lot of t-shirt shops, but embedded among all the crap are a few beautiful galleries, too (once again within walking distance of Kind Coffee on the greenway).  When your hiking blisters are well-developed enough to take a break from the park, it might be worth the wander. Once. I also like to stop at the sort of scuzzy, delightfully townie Wheel Bar in the midst of it all to gather my courage to continue. Have a brat and a beer. It'll get you through. 

Wheel Bar

132 E Elkhorn Ave
(970) 586-9381

Oh, also, this is the Stanley Hotel:

The Shining was filmed here.  You have to pay just to go in and walk around. Let me know if it's worth it. 

A happy hour tour through Northern Colorado (with a little Denver thrown in for good measure)

I wasn't very positive earlier this week when I reviewed Uncle in Denver:

A serving of superiority makes the ramen so much better...

But it made me think about all of the places I genuinely love to visit, and how lucky I am to live in this part of the country, where, overwrought snobbiness or not, people care about interesting beers and tasty, healthy bites. So, in honor of all those serious cooks and thoughtful brewers, I thought I'd share a list of my favorite places to  do my favorite thing: drink and eat snacks.  That's right, it's a HAPPY HOUR TOUR across Denver and NoCo!  

Denver

I've reviewed the Cruise Room, off the lobby of the Oxford Hotel, before, so you can read all about it here. And while they don't offer a special happy hour per se, it's worth a stop to have a martini in the swankiest bar in LoDo. Cocktail Menu

Highland Tap & Burger is large yet cozy inside, and the noise during happy hour is at a moderate din, just enough to make you feel not so alone.  The wait staff knows the menu (meaning, they've clearly tried most things on it) and makes you feel at home. They've got a good selection of taps, but their happy hour cocktails are pretty special (and boozy).  Happy Hour Menu

Linger is super-chic and the waiters are so fancy in their black outfits, but it's still pretty laid back despite the outwardly snobby trappings.  Their food is a creative, fusion-esque take on street food from around the world (please, please get a chicken bun if you go), and their cocktails are equally appropriate as works of art or as a way to kick back on Friday afternoon. Happy Hour Menu

Fort Collins

Ace Gillett's is a Prohibition Era-style speakeasy in the basement of the Armstrong Hotel.  You can go down though the hotel lobby or the unmarked side entrance from the street, and it's all dark and cozy when you get down there.  The happy hour menu is a great deal, and the drinks are some of the best-made I've had.  These bartenders have standards. Menu

The Astoria is more for slinking in after you've had enough to drink that you need some carbs to soak up the poisoning.  Along with another beer.  But the place serves great small plates of homestyle Cuban food, and the drinks are simple and nice.  I reviewed it fully right here just about a year ago, and I still think it's charming as hell. Menu

Jax Fish House has delicious fresh apps and tasty cocktails that are pretty mild on the alcohol content, but they're a great compliment to the peel and eat shrimp, mussels and frites, or my personal favorite, the dynamite seafood sliders with house-made kimchi.  Their happy hour also runs every day of the week, making it a great score post-afternoon hike at Horsetooth Mountain Park. Happy Hour Menu

Greeley

I know, right?!  There are places in Greeley now!  Well, one.

1908 Speakeasy is not perfect (their bartenders are young and need your guidance to ensure you're happy with your drink), but they're trying, and it's a cute attempt at recreating Ace Gillett's.  Located in the basement, underneath Kress Cinema, there's no sign--just a dark little bar that does a pretty good job of looking 1930s-ish.  The menu is dedicated to recreating Prohibition Era favorites, but beware: anything with lemon juice is going to be really lemon-heavy unless you warn the bartender to go light on that ingredient.  If you exert that little bit of control, however, you'll be just fine.  The fried macaroni and cheese balls are oh-so-bad for you, but oh-so-worth-it.   Drink Menu     Food Menu

Loveland

Henry's is a pretty generic looking fake-Irish pub with sports on television screens throughout the restaurant.  But their taps favor some great local breweries, the bar tenders know what they're doing, and the smoked salmon platter with dill cream cheese, capers, red onion, pumpernickel, and hard boiled egg is actually a great snack to share. The service is friendly and the menu is comforting and junky, perfect in cold weather. Menu

Next Door is downtown, a short walk from Henry's, and boasts a similarly NoCo-proud tap list.  They also make some great cocktails. A major part of the menu is small plates, so it lends itself well to a happy hour stop. The menu gets updated regularly, but in its current incarnation, the quinoa cake with Manchego cheese, smoked paprika aioli, and micro greens is actually delicious with prosecco. Happy Hour Menu

Pourhouse Bar and Grill has been in Loveland since before their downtown was cute, and happy hour runs all day Sunday (11am-6pm Monday through Friday).  They deserve to be rewarded with a visit for their generosity alone, but they also deserve your patronage for their extensive Scotch menu, local-centric taps, and lots of good red wines.  Their appetizers are pretty tan (read: lots of fried stuff), but the sweet corn and portobello rangoons are quite nice. Drink Menu  Food Menu

Snow shoeing in Northern Colorado

Winter looks like it will continue to be generous to outdoor lovers this year, and I prefer snow shoeing.  I know, it sounds incredibly sad to all you adrenaline-seeking ski bums and snowboarders, but it's terrific exercise and a great way to see things on the trails you can't enjoy during the crowded summer months.  Trekking straight up a steep hill covered in snow is comparatively easy, and you can see vistas (not to mention plants and animals) you never knew were there.  Plus, I will not break any bones, destroy cartilage in my knees, or fight through tangles of traffic to or from my destination.  You can take the girl out of the Midwest, but...

In northern Colorado, there are many great places to enjoy this under-appreciated pastime.  Some of my favorites:

Eldorado Springs: Eldorado Canyon Trail

Estes Park / Rocky Mountain National Park: Cub Lake (6 miles), Flattop Mountain (8 miles), Odessa Lake (9 miles),

Fort Collins / Poudre Canyon: Blue Lake Trail (6.9 miles), Montgomery Pass (1.9 miles), Zimmerman Pass (1 mile)

Idaho Springs: St. Mary's Glacier (1.5 miles)

Longmont: Rabbit Mountain (3 miles)

Lyons: Hall Ranch Trails

Nederland: Stop and say hello to the frozen man, and then go just about anywhere in town after the snow has fallen.  Lost Lake (3 miles) is pretty easy for all, Arapahoe Glacier Trail (1.8 miles) is a good challenge for the old ticker.

Steamboat Springs: Elk Run Trail-Stagecoach State Park (10 miles), Emerald Mountain Quarry (4 miles), Gilpin Lake (9 miles), Rabbit Ears Pass (6 miles)

Day trip: beer appreciation day in Colorado

I'm done with posts about healthier eating in 2014 (I think I only managed one, actually).  What I really want is a good beer.  And since I live in Colorado, my only problem is limiting my options into a single day that doesn't result in a black-out!  Wherever you are along the I-25 corridor, there's bound to be something appropriate for your tastes; here is a list of my favorites.

Northern Colorado
Longmont: Left Hand Brewery
1265 Boston Ave, Longmont, CO 80501

A better place to actually try their beers with some great pub grub is The Pumphouse in downtown Longmont, but a trip to the brewery is also worthwhile if you want to learn how things are made.  Good old fashioned American craft beers are done well here, and you'll see a whole lot of bumper stickers expressing appreciation all over Weld and Boulder Counties.

Loveland: Verboten Brewery
1550 Taurus Ct, Loveland, CO 80537

Please, please, please go to this brewery.  The name sounds like you'll be stuck with traditional German flavors, but this is actually one of the most innovative breweries north of Denver.  Killer Boots is a caramelly English-style porter, Angry Banjo is brewed in bourbon barrels from the distillery across the street, and the chicory espresso stout is amazing.  They employ creative combinations not for the sake of being different, but because they are delicious.

Lyons: Oskar Blues Grill & Brew
303 Main St, Lyons, CO 80540

The brewery is actually in Longmont, but the restaurant has everything on tap and some good, junky bar food, along with a run-down Southern vibe that really fits this goofy hippy town.  Visit their website for the calendar of live music; the blues bands, as you can imagine, come from all over and are often incredible. 

Windsor: High Hops Brewery
6461 Colorado 392, Windsor, CO 80550

This quaint little brew pub is located inside the local nursery, where they grow their own hops and other ingredients they use in their beers.  There's a nice variety in range, with something to please everyone, and they're expanding their menu all the time.  The bar keeps tend to be a little douchy and very beer-nerdy, so you'll definitely get a lot of information out of them about the products, be but prepared to be patronized.

Denver
Off I-25: Denver Beer Company
1695 Platte Street, Denver, CO 80202

These guys do great, creative flavors.  My favorites are the smoked lager, graham cracker porter, and the keffir lime wheat. There's nothing but beer here, and the atmosphere is relaxed and non-snobby.  Also walking distance from...

Prost Brewing Company
2540 19th Street, Denver, CO 80211

Traditional German-style beers in a pretty authentic (for Colorado) German-style beer hall.  These guys are more recreators than they are creators, but what they brew really tastes like you're in Germany.  And the pretzels and spicy mustard are to die for.

Five Points/Rino 'hoods: Great Divide Brewery
2201 Arapahoe Street, Denver, CO 80205

The beer here is generally light and refreshing, and the atmosphere is still grubby little start-up, even after a few years of succeeding.  They're like the little engine that could!  The flavors are not terribly inventive, but for a pleasant, palate-cleansing lager, their rice beer is great. 

South of Colfax: Breckenridge Brewing 
471 Kalamath Street and other locations

These guys have been around long enough to be seen as the establishment, but, as a transplant, I can appreciate their delicious beer and very consistent quality. Besides, they're not the establishment just because they've existed for more than 6 months--they're still a Colorado craft brewery, to all the beer snobs who are rolling their eyes right now.  And no, I am not defensive. 

Copper Kettle Brewery
1338 S. Valentia Street, Unit 100, Denver, CO 80247

I love this place.  I think about it for days after I go.  Everything they do is just right, the Bavarian Helles, the Tequila Barrel Imperial Vienna Lager, the rich Mexican Chocolate Stout...it's all fantastic.  It's a bit far from things, but go.  

Strange Brewing Company
1330 Zuni, Unit M, Denver, Colorado 80204

This is another "little guys" brewery with some nice dark beers and a very scrappy, friendly vibe.  And you will get all of the appreciative attention you want from the bar keeps, who are usually also the brewers. 

Now that's the spirit!