The Great American Bar

Actually, I don't even know what that means.  I hate coming up with titles for these posts.  In a country this vast, "Great American" anything varies widely.  In the Northern Great Lakes, it would have to include some table shuffleboard and a Friday night fish fry; in Chicago and Boston, it's Irish. I suppose in California, wheatgrass is probably involved somehow.  But out here in the Rocky Mountains, I love a good Western bar, complete with taxidermied animals on the walls and some grand old pile of wood imported from a nearby ghost town's old general store. Maybe it would also have a little something special, like bar stools with pistols for arms (see Saratoga, below).

I spend a lot of time driving around Wyoming, and I never tire of these local gems, which often also serve some great local beer on tap and occasionally even know how to make a good Manhattan. In many of these towns, it's easier to find a good bar than it is a good restaurant, and I suppose the right amount of gin is just as filling as a small sandwich, albeit slightly harder on your liver.

If you're ever out this way, here are my suggestions; they also correspond to the towns I like to visit (with a couple of exceptions):

Casper: The Wonder Bar has pretty terrible food, but a terrific set of taps, including their own local brew and highlights from some of the best beers around the state. Be forewarned, local Casper College students swarm this place on the weekends, and I've been there more than once on St. Patrick's Day when I was just bypassed for a pat-down by the local cops patrolling the front door. If you're looking for a quiet drink with friends, maybe try a Wednesday night.

The Wonder Bar, home of Wyoming State Brewing, Casper

Cody: Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel (Restaurant and Saloon) has that classic, grandiose wooden bar polished to a high gleam, and a decent selection of Western beers and whiskeys. It's pretty quiet in here most of the time, and you'll definitely hear some old geezers talking about hunting season.

Buffalo Bill's Restaurant and Saloon, Cody

Jackson: Million Dollar Cowboy Bar downtown hosts a lot of dead animals on the wall, and plenty of Country-Western dancing on the weekends. If that's too much for you (as it is for me), try the Silver Dollar Bar in the Wort Hotel. It's got more of a luxe, gold-rush feel to it, and the cocktails are great.

Silver Dollar Bar in the Wort Hotel, Jackson

Jelm: The Bar & Dance Hall at Woods Landing Resort is a great place to watch swing dancers do their thing on the historically registered dance floor at night, though I'd stick to the beer if you stop for a drink. Still, it's a truly Western, small=town experience, as is all of Jelm. Come to think of it, this resort IS all of Jelm...

Woods Landing in the thriving metropolis of Jelm

Laramie: As the token liberal college town in the state, Front Street Tavern opted to go without the soul-crushing, dead stares of elk on the walls, but it does have a certain warm, inviting vibe thanks to the elaborate salvaged bar from nearby Fort Laramie. The taps highlight Wyoming and Colorado beers, and the cocktails are generally very well-made.  As a bonus, they're adjoined to (and run by) Sweet Melissa's vegetarian cafe, and until about 9pm you can order food from their delicious menu and have it brought over. This place is not for the faint of heart on the weekends, though--bring earplugs and be prepared to wait ages for a seat.

Front Street Tavern, Laramie

Riverton: Not a place I would normally visit unless for business, but Bar 10 is actually great. Despite the blaring country-western and troubled 20-somethings screaming about guns and (pro) Tea Party sentiments, I had a delicious Manhattan with what had to be home-infused cherries.  The aesthetic is a mix of hunting saloon (wood panel, dead critters) and 1930s oil boom with rich-colored stained glass and bronze fixtures.  As a bonus, this is also probably the best restaurant in town.

Bar 10, complete with flaming stained glass, Riverton

Saratoga: Snowy Mountain Pub and Brewery is located in the Saratoga Resort and Spa (the one with the teepees over the hot tubs--so adorable!). The bar is dark, covered in wood, and filled with animal trophies (so is the local grocery store, by the way), and the beer is really fantastic.  I have loved everything I've tried. Go here, but skip the restaurant--it is also very Western, and it's awful if you're under 90. (Pro tip: if you are over 90, you can leave your dentures at home and still slide that meal into your gullet.)

Saratoga Brewery--notice the pistols for arms on the stools!

On a personal note, I have been to a number of these bars with my most stalwart travelling friends, Verismo Trio.  There's no one I like exploring Wyoming with more.  They're probably not reading this post because they're too frickin' important, though.

VT at Bar 10 this week.
Scott: "Are you going to blog about this?" Me: "Probably not."

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

Bar Review: Northern Colorado's version of Havana has a lot of booze

Oh dear, oh dear--I have fallen in love with yet another bar in Fort Collins. Here goes nothing, old liver of mine...

The Astoria is a charmingly dilapidated space at 146 N. College Ave. that attempts to recreate the dilapidated charm of Havana.  Having never been there, I imagine The Astoria is heavier on the charm than Havana might be, but the tall ceilings, cracked plaster, heavy red velvet curtains, and slightly run-down (though comfy) furniture sells well enough to me. Like so many bars in Fort Collins, The Astoria boasts a long line of local taps, a good wine list, and over a dozen clever, retro-sounding cocktails.  But these guys also do food: simple, small(ish) plates of starches and protein to satisfy your drunken cravings and provide a little nourishment. The offerings and portion sizes are just right, and the cooking is skilled.  Here's what we got:

The shrimp ceviche had a nice bite thanks to generous squirts of lime juice and just a sprinkling of serrano peppers.  I could have eaten a large vat of this, but it was large enough for two to share, eating about  bites each.

Patatas Bravas were basically potatoes smothered in a smoky adobo sauce with three grilled shrimp on top.  The potatoes could have been crisper (maybe less sauce would have done the trick), but the sauce had a great earthy, and very smoky, flavor with a little heat at the end.

Lechon (roasted, marinated, and shredded pork butt) and Ropa Vieja (marinated, shredded flank steak) both came with white rice and seasoned black beans on the side. About the equivalent of lunch portions (I'm guessing 4 - 5 oz. of meat), this was fantastic comfort food while sitting by the fire.  The beans were seasoned well and cooked tender but not mushy, the rice was fluffy, and the meat was tender and juicy.  The pork marinade didn't come through as well as the one used for the flank steak, so the flank steak was a little more tangy and flavorful, but both were executed well.

We also got flan and rice pudding.  The rice pudding had a pleasant, mild flavor with a pinch of cinnamon, and the flan was intensely caramel-flavored--perhaps the best I've had in a restaurant.

I wish I had written down what I drank, because by the end of it, my mind was a blur.  I started with an El Presidente (vodka, gin, rum, and tequila with orange and pineapple juice in  sugar-rimmed glass with a cherry) and then had a cucumber-y gin thing.  Both were delicious and not too sweet.  The taps included seasonal and standard beers from New Belgium (of course), Equinox, and Odell, as well as some other popular Rocky Mountain regional names.   The service was relaxed but friendly (read: no hovering at the table), dishes were well-timed to arrive when we were ready for them without feeling rushed, and the vibe on a Thursday night was chill and more for the over-30 set.  There is frequently a live music offering later at night, however, so check in advance before you go. 

The Astoria Bar

                                                146 N College Ave, Fort Collins, CO, 80524

  T: 970-484-0995 /E: theastoriainc@gmail.com

     Bar Open Monday - Saturday 4pm - 2am, Sunday 7pm - 2am  

            Kitchen open Tuesday - Saturday 5pm - 10pm

The Beauty of Whiskey in a Strip Mall

Thank you, Living Social local deals, for introducing me to this oddly satisfying little whiskey bar nestled into the depressing strip mall at Drake Rd. and Timberline in Fort Collins, CO.  If I turned the right way in my seat I could avoid the reflection of windshields lined up in front of King Sooper's and just gaze at my vested, arm-banded bartender pretending it was the 1930s.

William Oliver's Publick House is all that and even more, because once you get inside, it's a pretty nice place to be.  You will curse the traffic and possibly help a senior male up the curb to his Great Clips destination, or possibly see a lady drop a watermelon outside the grocery store, but this place is actually doing a lot of things well.  I only hope they can move out of this location if enough people visit.  And if you're using the Living Social deal you got a few weeks back (every single person was doing so when I was there), be sure to tip on the full amount.  Because they deserve it.

My Living Social deal was for a four 1/2-ounce flight of whiskeys and a snack tray from their sparse menu.  I say it's sparse, but the menu is perfect and perfectly manageable--they make sandwiches, or you can choose from one of the very generously built appetizer platters.  There's hummus and veggies, chips and salsa, or an artisanal cheese plate for the vegetarians in the crowd, or meat eaters can choose from smoked salmon or the Perfect Platter, which was loaded full of spicy, crisp pickled green beans, two very garlicky dill pickle spears, the largest white cheese curds I have ever seen in my life (and they were delightfully salty), some Irish cheddar, sliced corned beef and salami, and Fort Collins-made Nita crisps (also available in low-gluten varieties with any plate).  It was delicious, the ingredients were high-quality (except for the bright yellow French's mustard.  Spicy Coleman's really would have been stunning), and the plate was positively overflowing with food.  Some people got the other Living Social deal for two pints of beer and two sandwiches, and the eager-to-please bartender made each and every one to order: "How's the mustard amount look? You want cheese?"  I mean, really, they were killing themselves to please us.

Let's talk about the whiskey.  My coupon limited me to the Colorado whiskeys available, which took up a full page in the menu and was so overwhelming I was grateful for the limitation.  There were rye whiskeys, corn whiskeys, white whiskeys, single barrel bourbons, etc. etc.  I wanted to try this place because it seemed like a low-cost way to experience some whiskey and try to learn something about it, and I did walk away with a (very expensive) favorite that I would definitely order again: Colorado's own Spring 44 Single Barrel Bourbon.  It was rich and warm, with vanilla and tobacco overtones and a lightly smoky finish.  It was actually delicious, and I am not easy friends with whiskey.

The menu at William Oliver's has 9 pages of whiskeys, bourbons, and even some moonshines, 2 pages of cocktails, and a nice, manageable page of snacks to go with your drinks.  They offer plenty for non-whiskey drinkers, including straight spirits from local distilleries around the Front Range and some great local beers on tap. Coffee and tea are also available, and you know, I bet they're actually delicious.  I do not think there is anything available at this place that they are not prepared to dazzle you with.

William Oliver's is actually a fantastic place in a terrible location.  They would do well in Old Town or near the university, and I hope to see them do well enough to eventually be able to afford those high rent districts.  In the meantime, please go to William Oliver's Publick House.  Because I want to go back, and I don't want them to go out of business because no one wants to go there on the way to Starbucks.

Two in Boulder: Boxcar Coffee Roasters and Conor O'Neill's Irish Pub

Boulder might have the most coffee shops per square mile of any town in Colorado, so a review measley shop might seem a little unnecessary.  When I am in Boulder (infrequently, because I always feel like I'm interrupting someone's photo shoot everywhere in that town), I usually just stumble into the first one I see. Considering how many coffee shops there are in Boulder, they are surprisingly uniform: heavily tattooed hipsters act as mildly annoyed baristas, twenty-something customers rock brightly colored skinny jeans and oddly lumpy knit hats, and the coffee is always strong (that part I like).  But I wanted to try Boxcar for two reasons: 1) Food & Wine Magazine makes a big hairy deal out of them, and 2) they seem to operate on a slightly different agenda, which particularly peaked my curiosity given the aforementioned monotony.

The Boulder store is located at 1825 Pearl St. There is also a Denver location at 3459 Ringsby Ct., though they are closed (?!?!?!) on the weekends, which seems like it should be illegal for a coffee shop.  The Boulder location shares space with Cured, a high-end meat, wines and cheese shop.  There are a few tables scattered around the shop and counters on either side, one for coffee, one for the deli.  It has a terrific old, small-town market feel to it, and the atmosphere is bustling.  It was quite possibly the loudest coffee shop I have ever encountered in quiet, slow-moving Colorado.  I kind of dug it.

Boxcar Coffee Roasters is definitely for coffee nerds. The coffee is roasted in small batches using a classic Ideal Rapid coffee roaster that was built in Germany in 1929, which Boxcar claims keeps the roasting temperature extremely stable. They also employ the “cowboy coffee” method, which allows them to steep the grounds at 203 degrees to mitigate the problem of Boulder's high altitude, where water boils at a lower temperature and coffee and tea can be said to suffer.  

We tried cappuccinos made by each of their two espresso varieties, "Stella" and "Bare Knuckle".  Both were delicious.  Despite the names, Stella was the more assertive of the two; it was full-bodied and rich with a little spicy bite at the end.  The Bare Knuckle was similar, but finished smooth and creamy, and sort of dissipated as soon as I swallowed it.  Neither was highly acidic or sour. You can read the details of both roasts here; the drinks--and the beans themselves, which Boxcar sells in-store and online--are a bit pricier than most, but true coffee connoisseurs can definitely tell the difference.  Even I can tell the difference, and I usually drink World Market Coffee at home. 

Conor O'Neill's

And on the other end of the spectrum, there is Conor O'Neill's, an Irish-style pub just south of the Pearl Street Mall on 1922 13th Street.  Yes, it is part of a chain (the only other location is in similarly hip and overpriced college town Ann Arbor, Michigan), but they do a great job of feeling local by creating a worn, patched-together aesthetic inside and also by hosting a full compliment of live, local musicians on a rather dense rotating schedule.  The menu is filled with Anglo favorites like fish and chips, shepherd's pie, bangers and mash, and even Scotch eggs on the happy hour menu.  The presentation of the food is just a little bit "dressed up" in an '80s sort of way: my mashed potatoes (a ubiquitous side item on the menu) came piped out of a pastry bag, but they tasted real enough.  Portions are large and the food is pretty authentic to Irish and English pubs. The curry and chips from the appetizer menu is a beautiful rendition of a mild, creamy, sumptuous English curry served alongside battered golden potato wedges--I could have been happy with it for my meal.  However, I was also quite happy with the homey (and enormous) pub pie made of a flaky, golden crust and filled with smokey sausage and mixed vegetables.  I was impressed by the level of colorful flavors packed into this pie! And, just like Mom would make, it came served alongside a big pile of steamed (unseasoned, but still bright green) broccoli and mashed potatoes.  Well, Mom probably wouldn't have made the potatoes all fancy-like, but you get the idea.  

The Chicken Cordon Bleu was a little surprising because it wasn't breaded--it was merely a sandwich of sort, with thin slices of charred grilled chicken breast on either side of a slice of gooey cheese and some pretty flavorless ham.  The chicken was great, actually, and again, laudably flavorful.  The ham could have just been omitted based on what it added to the dish, but of course, it is part of a traditional Cordon Bleu. Better to up the ante and find some better ham.  

Conor O'Neill's offers a menu of what could easily be quite bland, gut-busting food, but they manage to take great care with preparation and seasoning, yielding instead a wonderfully modernized version of old English/Irish classics.  In this way, I guess they're not so traditional.  The taps featured a couple of local beers, but focused mainly on what you might see in the UK: Murphy's, Guinness, and Bass were front and center.  The pints were generous Imperial-sized.  And the vibe was not so much like the rest of downtown Boulder these days: friendly service, grungy digs, and reasonably-priced, heavy, homey food.  I think I've found my new post-hike place for lunch.  

To hell with your fancy-priced cocktails!

When Syntax Spirits first opened in my quiet, unassuming little town of Greeley, Colorado a few years ago, I was elated.  Craft vodka made by a kooky couple with a slightly cranky cat on the premises?  Yes, please.  But I soon became disenchanted with the clued-out space cadets they employed, and when I showed up one night only to find they were out of my favorite beet-dill infused vodka, I broke up with them in my mind forever.  That's when I realized, hell, I like to infuse vodkas! I hadn't thought of using beets, which I love, but now that I'd seen it existed, I could easily do it myself and avoid paying the $6 to a band of ill-informed college students with shitty customer service skills.  I think this version is better than anything I ever got at Syntax, and I can drink it all summer long without going broke...

The Beet Farmer

Serves 1

2 oz. beet infused vodka*
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 oz. triple sec
1 tablespoon sweet vermouth
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice; shake vigorously until the shaker is cold to the touch.  Strain into a martini glass and enjoy.

*For beet infused vodka, simply peel and roughly chop ½ cup beets per 750mL of vodka and add ¼ cup white sugar. Combine in an airtight container and allow to steep in a cool, dry place for one week, shaking every day or so when you think about it.  After that, you can remove the beets if you prefer and store in the freezer.

When in Brazil...

...you tend to drink a lot of cachaça, the national rum.  It is delicious in a Caipirinha with sugar and lime juice or on its own while engaged in deep conversations about the meaning of life and all the world's problems. But at some point, it becomes a good idea to refuel with some protein to avoid alcohol poisoning. Like coddle in Ireland  or eggs here in the States, Brazilians have a lovely tradition of making a big pot of bean soup to help shake off the hangover and regain your strength after a particularly important night of world problem-solving.  This recipe is my version, with more flavoring in it than what I have been served (and yes, the addition of beer was mine, not native). I think it works anytime you need some comfort and fortitude. 

Pinto Soup

Serves 4-6

2 cups dry pinto beans
½ cup cooked pasta
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves
½ onion
1 carrot, peeled
½ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Teaspoon salt
6 oz. beer
Salt and pepper to taste
Pico de gallo and lime wedges, for serving

Soak beans overnight. Drain, rinse, and place beans along with bay leaf, garlic, onion, carrot, oregano, paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt into a pressure cooker or large pot.  Cover with water and cook for 20 minutes in pressure cooker or about 1 ½ hours over medium heat on the stove (until beans are tender).

Remove bay leaf and transfer cooked bean mixture to a blender; blend until smooth. Return to the pot and add the beer and salt and black pepper to taste.  Stir in pasta at the last minute and heat thoroughly.

Serve with pico de gallo and lime wedges.

I went to Las Vegas, and all I got was...broke.

Travelling back in time to Ancient Rome would have been way cheaper.

Eleven years ago, when I last visited Vegas, there were cheap rooms, free entertainment walking along the strip, and breakfast buffets that cost $3.99.  When I went to Vegas last week, there were discounted rooms in overpriced hotels who nickeled and dimed you for everything, 20-minute walks just to cross the street, and $14 breakfasts of scrambled eggs and coffee.  It's not totally fair for me to say this: I was staying at in-love-with-itself Caesar's Palace.  I suspect that, on the outskirts of The Strip, things are still more reasonable.  I have also heard that the downtown area (Fremont Street was recommended, but I never made it that far) yields some great restaurants at much better prices.  I cannot speak to this experience because I was dutifully trying to attend the convention I was supposed to be dutifully attending; all I can say is, if you stay on the strip, expect to get gouged (or at least inconvenienced if you search for alternatives).

Caesar's Palace, by the way, has given up trying to keep customers happy.  There is no uniform policy on anything--check-in time, what's included in the hotel room price, and even the hotel room price itself is all negotiable, depending on who you talk to and how good your social skills are.  I happened to have hitched my wagon to a very sociable star while I was there, but otherwise, I would have been screwed, as I possess no amount of social finesse whatsoever.

So, blah blah blah, the food was too expensive.  But I did manage to find a couple of little gems in the midst of the cigarette smoke and sad gambling people who didn't know what day of the week it was or whether it was night or day.

I think this guy made my noodles!

Beijing Noodle No. 9 

You can pay a lot to eat to eat some pretty mundane Chinese food, of you can stick to the first page of the menu and have one of their noodle dishes with homemade, hand stretched, traditional noodles.  I paid $12 for a big bowl of carb-o-riffic magic that got me through the night and allowed me to skip breakfast the next morning.

Warnings: the service is slow and bitchy.  Bitchy as hell, actually.  The restaurant is loud and all a blindingly bright white, so just go ahead and wear your sunglasses indoors.  It's not the weirdest looking thing they'll see.

payard PÂTISSERIE & BISTRO

This place is a bit more expensive but also offers a much more varied menu in terms of consistent acceptability.  Execution is fine, the bread they bring to the table is actually amazing, and the wine list is quite good.  At dinner (but be forewarned, not at lunch), the lobster bisque suffices as a fine meal, and the quiche and side salad is a satisfying, safe choice.  Portions are large.


Warnings: the service is just as shitty as Beijing Noodle No. 9.  I asked if they could split the check for lunch, and I was actually told, "well, you shouldn't do that if you're not planning on paying separately" with quite a bit of attitude.  So, shitty and incredibly stupid is a more accurate way to describe the service that day.

Rao's
I occasionally buy their jarred sauce as a jump start for a quickie lasagne at home.  The prices were too steep to justify a plate of pasta and tomatoes, but their wine list was not any more expensive than the cheaper in-house restaurants, and they had some real gems.  The cheapest red on the menu, the Primitivo, was quite good--full-bodied yet fruity--and the Prosecco was just right.

Warnings: no complaints about service--they were perfectly lovely.

Flamingo Pizza

When you get sick of the terrible service and overpriced food, it's time to get some carry-out.  Be forewarned, you will have to walk out to the far lane of shuttles and taxi service and meet some sketchy dude in an unmarked, 1990 red Honda Civic and sneak it back up to your room while no one is looking, but it will be worth it.  The pasta with garlic butter and mushrooms is ridiculously simple and good.

Warnings: I think they might be getting stoned at work here.  You will wait a loooong time to get your food, and then it will not come with utensils.  Ask ahead for forks or whatever the obvious choice for eating is, because it will not be obvious to them.

Now that I've recovered from the cigarette smoke and low self-esteem I developed in these restaurants, I've come up with some pretty convincing replications of these dishes (which are all pretty basic, anyway); stay tuned in my next posts for recipes for Chinese noodles with eggs and tomato, Lobster-like bisque, and fettuccine with garlic, butter, and mushrooms.

Eatin' at the bar

The bars in Milan have this really excellent tradition of serving free food during happy hour, generally from 6-8pm, EVERY NIGHT of the week.  It's not guaranteed, but it is very likely that you can nurse a drink during this time and turn it into a full meal, all for the price of that one cocktail.  I like free stuff, and I like food, so I was eager to participate in this tradition.  One Sunday, I went to the Rick Steves-approved Bar Brera in the snooty art school neighborhood and got some pretty unfriendly service, but was paid in kind with a generous buffet of salads, meats, olives, cheeses, and of course, tons of white bread.  It really was a lovely spread, and for the price of a glass of Prosecco, I pigged out like a ten-year-old at Bonanza.  The deviled eggs were a sight right out of a Midwestern potluck until I bit into one--it was like a meal in two bites.  I think this is what I ate...

Eggs stuffed with tuna

Serves 4

4 hard-cooked eggs, cooled, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
1 can tuna packed in olive oil, drained
Mayonnaise
1 oz. capers
8 olives, pitted
½ teaspoon tomato paste
Salt and black pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, place the tuna, capers, and tomato paste.  Carefully remove the yolks from the eggs and add them to the mixture; combine thoroughly with a fork.  Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste, then place equal amounts in each egg cavity.  Place one olive on top of each stuffed egg and serve.

Bar Brera in Milan

Things that make drinks better: #1, fruit syrup

Besides the requisite alcohols (gin, tequila, vodka, and rum are my staples), a home bar benefits from some flavoring that don't require a lot of work.  This makes mixing drinks while already buzzed a snap. Luckily, they're usually easy to make at home (do the cooking before getting buzzed).

Fruit syrups are incredibly easy to make, and they can quickly be combined with some booze and/ or soda for a great drink.  You can also blend them with yogurt for a smoothie, though perhaps it wouldn't be as healthy as typical smoothie recipes.  Syrups keep in the refrigerator for quite a while, and they're a great way to use up ripe fruit in a hurry.  I particularly like making mine with strawberry, mango, and raspberry (because I always have too many growing in the back yard), but I can't imagine a fruit that wouldn't work.



Basic Fruit Syrup


1 cup chopped fruit (could also use fresh mint leaves for mint syrup)
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water 


Cook fruit with sugar and water until thick in a small saucepan over medium heat. Smash fruit while cooking. For thinner syrup, push through a sieve after cooling.  Store in refrigerator.  


And here's an easy drink to make with your new syrup:


Spring Fever


Makes 1 drink

3/4 oz. lemon juice

3/4 oz. mango syrup

2 oz. orange juice

1 1/2 oz. tequila 

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with plenty of ice; blend thoroughly and strain into a collins glass over ice.  Garnish with a slice of fruit of your choice if preferred.  

Restaurant review: Euclid Hall in Denver

I had read about Euclid Hall in Food and Wine, and I usually trust their taste.  This beer hall with hip cuisine boasts an impressive local beer menu and some interesting plates for lunch or a heavy snack.  Their cutesy “study hall” theme ranks beers by their complexity: arithmetic, algebra, geometry, etc. come with their own definitions of what level of complexity we should be tasting and a listing of appropriate beers from their vast offerings.  However, I found that the beers were lacking some complexity overall; being married to an extreme IPA fan, I can’t say that any of the IPAs listed were particularly strong or deep in flavor, though I applaud them for including so many on the menu.  There were a few Belgian sours, which do not interest me in the least, but if you’re going to get really esoteric, I guess that’s one way you could go.  And so began my journey into the world of Euclid Hall: unique, but not in a way that appeals much to my taste.

Did you know that EH makes their own mustards, and will provide a sample platter of all four upon request?  Awesome, right?  I freaking LOVE mustard!  But all four of them were heavy on the horseradish (and I mean HEAVY--like, totally unbalanced heavy) and shockingly sweet.  All four of them were like spicy desserts.  Really?  Not one of them could be sour?  Or spiced up with something besides a gob of horseradish?  Nice idea, but not well executed.  Same goes for their house-made sausages.  We got a tiny little guy for $4 (really, four, five bites, max), and it tasted heavily of liver with some cheddar cheese hanging out of it.  What is so special about that?

The Brussels sprouts casserole was right up my alley, and it found it pleasant.  But for $6, I got a tiny crock of about six bites of nicely steamed sprouts sitting on top of a runny cheese sauce and covered in a thick layer of those little canned “French-fried onions” you used for the top of your green bean casserole in 1970.  Tasty and possibly kitschy, but interesting?  No.

After quickly devouring our puny but pricey portions of disappointing food, we soured on the idea of ordering a plate of poutine, which at $9 per plate, had obviously lost its blue collar roots.  If I seem to be complaining about the prices a lot, it’s because I wasn’t satisfied enough with quality. So, although the idea of a plate of fries covered in cheese curds and smothered with gravy and my choice of wild mushrooms, duck, or steak sounded brilliant, I had already become a skeptic after the mustards, and I feared that a brilliant ideas would once again be executed badly.   I will say that, in a completely full first floor, not one table seemed to show any evidence of having ordered the quirky house dish.

Happy hour offers some pretty serious pints, wines, and well drinks for $3 each, daily from 3-6pm.  That’s a good deal.  I enjoyed my favorite Left Hand beer, Milk Stout, on Nitro tap, and it was lovely.  The Pottery Barn-like decorating coupled with “hip” music for thirtysomethings was also not terrible, though it made them seem like they were trying really hard.  As a place to stop in for a beer at the right time of day, I could imagine putting Euclid Hall on my light rotation if I lived in the neighborhood.  But as a place worth driving to experience, I must disagree with my favorite foodie magazine.  This place is all flash and very little substance.  If you want smart, well-prepared food, go to Le Central  If you want a good beer list, you’d be just as happy to Breckenridge near the stadium.  No lie.

Eating tapas across the street from Macy's

Ondo’s Tapas Bar at Cherry Creek

Just a half-story beneath the street is a calm, chic haven from the shopping madness that is Cherry Creek.  Its spare, boldly colored décor and flamenco guitar music, while corny-sounding, is rather pleasant, and the wall fountain cleverly disguising the concrete wall that lines the front “patio” is as inviting an eating area as anything I’ve experienced in Denver. Ondo’s offers a menu exclusively comprised of tapas, heavy on the Northern Spanish culinary influence, carafes if homemade sangria, and clever twists in classic cocktails.  Sounds like a nice place after a long work week to gather with friends, right?  It is.

Cute patio at Ondo's.

Happy hour, which runs from 4-6:30pm weekdays, is worth going early: half-off sangria and 2$ pintxos (individual portions of tapas) served under glass domes at the bar encourages the spirit of taking you time and sampling at a great discount.

Northern Spanish cuisine is not exceptionally bright or spicy in flavor, but what Ondo’s does with mild staple ingredients like potato and egg is well-balanced and finely executed.  It really is a lot of egg and potato, though.  And lots of ham and cheese, as well.  I found the tapas I tried to be satisfying, but nothing knocked me over the head or caused obsessive research on my part to find out how to recreate the recipe.  I ate egg and potato torta on a piece of bread, Serrano ham and manchego cheese, Monte Enebro cheese with quince paste, pecans, and honey (that was a good one!),  and chick peas in a mild broth with little bits of charred chorizo.  They were all tasty, but I think I can make them at home.  That is not to say you shouldn’t go to Ondo’s; there is certainly a value in appreciating someone else’s high standards and letting them do the dishes.  I’m just warning you that you will not learn new truths about the universe from anything you try here.

Our exceptionally competent waitress (really--whoever you were serving the girl with the glasses and her bald husband, you deserve a raise) informed us that Ondo’s is particularly known for their cured meats and croquetas, and I appreciate the tip.  Their lomo (salt-cured pork) had a salty, briny taste you cannot easily pick up at Safeway, and the croquetas were a marvel of creamed spinach and pine nuts encased in the most delicate batter I have ever seen, deep fried to crisp perfection.  If I can amend my previous statement, that was the one recipe that boggled my mind, for sheer execution alone.  These were definitely the two stars on our table.

Serrano ham and manchego cheese tapas

The sangria was fine; the red wine is freshened with sparkling water and has some chopped green apple in it.  I always prefer harder stuff, but it seemed more socially acceptable before a long drive back to Greeley, and it complimented everything I ate just fine.  Everything we ate was well prepared with high-quality ingredients.  It was dressed up comfort food, to my taste, but along with the clean, urban atmosphere and peaceful, very knowledgeable service, it was a nice night out.  And we still made it home in time for Law and Order.

I ate and drank in St. Louis. It was OK.

I had some time to kill before flying out of lovely Lambert International Airport not long ago, so I decided to learn something about the respectable, hard-working city of St. Louis.  Now, I only spent a few hours there, so St. Louis fans, feel free to chime in with your suggestions.  What I found is that people like American food and lagers.  

Aya Sofia

I was looking for something a little more exotic than barbecue, so after slogging through about 10 American restaurants on opentable.com, we landed on Aya Sofia for some Turkish food in Midtown.  Good luck finding parking.  The food was perfectly fine, but there was nothing unique or surprising on the menu. They used quality ingredients and prepared the dishes capably and portions were large. Very large.  I had what ended up being a wrap sandwich (whoopee!), and my husband had a huge pile of buttery, comforting Moussaka.  Service was fast but a tiny bit on the snooty side, as if the restaurant could pretend it wasn't populated by diners with country accents and John Deere hats if they just acted posh enough.  I preferred the John Deere hats, actually.  And the noise level with relatively few people in the restaurant was quite loud. I cannot imagine how overwhelming it must be when filled. It's a beautifully decorated, laid-back little place with nice food. I'd go again if I lived there, but I won't make a special trip for it.

Moussaka at Aya Sofia

Community garden in Lafayette Square

         


Then we headed over to Lafayette Square, A national historic district, an area with a gorgeous park, a bunch of expensive-looking Victorian houses, and a few boutiques and hip-looking restaurants.  We went to Square One Brewery and Distillery for after-lunch drinks (and to numb ourselves a bit for the pending irritation of airport security).  The long list of beers presented nothing inventive, just the usual line-up of lagers, ales, stouts, and an IPA.  My husband, the IPA connoisseur, was not pleased.  It did have a bitterness at the front end, but dissolved quickly into a very bready flavor you would expect from a kolsch or other mild summer beer.  Weird.  


I always like to try craft beers, but I knew I could only drink so much before my behavior might run the risk of getting us both arrest at the airport, so I decide to test the distillery instead.  These guys make a massive number of grain spirits--flavored and unflavored vodkas, tequila, rum, and more, which I thought was pretty exciting.  I ended up getting a vodka flavored with gin and sweetened with agave syrup on the rocks.  It was delicious.  If my tolerance was higher (or if I lived in St. Louis), I would definitely go back and try more of their spirits.  Not so sure about the beer.   And the neighborhood is adorable--you should go if you're in town.  Only 10 minutes or so from the airport.   

He didn't look as happy after finishing his IPA.

By the way, you know how I've been slowly trying to compile places to bide your time while trapped in airports around the country?  Lambert International Airport has not been added to that list. 

Surprise reader contest: what is this thing?
I found it on the side of the road in St. Louis.
Best answer before September 15 gets a free t-shirt.
Enter your answers below! 

Guide to edible airport food

I do a moderate amount of traveling, and I rarely bother to pack snacks anymore, although it is in my Midwestern blood to carry sandwiches everywhere and generally be a cheapskate.  It's just not worth the frisking at security, and those guards are never attractive.  Never.

Here's what I've found so far that's edible.  Feel free to comment and your faves, too!


Top picks at DIA (Denver International Airport):

Boulder Beer Tap house   Jeppesen Terminal West, Level 5  One of Colorado’s premiere microbrewery (and the first in the state, back in 1979), Boulder Beer serves up some tasty staples like lagers and porters, and a special collection for connoisseurs, like Hazed and Infused (a hoppy, bitter ale).  The food’s good, too.

Lounge 5280 Wine Bar  B Gates  This stylish, contemporary bar seems like it could be in LoDo, and the wine list really is top-notch.  What’s really special, here, though, are the signature cocktails using fresh herbs and fruit juices.  Ask your bartender to recommend appetizers that will compliment your drink--they’re great at pairings here.

Mesa Verde Smoking Lounge A Gates  I hate cigarette smoke, but their Mexican-inspired dishes are terrific.  Ask to sit on the "patio" and you can avoid the lung cancer.  For a hearty brunch before a long day of travel, try the chilaquiles and a cup of coffee for as satisfying of a meal as you might get at your favorite neighborhood joint.




New Belgium Hub  B Gates  Famed Fort Collins brewery New Belgium has finally set up shop at DIA.  Get a sandwich and sample some of the beers that have earned them cult status in the West.

Paradise Bakery and Café  B and C Gates  Of all the coffee shops in DIA, this is my favorite, because the baked treats are sooo good.  The muffins are a real treat.  The breads they use in the sandwiches are homemade, as are their soups; it’s a great little deli experience in the middle of the airport.  Oh, and the coffee is fantastic.

Rock Bottom Brewery  C Gates  Just like the locations around the Denver area, this chain has a good selection of beers from around the world and a great burger to fill you up for the plane ride.

***************************************

MSP (Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport):

California Pizza Kitchen  Concourse F  These guys really do bake up a great pizza.  The crust is buttery, crunchy on the outside and fluffy inside, and just the right thickness to hold up to the generously portioned fresh ingredients they use.  Get the chicken and roasted garlic--it’s fresh roasted garlic and high quality white meat with a light white sauce and sweet red onions.

Caribou Coffee  Concourses A, E, F, G, Terminal 2-Humphrey  The local favorite really does serve the best cup of coffee in town (including MSP), and their sandwiches and salads are just fine.

Great River Market and Deli  Concourse G  I’m not usually too keen on the fast-food sandwiches (boring and dry), but this menu really does boast some great ingredients and tasty, fresh-baked bread.  For a comforting breakfast that will last you all day, get the Hashbrown Casserole.

Itasca Grill  Concourse A  Like the popular restaurant in the Minneapolis area, the airport location serves up some artful breakfast/ brunch dishes like cinnamon vanilla French toast, an enormous breakfast burrito, and a bevy of omelets.  For lunch, the turkey apple wood bacon ciabatta is divine, as is the lime-infused grilled chicken and brie sandwich.

Maui Tacos  Concourse C Great fish and fresh salsas top fresh-made corn or flour tortillas for a healthy, flavorful meal I never imagined I could get in an airport.

Northern Lights Grill  Concourse D  This restaurant celebrates local cuisine, from simply cooked wild rice soup to broiled walleye and good old-fashioned Midwestern pot roast.  A great wine list offers something to compliment each dish, and the atmosphere, if you turn yourself the right way, makes you forget about the airport chaos beyond.

Rock Bottom Brewery  Concourse C  As stated above, this chain has a good selection of beers from around the world and a great burger to fill you up for the plane ride.  Good place to bring kids (childless beware: people bring their kids here!).

Skol Café and Bar  Concourse A  This bar is beautiful (That's it to the right)!  Scandinavian design accents the Northern European-inspired snacks and drink available.  Do like the locals do and stick to the vodka--it’s incredibly high quality and a perfectly clean palate cleanser with the smoked salmon toasts.



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Sea-Tac (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport)

Anthony’s  Central Terminal  Like their locations around Washington and Oregon, Anthony’s in Sea-Tac specializes in fresh Puget Sound delicacies like oysters on the half shell. Alaskan King Salmon, and their signature blackberry cobbler made with fresh, local berries.  Local microbrews and wines complete a menu that will give you one last great dining experience before your trip home.

Bigfoot Food and Spirits  North Satellite  This popular Seattle chain is little more than a sports bar: BBQ sandwiches, big burgers, and beers. Along with a few brunch selections and an ample dessert menu.  But it’s all really tasty, reasonably priced (for an airport), and will fill you up for a long time.  Great comfort food.

Ivar’s Seafood Bar  Central Terminal  An iconic name in Seattle, Ivar’s serves up beautiful, perfect fish & chips, as well as just about any other local seafood you can imagine craving.  The northwest chowders are fantastic, and their grilled prawns, halibut, and salmon are as dreamy a meal as you’ll find anywhere in Seattle.  Clams, calamari, and scallops make a tasty snack, too.




Maki of Japan  Central Terminal  Well-made sushi and authentic noodle dishes with pork are your best bet here, and the price is right: 8-piece sushi rolls start at just $4.95.

Mountain Bar Room  Concourse C  The burgers and beer are fine here, but this place is best for breakfast.  Belgian waffles and a “Big Cheese” ham and cheese omelet are more special than they sound.  Anything can be prepared to take on the plane if you request it when you order.

Pallino Pastaria  Central Terminal  The wait can be a bit long for this fast-food stand, but it’s worth it.  Perfectly-cooked pasta is topped with your choice of  freshly made sauces for a meal that would put Olive Garden to shame.  The personal pizzas come in a wide variety of flavor combinations, and many of them can be made into sandwiches, as well.

Seattle Tap Room  Concourse B  This is beautifully prepared gastro-pub fare.  The beer-braised bratwurst plate and meatloaf are both terrific, and the beers on tap represent local breweries from throughout the Northwest (and occasionally the Rockies).

Vino Volo  Central Terminal  This tiny space offers high-end wines poured by the glass and sold as full bottles to take home (they’ll also ship for you).  Not sure what you like?  Get a taste flight and chat up the server--they are well-trained in matching you to your perfect mate.

Coffee:  You’ll have to pick your team here, just like you have to in Seattle-proper.  Seattle’s Best, Starbucks, and Tully’s the three local giants, are all equally represented here.  Good luck.  (I choose Tully’s.)

Fargo is hip, dontcha know!

A few weeks ago, I found myself in Fargo for a couple of performances, and much to my surprise, I got a taste of urbanity that I have trouble finding in Denver.

HoDo is the Hotel Donaldson in downtown Fargo, a renovated Art Deco building which is home to a 17-room stylish hotel (rooms are each designed around one original work of art by local sculptors, painters, photographers, etc.),  a chic urban bar decorated with local art, and a New American-style restaurant run by Chef Tim, semi-finalist for the 2011 James Beardhttp://www.jamesbeard.org/index.php?q=about_awards Foundation's Best Chef in the Midwest.  (Winners announced May 6.)

The restaurant strives to highlight local produce, with items like rack of North Dakota lamb , local wild rice sausage, and an artisanal Midwestern cheese plate.  Staying true to his roots, there is even a small plate of mixed marinated vegetables, pickles, mustard, and grilled bread (served with or without the cheeses).  If that isn’t the classic ploughman’s platter, I don’t know what is (and it may just be the only one offered by a James Beard nominee)!  

I had the three-cheese lasagna with truffle cream and wild mushrooms. The flavor was fantastically earthy and multi-dimensional, and of course, the massive quantities of cheese were very comforting.  The dish was rather large for one person, and also a bit too salty for my taste, but as leftovers, it mellowed nicely the next morning for breakfast.  (Yeah, you read that right.)  HoDo also boasts a great wine list, which it shares between the bar and the restaurant, and my companion and I enjoyed generous glasses of Malbec from Argentina (it’s tough to get dry red wines from North Dakota, I’m guessing).

For dessert, the chocolate trio consisted of homemade milk chocolate sorbet, a bittersweet la bete noir (my favorite), and a fluffy Godiva souffle.  All were fantastic, even the chocolate sorbet which I usually wouldn’t enjoy.  The souffle was rich and very sweet.  The flourless chocolate cake, however, aside from  the perfectly creamy consistency, had a certain roasted flavor to the chocolate that definitely elevated the entire trio into a dessert for grown-ups.  

The food that night was certainly the work of an artist (saltiness aside), and the atmosphere was just what it should have been: dark, cozy, and elegant without being stuffy, in good Midwestern style.  Our service was clearly well-trained in pushing the most expensive of everything, but she was a sport when we continually chose more interesting--though cheaper--items on the menu, and she seemed knowledgeable enough about the menu in general.  A walk through the bar afterward provided a livelier, more youthful version of the same general vibe, and the artwork in the halls and scattered throughout the walls made Fargo seem like a satisfyingly artistic place.  It was a nice night.  Youbetcha.

Hot (food)Spots in Fort Collins, CO

Fort Collins is a great place to visit--hiking and whitewater rafting on the edge of town, unique boutiques, some decent clubs with local bands, and great food and beer.  Here are my favorites, if you're looking for somewhere to start:


Lucille’s Creole Café: 400 South Meldrum

If you’ve been to New Orleans, you’ll get the same classic brunch experience from Lucille’s.  Each Lucille’s location (FoCo, Longmont, Boulder, Denver) has a slightly different menu.  The FoCo shop features more vegetables than other menus while keeping all the heavy, greasy stuff that makes Sunday morning feel so cozy.  Order up a plate of Beignets with your chicory coffee (costs a little extra) while you wait for fluffy biscuits and homemade marmalade with egg dishes chocked full of spicy sausage, shrimp, and flavorful sauces straight outta NoLa.  Be ready to wait, though--the line is always out the door on the weekends.

The Bean Cycle: 144 N. College

There are plenty of funky coffee shops in Fort Collins.  This one makes a mean brew and orders up the best pastries from local bakeries in the area, plus it’s run by a sweet family and shares space with a non-profit, lefty bookstore.  Why not give them your money when it’s time to perk up?

Rasta Pasta: 200 Walnut Street Suite A (corner of Walnut and College)

This place is pure college town: grungy little corner shop with old furniture and mismatched silverware, plastic cups, and cheesy Rasta nostalgia to boot.  If you have an allergy to Bob Marley worship, don’t go.  But if you want a huge plate of tasty pasta for cheap, embrace your hippie past and come on in. Sauces range from simple, elegant white wine and garlic (and be forewarned: they love garlic!) with fresh tomatoes to Jamaican jerk chicken, and you won’t need another meal for a looong time.  Great after a hike at Horsetooth.


Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewing: 5 Old Town Square

This gastro pub is definitely for grown-ups, though it welcomes a wide range of guests.  Try every home brew you can handle--they’re all well-crafted and balanced--or get a Scotch flight and learn why the stuff can be so expensive (and revered).  Typical pub grub gets some extra touches: the pub fries are lovingly breaded and seasoned, personal pizzas with hand-tossed crusts feature a wide array of fresh toppings, and the quesadillas are stuffed with smoked salmon and brie.  There are a lot of microbreweries in Fort Collins, but I think Coopersmith’s does it best.


Lulu Asian Bistro : 117 South College Ave

I stumbled upon this place after a Christmas day hike because I was peckish and nothing else was open.  What a pleasant surprise--the happy hour beers were a great deal, martinis were creative and tasty, and the food is very well-done Asian with a little modern flair.  Very capable preparation, and a great blend of cozy bistro and sleek bar.



Taj Mahal: 148 West Oak Street

If you like Indian food, you probably fall into one of two serious camps: fans of Taj Mahal or fans of…that other place.  I’ll tell you why I love Taj Mahal.  Each dish is amazing--meat is fresh and well-cooked, sauces are all distinctive and flavorful, appetizers are all carefully prepared and wonderfully balanced, and the kitchen wants nothing more than to tailor your dishes to your tastes.  The building is getting a make-over outside, but the inside is the same as it’s always been and open for business.  I know people who drive from Wyoming to eat here, and I know why. (I once ate so much there that I almost passed out.  No joke.)