Food
Let’s be honest, Colorado used to be a food desert. A place of unimaginative and boring food where the most exciting item on any menu was a Denver omelette or a really good steak (the steak has always been good). And, to add insult to injury, we have a underwhelming amount of good Mexican food despite our proximity to Mexico. For a foodie, living in Colorado has been hard…until now. Food is finally good in Colorado.
Food
Is experiencing what I can only call: a resurgence, awakening, or, an epic moment. It is a great time to be a foodie in Colorado. It feels like we’re up for anything and that people, finally, finally have the palates to appreciate good food. There is a bit of a trick to finding good food consistently in Colorado:
- Talk to other foodies-if you have friends who enjoy good food ask them where they go out to eat.
- 5280 and Westword’s best of lists-Google the lists for the past 2 years and then go for it.
- Eat local-Don’t get me wrong, there are national chains that make good food but there are so many local chefs creating beautiful and regional sourced food that it would be a shame to miss out on their greatness.
- It’s a Secret-there are secret food experiences that you can have around the state. In Denver and Boulder there a number of cooking events that you sign up to receive monthly updates on cool events.
- Harvest Week Dinners-Every October there are a number of venues that share incredible dinners celebrating the harvest.
- Denver Restaurant Week-February 24-March 5, 2017. Enjoy 3-5 course meals at a hugely discounted price. Check out the different restaurants that you’ve heard about for less.
Great Foods that I Find on a Regular Basis
- Truffles and Truffle salt
- Great olive oil
- Good bread
- Kimchi (fresh)
- Good cheeses-I used to live in France, I have a palate for good cheese. We have it here.
- Great coffee
- Local lamb
And then, there is the experimental food, the regional foods, ethnic food, and the I can’t believe we’re eating this in DENVER food!
I’m also in love with the food hall concepts that have opened up: The Source and Central Market Denver. I can’t wait for Stanley Marketplace in the Stapleton neighborhood sometime this fall. In fact, there are so many great places to eat I’m overwhelmed by all of the choices.
There are even James Beard awards winners in our midst as well. Some other cool food concepts of note:
- American Cultures Tap Room-love kombucha? Go to the tap room and taste a number of your favorite blends.
- Pho Real! I love Uncle-I haven’t gone in awhile but the food is so freaking good.
- The Preservery–A cool community/food/and music concept. I had a great lunch there the other day. (RINO)
- HMart-The ultimate in international grocery experiences. I’ve only gone to the location in Aurora. Pick up fresh fish, kimchi, or fruits and vegetables.
- Bramble and Hare-The most Boulder of Boulder restaurants. I love this place.
I’m so excited to check out more cool places and share them with you. Can’t wait.