Kind readers, take a guess at what I did in Denver? Come on, take a wild stab in the dark....
You are right: I drank a lot of beer.
There are a ridiculous number of craft breweries in Colorado, many
of them in downtown (or near downtown) Denver. Four days just was not enough
time to even make a dent. I hung out at three of them in particular in Lower
Downtown (LoDo):
- Wynkoop Brewing Company (Winkoop Street, behind Union Station). This is a
brew pub rather than a brewery that has been around for 25 years. They have
roughly 15 home brewed flavours, a fully stocked bar and an affordable menu
that offers pub favourites, with a bit of a twist. (I had their buffalo meat loaf, which was great.) I tried at least half their beers (a five-hour first game of the Stanley Cup Finals helped); one of their most interesting offerings was Patty's Chile Beer, brewed with green chilies. This is the second chili-infused beer I have encountered (Halifax's Garrison Breweries made the first one); I still say that type of beer is the perfect end-of-night pint, when you are looking to have something spicy. Other notables included the Mile Hi-Pa. It is also the home of the brass gorilla that was staring me down...
- Falling Rock Taphouse (Drake Street). 'No Crap on Tap' is their slogan; they have 88 of them, mostly American crafts, with a high number of Belgian imports. I tried a number of Colorado beers, but the best I had came from Massachusetts, the Clown Shoes Supa Hero Double IPA, which, in addition to getting points for its name, is nicely and subtly hoppy.
- The Great Divide Brewery's tap room, two blocks or so from Coors Field. Great Divide is a local brewery that is carried by a lot of local beers. They have a rather large tap room on the premises.Their signature beer seems to be the Yeti Imperial Stout; at 9.5 per cent, it is one of the stronger stouts I have had.
Food:
- I broke a rule: I went back to the same restaurant twice.
Magnificent Deli in LoHi (Lower Hightown, across the 'river' from Downtown
Denver) makes the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. I had the beef brisket one
day and their Cuban sandwich the next; both were overflowing with perfectly
cooked and prepared meat. I would have gone back a third time if a friend of
mine had not recommended to me...
- RosaLinda's (also also in LoHi, a block or so from where I was
staying)
as where he had eaten the best Mexican food he had ever had. He was
not far off; what I had (their lunch special, a chili relleno and an
enchilada, covered with a home-made green chili sauce) was certainly better than what I had in San Antonio. The menu also seems authentic (e.g., cactus enchiladas, beef tripe).
- I had dinner at Elway's, a steakhouse (although the menu featured
more than just steak) owned by John Elway. All you need to know is that it is
located in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton.
Everything I had (cracked red pepper soup, NY sirloin (8 oz) and an apple pecan crumble)
was very good; I have no complaints there. It was, however over-priced, as was
the wine by the glass and the scotch. Of note, the barmaid suggested I order an
Inniskillin ice wine to go with dessert (at $20 a glass, no less); that is not
quite why I am travelling...
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Random observations:
- I had a worrisome moment on my first day. I had to climb a short,
not all that steep hill and barely made it to the top, huffing and puffing. I
figured, yup, that's it, the major heart attack is finally on its way. Then, a
bit later, when the same thing happened halfway through a 30-step or so
stairway to a pedestrian overpass, I remembered: this is the 'Mile-High City',
with its attendant thin air...
- There is no gambling allowed on Denver Public Transit.
- I suspect there may be a public ordinance stating that every
household must own a dog. I have never seen so many dogs in a city before.
- The original Quizno's is in Denver.
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