New Orleans Night Duck

I was just inspired. The Westword, a lovely little paper in Denver, posted an article on their CafeSociety blog about the best leftovers. There is absolutely nothing I love in this world more (sorry, Mom) than LEFTOVERS. In fact my mom even brought me some leftovers today so I think she knows where my loyalties lie.

I wanted to not so covertly expand upon (steal) this idea but how? Then I remembered a glorious moment, in New Orleans (Yes, Sara and I went to New Orleans but were much too busy and important to blog about it.) We went to Galatoire's for an early bird dinner. Much has been said about Galatoire's (I'm sure) and I agree with all of it (the good stuff). I ate some food, in fact I think I ate a lot of food thus I didn't have the stomach room left to eat all of my entree of delectable duck.

I guess it's officially called "Roasted Duck." Which reminds me of my absolute favorite thing about Galatoire's, no fru fru fancy named bologna. Well, no bologna, actually. You want duck? Order Duck. You don't have to order the "apricot infused glaze of hashish with pumpernickel garnishment toast mixed with an awe-inspiring lumped potato and Count Chocula approved 7-day duck roast." Call me old fashioned but duck is duck, no matter what cereal character endorses it.

Back to the story. So since I couldn't finish my duck. The waiter tried to convince me that I needed to take it with me. I protested, I was in a hotel, I had no fridge, it would become yuck duck. He said no, you're wrong it will be good for hours! Who am I to argue with a seasoned Galatoire's waiter? If anyone knows his stuff, it would be this guy. So I took it and deposited it in the hotel room.

We went out drinking, as one does in New Orleans. This particular night may or may not have involved Absinthe drinking at a Pirate Bar, the details are understandably fuzzy. Upon return to hotel room I was greeted with the best thing that could ever happen! Leftovers! Sitting in their shiny material, just waiting to be eaten! And so I give you Night Duck. That's a look of elation not demonic possession, I assure you.


Working on the Night Duck! Similar but better than the Night Cheese.

Denver Pride Fest/Parade 2010

The only reason you needed to have attended...

Seahorses, Forever!

Also, don't suck like I did. Get your turkey legs early, even if that means eating one at 10:30 AM just after breakfast. If you don't follow this advice you'll end up with a fistful of tickets that then get spent on a (mediocre) buffalo burger with (doesn't look like bacon) buffalo bacon and (too weird, even for me) chocolate dipped bacon (It's cold? It's spicy? It melts?) FAIL, fair food, FAIL.

Don't worry fair readers, I'll get my summer turkey leg, if it's the last thing I do...

Sonic, where I've been for the last 7 months

So guess what?
I love Sonic.
All you haters can suck it. In fact I'll suck it for you, through this magical straw that provides me with the deliciousness that is a cranberry limeade.
A cranberry limeade that I bought nearly three hours ago that is still cold due to the Sonic genius that is some kind of modern physics marvel. (Physics makes us all its bitches) The equation is no doubt something like this: delicious limeade + extra corn syrup in the flavor of cranberry x ingenious Styrofoam cup ^(cute little crushed ice) = Cold for hours of happiness. Ahhhhh.

And one day I truly do intend to get the frito pie, I will, you'll see.

Chowing in Chicago

Behold a gallery of Zach eating, with super sleuth notes.

Date/Time: Nov 11th, Mid Evening Time
Location: De Cero
Deliciousness Consumed: Duck Enchiladas (note: not on menu)

Date/Time: Nov 12th, 6:30 PM

Location: Flattop
Deliciousness Consumed: Various mixtures of meats, fake meats, vegetables, noodles, rice and sauce. Approx. 3 bowls and numerous flat breads.

Time/Date: Nov. 13th, 10:50 AM
Location: Hot Doug's
Deliciousness Consumed: Alligator Hot Dog, Keira Knightly (firedog) and Cheese Fries


Also See Unaccompanied Food:

Spotted at De Cero
Possible Suspect: Taco collection: Mahi Mahi Special, Avocado, Flank Steak, Duck
Most Likely to be Eaten Again: Flank Steak, Duck
Suspected Accomplice: Hibiscus Margarita

Spotted at: Hot Doug's
Possible Suspects: BLT Hot Dog with Avocado Aoili and Mini Bagel Dogs with Tots
Observed Suspicious Activity: Hot Dog actually made with bacon


Private Eye Conclusions:

~De Cero is a delicious hot spot of activity. Margaritas are strong, duck is luscious and tortillas are freshly homemade.
~Long Line at Hot Doug's can only be avoided by arriving before opening time (approx 30 min).
~Mixing too many flavors at Flattop can lead to flavor overload and taste-bud exhaustion.

Quick List: Chicago

Things I did in Chicago that you should too:

1. Take the train alone, feel accomplished because you didn't get lost.
2. Walk into the Hilton on Michigan Ave. Act like you belong. Get free information from Concierge.
3. Wear a scarf.
4. Take a Bus Tour! (I will always recommend bus tours).
5. Answer bus tour guide's questions, he becomes less disgruntle this way.
6. Go to the Art Institute.
7. Understand that the video-art-clown-room is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable it is the point of it.
8. Make fun of clown room with people from Michigan.
9. See a Show at Second City.
10. Get a little buzzed on $9 spiked coffees at Second City.
11. Make nice with table mates at Second City, get shots bought for you.
12. Hug your friend goodbye and say "thank you."

What to Do In Chicago?

I will have a little solitary free time in Chicago next week and I feel like a historic home tour. Here are my options so far...

Glessner House Museum/Clarke House Combo Tour (leaning towards this one)

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fredrick C. Robbie House

however these completely non related attractions also look nice...

Shedd Aquarium

Lincoln Park Zoo

Adler Planetarium

I am open to other suggestions, of course. Help!

Snooze a Halloween, Noontime Review

Much has already been said, probably, about Snooze, long waits, exciting decor, hipsterly-typical spotty service and Sonny and Cher sing-a-longs.

Therefore, I will focus upon the magic that is a breakfast entree that does not feature eggs but isn't oatmeal or pancakes. Thank you God! I have only encountered a wonderful occurrence of this magnitude once before, deep in the mountains of Colorado, that epic tale is, however, for another time.

Back to the big city. The elusive entree for the person who loves eating out for breakfast but doesn't care much for eggs (less a fabulous omelet) is called The Snooze Spuds Deluxe. Official description: "choose two veggies and/or meats from below to compliment heaping portions of our hash browns, covered with melted cheddar, jack cheese & scallions" and the options list: uhm apparently not available for copy/paste. It hardly matters what the options are because I created the best combination possible, green chili and sausage patty.

It is severed in a small casserole dish, layered style, hash browns, scallions, cheese, chili and (chopped up!) sausage patty. The layering is my one complaint, even with a drippy veggie choice (yes green chili is a veggie, to me) by the end I was left with a bunch of good but lonely hash browns. Other than that, it was amazingly super. The Green chili was flavorful but not too spicy (remember spice wuss, here). The sausage was thoughtfully cut up. Hash browns were perfectly prepared, not slimy and not too crispy. I wish I could describe the taste explosion of fabulous that occurs when these ingredients are mixed together but I studied economics, so superfluous adjectives escape me, let's just say, it made my happiness quotient increase.

What's with the peas?

No seriously.

So I'm on a quest, a quest for tasty really cliche"Mexican" food in my neighborhood (that being Uptown/Capital Hill, Denver). I will never claim to be a good Mexican food critic. While I did eat amazing food in Mexico it didn't stop me from loving the taco/refried beans/rice combo platters upon my return. Also I am a giant wuss and my nose runs at the sight, yes the sight, of spicy food.

I have frequented Las Delicas in Uptown quite a few times and have never really been impressed.

Last night I gave a new place a try. Benny's on 7th and Grant. I ordered the Tamale Dinner (Two pork tamales smothered with chili verde, refried beans and rice). This is where the peas come in. You know I just don't understand why Spanish rice sometimes has peas in it. Granted I think peas are absolutely disgusting, in any form, but they look even worse, if possible, in that rice. I've never heard someone get rice without the peas and exclaim, "WTF, where are the peas?!" So, I don't think anyone would miss them, even if they are insane enough to like them. They look gross. Have they been frozen and heated up multiple times? Where do those odd dimples come from? Traumatic shipping? Too much botox? This is something I'll never get over and it transcends into other food types, see: fried rice. I will move on, unwillingly.

The tamales were fine. The refried beans were good, so refried that there was little hint of bean texture. I'm not saying that's classy but I am saying that's how I like it, liquid bean with cheese, yum. The bits of rice that I got while picking around the peas were fair as well. The best was the chili verde. I wanted more of it. I wanted to make a soup of chilie verde and refried bean liquid. I could die happy. Granted, the chili is probably too mild for the spicy fan but it did come with actual chunks of green chilies and I accidentally put one in my mouth and much to the embarrassment of my dinner companion had to spit it back out, that or suffer death by mouth burn. Luckily this guy didn't see me shaming my state like that as he walked inside. If I lived in California I could make some not so clever remark here like "I'll be back, to Benny's" but alas, perhaps I'll just ride my bike there again soon without any well known tag line.

Hats in the Highlands, I mean Ice Cream.

Hold on to your Hats!

I found something I like, in the Highlands (of Denver that is!). Yes, it's okay to gasp now.

Mmmmm Ice Cream. Bicycle rides to ice cream. Served out of a giant milk can. Served by people wearing silly paper hats of the ol' days. A discussion decided that people are just nicer when wearing those funny paper hats. Then I decided that anyone who has to take a court ordered anger management class should be forced to wear paper hats everywhere, I'd like to see someone being an ass in a hat like that, haha an asshat!

Anyway, it's called Little Man Ice Cream. It made me feel like I was doing something summer-y, perhaps on a boardwalk. The Cupcake ice cream was tasty as were the extra sprinkles. The summer night was lovely. The hats were the tops.

The Colorado Highway System Can Suck It.

I can say this because this is the second time this year I have been trapped on a highway this year and today it wasn't even snowing.

Time of Departure from Glenwood Springs, CO: approx. 5:30 pm

Planned Arrival: 8 PM, Downtown Denver

Time of Return to Glenwood Springs, CO: 11:00 pm

Time in car total: 5.5 Hours

Total distance traveled: 82 miles

Avg Miles per hour: 14.9

Route: Interstate 70

Area of Entrapment: Mile Marker 153 to 157, Eagle County, Colorado

Honestly, it's one thing if it's ski season and it's a Sunday afternoon/evening. Everyone knows that from November to April this traffic equation is always true:

Sunday evening + SUV + California license plates + precipitation = Sitting on I-70 for hours.
(Give or take precipitation) (Also SUV = pick up truck; California license plates = Texas license plates)

It comes as a surprise to me that apparently the equation can simply be reduced to:

Sunday evening = Sitting on I-70 for hours.

I know this is technically MY fault for not thinking to check the traffic on this perfectly sunny July day. After being unwillingly trapped in Eagle County, Colorado I can't help but feel a bit of a kinderance with Kobe Bryant's groupies so let's quit the victim blaming, deal?

There were many things that helped me through this nearly traumatic time and if you ever plan to travel along I-70 I suggest you bring these along:
cold leftover sesame chicken, 1 half a bottle of old water, music from the Knife, a paperback NY Times Best Selling Novel (My Sister's Keeper, was my goodie), a dying cell-phone (the dying helps the dramatic effect), a snide thing to think about every driver around you and this travel quote from modern-day philosopher Jimmy Buffett, "You can throw your luggage down, lose your cool and stomp around but there's nothing, nothing you can do."

But seriously 5+ hours? There has got to be a better method, perhaps a sign near the entrance to I-70, even a hand written one that reads "I wouldn't go this way, buddy!" would have been good enough for me.

And finally the photo that killed my phone battery, which also turned out to be much less dramatic than I had hoped it would be:

A Side of Meat, Bitte

For a perfectly traditional Swabian dinner go to Stuttgarter Staeffele, in Stuttgart Germany, that's an order.

They had an amazing appetizer garden salad that came with potatoes hiding under the other vegtables, jackpot! The only thing that kept me from eating all of the salad was the knowledge of what was to come (this was my second glorious visit). Feel free to order the potato cakes with homemade applesauce for an appetizer, the Germans may laugh at you and tell you it's a dessert but if you don't eat it first there is no way you'll be able to at the end of the meal. That's thinking ahead, meine Fruenden.

Do yourself a favor and order the a bit of it all platter (loosely translated). It's gigantic and completely worth it. It's delicious pork, beef, sausage, spaetzle, potatoes and probably more that I can't remember because my mouth is watering and stealing liquid from the area around my brain.

The traditional red wine is served in a short glass mug and is very potent as the people in the car who had to listen to my Enrique Iglesias renditions for thirty minutes would testify to, weeee!


This place is great because the food is face-stuffing good, the place is tiny and feels like an old wine cellar and best of all I walked by the kitchen and who was cooking? A round, old, German lady! That's authenticity!

Touristing it Right, London

Again, I'm a huge fan of kitschy, cheesy, tourist attractions. Here I present my London essentials (not all are cheesy):

1. Tour on the Red Bus.

This is great for your first day in the city so you can get your bearings, see the sights from a distance thus making it much easier to decide where to spend the rest of your time. Parents like it too, see...

2. St. Paul's Cathedral

It's expensive, it's crowded and you can't take pictures inside but a hike to the top of 500+ steps will give you amazing views of the city. Also test out the whispering wall during the first leg of the accent. My brother said it worked but he may have just been humoring me.





3. Harry Potter, nerd points points of interest

Kings Cross Station, where they have actually set up a place for all of us sad people to go to and get photo proof of our nerdom. What place you say? Platform 9 3/4, if you asked you obviously don't know.

A walk across Millennium Bridge, which is very close to St. Paul's, will allow you to get giddy like "my friend" did when you see it get destroyed in the Half-Blood Prince movie.


4. Kew Gardens

A leisurely Underground ride and a short walk from the center of London. This place is a huge botanical gardens with outdoor and indoor gardens, old royal manors and expansive lands. If you've ever imagined yourself a member of Victorian royalty this is the perfect place to daydream (Prince Charming not included). Take some sandwiches and have yourself a picnic or go late for their summer concert series.

English Food isn't bad...

just expensive and not exactly English.

Exhibit A:
Cote Bistro, French









Grilled Artichoke

Roast Duck Breast with Gratin Potatoes



We found this place just wandering around starving and such. What a happy surprise. The artichoke was on the specials menu and the duck is on the regular menu. Both were exceptional, as were the two bottles of wine, don't worry we still found our way back to the hotel. This method of wandering while hungry only worked out this well once, I suggest other methods of finding food. We went the to location in Kensington but luckily it is a London chain and has many locations throughout and outside of the city.

Exhibit B:
Ping Pong, Dim Sum

I have never had dim sum before, at all, so I don't have a point of comparison but I thought it was really delicious. I have, however, had a few cocktails before and can say quite confidently that their drinks were like nothing I've ever had before. The first was the Lemongrass and Lime made with Finlandia vodka, fresh lemongrass, lime and lychee juice, really tasty. The other drink that we attempted is called a Tennessee Tea Tingle the description for this reads "Jack Daniels, Cointreau and lemon juice topped up with Pepsi. Enjoy the electric feeling from the Sechuan buds!!!" Let me tell you, while the Whiskey may come from Tennessee I'm not sure the Sechuan buds would be legal there. After chomping one down and having my mouth tingle, burn then go numb we asked the waitress about these "Sechuan buds." The only information she had was that they come from Amsterdam, enough said. That's my younger brother up there, double fisting like a champ.

We ordered a lot of Dim Sum the list is: chicken puff, spinach and mushroom dumpling, spinach and prawn wrap, chicken and cashew nut dumpling, vegetable bun, chicken and black pepper spring roll, lemon chicken, honey glazed ribs, and crispy asparagus. I must say, I did crinkle my nose at the steamed vegetable bun but I take it back it was great, I recommend it, that's right, I just recommended something with vegetables.

Ping Pong, like Cote, has numerous locations, making these eateries easy to fit into your sightseeing schedule.

Big Burgers by Jim.

In my treasured tradition of eating things as big as my head, I give you, Jim's Burger Haven.


Needless to say, the Large Burger is, in fact quite large. It tastes good, nothing terribly special. The fries also good. The onion rings were tasty and perfectly crunchy, I'd pick them over the fries. I also had a chocolate shake. Because I have a weakness for BK Milkshakes I sometimes forget that *real* milkshakes don't just taste like melted soft serve. Jim's Milkshakes are the real deal. Actually I'm quite sure the entire place is the real deal.

Not to brag...

...but I'm kind of a badass.

A piece of Durian, right before I ate it, swallowed it and ate more.




A video of Andrew Zimmern spitting Durian out.

Let there be Orange-colored Sauce

17th Ave in the Uptown area of Denver offers many a tasty restaurant. In the event that you, like Zach and I did, wander down the street looking for something other than the usual haunts wander a long way down (yes as hard as it may be to pass Pasquini's). Then you too can have something along the lines of this...

Seco de cordero:
Lamb Stew with Rice

Atun con tacu tacu y aguaymanto:
Ahi Tuna with Lentil cake (and orange-colored sauce of the Gods)


Plato de Crema Quemada:
Flavors: Mocha, Mojito and some fruit we couldn't remember and coconut.

All this can be had at the Peruvian-fusion restaurant: Limon, 1618 E 17th Ave, Denver.

Zach liked his Lamb Stew but thought the rice was a little off. I ate a lot of the onions out of his stew and thought they were quite lovely. My Ahi (you know it's mine because of my awesome dining out attire of a Beatles' hoodie) was really good. Zach thought he didn't like fish and he even liked my Ahi, hopefully this will be a culinary turning point for him. It may have been the magic orange sauce that came with it. Not that it's the case here but I think that sauce could make almost anything (food and perhaps a twig) taste delightful. The lentil cake-thing also pleased me a great deal. Now I really don't want lentils in a different format ever again .

If our entrees look a bit small to you, that's because they are. Limon offers a half-sized option on most of their entrees. Good if you, like we, haven't quite reached baller status or would rather save room for dessert.

The presence of a dessert here is a special occurrence. I very rarely order a dessert. I think the combination of lower priced and mouthwatering entrees, Zach the splurger and ONE wicked strong Sangria (can we say cheap date?) all combined to make that Creme Brulee appear in front of me. My personal favorite was the mystery fruit and coconut and I don't even like coconut. It was terribly interesting a bit like an adventure for the mouth. The first taste is the sweet/burnt of the sugar and fruit followed by a very subtle coconut. I'd say it was downright fun to eat.

My thrill for this restaurant grew as my friend who returned from Peru recently explained to me that the food he ate there with the locals was actually quite bland. Therefore I can only conclude that orange-God sauce was a product of the fusion, thank goodness for food physics.

Not so free donuts.

As if there was a choice, we went and got free donuts on June 5.

Unfortunately, at the Winchell's on south Broadway, there were no donuts to be had. So we bought 2, and got 2 for free.

Here's Kristen woofing hers down. She later complained of being feverish from the two-donut combo.

Sorry, Kristen. I had to.

(EDIT: So later on, I get a tweet from Kristen saying that there were two pictures taken that night. I forgot ... and my form, as she remarked, is much better than hers, which she should be proud of. A lady eats donuts with a certain daintiness that a man just doesn't have...I didn't so much eat them as attack them, putting fear in their mother's heart that I would do the same to their siblings, donuts holes.)

To Do Friday Night in Denver!

Begin Shameless plug:

My friends Zach Clark and Brandon Proff are showing their art this Friday in Denver.

Information:

Date:	Friday, June 5, 2009
Time:	6:00pm - 10:00pm
Location:	LEGWORK (2nd floor of the Figherfighters association building)
Street:	2342 Broadway St.
City/Town:	Denver, CO

Link to Click for more Information.

The best news? There will be beer! Free Beer!

So is it Spicy?

This title sums up my first experiences with Ethiopian food. I like to think I'm rather daring when it comes to trying new food but I'll be the first to admit I'm a giant wuss when it comes to eating spicy food. The experience as I'll submit it to Hollywood...

Cast:
Kristen, a sarcastic foodie from Colorado, cautious about spicy food
Brandon, a sarcastic artist from Colorado, cautious about spicy food
Zach, Colorado native now living in Chicago, lover of Ethiopian food
Rachel, gal with international flair living in Chicago, loves Ethiopian food but knows none of the names of dishes.
Extra:
Friendly waiter
Scene:
Arada Restaurant.
Cast wanders hungrily down Santa Fe Blvd after taking in an art show.

Kristen:
sarcastically, "We could eat at that Ethiopian restaurant"
Zach/Rachel:
"Yeah!"
Kristen:
"uhhm ok"

Cast sits at table, reads menu
Kristen:
"What does this mean? Is this spicy? How does this work?"
Rachel:
"I don't know I just get served the stuff by my Ethiopian friends, it's good."
Brandon:
"Yeah I can't do spicy"
Zach:
"Uhm I think Berbere means spicy. I'm confused is this not family style?"
Brandon:
"Yeah Right!"
Rachel:
"It should be. I'm not that hungry"
Kristen:
"This one says mild, maybe I'll get that one"
(Yebeg Siga Alitcha, lamb stew with garlic and ginger)
Brandon:
"Oh I was going to get that one! "
Kristen:
"Fine, I'll get a different one."
Brandon:
"No, I'll get a different one."
Zach:
"No Way"
Kristen (to waiter):
Which ones are not spicy?
Waiter:
Anything that says "alitcha."
Kristen:
"Ok Brandon do you want chicken or lamb?"
Brandon:
"Chicken."
(Doro Alitcha: mild chicken with special Arada spices)
Kristen:
"Then I'll get the lamb. That waiter is really nice."
Zach:
"You lame losers, I'm getting spicy, spicy chicken!"
Waiter:
"Are you ready to order?"

Cast orders:
Yebeg Siga Alitcha
Doro Alitcha
Doro Wot (chicken in Berbere sauce)
Yatakilt Alitcha (potatoes, carrots, cabbage and onions)
Shrio Wot (chickpeas)
Tomato Fit Fit
Tomato Salad
Yater Alitcha (yellow split peas)
Yemiser Wot (spicy lentils)

Food Arrives, family style.
Waiter:
Explains dishes, serves food

Cast uses fingers and injera (a sour, soggy bread more like an un-fried tortilla) to eat.
Brandon sneakily takes candid Iphone photo of Kristen and food.

Cast stuffs themselves, eating much more than they should
Kristen:
"That spicy chicken isn't too spicy"
Brandon:
"Speak for yourself"
Rachel:
"Well then don't try the lentils"
Kristen:
"This is really good, especially the tomato fit fit, shiro wot, and the alitcha's"
Brandon:
"My chicken was the best!"
Zach:
"Bull Shit!"
Kristen:
"I'm glad I suggested this place"
Zach:
"I'm glad I took you seriously"
End Scene.

Well, my future might not be in screenplay writing but it will include more delicious food from Arada. I have my eyes on the Awaze Tips (Beef, berbere sauce, garlic and tomatoes) now that I know I can take the heat.

A Psychedelic Experience, No Drugs Required.

As a wannabe hippie (the 1960s version) The Psychedelic Experience Exhibit now at the Denver Art Museum is probably as close as I'll ever get to realizing my dream. Therefore I really liked it. I think those of you out there with more realistic goals could like it too if you take your time and look at the right posters.

First of all, it's worth it to read the artist information and information about the promoters and venues. Stories always add to the interest factor.

The exhibit starts with memorabilia from the Day-Glo days of Ken Kesey, The Merry Pranksters and the Acid Tests. Click for the condensed version of who these wack-a-doos are but if you can read hard to follow books with extraordinary speed, check out Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests.

The most interesting pieces are optical illusion pieces that at first glance may just look like gibberish or more simplistic than they really are. Especially those of artist Victor Moscoso whose use of color contrast to display text it mind-bogglingly fun. We had a game of it trying to read the entire poster. Lee Conkiln's optical illusions are pictures within pictures. It's worth it to stand around and stare at their pieces and see things others miss while merely glancing around.

Also worth a visit is the Side-Trip where you can create your own poster or light show, listen to albums, chill on the couch or in a pillow-lined bathtub and leaf through a 1960s yearbook or LIFE magazine.

The exhibit only goes through July 21st so hurry up and make the trip! (pun intended, har har)