Land of 10,000 Memories

It has been nearly two weeks since I boarded a plane at Denver International Airport to swoop into Minneapolis where I spent a marvelous 10 days with my family, best friends from High School, and attended my college roommate's wedding.  Coming home to Minnesota doesn't happen often enough, and that is why, no matter what the circumstances, each visit is treated like a vacation. This usually includes napping on the back porch with the pets, sharing grand meals hot off Dad's grill, partaking in daily "Surly" happy hours, and making custard runs to Adele's. As special as visits home are, this trip was even more so since Joe, Lindsay and Antonio flew into town on Friday for the wedding, followed by Joe's family on Saturday for a joint family reunion. The gregarious tone set for the week was further accentuated by persistent warm and sunny weather!  Here are some photos to showcase some of my favorite memories from my early October visit to The Land of 10,000 Lakes. Oofta, yah you betcha!

View of the nation's only Basilica from
Joe's Garage Restaurant off of Hennepin
Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.
Note my family's table to the back right.

My brilliant brother, Mike!
He was able to join us for brunch/lunch before
hitting the books again.

My Dad and I drink a like.
For the record, this was the best Bloody Mary
I've ever encountered!  The secret ingredient included
some sort of spicy infused vodka.  A beer chaser is a must.

One of many trips to the best homemade custard shop in the cities!
Adele's custard located in Excelsior near Lake Minnetonka.

I've been a loyal fan for nearly 12 years now. 

The classic custard pooper.   This fresh vanilla
went into our half gallon of Caramel Cashew.
My mom makes a monthly visit to pick up Bear Paw.

The many local trails near my neighborhood
beckoned me to take a few afternoon rides.

Evenings on Lake Riley, located just a few minutes

away from our Chanhassen home. Maggie, my old puppy,

still rejoices with any opportunity to chase squirrels

and take a dip in the calm lake waters.

Key's famous caramel rolls from their restaurant
located within the oldest bar in Minneapolis.

Megan, Simon, me working together to pick a peck of apples!
Minnetonka Orchards in Minnetrista, MN.

Apple season... one of my favorites!

Kramarczuk's is a must when in the Minneapolis
neighbhorhood (or not)! Although they are famous for their
homemade meats and imported cheeses, we took home bags of
baked goods: kolache!  We were even able to snag three of their
best selling lemon variety, as well as traditional poppy
seed and cheese filled varieties.

Allyce, Simon, and Megan.

Getting happy at the Happy Gnome Bar,
St. Paul, MN.

My mom and I had a "girl's day out" lunch at the French Meadow
Bakery, famously known for being a favorite of Scarlette Johansson.

We split the Rachel Reuben, "firecracker" spicy coleslaw,
and french meadow salad with their famous whole grain bread.
Oh, and a few beers, too :)

Antonio, Lindsay, Joe, and Me.
Full of pozole and ready for a night out on the town! 

The stunning bride braving the strong evening wind.

I love this candid picture.

Congratulations Katie and Mike!!

The ceremony was held at the iconic Minneapolis
Cathedral in downtown St. Paul. 

The final days were spent in a house full of love and laughter.
Family at its finest!

Joe and I returned home (thank you Lazar Family!) with a bag full
of gourmet Wisconsin cheeses and sausages, which we couldn't help
but consume immediately! A tasty remembrance of our time
together and many more to come.

August Visitors Part 3

Meet the "other" Emily, the third visitor of the month! We met in graduate school and as we got to know each other more and more, we realized we must have been sisters in a different life. We appreciate all things corn, we love to blog about food (stay tuned, we may start a site together), we are incredibly clumsy/awkward in social situations (seriously), we prefer to spend our money on travel, and we like colorful shoes, to name a few. She made the trip from Wisconsin to Colorado for a wedding and as my luck would have it, she was able to extend her stay for a visit to Denver! 

Our rendezvous began Sunday night. We chatted over some snacks but ended up calling it an early night since Emily had just survived a weekend full of "wedding-ing" (enough said) and Joe and I were in need of some sleep following our camping trip in Crested Butte. Come Monday morning, however, we were off to the races to experience Denver! In true Emily-and-Emily fashion, we mounted bikes and headed downtown using the Cherry Creek Trail. 

Our first stop was just west of the Platte River at the REI flagship store. It served a duel purpose since Em got to explore a bit and I got to take Joe's bike to the cycling department for some adjustments (I was borrowing his ancient road bike that day since it tends to throw fits, and Em was on mine). After gulping water and AC we turned back and parked at the top of 16th Street Mall and made our way through my personal must-sees: "Tattered Cover Book Store," "Wyncoop Brewery," and then a walk down The Mall. 

Eat. Sleep. Read.
The "Tattered Cover " provides everything you look for in a bookstore.
There are cool leather chairs, giant bookshelves heaping with colorful books,
and a screaming espresso machine for ambiance. 

Oh my! Food porn! 

The Wyncoop Brewery's bouncer.
There was absolutely no monkeying around here! (hehe)

The wild, urban buffalo could be spotted that day.
If you are patient enough, as we were, you can pet them!

Lunch time!
We were allured by "Illegal Pete's" fast service and spicy menu options.

The Chicken nachos, and a side order of Chips n' queso.

I settled for the Taco platter. It came with a side of beans and fresh cilantro! 

After refueling, we couldn't resist the Denver Pavilions, an outdoor shopping mall. 

There was an "I Love Denver" store. Yup. Loved it.

Instead of biking back home the way we came, we took Araphahoe Street north to grab some tastes at the "Great Divide Brewery." We arrived just as the happy hour pint specials started and as the last brewery tour was beginning, but instead, we wanted nothing more than to sit and do nothing more than enjoy some samplers! And maybe watch the bartenders :)

Tasting the Belgian-Style Yeti Stout, Hibernation Ale,
Oak-aged Yeti, Rumble PA, Wild Raspberry Ale, and Grand Cru Aged-Ale.

A great watering hole for sweaty, tall, tourists on bikes.

Later that evening, we grabbed our Rockies Pepsi Paks (four game tickets, four meal tickets, parking pass, and game program) and headed down to Coors Field!  The Colorado Rockies were playing the Houston Astros. We won, ha!

We gave Joe the fourth ticket to try and sell but after one failed attempt,
we decided to pocket the extra meal ticket and catch the first pitch! 

Summer with a side baseball...
What could be better than Superdogs and Dippin Dots?

Taking a "4th inning stretch" to admire the views. 

On Tuesday, we traveled to Boulder. After telling Emily about "The Flatironette" trail that Megan and I discovered the week before, we decided that would be a perfect late-morning recess before grabbing lunch and seeing Old Pearl Street. 

Bouldering at Boulder :)

Emily was a natural at hiking!

We menu shopped all the way down Old Pearl Street until we found
an artsy restaurant, called "The Kitchen." However, we settled for the
place, "Next Door." Literally!

We stuffed our faces. Also, literally.
We ordered the Spiced chickpeas and hummus platter for starters.
Then we ate beautiful sandwiches.
My Lamb sandwich with mint sauce and Roasted beets was to die for.
Em enjoyed her Pulled pork sandwich with Garlic smashers (fingerlings).
Both sandwiches were served on crispy ciabotta bread,
happily soaking up the meat filling juices.
Still dreaming about that sandwich...

Our food was washed down with apricot and IPA beers, and lastly, for
a sweet ending to a perfect meal... homemade ice cream sandwich to share.
Jealous?

After shaking off our food comas by strolling in and out of the many trendy shops on Old Pearl Street, we rushed back to Denver in order to pack up snacks and rain ponchos for our first concert at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison! We made a stop at Whole Foods in hopes of finding Emily's favorite snack dip (was it called, Mexi Dip?), however, no luck.  But how can you stay frustrated when you know you are going to be enveloped by the music from Death Cab and views of majestic red rocks in a few short hours? 

Red Rocks Amphitheater.
Waiting for the show to start, while enjoying the sunset.

We were able to meet up with one of Emily's college roommates too!
We all danced the night away!

On Wednesday, Em & Em took things slow. We slept in after making it home later than expected because of a horrendous traffic jam caused by the concert. But when we did rise, we took a walk through the Capital Hill neighborhood to find come coffee, followed by a walk through Cheesman Park. Emily packed her things, we loaded the car and went to Uptown to spend our last few hours together before her departure flight.  

We grabbed brunch at this curious, vegetarian restaurant serving up
meatless comfort food influenced by locally-sourced ingredients. 

Everything in this restaurant was beauitful.
The lamps had paper mache covers that resembled feathers, the walls were
painted with pastel forest scenes, and the food was presented as if it were
to be showcased on the cover of a cookbook.
This picture shows my brunch: the seasonal Market entree, made with
smoked tofu, creamed sweet potato puree, sauteed mushrooms, and arugula.

They also offered some amazing egg scrambles!!

Our last stop was to "D Bar Desserts," a cheers to our sweet time together. It is co-owned by the celebrity chef, Keegan Gerhard, who has been featured on Food Network, and pastry connoisseur, Lisa Bailey. They stress to diners that D Bar is supposed to be a "culinary sanctuary," the meeting place between people and food. Just studying their menu under the shade of their patio umbrellas was enjoyable. Everything on their menu looked scrumptious. We squabbled over what to order until the waitress sold us on their signature dessert: The cake and shake!  

The Cake and Shake: three-layered piece of cake and
your choice of vanilla or chocolate shake or malt.
Chocolate with chocolate malt for us!

The perfect combination of texture for two gals
who love dessert. Just repeat after me,
1 fork full of rich, spongey cake + 2 sips of melty malty cream
+ 3 licks of fudge frosting = love. 

It was at D Bar when we realized that almost every restaurant
in Colorado serves table water in these neat glass bottles.
I guess this is what food enthusiasts talk about over meals :)

Even with such a treat, leaving the restaurant was bitter sweet because it was time to depart ways once again. After wiping our faces clean of chocolate, we began the long drive to the Denver Airport. We hugged for a long time at the terminal.  I only let go because I know that it would take a lot more than miles to separate this friendship.

July Visitors

What a sensational Independence Day weekend!  I slept in until almost 10:00 AM this morning, waking up feeling like an kid who was tuckered out from a big dose of play. 

My family flew down for a Denver visit packed full of sight seeing, beer tasting, restaurant exploring, firework gawking, and mountain driving. Truth be told, my first impressions from earlier this month of the downtown district was that it lacked a certain vibrance that Minneapolis and Madison seem to hold. However, after a few short days with Team Nuss I have gained a newfound appreciation for the area.  For example, there are brick building flanked with painted advertisements that date back to the early 18th century; there are tap rooms and breweries pulled away from the hot sidewalks that are gorged with various beers by the barrel; there are small bike-repair shops and bookstores that have unadvertised coffee bars. Perhaps I was a bit quick to make my assumptions about the city. A few of my favorite memories from the weekend are shared in the pictures to follow... 

Making the hot journey across Denver's concrete jungle
to a watering hole.  Hello refreshing beers at
the Great Divide Brewery!

Cheers to these wonderful urban explorers. It's a keeper.

We went with the 3 for $3 samplers that were served in these
fun glasses. In the end, I think we managed to sample
each of their beers on tap, including ones
that weren't listed on the menu. 

Brewery tour shenanigans...

Drinking beer while learning about beer is probably
the best way to approach brewery tours.
Good thinking, Mickie.

Who would have thought the brewers to be such creative
artisans too. This is a funny picture we found
hanging behind a door (I guess we were really paying
attention to the tour guide).

Joe joined us for dinner at one of our favorite
Uptown restaurants.  Joe and I found this place our first
weekend to Denver and decided it would make a good
first for the family as well. We got outdoor seating
and stuff-yourself-silly grub.

What are in those copper mugs that everyone seems to be
drinking? Why, its a moscow mule of course!
An oldie but a goodie that the mixologists at Steuben's
brought back from the 50's. Apparently the copper mug
keeps the lime zesty and the cocktail consists of vodka
and ginger beer on ice. According to our server, this drink
created a good way to use up excess ginger beer
(a popular drink during prohibition) and the name comes
from the common thought that vodka is a Russian product.
We went with multiple straws so that everyone could get a taste.  

We spotted one of those rare, giant blue bears that roam
wild in Denver. This one looks hungry... 

The Bike Doctor hooked us up with four bikes for the
weekend. Walking would have made it too difficult to
see everything we were hoping to see in the big city.
We are on Wynkoop Street (Coor's Field in the background)
trying to find some cold beer. It was another
summer day in the 90's. Where was this heat coming from?

The Falling Rock Tap House.
We had high hopes from the internet reviews
on this place, for example that they carry
~100 beers on tap daily. Maybe it was the heat but
this place was even better than we could have imagined.
We sat in unoccupied leather couches and watched the
 Rockies vs. Royals game with cool air and frosty, strong beer. 

Look! Dad is on TV!!

More wild animals roaming the streets.
Mike, pick on someone your own size will ya! 

Dinner at the Appaloosa Grill on 16th Street Mall.
What a good looking crew.

Fireworks show accompanied by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
Having our bikes for this was awesome (no parking mess).
Finding 3D glasses was even more awesome.

Estes Park, Trail Ridge Road on Independence Day.
You can't leave Colorado without experiencing the Rockies.

We stopped for a late lunch in Lyons on our way to Boulder.
 It was a funky joint in a small town but I will recommend
it to anyone I know going to the Estes area. They had massive
portions and delicious beer (they brew Oskar Blues). I had a pint
of "The Gubna" and this was probably my favorite beer of the
weekend.  Come to find out mid pint its about 10% alcohol... wow,
food coma + altitude + strong beer = deep desire to nap. 

Mike finishing the massive stuffed burrito.
In my opinion there should have been streamers and balloons,
or at least a pat on the back from the waitress.
Good thing mom got him this t-shirt that says, "Chub It"
below the flying pig (referring to their "Old Chub" scotch ale).   

Taking a stroll down Old Pearl Street in Boulder.
All of these adventures in three days... no wonder we were pooped out!

Come back soon!

Looking back, I can't really describe what exactly I thought Denver was missing. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the 16th Street Mall (the iconic main street connecting Civic Center Park to the Union Station) is flanked with commercial shops and restaurants, like the Cheesecake Factory and Forever 21. Where are the Denver originals? Where can I experience something unique to this downtown that I can't find in another metropolis? Market Street and Larimer Street, which cross 16th Street towards the north end, seemed to be teaming with unique dining spots and boutiques, but with a voracious cost!  Wow. Does this make me a pessimist? Have I turned into a dining snob? Today I just read an article in the Westward magazine about Theo Adley, the chef at the Pinyon in Boulder, and it made me chuckle. He discussed this very issue with Denver's food scene:

"Being called "America's Foodiest Town" by Bon Appetit was the biggest disservice ever paid to the Boulder/Denver dining scene... I think the title has made us complacent. It made everyone feel so f***ing good comfy... Most people shop at farmers' markets to show off their dogs, not because they actually want to stock up on food..."

Maybe I wasn't crazy to think there should be more chefs like Theo. I scribbled "Pinyon" on my list of restaurants to try before the end of the year. 

Other reviews from Denver "foodies" that may provide as a decent road map for an introduction to dining in the Mile High City.