Colorado Trip in June

I will be taking by 15 yo nephew out to Colorado for a short week (about seven days) in june. We are going to fly into Denver International. We are going to spend two night in Colorado Springs, two to three nights in the Denver area (either Golden or Boulder) and two nights in Cheyenne or Laramie, WY. We have pretty much decided upon the routes we are taking and as usual, will be playing the "Priceline/Hotwire" game to its maximum for accommodations.

As for food, I am open to almost any ideas. In general, I am looking for good local options where you can get a good meal for approximately $15-20 per person. I am not really into the fine dining options, the towers of food, or the "plate painters." My nephew is not a picky eater and will generally dig into what is ever placed in front of him. (About once a week, he insists on a Pizza Hut stop but he is smart enough to do it when we get to a smaller town with few options.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

So what route have you decided upon? Are you heading due north on I-25?

Really, I plan to stick to within 50 miles of I-25 except the part of the trip heading to Laramie.

I know that it is a shame that I won't be heading further west but my time is pretty limited. Had planned on 9-10 days and ended up with 7 days.

j--are you going to visit Ft. Collins? There's some decent food there, and it's kind of interesting to look around, particularly in Olde Towne. There's some decent Mexican, of course, and the Poudre Valley creamery makes some dandy ice cream cones.

Geo

Fort Collins is definitely on my list of places to visit ... although my last experience there was less than desirable.

We were camping at a KOA campground and the wind was so strong that it blew my usually very sturdy tent down. As we got out of the tent, we were nearly run down by an errant 55 gallon trash barrel.

Is Poudre Valley Creamery associated with the Colorado State University? The CSU website was not very good in terms of providing much information about the agricultural program.

Since my nephew will be with me, we will probably stop at the Colorado School of Mines and the University of Wyoming.

No, Poudre Valley Creamery is an independent private establishment. When I was a kid in Ft. Collins—c. 1950-55—we would always ride our bikes down to the plant to get cones and/or malts at their retail outlook. I was there several years ago and it all tasted just as good!

There's a neat old time Mexican restaurant, whose name I forget. Let me see if I can dredge it up for you.

One very cool thing about The Fort is the remnants of the streetcar system. There were streetcars running all over town when I was in early grade school, and with passes for school kids, it made sense to take the galloping goose to school, especially in Winter. There is an old car in the park by the library, and I understand that on Summer weekends they run the cars out to City Park on Mountain Ave. It would be a hoot to give it a try.

Geo

http://www.fortnet.org/trolley/

Here is your answer:



I know! Right?

Anyway, here's a thread on Fort Collins, which also contains sub-threads, which should totally take care of your Fort Collins needs. (I'd love to be wrong, but alas, I don't think the Poudre Valley Creamery exists anymore... I think it's now a bike co-op.)

Here is a thread on Denver & vicinity (and here's another, and another); if you're not going to try Mario N Wongs, I'd suggest Domo-- it's a pretty special restaurant,** and not as expensive as you might imagine (especially for lunch). It's the kind of place that can cleanse your soul of Pizza Hut.


Mario N Wongs
6110 E Colfax Ave
Denver, CO 80220
(303) 393-1888

Domo
1365 Osage Street
Denver, CO 80204
(303) 595-3666

** From its website: Domo is a Japanese Country Foods restaurant located in Denver, Colorado. Also in this facility is a Japanese country museum and a traditional Japanese garden.

I would strongly suggest going to Manitou Springs....it is right outside CO. Springs.....right at the foot of Pikes Peak....it's this amazing little town of hippies/bikers/cowboys/artists....just a fantastic, very friendly little "Shang-gri-la"...

About 12 creeks converge on the town (hence the name), so nearly every restaurant has outdoor seating right next to a beautiful babbling brook. Our favorites are:

-Amanda Fonda: Good Mexican in an old looking log cabin struture....right on a creek..
-The Loop: Even better Mexican in town (but no outdoor seating)
-Stagecoach Inn: Historic old stage stop turned into a very good restaurant....great mountian Trout (plus, again, nice deck overlooking creek)

And you MUST hit the ancient penny arcade in town....has pinball machines dating back to the turn of the century (and every time in between)....a real piece of history...and yes, play prices are the same as when they were new)

Pinball ... how I am interested! That is how I earned my way through college. I will have to check them out.

Thanks for the info.

Mountain Sun Brewery in Boulder is always a guaranteed stop for us - very good beer, laid back granola atmosphere, and excellent food for a brewpub...I still dream of the blonde ale bacon-potato-leek soup I had there in November....MMmmmmm. Good stuff. Mountain Sun also just opened a brewpub in the Denver area, but my brother tells me that while its also very good, they're still working on settling in with the menu and staff.

if you start your trip in colorado springs then i'd also suggest a trip to manitou springs. never been there but i've heard its nice and these mountain towns seem to be alot more pleasant than the front range cities! also you can drive to the top of pikes peak. i'd also suggest a stop at garden of the gods-a beautiful free park nestled into the foothills. as far as food i cant really help down south as i dont go there much.

as you head north if you travel up i25 you'll pass (w a small detour) a town called sedalia. it has a place called bud's that has been voted best burger in denver many times. sedalia is kind of a one stoplight town. theres possibly a backroad way from colorado springs to sedalia and/or denver that would follow the south platte river and is very scenic. also a little west of sedalia is a place called devils head. if you want a semi short hike(1 mile i think) you can go to the last manned fire lookout in the rockies. i think you can see 100 miles in any direction from the lookout, and the old man ranger there is a great guy!

if you decide to head up i25 from the springs then you will probably take c470 which will basically take you right to golden. about ten minutes south of golden on c470 is morrison. morrison is the home of red rocks which access to is free as long as there isnt a show. the town itself is also pretty nice. a couple of blocks long it is packed w places to eat as red rocks is a large draw. there is a chicken wing place at the beginning of town that is really good and also the morrison inn. the morrison inn is a popular mexican joint and i use the term mexican loosely as colorado mexican is a whole different genre. i had a chicken, mushroom, creamed spinach, cheese sauce burrito smothered in chili that i ordered for the novelty and actually really enjoyed! the decorations are fun and interesting and all my out of town friends love it there.

so now you're in golden! golden is a great town and the school of mines is right downtown. mainstreet golden has a very western feel to it! the main drag is walkable and clear creek is a great place to hang out. the creek runs through the center of town. there is a pizza place called woody's right downtown that has an all you can eat pizza buffet. i dont love it but alot of people do. they have a variety of pizzas w some more exotic ones also. there is also a middle eastern joint off of highway 93 called ali babba grill which gets good reviews. there is a calzone place called mannie and bo's that has good calzones! also if you drive up the mountain a bit there is buffalo bill's grave and museum-a neat little sidetrip maybe.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=10205&p=94944&hilit=mannie+and+bo%27s#p94944

now onwards to boulder! if you can and i'd highly suggest it! head west into clear creek canyon theres a nice two lane highway that takes you through a beautiful canyon w clear creek probably raging at that time running right next to it. this is denver and goldens playground. rock climbing, fly fishing, white water rafting will all be going on if you keep your eyes peeled! theres pullouts all over the place for picture oppurtunities! take the road-highway 6 to blackhawk. blackhawk was an old mining town that now is a casino town. dont stop! its interesting from the car but thats about it. at this point 6 will have become 119 which will take you to boulder the back way. this highway is known as the peak to peak highway and the views are tremendous! 119 will take you to nederland which is a tiny town up the canyon from boulder. nederland is where the people that are too wierd from boulder move! its a hippy town w a cool history you should stop there if you can. theres a frozen dead guy they keep in a shed who has become kind of a symbol for the ned as they call it. they have a frozen dead guy fest every year! as you continue down 119 you'll head down boulder canyon. a scenic canyon much in the same vein as clear creek. stop at the boulder falls pullout and a two minute walk will take you to a beautiful waterfall! continue down the canyon and you'll be in boulder. this will get you into the mountains a bit, provide some stunning views and can easily be accomplished in half a day.

boulder has a ton of great food so just walk around. i hear the radda trattoria is very good and if you want a ginormous sandwich in a college town atmosphere half fast subs is a good place. mountain sun is really good also the one in denver has 20 good beers on tap and their limited food menu is good as well. they dont except credit though!

cant help you farther north

sorry about the length and if you need links to addresses i can send you them. i didnt know what the policy on cross posting was!

have a great trip
glenn

j--I forgot to mention this. If you go into the ped zone in Boulder, do NOT, repeat NOT, go to the Thai restaurant. Locals, for whatever incomprehensible reason, swear by it. My friends and I swore AT it: haphazard service, bizzare food (the most plentiful element, across the board, was sliced Bermuda onions), and elevated prices. I'll let others tell you where to go in the ped zone, but that's somewhere NOT to go.

Glenn's upthread suggestion about Nederland should be taken seriously. The town is a raging hoot. One of my former students dropped out of grad school at CU and ended up dancing in one of the dives in Nederland, from whence she entertained us mightily when we visited.

Geo

Glenn...fantastic post! We actually are headed out that way next week ourselves. I am printing this out and taking along...sounds like great stuff!

Thanks!

Geo wrote:j--I forgot to mention this. If you go into the ped zone in Boulder, do NOT, repeat NOT, go to the Thai restaurant.

"The" Thai restaurant? Actually, there are several Thai restaurants in Boulder and I'm not sure which one you are referring to that is on the Pearl Street Mall. If you want Thai in Boulder then I'd suggest Chy Thai. Or Bangkok Cuisine. Or Siamese Plate.

But, if you want food on or near the Pearl Street Mall, here are a few suggestions:

Q's. Upscale.
The Kitchen. Upscale, organic, sustainable. Great food and trendy and won't make you feel guilty if you feel guilty about depleting the planet. (I don't.)
Brasserie 1010.
The Med. Tapas.
Sushi Zanmai.
The Corner Bar. Pub food.
West End Tavern. Pub.
Aji. Absolutely fabulous Latin American and Carribean.
Sunflower. Another of those pesky natural foods places that is terrific.
Antica Roma. Southern Italian owned by Italians.

This has no culinary input whatever but consider taking Route 287 from Fort Collins to Laramie. It's a wonderful "big sky" kind of scenic drive with antelope and sometimes elk as the front range gives way to the high plains of southern Wyoming. And I seem to recall some kind of funky - in a Wall Drug kind of way - little outpost place in or near Virginia Dale that was a fun stop for ice cream. It has been a few years but this was an enjoyable drive and I thought I would share.

Davooda

Davooda wrote:This has no culinary input whatever but consider taking Route 287 from Fort Collins to Laramie.

Davooda,

I have done that drive the first time I went from Ft. Collins to Laramie. We did it in the last hour before dusk and you are right, it was memorable - coyotes, antelopes, etc. My wife was a bit upset that the antelope would not stand still long enough for a picture or two.

Thanks to all ... and three weeks until we leave!

Here is my recap of the trip to Colorado. We spent more time than planned in Colorado Springs and Wyoming and very little time in between. My nephew is a good sport in that he generally is agreeable to any meal.

Our first dinner was at Old Chicago, a regional pizza/salad/brewpub chain. I have eaten there several times and really like the calzone and their salads.

The best find in Colorado Springs was Sonterra Grill. It is an upscale Mexican Bistro. The meal started off with reall excellent light chips served with a hot pico de gallo and a roasted salsa which was served hot. The tortilla soup, while very spicy was really excellent. My nephew had the carne asada which was served in a very rich chili sauce. The food was really very good.

Sonterra Grill
http://www.sonterragrill.com
28 S Tejon St # B
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 471-9222

One night, we stopped at Black Eyed Pea, a chain located in Texas and Colorado. They serve your basic comfort food with reasonable portions and a lot of vegetable side dishes. There are similar to the shuttered Cooker chain. The food was very solid if not very creative, The cornbread and rolls were made from scratch and were a great addition to the meal.

The next day, we went to the Coors Brewery. I am not a beer drinker but decided to taste beer for the first time in 25 years. I had to take three or four tastes of Coors Original and found it completely tasteless.

Probably the best meal of the trip was Woody's Woodfired Pizza which we read about in the Coor's guide. They had an excellent pizza/salad bar/soup for $9.19. The pizza was excellent. handmade. If you did not see what you want, talk to the pizza maker and he'll make it for you. When I was there, they were discussing how to use up 10# of polish sausage on pizzas. They made a polish sausage and sauerkraut pizza which was pretty good. The owner has a real passion and joy in his pizza and it is a blast watching him make pizza, even during a rush period.

Woody's Woodfired Pizza
1305 Washington Ave
Golden, CO 80401-1915
Phone: (303) 277-0443
http://www.woodysgolden.com/

In Laramie, we were directed to El Conquistador, a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place which we were told "has the best bowl of green chili". To be kind, it was the worst bowl of chili I ever tried. The tortilla chips were the round kind out of a bag. The fajitas were tough and grizzly and served on a plate. It was a big disappointment.

The good part of that meal was that we were parked near the historical Union Pacific terminal. When we found it closed, we went to look at the trains. There were two UP dome trains and two locomotives. We went to look at the train and were stopped by a UP employee. He asked us if we wanted to go on a ride.

Ten minutes later, we were on a RT ride between Laramie and Medicine Bow, WY. The ride was free but included a twenty minute lecture on train safety. My nephew was overjoyed to see a den of red foxes and a large numbers of antelope.

In Cheyenne, we went to Poor Richards, a steakhouse. The food was pretty solid and they had some pretty good specials on their menu.

Poor Richards Restaurant
http://www.poorrichardscheyenne.com
2233 E Lincolnway
Cheyenne, WY 82001
(307) 635-5114


Another great meal was in Longmont, CO at a small restaurant called Tasty Asia which is located in an old gas station. They had an excellent salt and pepper shrimp and chicken with cashew nut. The cashews were roasted to bring out all of the sweetness of the nut,

Tasty Asia
tastyasiarestaurant.com
736 Main St
Longmont, CO 80501
(303) 772-6888

I had hoped to do more of the restaurants in Denver and Boulder but we were on a tight schedule and were trying to see 4-5 things per day.

By the way, two gems that were "must sees" in Colorado include the geology museum at the Colorado School of Mines and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. Also, in Manitou Springs, there are several storefronts filled with old style pinball machines that are 5 and 10 cents per play.

Thanks for all the help.

Glad you did the pinball in Manitou Springs...love that place...really old machines I remember from childhood....housed in these old, rutty wood floored little buildings....so great, and a must every time we go

ParkLaBrea wrote:Glad you did the pinball in Manitou Springs...love that place...really old machines I remember from childhood....housed in these old, rutty wood floored little buildings....so great, and a must every time we go

Five balls for a nickle ... and somewhat easy to beat, other than the Gottlieb machines with the tiny flippers. Had I been alone, I probbaly would have spent a day there on those machines.

jlawrence wrote:Had I been alone, I probbaly would have spent a day there on those machines.

Yeah j, and ended up with bruises all over your thighs from 'assisting' the machine in its appointed rounds!

Tilt! Tilt!

Geo

[quote="Geo"Tilt! Tilt!

Geo[/quote]


C'mon, I financed my education in pool halls and arcades ... I never tilted a leveled machine.

On the old machines, the penalty for "tilts" was merely the rest of the ball. Since there were no "bonuses" on the older ones, you really lost nothing trying to "influence" the ball.

I have lost my charm, though. On my last game of the night, I scored 11,999 point on a machine with a free game at 12,000.

Pulling up this older thread to post on a couple of Longmont, Colorado restaurants, with a brief story that will sound familiar to LTH-ers. My uncle spent time in Japan as a young man during the Korean War, and was introduced to sushi many years before it became popular in the US. For years he trekked the kids to Denver from his home in Longmont, because that was the only place to find sushi. Then, about 20 years ago, he walked into Chef Kho's restaurant on its first day in business and immediately became friends with the chef and his family. They now own both Kho's Asian Bistro and Sakura in Longmont. When my uncle died recently, the restaurateur very graciously and very generously surprised us and honored my uncle by treating us to dinner and offering condolences to the family. That is the kind of connection that LTH-ers will recognize, a relationship that begins with sharing one's love of good food.

I loved the a la carte sushi. Super high-quality, with perfectly seasoned rice. A personal favorite was the hard-to-find-in-St.Louis ume-shishito roll. The tempura and bento boxes also looked delicious.

I think that food people are the people who come through for you when the chips are down. And what better way to honor and remember someone than through offering a good meal? Don't you agree, LTH?

Josephine wrote:I think that food people are the people who come through for you when the chips are down. And what better way to honor and remember someone than through offering a good meal? Don't you agree, LTH?

That's a great story, and one I can relate to.

My father had TB in the early 60's and was in a sanitarium here in Chi. We'd visit on the wk ends. The bus stop was outside our local deli (Oscars se corner of Sherdian and Columbia) and every Sunday when we'd sit on the bench, the owner came out w/a "nosh for Hershel". Lox, bagels, olives, scallion cream cheese, chubs... Refused our $ for the entire yr.

Josephine,

Thanks for resurrecting an old thread. That was a trip in 2008 where I took my nephew to Colorado for a week at age 15.

In a couple weeks, I will be back in Ohio attending his wedding. How time flies.

Joe

stevez, Jazzfood, jlawrence01-

You know you are an LTH-er when ---

your thread on a trip becomes a chance for all to reminisce about loved ones and kindnesses bestowed by people who love food.

^^^^^^ Like.

Or, as we say up here: "D'accord!"

Geo