Denver and Boulder: Eating & sleeping

I recently helped with the re-launch of OrderUp Denver (from MileHighMenus) and was fortunate enough to spend a few days in Colorado. I was in Denver for work and then Steve flew out to meet me. We spent another day in Denver and then two more in Boulder, where Steve has always wanted to go.

I thought about doing day-to-day posts, but it seemed easier to divide and conquer categories. Let’s start with where to stay and where to — you know it — eat!

• The Curtis (Five Points/Downtown, Denver): This is where I stayed for work. It’s a Hilton and very hip/modern. Each floor has a theme; I was on the scary movie floor. My co-worker, Eric, managed to snag the amazing Ghostbusters room, which I recommend you request. (It has slime IN the floor!) The staff was great, the hotel was clean, and I’d definitely stay there again.
• Julie’s Airbnb (Capitol Hill, Denver): Steve and I prefer to use Airbnb when we travel because 1) it’s less expensive and 2) you get a more authentic feel of the place you’re visiting. Julie’s studio in Denver’s Capitol Hill is a block from the capitol building (which is the most beautiful I’ve seen, with a blue-grey and gold-leaf top).

• Richard’s Airbnb (Boulder): Oh man, if you need a place to stay in Boulder, stay at Richard’s. His place is so conveniently located and he’s really knowledgeable of the area. He also adds really nice touches to the place.

In the 5+ days in Denver and Boulder, I feasted. There is such an amazing food scene happening in the area and I took it upon myself to take it all in. Here’s the full list:

• Gozo: Great little place on Broadway, just south of downtown. The entrance doesn’t even have the name — how hipster — but it’s worth the hunt. Be sure to try the shredded Brussels sprouts.

• Viewhouse: Denver has a lot of rooftop seating to take advantage of the mountain views and this one adds in Coors Field.

• Range: Range is in downtown Denver and is a little more traditional and not quite as hip, but the food is good, especially the butcher’s board charcuterie plate with chorizo and goat cheese pops.
• Ink: Ink is on 16th St. in Denver and I can’t really say much because I just had pre-packaged oats, but Steve seemed to like the coffee and it was a cute little place.
• The Kitchen Next Door: TKND is at Union Station, Denver’s awesome Amtrak station with restaurants and cute shops. We had the kale chips (organic, of course, because everything in Colorado is organic and local) and I enjoyed the roasted veggie salad and a mid-day margarita.

• Prohibition: Eh, this place was ok. It was in walking distance of our Capitol Hill Airbnb and had good reviews. It was definitely not the best for food but pretty good for beer. Steve had his favorite beer of the trip here, the Avery White Rascal.
• The Laughing Goat: This is a cute little coffee shop in Boulder on Pearl St. Per my standard, I had oats. I also had a great local peppermint tea. It’s very hipster and I noticed that people hugged for a really, really long time. Like awkwardly long.
• West Flanders Brewery: Oh, this was a good lunch. It was after our Chautauqua hike (and a mini hailstorm) and we were starving. We had amazing pretzel rolls w/mustard and a mornay cheese sauce (yay, carbs!) and I had the best drink with muddled strawberries. Steve had a few of the beers brewed on site and gave them two thumbs up.
• Oak at Fourteenth: I was super excited for this Pearl Street restaurant because it had some pretty great reviews. It was very cool with metal, reclaimed wood, and large windows facing the street. The waiters seemed a little snobby, which was unusual, but we rolled with it. They have a great late-night menu that starts at 10pm, which was great because we didn’t hit dinner until around 9:30pm every night. This is where we had my favorite dish of the trip, the Spring gnocchi. It was in a lemon butter sauce with morels, ramps, and firm peas in the pods.
• Boulder farmers’ market: After a three-mile run, we hit Colorado’s largest farmers’ market. Steve had a breakfast sandwich from the Organic Sandwich Co. and I had a slice of raspberry chia date coffee cake from a local vendor.
• Boulder Cafe: Definitely my least favorite of all restaurants. It’s on main street, Pearl, but a little outdated and kind of blah. I had a good pulled pork slider but a so-so salad and potatoes.
• Spruce Farm & Fish: We celebrated Steve’s birthday at this place just off Pearl St. and it was awesome. It’s in the Boulderado hotel and has a fantastic farm-to-table feel. We went all out and I’m still thinking about the Spring veggie linguine and strawberry shortcake that I had. (No, I’m not talking the weird sponge ones that you get at the store. This is legit cake with cream and marinated strawberries. It’s shortcake done right.)

Like I said, we did quite the eating tour of Denver and Boulder. There are still so many places that I want to try, so a trip back is necessary.

Have you been to Denver and/or Boulder? Where did you stay and eat?