Things to do / Travel Guide
Good eating is part of the experience of the good vacation, and in this regard, Denver and Boulder are the hot spots of the eastern Colorado and Wyoming Rockies region. Mostly what you'll find are steakhouses, owing to the region's proximity to cowboy culture, but there's also good Mexican food and Indian food, as these cultures have a presence as well.
Dining in Denver, Colorado
Of course, the center of any Denver dining experience is LoDo, Lower Downtown, which is also Denver's nightlife center. You can sit down and enjoy virtually every well-known cuisine style, from down-home American to French, Californian to Cuban, vegan to pile-it-on steakhouses. The very center of LoDo, people will tell you, is Larimer Square, and right up from Larimer Square you can eat at The Market, a café/deli that's a great place for lunches, get-togethers, or just to hang out at any time of the day.
With the National Western Stock Show based out of Denver, one thing this city is known for is its steaks and beef. The very best in the field, according to many locals, going back generations, is Buckhorn Exchange, located at 1000 Osage Street. This eatery was founded in 1893, and it remains the premier steakhouse in Denver. The upstairs bar area was originally imported from Germany, and it held the first liquor license in Colorado. If you like rattlesnake on your plate instead of in your boot, this is the place you'll find 'em. Alternatively, get ready for some “Rocky Mountain oysters” - but order this before you ask what these are.
Dining in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder isn't really known for one cuisine style in particular, rather just lots of good restaurants. Boulder is an eclectic place, sporting the latest culture, counter-culture, and counter-counter-culture. As such, new restaurants featuring off-beat explorative cuisines are always sprouting and dying off. A wide variety of dining experiences can be had on one of Boulder's trendiest streets, Pearl Street, which runs parallel to Canyon Boulevard, and Arapahoe Avenue. You'll also find lots of good restaurants, including grills, Italian food, and cafés, on 28th Street.
Beer Culture in Colorado
One thing that can't go unnoticed on a trip to the region is the proliferation of the beer culture. Golden's got Coors and Fort Collins has Anheuser-Busch. Both companies employ thousands of people in their respective communities. Golden is the headquarters of Coors, and as such the brewery is the world's largest on a single site. The nation's largest aluminum can factory, also owned by Coors, is located in Golden as well.
Aside from Coors and Anheuser-Busch, there are also many microbreweries in the region, especially in Fort Collins. In this city, the breweries, microbreweries, and brew-pubs are mostly located around Lincoln Avenue. You can choose between a ruby-copper ale or a Chocolate Stout, as well as the more standard varieties. Several of these breweries, such as the New Belgium Brewing Company, offer tours and tasting rooms. Every June the city hosts the Colorado Brewer's Festival, at which over 40 large and small breweries are able to present their finest.
Boulder also has plenty of fine brew-pubs at your service. These tend to be slightly more expensive than those in Fort Collins.
|
|
|