We stayed downtown at The Curtis. I think it's a good choice for a downtown hotel - close enough to everything but not right in the middle of everything. Its floors are themed, and we happened to get #13, the scary floor. Really?! So in honor of our buddy (who always dresses up as this guy for Halloween)...see this photo of one of the pictures on our floor:
Saturday night we ate at Wynkoop's, the local brewery. I have to say I was impressed with the food and one of the specialty beers Cowboy Crooner got was really good! I had the Monterey Chicken sandwich - great choice.
Sunday morning, we tried to go to Snooze, but the wait was just too long. So we happened upon Hi Rise, just a few blocks away from Snooze. Just a quaint breakfast place with huge square biscuits!
When Cowboy Crooner and I go on trips, especially to big cities, we love to just walk around. So for the rest of the morning we walked up and down and all around downtown Denver. I think the highlight for Crooner was stumbling upon this:
THE original REI. But no fishing kayaks. Boo.
Also visited the Tattered Cover Bookstore. But I felt like I was back at home at Square Books. I'd say we're fairly metropolitan in this little college town.
For lunch, we went to Rioja. The loaded potato gnocchi was very good though a little rich. Fun tables out on the street - all of Larimer Street looks like this!
My conference for work, which is what took us to Denver, was in the afternoon....
So then for supper, we headed to The Ninth Door. I am now fascinated with tapas and would love some good recipes if you have some! We got the flash fried avocado. Wow. Wow. Wow. The mushroom and rice croquette with sherry sauce. I don't drink straight sherry, but I think anything cooked with it is delicious! The spaghetti squash...what a fun and yummy food. And the chicken and mashed potatoes with...yes, sherry sauce. I highly recommend this place - probably my favorite!
Monday was a free driving day. We had to first visit the new Ikea. I had never been to one before, and oh my, you can get anything and everything you need for your house there. We bought Squirrely a big stuffed puppy, which she affectionately calls PupPup.
Then drove onto the Red Rocks Amphitheater. What a beautiful place to get out and walk around. We were so close to the Rockies but didn't really have time to go all the way there...so this place certainly allowed us to enjoy a beautifully different part of the country!
Then on to the Coors Brewery Tour in Golden. Again, Crooner had a big time here...and it's free!
Golden was a quaint little town, and I was again reminded of my current hometown. I'm so thankful to live where I do! But check this out...there's a guy fishing in the stream just outside the Coors Brewery. We thought that was kind of funny and almost postcard-worthy.
Then we headed back to Denver to meet a sweet friend for supper at Osteria Marco. The Burrata appetizer was good enough to last me through the night! But I also got the portabello panini. Yum.
I know there was a lot in Denver we just didn't get to see and do, and maybe we'll go back one day. But for a quick weekend, I think where we went and what we ate was perfect!
