Mystery Brewing + Mystery Risotto
Man, I love fall weekends. Except when it’s freezing and rainy and there’s a leak in my bedroom! But really, I have no complaints about the weekend. Friday, I barely made it out of the house, but we ended up grabbing dinner at Six Plates wine bar. A friend of ours got a major job offer and invited us to celebrate with a bottle of champagne! Of course I didn’t have my camera because I didn’t know I was going to eat, but we ordered pretty much all the plates we enjoyed the last time I was at Six Plates.
Saturday, after my usual spinning class and procrastinating going to the grocery store, Matt and I headed to Hillsborough to redeem a Living Social deal at Mystery Brewing Company. Being a big beer person, I am very proud that my little town opened a craft brewery and I was very excited to visit. There was a huge crowd there too.
Denver: The Food
EVERYTHING in Denver was delicious, thanks to recommendations from readers and friends. To those of you who recommended Snooze and Tag: I love you.
So, here’s a quick recap – Matt and I shared almost everything.
Blackened fish & celery root remoulade sandwich and root beer braised beef short rib – from Lou’s Food Bar.
Taco sushi (ahi tuna, sushi rice, guac, and mango salsa in little shells) and seafood pot-stickers with Korean hot pepper butter,
as well as a fresh summer vegetable sandwich – from Tag.
The best meal of the trip goes to Rioja in cute Larimer square:
Goat cheese biscuits,
a ‘brewmosa’ (OJ and New Belgium Trippell)
and a flight of pancakes: a peanut butter cup pancake with powdered sugar, a pineapple upside down pancake with caramelized pineapple chunks & cinnamon butter, and a “coffee n donuts” pancake with maple icing & crushed pecans with a cup o’ espresso cream.
If that doesn’t make you salivate, I don’t know what will. And on that note, I’m gonna go work on my wedding body.
Read MoreSteamboat: The Food
Well, we’ve been eating for 4 days and I’ve got lots to share with you.
A big draw for us to vacation in Colorado was all the beer! I enjoyed a summer wheat beer from Odell and an amber from the Alaskan Brewing Co., while enjoying great view of the cute Yampa River. Happy hours seem to be big here and you can easily get a pint for $2!
We stayed in a studio room at the Trailhead Lodge, which had a little kitchen, living room, and a nice balcony. Surprisingly, we actually found ourselves so content in our little room that we decided to eat in not one, but two nights! That’s so not like me, but I just found staying in to be more relaxing on this trip, especially since we could hit up happy hour and then come home and have a laid back evening.
On our first night, we got a six pack of Moose Drool and ordered an amazing pizza that was packed with pineapple, bacon, jalapenos, chicken, ad bbq sauce. It was ridiculous.
For lunch the next day, we checked out the highly recommended Creekside Cafe and it did not disappoint. I had an enormous falafel wrap and the famous green chile soup.
And for dinner, we tried the Mahogany Ridge Brewery – brewpubs can be hit or miss and this one was a big hit. We tried all the beers and enjoyed the amber, rye, cherry ale, and brown the best.
And my tuna with israeli couscous and chimichurri was excellent.
For burger night, we picked up a bottle of wine and sipped it out on our balcony.
And then we went down to the giant fireplace! Temps were in the 50′s at night and the warmth was much needed.
Fudge from the candy store was for dessert!
Mmmmm. Peanut butter cup and salted caramel!
The highlight of our dining experiences in Steamboat was Cafe Diva. I read Trip Advisor reviews when choosing most of the restaurants and found them to be very accurate for Steamboat.
Warm focaccia started the meal, and I even tried one of the green olives!
Matt and I shared the pork belly lettuce wraps with peanut sauce – phenomenal!
I loved my entree because it was soo unique.
It was a huge Asian sesame and lentil cake in a curry coconut broth with black rice salad and pickled watermelon rind. The whole dish was bursting with flavor and I really loved the texture of the cake with the black rice.
I tried some of Matt’s Elk and liked it too!!
Yesterday was our last day in Steamboat, and I really didn’t want to leave without trying the famous giant cinnamon roll. Oh my goodness, it exceeded expectations! The icing was a mix between cream cheese and buttercream, so it was basically like eating cake for breakfast.
Of course, I balanced the roll with this awesome trifecta salad for lunch – quinoa and peach, sweet potato and ricotta, and farro and apple salads all on one plate! The food in Steamboat was just wonderful, and though I’m sad to leave, I’m pretty excited to check out the Denver food scene. I’ll report back.
Read MoreThe Quick Version
Guys, my weekend was absolutely packed!! Matt and I are trying to explore as much as possible, as we only have 3 free weekends left in Atlanta (we’re traveling a lot in July for various events). I’m exhausted, but so so content:) I’m gonna give you the quick version of the weekend recap:
Prickly pear margaritas and seafood paella at La Fonda
Hiking to the top of Stone Mountain
Bleu Burger
Happy Tuesday.
After a failed day of babysitting (kid got sick = I went home), I tackled my to-do list and got in some extra relaxation. Matt and I leave for Atlanta in three weeks, so we paid a visit to Hillsborough to see my parents and have dinner. I had also hoped to vote, but when I let it slip that I live in Durham now, I wasn’t allowed to vote in Hillsborough where I’m registered to vote (duh, should have known this). I caught myself when I started to state my address, but just couldn’t tell a lie when I realized my mistake. So sad.
We brought the leftover sangria to my parents house and finished off what was left. It tasted even better after 2 days. My dad ate every single bit of fruit from the bottom of the pitcher!
We walked down to the Saratoga Grill for the best burgers in the Triangle! They also have amazing scones.
For just $8.50 on Tuesdays, you can get a burger, salad, and beer and it’s a hellaofa burger at that. This guy is thick and the middle is stuffed with blue cheese.
It’s not always pretty, but it’s always tasty. This was Matt’s first time and he declared that the burger was definitely one of the best he’s ever had.
I wish I could stick around and chat, but bedtime comes so fast on school nights:( Tomorrow’s a big day and I’m really feeling the pressure of the end of the school year. Adios.
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Welcome to TBT!
I've created this blog because I'm in a bit of a quarter life crisis. Since graduating from college in 2008 and earning an advanced degree in school psychology in May, I still don't know what career path to follow. All I know is that time is moving way too fast and I find myself living only for the weekends. Bear with me as I attempt to reclaim my twenties by finding pleasure and balance in the work week and incorporating my passions of food, fashion, fitness, and fun into everyday life. 
She said what?