Denver is a food meca, trying to decide what to eat when you have a list of twenty delicious restaurants was a challenge for us.  We only had three days in Denver and we were eating two square meals a day. While we did not have a lot of chances to try dining destinations, I am convinced that we ate some of the best food that Denver had to offer.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Breakfast- Snooze Eatery

Our first morning in Denver we drove by Snooze to see a ridiculous line out the door.  While we did not have time to wait in line that particular morning, it intrigued us to give it a try the following day.  When we arrived at Snooze we were quoted an hour wait…wow that is long for breakfast.  With the beautiful weather and free coffee it was not a problem waiting, so we did.  After nearly TWO hours of waiting we were finally sat.  SNOOZE is amazing!  While the boys did not think the two hour wait was worth it, I would happily wait two hours again to eat there; the drinks and food were great…I successfully ate so much that I felt sick afterwards.

After three cups of coffee and a Gazpacho Bloody Mary, I wasn’t that hungry.  That did not however keep me from over indulging myself.  A typically breakfast at home for me consists of two hard-boiled eggs or a cup of oatmeal, going out to breakfast is a treat!   I have an unhealthy obsession with eggs Benedict, and Snooze had five varieties to choice from AND five varieties of totally unique pancakes.  It was vacation so I ordered both! I know!  I ordered a Benedict duo…Lox Ness Benny (Smoked Salmon, Capers, Pumpernickel Rye, Creme Cheese Hollandaise, Poached Egg) and Bella! Bella! Benny ( Prosciutto, Tallegio Cheese, Balsamic Glaze, Arugula, Baguette, Creme Cheese Hollandaise, Poached Egg). For my sweet tooth I ordered the pancake of the day: Carrot Cake (Carrot Pancake with raisins, creme cheese frosting, and pecans).  With the amount of food I ordered you would understand how surprised I was when we received a free pancake on the house for the long wait.  This pancake was not on the menu and I wanted to take a bath in it: Cinnamon Roll (White Chocolate Chip Pancake with cinnamon butter and pecans).  Just thinking about how much I ate makes me feel fat…ha!

Brunch- Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar

Dining at Le Grand was one that happened by mistake, but it was a good mistake.  We wanted to eat at the restaurant next to it but the weight was really long so we decided to try out the French Bistro next store. While brunch cost way more than we wanted to spend, it was really good.  We started out enjoying coffee and the Build-It-Yourself Bloody Mary bar. The boys ordered poached egg dishes comprised of duck confit.  Being on my vacation food binge I ordered the Crab Cake Benedict with Bearnaise sauce.  Instead of the traditional potato side I substituted for the best Cinnamon Roll my lips have ever touched.  This cinnamon roll was like a dream with pistachios and caramel sauce..yyyyuuuuummmmmm!  (Now you know why we never really ate lunch, we were too full from breakfast).

Lunch- Wynkoop Brewery

The entire time we were in Denver we only ate lunch once, the rest of the trip was breakfast then dinner.  Our flight landed early in the morning so we had plenty of time to find a good place to eat.  We wanted our first beer of the trip so we went to Wynkoop Brewery near Union Station.

The place was packed and had a long list of house-brewed beers. We started out with a nice cold beer to cheers to the trip. For lunch the hubs had Lamb Shepherds Pie while I had the best Fish N’ Chips that I have ever had.  I have had some pretty awful Fish N’ Chips, but this was hands-down the best I have ever had.  The fish was a big, fluffy piece of cod with just the right amount of battering.  With the homemade tarter sauce and seasoned steak fries, I ate the entire plate.  After dinner we explored the brewery part of Wynkoop.

Dinner- Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen

The hubs and I have dined at some really great restaurants and Euclid Hall now makes the top three!  When we went to Euclid Hall we were starving and exhausted.  The building and it’s decor made me want to move right in and make it my house–I loved it!  A once brothel and house for the masons, the two story  exposed brick walls and industrial light fixtures were exactly our style.  While we waited for a table at the upstairs bar my hubby got to enjoy a rare beer that he has always wanted but can’t get in Texas (Russian River Temptation- aged in Chardonnay barrels), while I had a lovely Dirty Gin Martini with tri-colored olives.  We ordered appetizers the second we sat down because we were dying of hunger.  I do not even have words to describe the food…if you don’t appreciate the beauty that food is, you are significantly missing out on a unique element of life!

Chips and Dip (Lemon Goat Cheese, oolong tea smoked rare duck breast, duck confit, Kennebec potato chips, and baby dill)

Pad Thai Pig Ears (Tamarind chili sauce, scallion, peanut, egg, sprouts, mint, and cilantro)

Braised Pork Cheek Poutine (chili lime french fries, melted Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds, gravy, tomatillo green chile, goat cheese, cilantro)

Pickle Sampler (Sweet bread and butter, hops infused, hot/spicy/very sincere, Prater’s pickled peppers)

Oh I wanted dessert but we didn’t even finish our dinner or our drinks!

Drinks: Willams & Graham

I was so excited to visit an old speakeasy where you entered through a bookcase and exited through the back door.  The place was adorable and exactly what I was expected.  Too bad that we were so tired when we got there that we downed one drink and left to head back to the hotel.  HA- that’s what happens on vacation I guess.