Biker Jim’s

Have you ever had reindeer, rattlesnake, pheasant,  boar or duck? If not, then you are missing out and must go to Biker Jim’s right away. Every dog I have had has been nothing but amazing.  The most recent trip I decided to try the all beef bacon wrapped dog and then added the Sonoran style to it with pinto beans, dices jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, yellow mustard and mayo.  It wasn’t quite as good as El Guero Canelo in Tucson, AZ, but it was pretty close and will do since I am in Denver. Nonetheless, Biker Jim’s has these crazy and weird hot dogs on lockdown. Great flavors, awesome upbeat staff and love that there are multiple locations now.

 

Silver Mine Subs

I love this place! I have ordered catering for my office of 25 people and I have picked up take out and both times it has been nothing but smooth. This location was originally on Colorado blvd next to Trader Joe’s but has moved to the Monaco location. My guess was because of the bad parking situation. Each sandwich I have gotten, has been prepared fresh and with tasty ingredients.The staff is super friendly and make ordering food for 25 people a piece of cake. I am so glad this location has moved! It was a great change for them.

Rosie’s Diner

What a cute little diner! This place is adorable and I love it. Super friendly, upbeat staff. Large menu to choices to pick from. I can’t get enough of this 50’s diner. We settled on the La Bamba skillet and the strawberry stuffed french toast. Both were served with a smile. The french toast was smothers with strawberries and cream. The La Bamba skillet was exactly what I wanted. Potatoes, covered with diced ham, onions, bell peppers, eggs and smothered with green chili. Delish!! I love everything about this place!

 

Williams and Graham

Some friends were in town from Chicago and wanted to check out the now well known, Williams and Graham.  This place is basically a speakeasy. Located behind a bookcase and down some stairs, this extremely dark swanky place lies. I am glad I made a reservation based on the horrible reviews about the wait time. We arrived about 20 minutes early, so we walked next door to a bar called Occidental. After ordering our drinks, we found out that it was the soft opening of Occidental. We got our drinks, and one was the wrong drink from what we ordered. We asked the bartender to get us the correct drink, and he got a little huffy about it. Once we all got the correct drinks, we sat at a high top table to wait for our reservation next door. I sipped my vodka and diet coke. It was gross.  The soda was flat and the vodka tasted cheap. No one was happy with their drinks. For being a soft opening, they sure suck at wowing people. We finished the not so great drinks and headed next door to start our dinner.  We stood in the lobby for a few minutes and then were ushered into the restaurant. We were then asked to stand next to a bookcase while they got our table together. Isn’t that what we already did in the lobby by the hostess stand? A waitress came up and asked to take our drink order. I had heard that this place is well known for being able to come up with a concoction of a drink based on things that you like. For example if someone likes rum and watermelon, they would make something with both and the drink would be fantastic. I asked her what she would suggest with vodka and something sweet. She just pointed at a drink on the menu called the Vesper.  I told her I didn’t like Gin and she said I wouldn’t really be able to taste it. No other suggestions, just what was already in front of me on the menu.  I ordered it and figured, why not try it. We got our drinks and then our table was ready.  We sat down and began looking over the dinner menu.  I sipped my drink and it was harsh. Gin harsh. I wasn’t in the mood to argue, so I settled with the fact that I was going to have a bad first drink. Two of us ordered the steak. It was a sliced sirloin served with corn, garlic mashed potatoes and topped with onions. The other two ordered the scallops. Everything was cooked perfectly.  It was absolutely amazing food! I wouldn’t have had it any other way. After dinner we ordered another round of drinks. Different drinks. I figured I would go with what I know and got an extra dirty vodka martini. When it arrived, I seriously thought that I was finally going to get a good drink, but I was wrong. The dirty martini was served ‘their’ way with mint in it. Yuck. Again I chocked it down and paid my extremely high bill. Overall, I am very disappointed in this restaurant. I had heard so many great things about it, and I was let down. Even the service was pushing on average. I don’t think I will return.

 

 

Thai Pan

After a coworker got me hooked on pad Thai from Tommy Thai’s, I have been wanting to try pad Thai at other places. I drive past this place called Thai Pan sometimes to go to work and figured with a name like that, they should have some good pad Thai. Wrong. The food was horrible.  A large portion of beautiful looking pad Thai that had zero flavor. I mean absolutely zero. It was completely bland. Grossly bland. The service wasn’t any better.  The woman wouldn’t come out to serve the tables, you had to go to the counter.  It was awkward for a sit down restaurant. Once I started eating the awful food, I heard that woman yelling at someone in the back of the restaurant.  She was back there for roughly 20 minutes screaming her head off, ignoring everyone in the dining area.  I waited to pay the bill till she was done yelling and came out front. No apology. No smile. Not thank you for coming. Well, I won’t be back there to experience anything that awful again.  I wouldn’t suggest stopping here unless you have no taste buds or hearing.

 

Rockyard American Grill & Brewing Company

If you are looking for a helping portion of good Mexican food in the Castle Rock area, then you should take yourself to Rockyard. Their Mexican food is pretty good and served in large portions. I know they seem more known for their beer and burgers, but I am a fan of the Mexican food.  The beer is not that great and I haven’t had their burgers to give a review.

This time I tried the chicken fajitas. They came out steaming and still cooking on the skillet. I loved these fajitas! The chicken was tender and well seasoned. The shrimp was excellent! Everything about this dish was tasty.  Typically, I am not a fan of Mexican rice, but consumed the whole plate full at Rockyard.  Brian got the green chili and queso smothered chimichanga. It was HUGE! The pork green chili was amazing and oozing around the plate. I say try their Mexican food at least once.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

Jus Grill in Aurora

This cute restaurant has an extensive menu and has good food. The place seems to always be busy,   we had a bit of a wait. We were seated and handed the large menu. The Santa Fe scramble jumped out of the menu and said pick me! Adding a side of green chili made it even better. Brian got one of the bennys with a side of pancakes. The food was great. It was a great stable breakfast. The service was a bit slow, but then again they were super busy. I would recommend trying Jus Grill, but I would suggest going on a weekday.  Maybe their service is better than the weekend.

 

Katsu Ramen

My first  ramen experience besides the packaged Maruchan ramen was on the island of Oahu. I loved it so much, I ate there multiple times on each of my trips. I have now tried a few places here in Denver to compare to. This time, I tried Katsu Ramen. They were voted best ramen in Denver by Westwood magazine. I figured I had to check them out and see just how good they are. I ordered the miso ramen and Brian got the shoyu ramen bowl.  To start off, we got their gyoza to share.  The gyoza arrived at the table and we both went to grab one.  They crumbled in our chopsticks. By crumbled, I mean completely fell apart.  They were extremely under cooked and mushy. I was not a fan at all. The ramen bowls arrived and looked fantastic. The presentation was beautiful. I grabbed my first bite and it tasted pretty good. A bit bland when comparing it to island ramen, but still had some good taste to it.  Brian’s bowl on the other hand, was just plain gross. It almost had too many flavors that were overpowering each other. We tried adding some soy sauce and sriracha to it, but nothing could make this bowl taste good. The service was good,  but I still felt that it wasn’t worth the meal. I think I will stick to pho from now on.

 

The French Press

I couldn’t tell you how many people told me to have breakfast at The French Press.  I should have listened to them earlier. This place is great! A tiny restaurant located on the corner of Chambers and Iliff, this hidden gem is well worth the 30 minute wait to order your food.  The line goes out the door and you wait to order at the counter.  Once you order, you get a number and you can sit at any open table. I had a hard time making a decision and I must have changed it 15 times before getting to the counter. I finally settled on the build your own omelet. I had it filled with bacon, tomatoes, cheese, and onions smothered with pork green chili. Brian got the lox and bagel.  Both looked so amazing. There was so much green chili on my plate that I soaked my potatoes in it as well.  I can’t wait to go back and try everything they have on the menu.  A piece of advice, if you are going to frequent this cute place, then get a drink card.  You get a stamp for each drink you get. After 9 stamps, your 10th is free!

Lola in the Highlands

I had only been to Lola for drinks prior to a friend’s birthday dinner.  Now was my chance to try their food that I kept hearing about. It took me what seemed like forever to pick my meal. I couldn’t seem to make up my mind. I finally had to just point at one and go with it. I selected the Tampiquena which is Kobe sirloin, smoked cheddar & mushroom enchilada,with heirloom pinto beans. To start, the table got guacamole and my fiance and I ordered some oysters. The guac was made tableside and was presented well.  It was extremely tangy and a good amount of spice. Excellent I would say.  The oysters were a bit small, but tasted good as well. The silver coin margaritas were especially potent and tasted awesome.  I will definitely be getting these in the future. The meals arrived for dinner and mine looked beautiful. I bit into the medium rare sirloin and was really happy. The beef was cooked and seasoned well. The enchilada tasted gross though.  It was the only part of the dish that I didn’t enjoy. The service was prompt and friendly from all staff. I love that they have valet as well! Sorry the pictures are so dark.  There isn’t much light in the restaurant.