nibbles
Kim Long
HE ROAD TO T M ON
ASTEFUL ST U ET F OR
RIP COLORAD T O AY
BY JOHN LEHNDORFF
Magical Culinary Tour F
D
G
rowing up in New England, we enjoyed what were called “day trips.” Really, these summer road excursions never lasted all day even if you passed through three states in the process. Maybe it was the lousy roads or a car full of kids, but after maybe two or three hours of actual driving my parents would start looking for a motel with free “cawffee” in the room. My Kodachrome takeaway was that day trips were really excuses to stop for Reuben sandwiches, fried clam rolls and ice cream sundaes along with some swimming. In Colorado, everything is bigger, from the mountains and skies to distances and smothered burritos. People here drive an hour just to get coffee on a particularly pretty patio. My true there-and-back day trips in Colorado tend to consume all the daylight hours and some of the dark ones, too. In that spirit, I’m sharing a point-to-point Nibbles Summer 2017 Colorado Taste Trip. Buckle up. Don’t make me turn this car around. Who wants paczki?
Ronald Brooks slices brisket at his smokehouse in Aurora.
Stop No. 1: Smoking at home You will swear there couldn’t be a restaurant in this Aurora neighborhood, but then you see the smoke and catch the meaty aroma emanating from Ronald and Louella Brooks’ place: Brooks Smokehouse & Catering. On Fridays and Saturdays they serve takeout barbecue and you can hang out and eat in the backyard. The fall-apart brisket and ribs are wonderful, but don’t miss the Cajun-style smoked gator, corn maque choux and sweet coleslaw with pineapple. Tip: Sometimes they serve at festivals, so always call ahead. 800 Oakland St., Aurora, 720-297-0017.
Stop No. 2: Chilling with shaved snow After that carnivorous experience, clear your palate with finely textured xue hua bing (or Taiwanese shaved Boulder Weekly
snow) at Snowlab. Try the vegan green matcha teainfused version or elevate it with a topping of sweetened condensed milk and mocha bits. 4360 E. Evans Ave., Denver, snowlabco.com
Stop No. 3: Monumental cheeseburger It’s highly unlikely that Louis Ballast was first to top a beef patty with cheese at Colorado’s first drive-in restaurant. The site at 2776 N. Speer Blvd. in Denver is now a Key Bank, but in the parking lot is a small granite monument engraved thusly: “The cheeseburger trademark was registered by Mr. Ballast on March 5, 1935.” Take a moment to contemplate, then head to the nearby Jack-N-Grill for a Juarez Burger topped with cheese, ham, a grilled hot dog, fresh green chile,
mayo and guacamole. Other toppings available. 2524 Federal Blvd., Denver, jackngrill.com
Stop No. 4: Spudnuts and krautburgers A short highway excursion to Greeley will build your appetite for Red’s Dogs and Donuts. Appetizers are the Slavic classics: fruit-filled kolaches and krautburgers, dough-encased ground beef and cabbage. Red’s also fries spudnuts, extramoist doughnuts made with potatoes. Appreciate the subtleties of a chocolate glazed before succumbing to a heavily glazed cherry fritter. 2608 11th Ave., Greeley, redsdogsanddonuts.com see NIBBLES Page 46
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