Sweet Action in Denver

There is nothing like a scoop of Brown Sugar Banana ice cream on a hot summer day in Denver. And when you walk into Sweet Action off Broadway you're hit with a cool breeze from the subtle air conditioning and fresh air spilling in the front window mixed to perfection.

Sweet Action is unique in it's flavors and consistent with its quality. I don't necessarily always like all the flavors since they can be a bit daring but I always enjoy tasting the concoctions and choosing the one I liked most. There's something about its vibe I love-- Maybe it's the fun artwork, cool Denver folk I always see inside or the sense I get that they're taking so much care with the product being created. It's why I love America; someone can take an idea and run with it, be successful and bring new perspective to something as simple as ice cream flavors.

You should hit this place up if you're in Denver, whether it's 100 degrees or 40...you can always buy a pint with a cute label and bring it home to enjoy by the fire :)





Oh, and did I mention ice cream is my favorite food? Believe it!

We're In the Rockies?

My Denver friend Matt and I decided to go on an adventure through the woods last Saturday. From Boulder we went up hwy 7 and figured it would loop us around within a few hours, bringing us back to Denver at a decent hour. No such luck, Matt was wrong, it didn't loop. Once we got all the way in to Estes Park (where Steven King stayed for a summer and got his inspiration to write the Shining!) we saw a map telling us to back track almost the entire way to Boulder before heading to Denver. The trip in total was over 5 hours.

A few hours into the drive we were talking about the Rockies and I turned to Matt and excitedly asked if we were actually IN the Rockies. "Uh, yes, we're definitely in the Rockies." We were IN the Rockies! I don't know why I think that's so cool. There were so many times I felt like it was all fake...as if I were at Disneyland and a Disney Princess was going to appear with Mickey Mouse and the whole gang.
Everything up there was stunning.

I feel like I should be embarrassed that I didn't know it was actually THE Rockies for so long as we drove on winding roads through so many trees and mountains, but we never discussed where we were going, that's what made it an adventure!

SALT

SALT' is located in downtown Boulder where you're so close to the Rockies you feel as if you could touch them and where every corner is dripping with charm. Brick walkways, tree lined streets and crisp air. Boulder is quite lovely in the summer.

The inside of this restaurant is beautiful with painted brick walls and vaulted ceilings. There is an open kitchen with a wood burning stove and oven. You can sit and watch them cook at the wood bar overlooking the action.

The food was...okay. Ya, just okay. Well, I take that back- the fries and homemade ketchup were AMAZING, but the rest of the dishes were just not up to par...


This ketchup was great. Tasted like a cross between marinara, store bought ketchup and barbeque sauce; we couldn't get enough of it.

I ordered the sesasonal vegetable plate but ended up enjoying the pickled beets the most. The spinach with goat cheese wrapped in phyllo was good but not too impressive. The curry cakes flavor was overpowered by dill and needed to have a crispy outside, in my opinion. The green beans were nice and al dente but had been sitting with creme fraiche and onion too long so as to take on too much raw onion flavor for my palate. The farratto and mushroom side was delicious but tasted like it had a pound of butter in it and seemed slightly too rich to finish for a lunch dish. This may be too harsh, I don't know.

My friend is a vegan and only had a few options to choose from. The homemade flatbread was quite enjoyable with a nice olive oil drizzled with rosemary and sea salt (though, it was $8 for an order). The salad had good beets but was plain. I won't blame that on the restaurant though. Being vegan and making them hold the cheese and dressing is a bit unfair...

Like I said before, the atmosphere was great and our server was nice enough. I just wasn't blown away, you know? I love the name, the menu and the cute street corner it's on, the ousdie patio and the painted brick. I also love how well they pickle their beets.

I'll have to go back and give them another chance. Maybe for dinner next time!

Rib Master

My brother, Jared, makes the best ribs...baby back and beef alike. They're "beyond-beyond" to quote an eclectic sales woman I once met. Simply seasoned, cooked at a low temp and doused with the perfect amount of bbq sauce, these ribs end up falling right off the bone. I love when we decide on making a dinner menu around them...finding fun salads, sides and appetizers to compliment is no trouble at all. The only real problem is trying to convince everyone at the table that the other dishes deserve their attention as well. I'll keep working on that...