DRAFT Magazine

The Morning After

This week has been an exercise in pacing yourself, the phrase “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” was uttered accurately many times within my earshot and I think I took it to heart. Still, no matter how well one is paced for the GABF ‘marathon’ you can’t help but wear out the body a little with the excessively late nights and city walking from one event to the next. With that in mind I was overjoyed to be able to sleep in this morning, and do as little as humanly possible with the only requirement of the day being a plane to catch.

I had breakfast in lower downtown Denver at a place called Rioja, a selection based on some good recommendations from Shaun O’Sullivan of 21st Amendment, along with folks who attended the DRAFT Dinner Series event there the night before with Samuel Adams. I can’t remember the last time I had a breakfast this good. To start off I ordered a bloody Mary to sip on while choosing my food options. The drink was heavy with the horseradish, which isn’t a bad thing for my palate, along with a rich tomato juice character and crisp, pickled green beans. It was a good way to begin a lazy day.

My breakfast selection was a tough call with a menu full of dishes I was sure I wanted. I eventually landed on their ‘bacon and egg’ meal because I’d heard so much about their ‘bacon’ that is actually pork belly, sliced about a half an inch thick and lightly crusted with spices. The plate created involuntary watering of the mouth, one look and I knew I was onto something big.

To begin the eggs were absolutely perfectly cooked, over-medium with a runny yolk, but no clear or mucusy look, topped with a very freshly cracked black pepper that was wonderfully aromatic and spicy. The plate also had a cylindrically shaped French toast that was rich, moist and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Finally, I dug into the pork belly. I can’t really explain the level of enjoyment found in this first bite. Yeah, it was fatty. Yes, it was salty. Yeah, I felt a bit like I was doing something wrong. However, this is sinfully delicious and could be addictive. I actually wondered if it was a bad idea to fly my wife out to Denver just to eat here for breakfast. Along the way I was given freshly cooked breads and treated to some absolutely fantastic service.

Before I was allowed to leave my server brought me something he was certain I needed to try, their Loca Hot, a very spicy margarita. This is a house specialty of theirs and several staff members raved at how great it was. Sure enough, it was great. This margarita uses a tequila that has been dosed with a hot chile, lending more than a little spicy elements to the slightly sour and sweet flavors of the alcohol and citrus. If you find your way here, don’t leave without giving this a shot.

When breakfast was over I knew my time in Denver was short, but figured I would have 30 minutes to get to Falling Rock one last time to drink a beer I just can’t find in Sacramento. Upon arriving with my bag in tow I ordered a glass of La Folie from New Belgium, sat down and watched the Denver Broncos football game. Finally I realized the time was right and my departure from Denver was due.

I leave Denver with these parting thoughts:

• Denver is more than a beer town. This week I was lucky enough to walk the streets and take in the sites, like the Frederic C. Hamilton Building that is home to the Denver Art Museum. There are few buildings that have impressed me as much as this.
• Food in this town is fantastic and it isn’t just one restaurant.
• Whiskey drinkers of the town should be very proud of their local brand, Stranahans. I sipped the Colorado whiskey at a fine bar and was impressed with the clean, spicy and fruity flavors.
• The people I ran across were genuinely happy to see the beer festival each year, were proud to be the host of such a fun and popular event.
• Love the hybrid cabs!
• What’s with the “No Double Turn” signs? Seriously.
• Also love the diagonal crosswalks.
• There really are other bars in the town than Falling Rock, and some of them are absolutely hopping at night. Apparently, Denver loves to party.
• It seems like a very healthy population, I can’t recall how many folks I saw on their urban hikes or out walking their dogs.
• I can’t wait to get back