Business to Denver - Taking Advantage to visit some Triple D places (Part 2)

After spending the day and night in Colorado Springs it was time to head back to Denver.  I had another day and a half before the meeting would begin and there were a few more places I wanted to try. 

I started the day in Colorado Springs on a dry, overcast and not overly cold morning but as I made the hour drive towards Denver I went through rain and light snow, Colorado weather can be very strange!

I drove into an area of Denver on the south side that seemed to be very Hispanic.  There were a number of Latin themed restaurants and businesses. On the corner of a busy road was a small café called "Maria Empanada".  This really is a specialty bakery, they not only have empanada's but all kinds of sweet and savory baked goods and they also specialize in all kinds of coffee drinks.

Maria Empanada in Denver - They really are Empanada specialists

You enter and order at the front glass display case where all of the baked items are on display.  They all looked so good, and there must have been a dozen different varieties of empanadas, which are baked, stuffed pockets   I chose the spinach and cheese empanada and a mushroom empanada.  Both were delicious, the crust was golden brown and flaky. 

My Maria Empanada meal - On the left is the Spinach and Cheese and n the right is the Mushroom

In the restaurant they had a very cool hand washing station with a sign over it saying that their empanadas should be enjoyed with clean hands.  It was sort of a self wash station.  You put your hands in the washing tube and soapy water sprays on your hands and as you pull them out they are rinsed off, it was very cool!.  After a small but delicious meal I headed out.

My next stop was on the northern side of the city.  "Biju's Little Curry Shop" is in an industrial are of Denver.  Parking was a little difficult to find for a few reasons, lots of cars, a lot of road construction and mostly one way streets.  I finally found a spot about 2 block away and on my walk I was reminded that I was in Colorado!

If I had forgotten this reminded me that I am in Colorado!

Biju's is a small place but was very busy.  The place has seats for about 30 and also does a big take-out business.  As you enter you pick up a menu and get in line and they will build and cook your order in front of you.  They specialize in curry based meals that you can customize to your taste.  The portions are huge.  They also make their meals VERY spicy, which is not for me so I decided to try their Vegetable Samosas sort of an Indian empanada.

Biju's Serving Line and Cook area during a short slow time

The Samosas were huge and filled with potatoes and peas in a thick sauce.  They were accompanied with a slightly spicy green sauce and what seemed like a ginger marmalade.  The pastry shell was crisp and tasty and the filling was very good.  Both sauces complimented the filling perfectly. 

Biju's Vegetable Samosas

Samosas filling

I was able to get the owner and cook to sign my book during the only slow moment of my visit.  I wish we could have chatted about the place but then the next busy wave started.  I looked around at the others and all of their meals looked really good.  They also have a number of Indian drinks both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.

I headed north to the small town of Arvada to a place in a small strip mall.  "Dae Gee Korean Barbecue" is nicknamed "Pig Out"  They feature all kinds of meats, chicken and fish served in the Korean style. 

Dae Gee Korean Barbecue in Arvada, CO also called "Pig Out"

I was seated at a table that had a small hot plate in the middle.  One of the popular meals at Dae Gee is the all-you-can-eat feast in which you cook yourself at your table.  Thus was featured on Dae Gee's Triple D episode.  I decided to try something else as the all you can eat thing would be fun for a group not so much by yourself. 

The cooking hot plate area at my table

The menu is loaded with all kinds of meats, chicken and fish and I decided to try the Mackerel Lunch special.  They put the order in and then the waiter came over and asked me why I chose the mackerel as this was an unusual choice for their restaurant but a more traditional Korean meal.  I would have loved to say it was because I knew it was the most Korean meal, but to be truthful it was because I wanted to try the fish!  They fish came out with a blackened salt based crust.  It came with 8 small sides dishes that included small portions of potato salad, kimchi, dried sea weed, and spicy sauced vegetables along with a bowl of white rice.  The very attentive staff kept coming over to ask if I was enjoying my meal and if I wanted any more of the sides.  The sides were great and the fish was delicious.  The salt crust really made the meal.  This was also the first time I have ever used metal chop sticks! 

My Dae Gee Mackerel lunch

The entire meal and sides

As I finished my meal I asked if someone would sign my book and the waiter went and got the owner, a young guy with a black and red Mohawk style hair.  He was happy to meet me and we talked mostly about my travels but I asked him which table Guy sat at  during the filming as Guy had the all-you-can eat cook it yourself meal.  He showed me the table and said his plan was to decorate it with Guy stuff and call it the "Guy Table".  Before I left we took some pictures sitting at the table.  Just as I was leaving the owner presented me with a softball style Dae Gee shirt.  A nice gift from a nice guy at a great place!

The Table Guy cooked at

Dae Gee's Owner and me at the "Guy Table"

My last stop of the day for dinner was in an area that I had visited before on a previous Triple D trip to Denver.  As I was parking I noticed a place called "Hops and Pies" a place I visited in 2014. 

An Old Triple D friend "Hops and Pies" across the street

Across the street is a Greek restaurant called "Axios Estiatorio".  This restaurant looks small from the outside as being small but is rather large.  I was seated at a small table and was resented with bread and Olive Oil.

Axios Estiatorio on Tennyson Street in Denver and area of diverse restaurants

I asked my server what Guy had made for their episode and decided to try one of Guy's meals.  I chose then Lamb Ribs.  As I waited for the meal I really enjoyed the bread and Olive Oil.  The bread was crusty and soft and the olive oil was very tasty. 

My Axios Bread and Olive Oil

The ribs came out and were huge.  They were barbecued with a very tasty rub that created a very tasty and crispy bark.  They sat on top of feta cheese infused mashed potatoes with grilled vegetables and a fig based sauce.  The fig sauce was too sweet for my taste but the ribs were so good that they didn't need any kind of sauce.  The veggies were really tasty as were the potatoes!  The ribs were so tender that they literally fell off the bone.  The bark coating made the ribs great.

My Lamb Rib meal

Huge meal!

For a Monday night the place was pretty busy and one of the other tables got the Flaming Cheese appetizer and it was delivered in the traditional Greek way with a loud and hearty "Opa!"  The chef came over took a brief moment to sign my book before I left.

After a restful night I headed out the next morning to go to visit one of my favorite Triple D restaurants.  Northeast of Denver n the town of Brighton is a small place called "Lauer Krauts".  This was my third visit to have one of their great Kraut Burgers.  The Kraut Burger is ground beef and some veggies encased in a soft bread pouch.  It is a really great meal!  Robin, the owner is a great lady and has become a friend.  I noticed that everyone who entered is treated as a friend not a customer!  I had a really nice visit with Robin and was also able to meet and visit with her father.  He told me about when Guy visited and that on the visit he spent some private time with Robin mentoring her on the restaurant business.  I always thought that Guy was not only a successful chef and businessman but a good guy and this just confirmed it!  Before I left Robin gave me one of the new Laure Kraut tee shirts which I will wear proudly!  If you have time to visit any place in the Denver area, Lauer Krauts should be your stop, meet and talk to Robin, I am proud to call her my friend!

Lauer Krauts in Brighton, CO - A MUST!

The Kraut Burger

Inside he Kraut Burger

I was really fortunate to use this trip to not only try new Triple D places that I had never been to before but t revisit some places and also visit with friends that lived in the area.  After checking in to my hotel for the work conference I met one of my friends, Michelle, for quick lunch before she had to go and get her son from school.  I used to work with Michelle at Dulles before she transferred to Columbus, Ohio and then last year out to Denver.  It was a really nice visit with a good friend.

I went to dinner to my last new Triple D stop.  "Café Brazil" was n the same restaurant area that Axios and Hops and Pies are in, just one street over.  As I entered I was greeted to loud and lively Latin music.  I was seated at a small table in the bar area which they call the Rum Room.  They presented me with a bar menu and a Tapas menu and told me that since it was Happy Hour if I got one of their signature drinks then I could get a complimentary Tapas appetizer.  I decided to get a Dark and Stormy drink which is Ginger Beer mixed with Gosling's Black Seal Rum.

Café Brazil in Denver

The bar area of Café Brazil called the Rum Room

I chose to try the house made thinly sliced pork based sausage with the crispy bruschetta style bread.  The sausage was very tasty and the bread was crispy and chewy, very good. 

My Dark and Stormy

My Complimentary Tapas Appetizer

The sides with the Tapas Salsa on the right and hot sauce on the right

I ordered the Charcuterie plate which was mixture of dried meats, cheeses, Brazilian quiche, veggies, figs and candied walnuts accompanied by a bread basket and bowl of Brazilian black bean soup.  The soup was presented first and it was good but very spicy.  The main plate came out with two types of meats and cheeses.  The quiche was pretty good but a bit spicy almost like cracked red pepper was added.  I was really surprised when I tasted what was a large caper which I like but had a very salty taste.  The veggies, figs, and walnuts really enhanced the dish. 

Brazilian Back Bean Soup

My Charcuterie Plate

Interesting meal

A big caper

When I asked to get my book signed I met with the owner and the chef.  I had nice conversations with both and was later invited to meet with the chef in the kitchen for some photos, Chef Tony is a great guy and I was honored to be invited into his kitchen.  The bar tender then sent me over a shot of rum from Trinidad and asked me what flavors I could taste.  This led to a 10 to 15 minute conversation about rum.  Café Brazil carried a large number of different rums from all over the Caribbean and South America.  The rum had a very smoky vanilla taste bordering on a molasses taste.

Me with Chef Tony

Honored to be in his kitchen

I was supposed to make this visit with 5 or 6 of my co-workers but all of them cancelled at the last second which was embarrassing at first but in reality it was their loss and it allowed me to go to see a friend after dinner and watch his band play at a local sports bar. I drove  about 30 minutes to the Aurora area to McCarthy's Sports Pub to see South 29 play.  My friend Rob, who was the Worship Leader at the Dulles Airport Chapel about 15 years ago relocated to the Denver area and his country band plays occasionally in the area.  They are really good and have a very passionate following, it was great to see Rob after all these years!

The next night I was hoping to revisit another Triple D place in downtown Denver called Tocabe, but as I got going traffic reports were terrible so I detoured to revisit a different place that was pretty close to my hotel.  "Cora Faye's Café" is a southern soul food place.  As you walk in it's like you are walking into your own living room.  I was greeted by the owner as I walked in and had her sign my book.  I decided to go adventurous and try the Pig Ear sandwich.  I really liked it, it's chewy and gelatinous but tasty, I chose to go whole soul food and get the collard greens which were mixed with ham bits.  This place is full southern where you can get Kool aid as a drink!

Cora Faye's Café - Southern Soul Food in the Rockies

Pig Ear Sandwich with Collards

Behold the Pig Ear!

My last dinner would not be a restaurant at all, I was invited to visit my friend from high school who moved to the nearby town of Parker a few years back.  I reconnected with Kim shortly after I joined Facebook a few years back and visited her wen she was in the Seattle area in 2009.  She was the inspiration that had me start this blog.  I am so grateful for all the encouragement she has given me as this blog continues to grow.  I was finally able to meet her husband.

John, Kim and I

Snow in April - Hello Colorado weather!

My trip came to end and as I flew home I thought the trip was very successful, I was able to get to a lot of places and visit some really great friends!  My Triple D count now stood at 491!