Mmm...Forbidden Donut...
Inspired by Todd's example (and, like him, by my own disappointment at not being tagged), I'm tagging my own damn self and doing the Restaurant Meme. Because I like eating, and I like telling people where to eat.
So...here's The List So Far:
Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)
Doola (Denver, Colorado, USA)
And here's my favorite places to eat:
1. The Cherry Cricket
A fairly wretched place called CityGrille, on Colfax just a block from the Capitol, trumpets a many-years-old award from the Rocky Mountain News, claiming "The Best Burger in Denver." This is very, very far from the truth. Anyone who tells you that CityGrille is the place to go in the Mile High City for burgers should be beaten with a sock full of quarters. Real burger aficionados know that the Cherry Cricket, in the snooty Cherry Creek North neighborhood but without any of the snooty Cherry Creek North pretension, is the place to go for killer burgers. You order the basic Cricket Burger, then choose from a long-as-your-arm list of cheeses and condiments to build your own perfect burger. And the cooks actually know the difference between medium and well-done, which is always appreciated. Good selection of beers, too, because if you're not drinking a beer with your burger, what's the point?
2. Little India
The best Indian food you're going to find in Denver, bar none. Absolutely perfect chicken tikka masala, fabulously fiery vindaloo, spicy (but not too spicy) vegetable curries, terrific samosas, great naan. I've never been let down by anything I've tried there.
3. The Denver ChopHouse
Okay, this one's a bit of a sentimental favorite, but there's a reason I took Emily there for the Big Night. A great wine list, for starters. Great steaks - and, as with the Cherry Cricket, cooks who really understand what I mean when I say I want my steak medium-rare. Perfect for as casual or as dressy as you care to be. Not much on vegetarian fare, but also fine for folks (like Emily) who aren't fans of red meat. Plenty of seafood on the menu, including some really terrific crabcakes.
4. Two-Fisted Mario's
I'm in complete agreement with Todd that no list of a city's best/favorite restaurants can be complete without mentioning where to get the best pizza. I'm in complete disagreement with Todd that that deep-dish Chicago-style casserole is the pinnacle of the pizza-maker's art. Mario's gives you as good a thin-crust pie as you're likely to find outside of New York. If you like a thicker crust, Beau Jo's, billing itself as "Colorado Style Pizza," is pretty damn good.
5. U.S. Thai
Emily moved here from the East Bay, where there's an embarrassment of riches as far as Thai food is concerned. We've searched long and hard for a really great Thai place here in Denver, and a month or so ago, we finally found it. Their spring rolls weren't great, but everything else we had was. Perfectly spiced noodle dishes and curries, with a great balance of vegetables and meat. The service was a little slow, but the food was worth the wait.
I know I'm supposed to tag five people but...well...I don't really know five people. So I'm tagging QIR (if she's got the time) and Leah (and Simon, too, if they feel like it), who are East Bay folks, and I want to hear what they have to say.
The title of this post has nothing in particular to do with anything, by the way. But if you're looking for good donuts in Denver, LaMar's is the place to go.
