A long-awaited arrival
A long-awaited arrival
Illegal Pete's will finally open; Rumba adds a fifth cuisine; Fuel & Iron's newest vendors at the 1-year mark; a chef's impressions from LA + more food & drink news
We’ve waited more than two years, and the day is finally here: April 25. Colorado Springs’ Illegal Pete’s location will open (after two soft-service days). It’s under Lulu’s Downtown at 32 S. Tejon St., and will be the Boulder-launched brand’s 14th location.
Aside from a pair of Arizona spots (in Tempe and Tucson), all Illegal Pete’s eateries are in Colorado, concentrated mostly around Denver. I’d rank the brand as still at the level of an independent-minded, regional restaurant group rather than a corporate chain, evidenced by down-to-earth, hands-on owner/founder Pete Turner and the company’s many community involvements, from sponsoring area comedians and urban gardens to feeding traveling bands for free via their Starving Artists initiative. (That’s particularly poignant given their new digs under an active performance stage.)
I spoke with Turner for half an hour earlier this week to learn more about Illegal Pete’s beginnings, aims, offerings and future plans, with a particular focus on what makes this Springs location special. I’m sharing excerpts from our convo, somewhat Q&A-style, edited for readability. Everything in quotes is Turner talking:
What’s a newcomer need to know about Illegal Pete’s?
“We turn 29 in August. We started in Boulder in 1995. We had two stores there, then moved to Denver in 2001. It’s been our home base ever since. We expanded into Arizona — the thinking there was we started in college towns, which Colorado Springs is a college town…
Illegal Pete’s is what I call “Mission-style” Mexican… I was basing it off my trips to San Francisco’s Mission District… but also we have a Mission Bay and Mission Beach in San Diego, so it refers to Northern and Southern California-style Mexican food that I grew up with. My Mom’s side of the family is from San Diego. So I’d go into the Baja Peninsula and have fish tacos. And then I was introduced to the Mission District when I was in college by some buddies of mine in the bay area. That’s where I drew the inspiration. At the core, that’s the menu: fast casual, and we have a full bar. Our menu’s more diverse than the typical fast-casual Mexican. And we do breakfast on the weekends…
Our vibe and atmosphere is different too. We have always set ourselves up so that people would spend time with us. So it's more of a gathering spot. We welcome anyone to spend an hour or two, have a beer and get to know us that way. We're not trying to turn and burn… but if you want us to-go, it’s a big part of our business too.”
Illegal Pete’s often gets compared to Chipotle. Is that fair?
“We're just different. What Chipotle does I admire and respect. They do a great job, but it's been many many years since I've thought of us as direct competition. There are many neighborhoods where we are across the street. We're a block down from their original location on Evans [Avenue]. They do their business, and we crank, right. So I think it’s a fair and close comparison. We pay attention to what they do and admire how well-run and efficient they are.
But we are also leaders in our industry. And we believe in a living wage. It's nice the zeitgeist coming out of COVID, once people had a chance to stop working and realize ‘like, look, man, this is unsustainable.’ Working two to three jobs in the industry is not fair… We did a living wage initiative whereby we we raised our tipped minimum wage from 2015 to 2019 to $9 and $15, before tips. So we were ahead of that; we finished before COVID hit. We put our money where our mouth is…
On Tuesdays at all of our restaurants — we've done this since COVID — educators and healthcare workers get buy-one-get-one-free entrées… We like to have fun and say yes in the community.”
Why the Springs?
“There's a lot of thought that goes into what communities we want to be a part of. We try to lean into the local community because we choose to do businesses in places that we care about. I have a lot of friends down there…
We have been looking at the Springs for a long time. As your readers know, it’s absolutely a boom town. That's really, really cool to see. It turned out the landlords for that location [Derek Cohn and Brent Baldwin] sought me out. Derek is a very big fan of Illegal Pete’s. We were talking to him pre-COVID… he's like ‘you gotta come down and check out this corner.’ We were still in the thick of COVID and trying to dig out. But I came down and saw it knowing that A) I love Colorado Springs and we've wanted to be down there for years, and B) we think that location is fantastic, so it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up…
I will admit it's big for us. It’s probably 40 percent bigger than our typical location. We signed up for more than we normally do, but we think it's worthwhile. And once you see the building — we worked with a good friend who’s an interior designer, who worked for me in Boulder when she was 16 — we think it's absolutely gorgeous. We put a ton of love and effort and money into it. We've got a stage in there for music. We've got all the new tools and systems in the back of the house. It's by far the coolest, prettiest place we’ve done. ”
What took so long?
“We had some leadership changes. COVID had a long tail. We're still seeing the inflation effects and supply chain issues that everybody saw, so it took us a long-ass time to get this open. In that time, we had two other stores we were working on, so it all bunched up. We just opened Wheat Ridge six weeks ago…
We could have pushed to do it. But there were other things we believe were more important to foundationally set us up for the next 25 years in business. So why rush it?… It was not cheap to sit on that rent, but it took building the right team and leadership and the right systems and tools and everything that I've been working on… I know people were kinda hazing us a little bit, like ‘yeah, sure they’re gonna open,’ but, whatever, I’ve dealt with that before. I get it. But hopefully we’ll hit peoples’ expectations and it’ll be worth the wait… I think the answer really is, ‘Hey, we wanted to get it just right for you guys.’”
How did COVID factor into delays?
“In 2020 it was our 25th year in business. We were planning a big party, and all of a sudden it went from that into COVID, and like, ‘oh shit, am I even going to make it?’ It was a lot of looking in and drawing back. So our expansion has looked more close to home since then. Let's be a little bit more conservative.
COVID taught me a lot of lessons. It humbled me. I thought I knew a lot about life and my business after 25 years, and all of a sudden the world stops. You realize you kind of don't know shit… every day is a lesson. Since COVID I've worked really hard to improve and question ‘Why do we do this? Why do we do that?’ Cleaner, safer, better is my mantra in my restaurant… I've gone super deep on really questioning and improving everything that we do. At the end of the day, that’s to provide a better service for all stakeholders: customers, community and our team members. In the last three years I've been more engaged in my business and more excited about my business maybe than ever.
I’ll be spending a ton of time down here. You’ll see me washing dishes. You’ll see me pitching in wherever I can. I’m in there elbow-deep… I had to run the whole day’s kitchen service in Wheat Ridge on the first Sunday of service because we had some personnel issues. And we were super busy. I was cooking. I was doing everything. I haven’t done that in 15 years. It was awesome, I freakin’ love it… I’m fully energized. If you come in you probably won’t know which one’s Pete except for my white beard.
What are Pete’s personal favorites?
“I get asked this a lot. A) What’s your favorite dish and B) Do you still eat this every day? Yeah, I eat Pete’s every day. I love it. Especially now, having been re-engaged and re-tooling a lot of our stuff trying to make it better… Our queso is a can’t miss. [It has even inspired the Illegal Pete’s Queso Cannabis Vape Cartridge.] Our house Margarita is the best deal in town, it’s $6.50 on happy hour. Our happy hour is 3-8, five hours every day… I'm really proud of all the food we do. Our Mexican Coke-braised carnitas are unbelievable. Our barbacoa is incredible. Our fish tacos are phenomenal — the taquitos, quesadillas. I’m basically telling you everything. Maybe that’s a cop-out.”
Who created the menu?
“They’re my recipes. I initially developed them in my parents’ kitchen. I was 22 or 23 years old. We've added recipes over the years, some of that has been with coworkers in the company. Some good old buddies of mine. We've never paid a consultant or chef to develop them…
I worked in restaurants growing up. My mom was a partner in an Asian restaurant. I was an English major by default when I went to CU back when it was actually affordable to go to college. But I always loved the restaurant business and food… I love it, obviously the social part, but I think we serve a really awesome function for people every day. Not only as employers, but as social gathering points. That third place. I’m proud to be a part of that… that’s maybe why we lean into all the music stuff, because it’s an extension of that.”
Tell us more about Illegal Pete’s connection to music and its Starving Artists Program. Are you a musician, too?
“I’m a hack guitarist, but I’m not a musician. I’m just a huge, huge music fan. I grew up appreciating local arts through my parents. My dad grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My great grandfather helped support Grant Wood when he was getting going — he painted American Gothic… I grew up hearing those stories and thinking that was pretty neat. So I think maybe that put the seed in me to help support, but I've always been a major, major music fan and nerd, and art fan and nerd… But it's also I believe, good business. Creating fans. The name of our game is hospitality… touring is hard, so we can give them some support on the road.
So our Starving Artists Program is where we feed touring bands. We can't feed all our bands from our hometowns because we’d go broke. But we've fed probably 6,000 bands over the years, including people that aren't so starving, like Elton John, Kendrick Lamar and the Beastie Boys way back when… It's fun for our teams too. I think it gets them motivated…
For our 20th anniversary we did a big concert up at Red Rocks with Nathaniel Rateliff right when he was coming up. And Built to Spill. It was open to the public, but the first 15 rows were all for current and past employees, plus one, free tickets. It was awesome, man; one of the best times I’ve ever had.”
So the new Springs location underneath a music venue must be pretty ideal?
“We believe it’s a phenomenal location being under Lulu’s. It’s all kinda fallen together and lining up really cool… I’ve known [Lulu’s owner] Marc [Benning] for quite a while through his partner Lisa Gedgaudas. She’s a good friend of mine from Denver, she works at Denver Arts & Venues. I’m so excited they took that space over… our values are very aligned. It’s a match made in heaven partnership I think. We'll definitely be feeding all the bands rolling through there. I’ve also been buddies with the Black Sheep people forever, and the guys at Vultures. We’ve reached out to have them send their bands through.
What does the future hold?
“What's next is we open South Boulder, Table Mesa, which will be our third location in Boulder. That’s imminent, like six weeks from now. And then, four weeks after that, we reopen our Denver University location, which we shut down at the end of the year for a major remodel. So we have a ton going on now, and all stacked on top of each other. That's just the way it laid out. But beyond that, if these stores work out, we are looking to grow. I've got people, actually even our landlord, talking about North Colorado Springs as an opportunity. We think another location or two in the Springs makes sense. But let's see how these go. I need to get these doors open first.”
“I don’t want to liver without you”
It’s week three of this beef liver and mushroom spring sliders recipe, and I hope you’re still enjoying my punny headlines. Recap: Liver it up! and A well livered life. This week: a tribute to Foreigner’s hit 1987 song. (Sorry folks, this is me.) Anyway, I really don’t want to liver without chef Brent Beavers’ food in my life. I worked for him two decades ago and am glad every time I hit The Carter Payne for a bite and sip. So I’m honored he contributed this month’s recipe to my ongoing collaboration with Ranch Foods Direct. I can tell you the earthy mushrooms in this recipe fold into the organ meat flavor and the acidic pickled elements (the onions and carrots) help also buffer and balance the natural tang. This is a great gateway dish to check out liver if you’ve been squeamish. While you’re in either Ranch Foods Direct retail market, mention Side Dish for 5% off your shopping basket. Thanks to Mike Callicrate and team for the ongoing support!
Rumba’s newest owners infuse their Bale Bale Bistro biz
I stopped into Bale Bale Rumba last week, which originally opened as Rumba Latin Cuisine in mid 2020. New owners (as of July 2023) Noe and Tirza Perez explain to me that the first owner started with Cuban, Puerto Rican and Colombian fare, while the second owner added Mexican plates. Now, as the third owners, they’ve placed some Honduran dishes on the menu to make five total cuisines on display.
Noe, a former Toyota car salesperson of seven years, is originally from San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Tirza, who tells me cooking is her passion, hails from Tegucigalpa, Honduras. They met here 20 years ago at the old El Palenque Mexican Restaurant (later the Havana Grill spot). He was sitting at the bar, even though he doesn’t drink, he recalls. Flash forward to 2021 and they launched a food cart named Bale Bale Bistro. It mostly served inside military installations, including the AFA, Fort Carson and NORAD, Noe says, noting they do still take the trailer out for special events.
When they took over last year — with their two teenage kids also working in the business — they left almost 80 percent of the menu’s recipes intact, downsizing some. “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” Noe says, adding that Tirza has tweaked minor elements but otherwise just brought on a few Honduran items like the Baleada Tropical. It’s a filling, quesadilla-like pair of flour tortillas stuffed with refried beans, avocado, plantain, sour cream and Cotija, with options to add pork, beef or chicken. I go for the pork, which is actually bits of the delicious lechon asado Cuban roast pork.
I’m reminded how Honduran eats are not spicy at all. Even the provided bottles of imported Honduran hot sauces (with some unnecessary food colorings that leave them unnaturally vivid) hold barely a smolder. If you like heat, ask for a side of the house chile de árbol-jalapeño-tomatillo salsa. It’s nice, vegetal and bright.
From a limited bar, you’ll find a list of island-style cocktails plus some staple classics in the $9-$14 range, plus Mexican beers and a handful of wines. A separate coffee counter handles Cuban coffees and juices. I try Tirza’s Honduran horchata, which is texturally thicker and also sweeter than the typical Mexican version. Into the milk and rice milk base she adds the expected cinnamon but also lime zest and morro seed powder, which darkens it and adds a cacao-like flavor. Noe mixes some in side glasses for me to try it with rum then tequila added — the latter is more complex and interesting I find. Get this if you like White Russians.
Rumba is now open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays (closing at 7 p.m. on Sundays); happy hours are weekdays, 2-5 p.m.
Pueblo’s Fuel & Iron marks first anniversary
It’s been a year since Pueblo received its first food hall, Fuel & Iron, and much has changed already. Fuel Kitchens, Pueblo’s first full-scale commissary kitchen, opened in early March. Event programming has ramped up (see the current calendar here) and half the food vendors have already switched out. The newest batch includes the addition of Union Pizza Co. (which replaced Santa Fonda early on), vegan outfit The Cutting Board (replaced Mosh Ramen) and Trailglazers Bakery & Cafe (replaced Solar Roast Coffee). Diavolo Pueblo Hot Chicken, Steel Crescent Kitchen and The Hungry Buffalo remain. We stopped in a few weeks ago and did a bit of sampling ahead of a 1st anniversary celebration, with drink specials and more, on April 20.
• First up, we hadn’t tried Union Pizza Co. since its owner Ryan Hill, formerly chef at Black Box Provisions, took over the space from chef Jose Avila. He’d been working for him there, before Avila decided to place all of his attention back on the Denver market, where he was later awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand award. Hill decided to go from tacos to pizza, and we’re impressed by our Chayote Pizza, a vegan construct with pipián, chayote, potato, caramelized onions and chives. It’s earthy with mild heat, a little sweetness and an overall flavor you won’t find on a pizza anywhere else. His crust is nice and chewy and perfectly oven-charred. He says the pie was inspired by Avila, as Santa Fonda’s menu had a chayote taco.
• Next, we catch The Cutting Board on only their second day of service, so we go in with grace. We order a quinoa cake off their app list, which is the superfood grain baked and bound into a tight square patty shape, topped in a roasted bell pepper and white bean purée, avocado slices and lemon oil-tossed arugula with garnishing pink peppercorns. It’s really colorful and pretty and the peppercorns and lemon oil in particular are nice touches. We only want for more salt in the cake as it’s a bit bland. But I get a moment to chat with the co-owner after we eat and share that early feedback tactfully, feeling like once that’s dialed in it’s totally good to go. He concurs.
• Following that, we revisit Diavolo (who I’d done a pop up with at the Springs’ Bingo Burger last August) to try a recently added menu item. It’s named the Mothercluckin’ Wafflewich and consists of a Belgian waffle topped with Red Bird chicken (to your preferred spice level), applewood-smoked bacon, maple-chile butter, pimento cheese, crispy pickles and candied pecans. I order at the “slow burn” level (having had plenty of dances with the “hot as hell” prior), which still contributes a nice smolder to offset the comfort-food dish’s sweet elements. It’s basically a hella-loaded form of chicken-and-waffles with the gourmet touches owners Richard and Mary are known for. Yum.
• Lastly, craving coffee, we would have loved to try Trailglazers Bakery & Cafe, but it was still a few days away from opening in Fuel & Iron’s entryway. So, we stepped within eyesight across the street to The Sacred Bean, who I’d last caught in mobile form in early 2022, before they got into brick-and-mortar on Union Avenue around a year ago. They’re regarded for owner/barista Vicy Stone’s gorgeous rainbow latte art. My ube latte with oat milk arrives with a purple complexion to its frothy foam and sips sweet with the purple yam flavor accentuating Hold Fast Coffee Co.’s Rock Solid espresso blend. Hold Fast also makes a Sacred Bean Ethiopian/Guatemalan blend for them, which you can buy in retail bags there.
Inspiration from the road: A guest column by Red Gravy chef/owner Eric Brenner
My wife Lara and I made a travel pact long before we said our marriage vows. Each year, we commit to four trips: 1) somewhere new 2) somewhere we love 3) a trip home 4) somewhere epic (sometimes this takes a few years to save and plan for).
New Mexico was our first trip of the year; a nearby state we love and can VRBO with our pups and a full kitchen. Our second was to Los Angeles. Our niece moved to LA to chase an acting/modeling career 10 years ago at the tender age of 19. We missed her graduation and owed her a visit. We also wanted to see how she could afford to live in such an expensive city while spending time daily showing up at auditions and photo shoots, attending school and keeping a foot in the restaurant industry as an always reliable and lucrative income source.
I made weekend reservations at a couple super fine dining places, looking for inspiration and kind of interloping. You know, the act of going to restaurants that you really can’t afford, hoping to blend in as if you could eat there all the time. For our anniversary, I found one of Lara’s all time favorite dishes: Dover Sole. For $78. Perfectly prepared and simple in its classic Meunière style. Sadly, I found the service somewhat dismissive of the two-top on their anniversary with the modest (though delicious) wine selection where the list started at $180 a bottle. I found myself annoyed with the sometimes unintended punitive nature of fine dining, especially in LA, where valet parked the Ferraris and Lamborghinis prominently in front and paparazzi were stationed outside. (Thankfully, I went unrecognized).
In contrast, we asked our niece to show us her favorite places to eat. We found that our tastiest and most memorable meals were little jewels that she had sought out over the years. Easy on the wallet; vegetable-forward; consistent; unpretentious and with smiling, friendly and welcoming staff. She had curated a cluster of special eateries that speak of who she is and what she loves. Shouldn’t we all be doing just that?
After all the meals we enjoyed throughout LA, I kept pondering this: “How do people afford to explore cuisine?” The answer lies in independent restaurants where chefs are sharing their stories, craft and passion with the guests, and it connects. If you can afford to spend $500 a meal every day, you’re living your best life. But, for most of us, we can revel in great meals from trusted local spots where the kitchen, bar and staff deliver every single service. When traveling, these are the places I hope to find. I also hope that Red Gravy is the kind of place that people are happy to find. — Eric Brenner
Bites and bits
• Downtown Colorado Springs’ most recent newsletter had a bounty of food news. I had walked by and wondered what was going into the little storefront at 27 E. Platte Ave., across the street from the elite El Paso Club. Turns out it’s Kochi Boba. Also, Blk Mgk coffee shop at the Mining Exchange hotel — which was originally supposed to open way back on Halloween — has finally opened. And lastly, the former Indvstry Video Bar that took over the Gold Room (and sadly shuttered months later) has now become Nova Nightclub, billing itself as the “first ever Latino & mixed nightclub in Downtown Colorado Springs.”
• “Fund a permanent space for queer joy in CO Spgs” is the GoFundMe tagline for the The Pink House: Bar & Shop. This Rocky Mountain PBS article highlights the co-planners behind the project and their aspirations for a multifunctional third space.
• Applications are due April 30 for Food to Power’s eight-week Food-Systems Leadership for Youth Internship Program. It’s a paid program, hosted at the organization’s Hillside Hub.
• Tacos Del Gordo has expanded into a fourth location, at 611 N. Union Blvd., in the former Golden Gyros spot across from the Olympic Training Center. (Their website still reflects three locations, but the Facebook foodie community has confirmed it with photo evidence.)
Side Dish Dozen happenings
• Blue Star Group: Soak up some sunshine on the patio at The Well. Grab a cocktail from Gift Horse Bar and light and fresh tacos or a salad from La'au's Taco shop, or craveable classics like hand-breaded chicken tenders and a cheeseburger from Weber St. Kitchen. Seats still available for Stellina Supper Club on April 22; $75 tickets here.
• District Elleven: Catch a special farewell cocktail menu April 19 and 20 for Carlos’ Going Away Weekend celebration. Full menu change debuts April 23, but new cocktails are live now. $5 Jameson pours are back, anytime, at T-Byrd’s.
• Kangaroo Coffee: Our Hillside Coffee House is featuring a Blackberry Earl Grey Iced Tea Latte, made like a London fog with half and half, blackberry syrup, cane sugar, and earl grey tea. Perfect companion for a spring hop around Prospect Lake! Also Kangaroo was featured on Distilled Brewed & Reviewed’s popular YouTube channel, representing Colorado in a series devoted to a coffee in each U.S. state.
• Odyssey Gastropub: Ironton Distillery Cocktail Dinner, May 6. 5:30 p.m. Four paired courses following a welcome cocktail and amuse-bouche; $75 tickets. Ironton is a woman-owned and -operated distillery in Denver, producing everything from rum and absinth to whiskey to gin.
• Goat Patch Brewing: Razzle Dazzle Raspberry IPA releases April 19, 5 p.m. Bleating Heart Night with Realm of Caring, April 23, 5-9 p.m.; $1 from each pint benefits the organization. Therapeutic Thursday Coloring Night, April 25, 6-8 p.m.
• The French Kitchen: 20 percent off croissants through April 24. Happy hour 3-5 p.m., Tuesdays-Fridays: fresh items and house drinks 10 percent off.
• Rasta Pasta: Celebrating 420 this weekend? We have the munchies covered! Have fun, stay safe, come get your grub on!
• Bristol Brewing Company: Discover the latest in our 30th Anniversary limited edition sticker series:
• The Carter Payne: On draft right now: Carrot-dandelion root saison; sorrel table beer; Microvora mushroom plum seltzer. Next to tap: mustard seed saison by brewer Ben Cape (who says it’s one of his favorite beers he’s ever made). It’s not too early to make Mother’s Day brunch reservations.
• Four by Brother Luck: New spring cocktails include the Electric Daisy: Woody Creek Bourbon, basil-infused Amaro Nonino and Tingala Liqueur. Fajitas & Fresh Tortillas cooking class at The Studio, May 4, 6 p.m.; $75. Oysters and Caviar Industry Night at Tipperary Cocktail Parlor, Tuesdays 5-10 p.m.; $6 Paloma or Salty Dog.
• Red Gravy: Get $2 off the lunch special with the free Discover Downtown Mobile Pass. Also catch a full line of Italian sodas plus mocktails and zero ABV wines.
• Wobbly Olive: Happy hours 4-6 p.m., Mondays-Fridays at both locations. Current theme at Allusion Speakeasy is Friends, at both locations with unique menus.
• Edelweiss: Gluten-free and kid’s menus available. Catch half-off bottles of wine on Mondays.
• Ascent Beverage: Fort Collins’ NOCO Distillery now on display at Red Gravy where you’ll find Ridge Mountain Gin. Backwards Distilling Company tasting at Broadmoor Wine & Spirits, 4-7 p.m., April 19. Sing & Swing jazz at Summa, 7 p.m., April 19, featuring Backwards Absinthe.
Upcoming events
• April 25: Patrick Robinson’s 13th annual Chef Showcase at the Antlers Hotel. 5:30-8 p.m.; $150 benefits Rocky Mountain Health Care Services. Featuring samplings from nearly 20 fine area eateries.
• April 27: 4th annual Paws for Celebration Gala with Safe Place for Pets at The Mining Exchange. A luau celebration to “support our mission of helping people who are terminally ill by finding homes for their beloved pets.” 6-9 p.m. $75-$150.
• April 27: Spring Wine Extravaganza at Winery at Holy Cross Abbey. 1-4 p.m.; $35-$45. “Take advantage of the once-a-year discounted pricing on our newest and most prized wines.”
• April 28: Pink Oyster Mushroom Cultivation Workshop at Flying Pig Farm. 10:30 a.m. to noon. $45-$65 includes instruction and a take-home gallon bucket with “mushroom spawn and substrate for at-home fruiting.” Family-friendly volunteer days at Flying Pig are first Sundays (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and every Tuesday (2-4 p.m.).
• April 28: The Rooftop Invitational at Lumen8 Rooftop Social. Eight bartenders representing eight fine town bars compete in a single elimination tournament. Free to attend, space is limited. Benefitting the Boys & Girls Club of the Pikes Peak Region.
• April 29: Sip & Bites - A Tequila Tasting Experience at Tequila Village in Monument. 4-5 p.m., nine tastings $130.
• April 30: Community Wine Dinner at Pizzeria Rustica. 6 p.m. Five courses, $79; benefits All Breed Rescue and Training. 719-475-9700 to reserve.
• May 1: Mas de Daumas Wine Dinner at Homa at Kinship Landing. 6:30 p.m. Four courses by chef Jacob Cheathum, $70.
• May 15: Taste of Tri-Lakes Cares is still seeking restaurant participants. Event details here.
Parting shot(s)
Thanks to those who came out for our 3rd Thursday Sip with Schnip at Edelweiss!
And about that Rüdesheimer Kaffee you need to go try, made with flambéed Asbach Uralt German Brandy topped in coffee, whipped cream and chocolate syrup:
Video credit: Lauren Hug.
Oh, to get a preview dinner at Illegal Pete's...
Somehow through an old friend of a friend, we are going to the IP's soft opening on Tuesday! I've never had them before and didn't understand the excitement people who have lived in Boulder/Denver have about its arrival here (but I'll try any Mexican food anywhere, anytime). After reading your Q&A with him, though, I am more excited to see what the hype is all about. I love it when restaurants are dedicated to being valuable, generous members of their community. Two bonuses = that's a long ass happy hour (points scored) and I'm so glad that architectural gem of a building will be full again.
RE: Brenner's comments on finding "great meals from trusted local spots where the kitchen, bar and staff deliver every single service. When traveling, these are the places I hope to find." resonated with me. We've learned to seek out 'where the locals go' like his niece rather than the shiny tourist traps (minus The Shed in Santa Fe - that place is busy for good reason) and have had the most memorable meals because of it. So cheers to all the people we've chatted up at the bar at all the breweries over the years who have steered us in the right direction.
PS - Edelweiss was delicious and thank you for giving us a good reason to go. It tends to fall off our radar.