2014 top eats

#10 mile high biscuits at Ruth's diner Salt Lake City Utah FullReview

 

#9 onion rings at The Copper Pot – Englewood CO Full Review

 

#8 Pulled pork and fried okra at R&R barbecue Salt Lake City Utah Full Review

 

#7 Pepperoni pizza at A-Town Pizza - Aurora CO Full Review

 

#6 green Chile corn chicken tamale at El Bravo Phoenix Arizona Full Review

 

#5 Chocolate Mousse pie at Penny Ann's Café Salt Lake City Utah Full Review

 

#4 Paprika schnitzel at Haus Murphy's Glendale Arizona FullReview

 

#3 pepperoni pizza at Grimaldis Scottsdale Arizona FullReview

 

#2 Blueberry bacon pancakes at Soul Café Scottsdale Arizona FullReview

 

#1 Bacon flight at The Berkshire - Denver Colorado FullReview

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

A while back I had an idea, What if I put bacon in chocolate chip cookies.  So I searched online for some ideas and ended up just adding bacon and bacon fat to the Nestle toll house cookie recipe that was on the bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and left out the nuts.

 Ingredients

2 1/4 cups  all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon  baking soda

1 teaspoon  salt

½  cup (1 stick) butter, softened

½ cup solid bacon fat

3/4 cup  granulated sugar

3/4 cup  packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon  vanilla extract

2  large eggs

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

8 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

 

Instructions

 

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and bacon. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Ancho Chile Pumpkin Pie

This is my favorite Pumpkin Pie recipe that I found on myrecipes.com

 

 

Ancho Chile Pumpkin Pie

 

• Pastry for a single-crust 9-inch pie, purchased or homemade
• 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
• 1 2/3 cups whipping cream
• 3 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground dried ancho chiles
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the pastry and flute edges, then line pastry with foil. Partially fill with pie weights or dried beans.
2. Bake pie pastry in a 375° oven until edges are dry and barely golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully remove pie weights and foil. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, cream, eggs, brown sugar, granulated sugar, ground chiles, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.
4. Pour pumpkin mixture into hot pie crust and return pie to oven. Bake until center barely jiggles when shaken, about 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack, at least 2 hours. Cut into wedges to serve.

The Berkshire - Denver Colorado

October 29, 2014

I had a cardiology appointment Denver and the only logical thing to do after that is to get bacon. When we got there it was probably about one thirty and there were a few tables still taken but it was fairly empty. Our waitress took our drink orders which all three were Cokes. The machine was right behind where we were sitting so we didn't have to wait long. After this she gave us time to look at the menu I already knew one thing that I wanted was the bacon flight. So I checked out the menu to see what else might be good and in a bit I was ready. So when our waitress returned we ordered the bacon flight and mom and I both ordered a pork dip sandwich because it sounded delicious and dad got the genius burger. We all had french fries as our side. Our waitress said she would be back in a few minutes with our bacon flight.

And sure enough she quickly returned with a big square plate with four strips of bacon all different kinds candied, curried, garlic, and balsamic bacon with something to mark each one along with little toasted breads and goat cheese.   Lettuce and tomato was also on the side. This was $14 and kind of pricey, but how often do you find a bacon flight. These were all amazing I wasn't sure if I would like the curried or the balsamic but they were both really good as were the other two. As I kept trying all of them I kept having the same reaction of oh my God. This was the best bacon I've ever had anywhere. We had plenty of time to eat all of this and were never rushed which sometimes happens with appetizers. Once we were done with this our waitress took the plate and the individual plates away and shortly after our two pork dip sandwiches and dad's genius burger arrived.

This was a very good sandwich also the smoked pork was excellent and I also liked the onions and mushrooms on top along with the cheese. All this on a nice soft roll with au jus for dipping. Which seemed to have maybe a hint of soy sauce in there. What I didn't like was the french fries they were real skinny and kind of hard.

Dad’s genius burger was a half-pound burger which he ordered medium well. This was topped with bacon and fried cheese. He thought the burger was dry and kept having to add ketchup to it. He did really like the bacon on top and I'm not sure if he like the fried cheese or not, but it basically looked like a fish portion like thing but it was really fried cheese. After I got about halfway through my sandwich I just couldn't eat anymore. So a box it was. Which our waitress was quick to bring and she bagged it up and she dropped the check off.  The price was a little hefty for lunch, but was so good and probably worth it. We paid our bill and as we left the Berkshire, which now was completely empty of customers, our waitress thanked us. This place was excellent for the bacon and not bad for the rest of the food either.   This was without a doubt the greatest bacon I've ever had and even though it might be a little pricey I think it was well worth it.

7352 E 29th Ave, Denver, CO 80238

Coors field Denver Colorado

We visited the extreme dogs stand at Coors field and of the many options I picked the Denver dog with green Chile, jalapenos and cheddar cheese. Other options were the Santa Fe dog with red chili, cheese, jalapenos and sour cream. And the bacon and blue dog with blue cheese sauce and bacon.

 

 

 

 

2001 Blake St, Denver, CO 80205



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Grimaldi's pizza Denver Colorado

Every year we go to Phoenix and Grimaldi's is always one of the places I enjoy eating at.  Then when I found out one was coming to Denver I had to make sure to try it out.

 

 

 

 

We ordered two large 18 inch pizzas one with pepperoni and one with sausage. They were very good I liked the pepperoni one better mostly because I don't like sausage too much. The pepperoni I thought was delicious and one of the best pizzas I've had and just like what I remember getting in Arizona. I ended up not being as hungry as I thought, so we took the rest home and it was still pretty good reheated the next day.

 

500-16th Street, Unit 128, Denver, CO ‎

 

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Las Delicias Mexican restaurant Denver Colorado

We arrived on a Saturday night right after a Rockies game and before we headed back home. This was your basic good cheap Mexican food.

 

The salsa was tasty and there was something in it that I'm still not sure what it was. This is one of those places that have all their combos that some come with Rice, some come with beans, some come with both of them and some have neither.  This means you have to look through the combo menu for a long time to figure out what you want. I ended up with a chili relleno, a cheese enchilada, and a beef taco with beans combo. Which I was hoping to have rice and beans, but this was the best sounding combo. The food came hardly in any time after we ordered.

 

The Taco was on its own plate but it still managed to steam itself on the bottom side and get soggy. On the plate with the taco was a tortilla that I never ended up eating.

 

On the main plate was the chili relleno, the enchilada and beans. All these things were decent and good but not really the best of anything. This is a good restaurant for good cheap Mexican food that is served very quickly.

7610 Conifer Rd, Denver, CO 80221

Blake St., Tavern Denver Colorado

June 25, 2014

I stopped and met a friend At Blake St. Tavern before a Rockies game.  This is one of my favorite places down by Coors field to stop before a game, but maybe after how this season’s been going maybe staying during the game might have been better.

2301 Blake St, Denver, CO 80205




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Cantina Laredo Boulder Colorado

September 1, 2014

On Labor Day we met some relatives for lunch in Boulder and this is the place they thought would be a good place to meet. I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant on Labor Day or any other holiday for that matter so I didn't know if it would be busy or not. We arrived at about one o'clock and the place was empty besides one or two other people. So they went to put our table together for the eight of us. Multiple sets of chips and salsa were brought and our drink orders were taken I just ordered a Coke.

 

 

There were two types of salsa one that was kind of just a basic salsa that was pretty good and another one that was served a bit warmer. This one had a smoky flavor and a little more of a kick but I still didn't think it was real hot. I kept eating the chips and salsa and eating more and even had to take another set of the chips and salsa that wasn't being used by anyone else. It seemed like we had to wait quite a while but it was okay to give everyone time to talk. Finally the waiter came to see if we had any questions on the menu and gave us a few more minutes then was back to take our orders. I ordered the Chimichanga de Pollo Poblano and everyone else had various other things Tacos, enchiladas and a Chile Relleno. So we continued talking and I kept enjoying the chips and salsa. Quite a while later the food was delivered.

 

My chimichanga was a pretty good one. The tortilla I think might've been my favorite part.  It was fried perfectly and was still a bit crispy underneath the sauce. The sauce was a ranchero sauce this wasn't exactly my favorite kind of sauce and I might have preferred something else if I had a choice, but it really wasn't that bad and drizzled was some kind of cream on top which kind of mixed well with the sauce. Inside there were poblano peppers, chicken and cheese. The chicken was pretty good and grilled but some pieces were a little bit too charred. This was served with rice and sautéed vegetables which were bell peppers and zucchini which aren't exactly my favorite vegetables.  I wish it would've had beans with it instead of the vegetables.  I don't know if I had a choice but the menu didn't really say it came with anything.

Somewhere along the line I ran out of my Coke and it seemed like quite a while until our waiter was back to refill it but I eventually got it.  They also left waters on the table though, so I could drink that so I wasn’t completely dry. After we were all done eating some of us decided to get desserts I didn't however because I'm not exactly a big desert guy. When the waiter came back he brought the dessert tray to show what they had, but this didn’t look as good as what came.  Then he took everyone’s orders which were a Mexican Apple Pie ($6.99) on a sizzling skillet

 

and a Mexican Brownie ($6.99) that was also on a sizzling skillet that they both lit at the table

 

and also 2 pieces of Mango Tres Leches Cake ($6.99). I didn't order my own but I had a sample of each and I thought the brownie one was the best but there wasn't much wrong with any of them.   All of these desserts were a substantial amount of dessert.

 

I sure enjoyed my chimichanga and the chips and salsa and I didn't hear many complaints from anyone else about the food so I think everyone enjoyed their food too.

 

 

 

 

1680 29th St, Boulder, CO 80301

 

 

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Salt City Burger Company Sandy Utah

June 20, 2014

We were headed out of Utah and headed back home but before we left we ate here for our last meal for lunch. For years now I've been missing Fuddruckers since it left Colorado a few years ago, so I was excited when it sounded like this place was similar with a topping bar that you can top your burger with whatever you want. Also some of the pictures of the onion rings didn't hurt either.

 

So in we went and were told to sit wherever would work best for us. This is where the place differentiates from Fuddruckers. Our waitress came and took our drink orders all three Cokes. After a while she returned to take our orders and I had the quarter pound burger with cheddar cheese and so did mom

 

and dad had the half pound cheeseburger with bacon. Mom had fries as her side and dad and I both had onion rings. When our food arrived our waitress pointed out where the topping bar was. I didn't do anything too crazy and just went for pickles, tomatoes, onions (both white and red) and lettuce and did get extra of all of them for when half the stuff pulls out when you're trying to eat it and I also got some ranch dressing for my onion rings.

 

 

The onion rings were really good, but not so good after they sat a while so make sure to eat your onion rings quick. These were not quite the best onion rings I’ve had but I wouldn't turn them down either. The burger was a pretty good burger not the greatest in the world, but made even better because of the customizing you can do to your own burger.  I was very happy and was ready to head back home.

 

 

 

 

9176 S Village Shop Drive

Sandy, UT 84094

 

 

 

 

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R&R barbecue Salt Lake City Utah

June 19, 2014

Following a very nice day at the Red Butte Gardens we arrived here before five o'clock since we were headed to a Salt Lake City Bees game. Since it was so early we all just figure to get a sandwich and a side to go with it. After we looked at the menu for a bit we went to order at the one end of the counter. This counter is very high and being in a wheelchair this made it kind of difficult to order. We all three got a pulled pork sandwich and a side.  Mom got coleslaw, dad had french fries and I upgraded to fried okra. Once we got to the lower counter where you pay the lady at the counter asked if we wanted any pickles or onions on our sandwiches. I decide to get pickles and onions on my sandwich so she told the other lady who was behind the counter that I couldn't see. So the other lady comes and sticks her head around the counter and she says you want tomatoes and what else on your sandwich so I say just pickles and onions. After all of this we went to fill our drinks and find a table. They brought our sandwiches out and sides minus the fried okra which they said they will bring out in a minute.

 

When I open my sandwich up there are tomatoes and red onions and no pickles which was the main thing I wanted. And I'm not sure how they came up with tomatoes either. Right after this the lady from the cash register walked past and said didn't you want pickles? She said sorry about that and went to get some pickles. These were really good pickles to and I'm pretty sure they pickled their own.

 

And then I also got my fried okra. This fried okra is the best I've had anywhere and was fried perfectly.  They were a little greasy and a little salty and perfect if you ask me. After I picked my tomatoes off my sandwich and actually my onions too, I was thinking the pickles and onions would be on the side like most barbecue places I've been to.  

 

This was a very good pulled pork sandwich especially when I added a little bit of their barbecue sauce, which I think I like their spicy version a bit better and not because heat but I thought it just had a better flavor. I had wondered if a place in Utah could make really good barbecue like in Kansas City. This place made a good run at it and still might not be as good as places in Kansas City but it was still a dang good sandwich. And the fried okra you can't forget about that.

 

 

 

307 West 600 South

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

 

 

 

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Ruth's diner Salt Lake City Utah

June 19, 2014

 

On this day we want to start our day with a good breakfast since we're going to the Red Butte botanical Gardens to walk around all day. Also we had been to Ruth's diner a few years ago and needed to come back for the mile high biscuits. When we arrived it was on the late side of breakfast but too early for lunch, so there weren’t too many people there yet. We had to go in the side door for wheelchair access.

 

Once we were seated a plate of biscuits arrived and we had our drink orders taken  dad had coffee and mom and I just had water. After I buttered my biscuit I remembered why I was so excited about coming back. These were huge and delicious. After a bit of looking at the menu I decided to get the Pork Chile Verde omelette  ($10.59) along with hash browns. Dad ordered sausage and eggs ($7.89) 

 

 

and mom the French toast ($5.99)

 

 

In short bit later I was enjoying my omelette and hash browns. This was a good omelette, but the best part was it being covered in Pork Chile Verde. This Pork Chile Verde had just a little bit of a kick but not really too much and was also quite good on the hash browns. My only issue was I should've ordered this without sour cream but other than that I thought this was a very good breakfast. We were filled and ready to go find a nice place to walk which we found at the red Butte Garden.

4160 Emigration Canyon Road

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

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Lucky slice pizza Ogden Utah

June 18, 2014

After a day of walking around the dinosaur park in Ogden and before a minor league baseball game we needed something to eat and right down the street from the ballpark was Lucky slice pizza. So we were there early and there was no rush at all, basically only one or two tables were taken. So we went up to the counter and they explained to us about their pizzas and how they had pizza by the slice, although the guy at the counter was not that easy to hear and their menu on the wall just listed their specialty pizzas and not really anything about build your own pizzas and what the toppings they have. They did have full pizzas in 14 or 20 inches.  We weren’t exactly all that hungry so we just got the 14 inch pizza with pepperoni.  The first topping is included in your price and we also got three fountain drinks. Then after filling our drinks we found a nice table to sit at and in a few minutes they brought out a stand for our table and three paper plates.

 

And a few minutes after this the pizza arrived. This was a thin pizza and had very good toppings and the crust was very good too. I thought this pizza had the perfect amount of toppings and cheese and sauce and did not over do it with any of them. This was a good-sized pizza for the three of us that weren’t very hungry. This was one of the better pizzas I think I've had and definitely the best in Utah but I've only had a couple. It’s too bad that I wasn't all that hungry because I wish I could've eaten a lot more of it.
 

200 East 2500 South

Ogden, UT 84401

 

 

 

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