Tag: ChoLon

Weekend Things

Lauren2 Comments

This weekend was good all around, but here are the highlights!

Friday

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  • Joey and I introduced Steve and Adam to the ChoLon soup dumpling and it’s official — that’s the single greatest thing I’ve ever eaten!  Doughnuts with Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream for dessert, obviously 🙂
  • Convinced Joey to watch Moonstruck because he’d never seen it and this is unacceptable.  Cher is such a boss and that final scene is truly amazing!
  • Rockies won!

Saturday

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  • Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes — please don’t judge my caramelized banana slices, I know they look semi-gross
  • Cleaning the whole house like real true adults and not actually minding it because teamwork makes the dream work
  • Spending $100+ on fresh groceries then, uh… going out to dinner.  Illegal Pete’s forever!  I ate way too many chips and washed it down with a margarita
  • SNL and doggy cuddles to end the night ♥

Sunday

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  • Ran 5 miles for the first time in a long time and it felt wonderful!
  • Drank iced coffee and finished Season 4 of Parks and Recreation
  • Cooked chickpeas in the pressure cooker and made lunch salads
  • Walked myself to Base Coat for a bright blue pedi, silently celebrated another Rockies win!
  • Read in the backyard
  • Cooked an amazing dinner (details to come!) and surprised Joey with a Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert ♥

How was your weekend??

Best Tastes of 2016: Restaurant Edition

Lauren2 Comments

I really wanted to post this last week but Joey was adamant that I wait until we made it through the very last day of 2016 and HEY, he was right, because our very last meal of the year made it on this list and wouldn’t have otherwise.  He’s wise like that.

We were all over the country this year and so were the best meals we ate.  Burgers in Hawaii, po’ boys in New Orleans, miso butter in Chicago, cheese plates in Portland, roast chicken in D.C., Italian in Vegas.  Not to mention lamb sliders, Detroit-style pizza, steamed buns and, of course, ice cream right here in Denver.  2016 was, by all means, a delicious year!

P.S. Sorry I don’t have pictures of every single one of these dishes.  Sometimes it’s dark in restaurants and sometimes I feel like enjoying the moment without my iPhone camera 🙂

Best Toast:

Avocado Toast from Black Eye Coffee CapHill in Denver, CO (January 10) // cashews, housemade flax seed bread, cilantro + bacon

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Best Burger:

HĀNA BURGER from Hāna Ranch Provisions in Pāʻia, Hawaiʻi (January 20) // house-made ‘ulu brioche, caramelized onions, horseradish aioli, cheddar

Best Entrée Plate:

Crispy CHICKEN Breast, 3 CHEESE-MAC & CHEESE with SAGE & BUTTERNUT SQUASH from Tables in Denver, CO (February 14)

Best Slider:

Colorado Lamb Slider from Root Down in Denver, CO (April 1) // Harissa Aioli, Irish Cheddar, Arugula & Garlic-Mint Yogurt

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Best Sandwich:

Seared Gulf Shrimp Po Boy from Killer PoBoys in New Orleans, LA (May 2) // Marinated Radish, Carrot, Cucumber, Herbs, Special Sauce

Best Appetizer:

Curried Fried Cauliflower Hummus (and pita) from Shaya in New Orleans, LA (May 2) // caramelized onions and cilantro

Best Bread & Butter Course:

“Miso Hungry” from Girl & the Goat in Chicago, IL (June 4) // miso butter . kimchi relish
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Best Pizza:

Brooklyn Bridge from Blue Pan Pizza in Denver, CO (June 10) // Mozzarella and Brick Cheeses / Pizza Sauce / Creamy NY Ricotta / Natural Casing Pepperoni / Italian Sausage / Chopped Garlic / Sicilian Oregano / Pecorino Romano Cheese
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Best Ice Cream:

Space Junkie from Little Man Ice Cream in Denver, CO (June 17) // raspberry ice cream, brownies and marshmallow swirl
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Best Cheese Plate:

Cheese & Crack in Portland, OR (July 9)
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Best Donuts:

Pip’s Original Doughnuts in Portland, OR (July 10)
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Most Fun Restaurant Experience:

There Denver (July 16)

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Best Bun:

Let’s be mature about that category, okay?

Steamed Bun Trio from Night Shift in Denver, CO (August 4) // pork belly PB & J, pork belly, curried cauliflower

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Best Ramen:

Spicy Chicken Ramen from Uncle in Denver, CO (August 18) // spicy sesame broth, scallion, bean sprouts, soft egg

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Best Chicken Dish:

Roasted Half Chicken from Tail Up Goat in Washington, D.C. (September 11) // semolina toast, aioli, cipollini onions

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Best Italian:

Spaghetti & Meatball at Roma Deli 1 & Restaurant (September 22) // I think this might be self-explanatory 🙂

Best Side Dish:

Sweet Potato at The Nickel in Denver, CO (November 4) // poblano chile, hazelnut, toasted crepe, shallot

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Beers:

A three-way tie between:

Soul Glo Saison from Southern Prohibition Brewed (May 2)

Oaked Sorachi Ace IPA from Wild Woods Brewery in Boulder, CO (July 15)

Gumballhead (American Wheat) from 3 Floyds Brewing Co. (October 6)

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Best End of the Year Meal:

ChoLon!  ChoLon forever!  If I could afford it, I’d eat here every week.  But maybe it’s for the best that we don’t go that often because it means we’re that much more excited when do go.  This was our New Year’s Eve meal and every dish, every bite, every ingredient was nothing short of sheer perfection.

Spring rolls with tarragon cream sauce, pork belly steamed buns, kaya toast, French Onion Soup Dumplings.  FRENCH ONION SOUP DUMPLINGS.  And to top it all off, a lamb chop special that had us straight giddy.  No tastier way to end 2016.

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