What's Not to Like About Denver, Colorado

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Denver, Colorado is a city of a little over 600,000 people perched on the high plains just east of the Rocky Mountains. It has a very diverse culture with many attractions and great places to eat. It is also a good stopping-off point to visit some of the nearby attractions. I have been there many times in the last few years both in summer and winter. It has so much to offer, it's hard to fit everything in.

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Like many large cities, Denver is made up of not only the city limits, but many surrounding neighborhoods and small towns. One of these towns, Aurora, has become notorious in past news, but on a lighter note, is home to local, family-owned Donut House. If you need a sweet treat any time of the day or not, these handmade donuts and pastries are baked fresh daily from an old family recipe. The Donut House reminds me of my favorite pastry shop in Las Vegas. I never thought I'd find a replacement.

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Another family-owned business in nearby Littleton is The Old Fashioned Italian Deli. The deli was founded by a transplant from Chicago trying to bring some of the Chicago Italian deli flavors to his new home. Thirty years later, people come from all over Denver to sample fresh Italian sandwiches, pizza, pasta, and calzones. With names like The Enforcer, The Mobster, and The Godfather, The Old Fashioned Italian Deli has an offer you can’t refuse. Again, this replaced a favorite of mine from Vegas. The owners and the sandwiches are the real deal.

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If your pizza taste runs a bit more to the old world and its Napolitano roots, you will want to try Marco’s Coal-Fired Pizza with stores in Denver and Littleton. These pizzas featured hand-tossed dough that is topped with the freshest local ingredients and then cooked in a traditional coal-fired pizza oven. They offer several pies with ingredients as diverse as fresh arugula to a conventional sweet Italian sausage. For those with special dietary needs, they offer gluten-free and build your own pizzas. Note: This is not the national chain by the same name, but a true original.

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Just a bit to the west of France, in South Denver, you will want to visit the Pierre Michel French Bakery for breakfast or lunch. This bakery uses only organic ingredients in its traditional artisan breads, which are baked fresh six days a week, in a stone oven. In addition to the fresh-baked breads, they offer traditional and continental breakfasts, and a variety of fresh, seasonal sandwiches daily.

Speaking of French, if you want an affordable French dinner, head to Le Central, where you can find reasonably priced French prix-fixe and traditional menus. The prix-fixe dinners usually run about $35 per person and include soup, appetizer, entrée, and dessert. They serve up a magnificent feast for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays and for great treats at a discount, try their happy hour Friday through Sunday from three to five.

If your sweet tooth isn’t satisfied at The Donut House, plan a stop at one of the several locations of Enstrom Candies. This family has been making candy in Colorado for almost 100 years. All of their candies are made following recipes they have developed over the years. In addition to many traditional candies and chocolates, they have recently expanded their lines to include toffee popcorn, truffles and gourmet chocolates. They also have a sugar-free line of chocolates and candies.

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Spices café has a great selection of sandwiches, burgers, and salads for lunch, but what makes this Humboldt street eatery special is its delicious and diverse breakfast menu. From flaky croissants to breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros, to omelets and pancakes, Spices has it all. If you want a terrific breakfast at a reasonable price, try Spices, but get there early. The café is very small but casual and friendly.

Touted by some as the best restaurant in Denver, Rioja has been praised by James Beard, Zagats, and of course, Yelp. Rioja serves lunch Wednesday through Friday, dinner Sunday through Thursday, and brunch on the weekends. Brunch consists of house-made donuts, salads, sandwiches, and artisan meats and cheeses, followed by traditional brunch fare as well as lamb burgers and octopus farfalle for the adventurous. Lunch is a variety of soups and salads, with a variety of homemade pastas, sandwiches, and entrees. Dinner has larger portions of many of the same selections as lunch, with duck, sturgeon, tuna, lamb, and venison tossed in for good measure. They also feature a tastings menu on request.

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If you want something a little more down to earth, perhaps you crave burgers. And that is just what they have at Crave Real Burgers. With three locations, one of which is in Highland Ranch, Crave Real Burgers has just that – real burgers, served with real French fries and real milkshakes. The burgers come in a huge variety of meats, toppings, and sizes with something to satisfy any burger eater. Even though many of them are huge, they come with a side of french fries, sweet potato fries, or slaw or salad for the wimps. Top it off with a rich, handmade milkshake.

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Sassafras American Eatery on West 26th Street in Jefferson Park serves breakfast and lunch with a southern flair using fresh local and organic ingredients. From southern-style biscuits and gravy, through fried green tomato benedict, and chicken fried eggs, the breakfasts here are a hearty fare from all over the south. The same themes hold true at lunch where you can find southern fried chicken served alongside po'boys and jambalaya. Ya’ll save room for some beignets.

To cap off the restaurant tour, Osteria Marco is the younger sibling of the famous Luca d’Italia and is one of Denver’s most popular restaurants. The restaurant offers much of the same Italian cuisine found at Luca, including pasta, salads, paninis, and pizzas. One of the offerings that set this location apart is the Sunday special whole roasted suckling pig. This delicacy is roasted to perfection and then served on a bed of creamy polenta with gravy and greens. Make reservations and come early, because when the pig is gone, that’s it until next Sunday.

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The Museum of Outdoor Art is both a museum of art and sculpture located in Englewood and a collection of site-specific sculptures located in various parks and venues around the city of Denver. Tours of the indoor exhibits are offered year-round, while tours of the outdoor exhibits are only offered from June through August. A self-guided tour can be downloaded from their website and followed any time of year.

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The Denver Urban Homestead is both a local farmer’s market and a venue to learn about organic and natural agricultural methods. Classes are offered on subjects as diverse as beekeeping and beer brewing. The market is open Thursday and Friday from three to seven pm and Saturdays from nine to three. If you want to visit the market, Saturday is the day to go.

If you want to spend the day shopping, browsing, and eating in an urban setting, downtown is a good destination, but many people prefer Cherry Creek North, located just a few minutes away. Over 300 businesses make up this thriving city center located on the site of the old town of Harman. If you like the area and want to return, there are also two nice hotels located in the heart of Cherry Creek North.

For science and natural history buffs, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science is a must-see. With many permanent and revolving exhibits, the museum offers four levels packed with wildlife and nature exhibits, an IMAX theater, libraries, and educational displays. Permanent displays include Egyptian mummies, Expedition Health, and Gems and Minerals. Revolving exhibits have included Mammoths and Mastodons and a presentation by acclaimed performance artist, James Luna. It also has one of the best views of the Denver skyline in the city.

The Denver Art Museum also hosts a huge array of permanent collections and temporary exhibits. The permanent collections include displays of African art, American Indian art, as well architecture, European, Spanish Colonial, and Pre-Columbian art. Recent revolving exhibits have included Georgia O’Keefe, Laura Letinsky, and Charles Partridge Adams.

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Located in City Park, along with the Museum of Nature and Science is the Denver Zoo. Began in 1896 with an orphaned bear, Denver Zoo has grown into one of the nation’s premier zoos covering 80 acres with almost 4,000 animals covering 700 different species. The Denver zoo strives for natural settings for its animals, including a 7-acre facility for monkeys and apes and Predator ridge, home to 50 animals, such as lions, hyenas, and wild dogs.

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Finally, if you find yourself planning a trip to Denver in March, the Denver March Powwow is an annual event hosting Indians of all nations in a gathering of song and dance. Each day, a processional begins the festivities followed by tribal dancing and singing. Markets are available to purchase Native American crafts and the site is full of fun activities for all ages.

Between the food, sports activities, the food, and the wonderful people, Denver is one of my favorite cities in the country.

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