Friday, August 10, 2012

Culinary Tour of Colorado, Greeley Edition

The last 8 days of July, my husband and I travelled to Colorado to visit family and also for his Navy reunion. Since he's been working out of town, we met in Terminal C at the Denver Airport. Not the most romantic reunion, but we were able to spend it with 1000+ of our fellow travellers. We spent the first three days in Greeley, CO with my in-laws. It is always so nice to catch up with family and spend some quality time together.
While there, Mark and I (and his Dad and Step mom) went out to eat several times. Since my blog is devoted to my kitchen adventures, why not expand and write about my food adventures on the road? This blog post focuses on places we ate in and around Greeley. I'll post a "part 2" to cover the rest of the trip. Now, onward to my meals

 For breakfast one morning, Mark, his Dad and I ate at The Egg and I in Greeley. It is located in a strip mall on the east side of town. The menu has the traditional breakfast items and some that are a bit unique. I chose the Parisian Benedict and my opinion is that it is heaven on a plate!

The shaved ham was so tasty as well as the sautéed portabella mushrooms. It is topped with two poached eggs and some swiss cheese which was a nice change from the standard egg benedicts. The hollandaise sauce was not heavy at all. Very light, flavorful and good. And my eggs were perfect.



Plus their hot sauce is to die for!

On the way to Greeley from the airport, we stopped in Ft. Lupton at The Branding Iron. This place has been around a long time. The decor is a bit old, but charming nonetheless. It's obviously a spot the locals hang out since the server knew everyone by name. I'm sad I didn't catch her name but she was awesome. She is very friendly, fast, checked back with us often and even sat at our table and chatted a bit. You don't see that everyday!








I had the steak and egg special and my husband had the french toast. My food was good, the steak was flavorful although a bit dry but my eggs were perfect. And they have rye bread which is a breakfast favorite for me.  My husband really liked his french toast.


The Branding Iron does not have a website for me to direct you to. Their menu is traditional diner food but very good, well priced and good portions.






For dinner one night, Melody was craving Mexican food so off to Albertos we went. It's a stand alone restaurant not in a strip mall in a 70-80's style building. We were there on a Tuesday night and it's free margarita night (with the purchase of an entree). YUM!! That was a nice touch. Plus, they had the mariachi band playing too which added to the atmosphere. Apparently, Tuesdays are a special night at Albertos.

I had the crunchy rellenos that weren't very crunchy but they were still good. Chile Rellenos are my favorite and it's usually what I order when I'm having mexican food. We started with the guacamole, which was very good. Loved it and I could have eaten another serving.

Service was slow, took a bit for water to arrive and then we had to ask for refills. It's more of an Americanized Mexican then authentic so don't have too high of expectations.

No pictures from this place, sorry folks!

Johnny Carinos is a chain and when I travel, I prefer more of a local place, but this time we stopped here and glad we did.

To start with, Jessica our server ROCKED!!! So friendly, so attentive and went out of her way to take care of us. I've been so many places where the server acts as if it is a chore to fill water, be friendly, smile etc. Jessica proves that you can work hard and be happy at the same time. She deserves a raise.

I got the lobster ravioli and my hubby got the Chicken scalopini. The lobster ravs had my tastebuds dancing!! The ravs were filled with lobster, spinach with a lemon basil sauce with roma tomatoes and asiago Lemon cream sauce that was not over lemony at all. Great flavor and a good portion (I ate the leftovers the next day for breakfast.)
Does this look awesome or what??!!
My husbands chicken was also good. Sautéed with mushrooms, roma tomatoes, bacon and a lemon butter cream sauce. It was served with a side of spaghetti. My husband is not a lemon fan, but really liked this. I thought it had a bit too much bacon, but he was just fine with it. I would have preferred the sauce on the side since I don't like a lot of sauces and/or gravy. 

In all, we had some good dining experiences in and around Greeley. Now onto Boulder..... and part 2 of my Colorado adventures. Stay tuned!

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