Every year my husband, Mario, and I go somewhere for our birthdays. Exploring Colorado was always on our list because it seemed so... idyllic. With never-ending hiking, beautiful mountains, and outdoor activities, we all know it’s a great vacation spot for the nature lovers. In four days and three short nights, we explored Denver, Boulder, Breckenridge, and Estes Park. While the hiking was amazing, we were surprised by the amazing food we had. Here’s a bit about what chowed down in Colorado:
Day One
We landed around brunch time, so our first stop was Watercourse-Denver. The inside of the restaurant was spacious but cozy, with a large bar area and local artwork on the walls.
The menu is ample, from salads to sandwiches to shakes, and bound to have plenty of familiar options that even the non-vegans would enjoy. I couldn’t resist their all-day breakfast, so I went for the breakfast burrito and Mario went for the mac and cheese. The restaurant is self-described as “both a neighborhood gathering place and a worldwide destination”, and while it was a great experience, I'm not sure I would call it a worldwide destination. After that, we strolled down 16th street mall, a pedestrian and transit street 1.25 miles long with plenty of stores, restaurants, and yes.. dispensaries.
→ Next, we headed to Boulder to our Airbnb, which was perfect! It was comfortable, clean, close to downtown Boulder, and even had HEATED bathroom floors! This was definitely one of the best AirBnBs I’ve ever stayed in. The hosts were friendly and helpful. Below is the link if you want to book (not affiliated with AirBnB).
→ We capped our night with dinner at Santo Boulder, a New Mexico-inspired restaurant that I had on my “to try” list. The decor was warm, with dim lights, wooden tables, and a lit Virgen de Guadalupe on the wall. We started with the queso fundido that rocked my world. Pepitas, pepper jelly, with sunflower seeds over a warm, cheesy bowl dipped in flour tortillas was good enough to be dinner.
Mario got the wood oven half chicken. He doesn’t even eat chicken, but as soon as he saw “mole” beside it, there was no going back. If you don’t know what mole is, I think it’s time for you to think about giving it a try. To me, it’s the closest to an Indian sauce within Mexican cuisine, a thick sauce with various ingredients that’s good just by itself. A HUGE chicken over spicy and chocolaty mole with roasted vegetables showed up to our surprise. The chicken was juicy, and the mole, which I tried, was just what I needed on a cold night. I had the heirloom blue corn enchiladas with mushrooms and green chile. A perfect vegetarian dish, with warm tortillas, had just the right amount of chiles to cut down on the fat of the cheese.
Here’s a warning: unless you want plenty of leftovers, splitting an appetizer and a main dish is plenty for two people. This place is definitely worth a stop and a great date night spot.
Day 2: Yes, it’s only day two. Told you we packed it in.
This was our time to explore Boulder. Bright and early, we headed to climb the Flatirons, rock formations over 290 million years old with trails only about a short walk from where we were staying, which was a good thing considering the parking lot at Chautauqua Park gets packed pretty quickly and the trails can get busy.
We climbed the First and Second Flatirons Loop, a 2.5-mile trail that took us about two and a half hours. The day was sunny and chilly, and there were some icy spots and rocks. However, it felt pretty safe, there was plenty of foot traffic, and the views were worth it! Sights of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains and perfect air lent themselves for a great end to a long trail.
Once we finally made it back, it was time for lunch, so we strolled down Pearl Street Mall, a street stretching all of through Downtown with local businesses, some chains, and lots of great restaurants. The University of Colorado Boulder was just down the road, so there was definitely a college vibe.
After walking around what seemed like a never-ending street, we decided it was time to eat. We stopped by Rosetta Hall, a cool food hall with ten restaurants and two bars. While everything was delicious, since we were on vacation we decided to have dessert first. We stopped by Petite Fleur, where we had stuffed dates and pistachio date balls. Just the touch of sweetness we needed, but it was time to get serious.
We had a craving for tacos, so T | ACO was the obvious choice. Described as “an urban taqueria”, this is not your typical tacos de lengua con cilantro y cebolla kind of place. While delicious, these are hipster tacos, so expect to pay around $3-5 for each. We had three each, including ahi tuna, shrimp, cotija, veggie, and ensalada tacos. That plus some tart margaritas made for a great end to a long day. https://www.tacocolorado.com
Day 3. Road Trip
We decided to take advantage of our car rental and go on a little road trip. Our first stop was Estes Park, at the base of the Rocky Mountain National Park, and only about an hour from Boulder. We weren’t able to hike in the area, and most of the shops were closed, but we enjoyed some sightseeing and I even got cute earrings!
After a good walk, some shopping, and great scenery, we began our drive to Beckenridge, almost three hours away. The drive was worth it, going through small mountain towns, seeing deer, beautiful mountains, and lots of snow was nice but a little scary for Southerners.
Oh, one more thing, I know I shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but driving through little towns there was always a Mexican restaurant somewhere. Y'all, WE’RE EVERYWHERE!
Breckenridge is a ski town at the base of the Rocky Mountains, with world-class skiing and lots of great little shops. We decided on Blue Stag Saloon, and I am SO glad we did because this might have been one of the best meals I had on this trip.
Butternut squash salad with a kick, Caesar salad with the perfect crunch of peppercorn, and an amazing plate of spicy and creamy cauliflower wings was surprisingly, a vegetarian’s dream.
We got back home a little late but got hungry again because.. when are we not?! A much colder walk down Pearl Street led us to a highly rated “classic Napoletana-inspired” pizza place, Pizzeria Locale. A packed restaurant, some good wine, and watching people make your dinner… What else could I need? Well, some amazing pizza with one of the best crusts I’ve ever had. I got the Erborista, a tomato base with herbs, and Parmigiano Reggiano because I’m saucy, and Mario had the Maize, mozzarella, crème fraîche, ham, corn, and garlic oil. All I can say is, I left a pizza my heart at that place.
Day 4: Celestial Seasonings
It was the day to get back home, so we got a quick drink at a coffee shop and made our last stop to a place we did not plan. Did you know that Celestial Seasonings, the tea company, is based in Boulder? Sleepytime is one of my favorite teas, minty yet sweet, and I love that their tea bags are compostable, not plastic, so it was an unexpected surprise. The tour was about 30-45 minutes but free! We also got to try so many samples and wear funny hair nets. With that, we headed to the airport to end our adventurous birthday trip.
After all this, you probably want to take a breather from looking at food. I got ya. Here’s the dose of nature you’ve been waiting for.
Make sure to head to our Tik Tok to see videos of these travels & more @menosmalco
Boulder is a beautiful city, and our hearts are with the families and victims of the shooting in March 2021. Head to https://www.everytown.org/ to learn more about gun safety.
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