The GREEN ROUTE FESTIVAL is happening in Denver this Saturday, August 27th from Noon to 11pm. It is Denver's first Eco Music Fest located in the RiNo Arts District, between Blake and Larimer on 26th St. in Downtown Denver. Celebrate local food, art, culture, sustainability and live music. Entertainment includes bands, live artist paintings, fire dancers, local and organic food and drink, 70+ sustainable vendors and a VIP pre-party. Click here for 2 for 1 tickets.
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I find Asian cuisine and I love all of the ones that I have tasted...Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Chinese, and the various styles within each cuisine...Dim Sum, Pho, Country Japanese, to name a few. Years back, I had been on the search for my favorite Thai restauran in Denvert. I had tried many and had not found the mecca. Chada Thai then moved into a spot on 17th Ave in the same strip as the Thin Man, St. Mark's Coffeehouse and now Il Posto. Nita is the fabulous chef of Chada Thai and has been part of a family enclave that brought Thai food to Denver over forty years ago. Chada Thai became my mecca for Thai food in Denver.
Last Saturday night, I found myself dining at Chada Thai with my sister, brother-in-law, best friend and nephew. My sister and brother-in-law both ordered the Chicken Pad Thai, tasty, but the portion size was not enough to satiate either of them. Mary and I split a Vegetarian Pad Thai. The veggies added more bulk so our dish looked much larger than theirs'. Mary and I also ordered one Vegetarian Pad Phet (eggplant, onions, bamboo shoots, tofu and fresh basil stir fried with black mung bean paste) for myself and one Beef Pad Phet for Mary, and a Vegetarian Thai Curry to share (home made curry paste simmered in coconut milk with bamaboo shoots, eggplant, zuchini, bell peppers and fresh basil). Yes, that was four dishes for two people, but if you are Asian you must understand that it is part of the culture to have a variety of flavors and dishes at each meal. Oh, did I mention that Mary is Vietnamese? As many of you know from previous blogs, Mary can eat, but only on one occasion Mary actually finished everything that we ordered at Chada Thai. Normally, we go home with enough leftovers for another meal for both of us. We offered our buffet to our not satiated family, and we still had leftovers to take home. On the other hand, Owen, my nephew, did not have any leftovers. Owen had Chicken Satae and seven and a half scoops of rice and ate every bit of it. White rice is his favorite all-time food. Their is an interesting story about the rice at Chada Thai. Besides the cuisine, the reasonable prices of most Asian cuisines is quite appealing. Chada Thai is no exception. Entrees average just under $10. The caveat is that the bill adds up if you go with someone who views rice as the main meal, which is the problem that I run into when I bring Mary or Owen. Chada Thai is not a restaurant which offers a normal amount of rice to start and we always need one more bowl. Here is where the caveat plays...they charge $1 for every extra scoop of rice that you order beyond the measely original portion. That is an exorbitant amount for something that wholesales for 20 cents a pound. The lesson here is to bring your own rice...just kidding. Chada Thai has great food. Two aspects could use a change, first, don't charge for rice and two, Nita, give your son, who runs the front of the house, some lessons in charm and how to smile. It could go a long way for business if the person that always greets you didn't always act like a Thai chili was lodged up his a__. However, the Thai is that good, that we will put up with rudeness and a lack of rice to get it. What we'll do for food..... I look forward to Sundays because I know that I get to pick up my weekly Community Supported Agriculture share from UrbiCulture Community Farms (UCCF). I have been a CSA member of UCCF for three years now. Community Supported Agriculture consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farming operation where the growers and consumers share the risks and benefits of food production. CSAs usually consist of a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables and/or fruit, and sometimes includes dairy products and meat.
I receive produce, sometimes fruit, and at various times can purchase eggs, homemade jam and other homemade items through my CSA. Each week, as I walk to my pick up site, not knowing what yummy vegetables are waiting for me this week to choose from, I feel a bit like I am walking down the stairs on Christmas morning eagerly anticipating what Santa brought for me. Today, the selection was beautiful...heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, a variety of squashes and zucchinis, purple green beans, carrots, swiss chard, kale, garlic, jalapeno chilis and japanese eggplant. Immediately, I begin to put recipes together in my head. After bidding adieu to my good friends Candice and Jon, the inspired leaders of this amazing nonprofit, I go home to begin prepping. I peel and wash the carrots and cucumbers. I remembered a recipe that Jon and Candice shared with me today that they tried this week, Cucumber Gazpacho; cucumbers, Greek yogurt, and a chili all blended together. I decide to recreate that with a bit of a twist. I used my cucumbers and Japanese eggplant. I didn't have any Greek yogurt so I decided to use white cannelini beans instead. I used my food processor for the cucumbers and eggplant first. Then I put in the beans with the fluid. Next, the chili pepper, salt, pepper and sage. It wasn''t bad, but I decided to heat it instead of serving it cold. I added skim milk to the soup while I heated it. It still needed something. I think the jalapeno should have been left out so it needed a fix. I put more milk in and added fresh basil. It was ready. Normally, I know how to add herbs, spices and ingredients to a dish to make it exactly right, but something awry occurred with this soup. It didn't taste good, not exactly bad either, but not something I would recreate. It was obvious that the chile and the basil were the wrong choices. I tried to cover the taste with grated parmesean, but not even parmesean could help this dish. Lesson for the day, next time stick to the original recipe:) I love Denver. I love the everpresent sunshine. I love the huge, blue skies. I love the friendly, open people. I love the gorgeous mountains and all that they encompass. I love the city, that there is something to do anytime, anyday. The one thing that I don't love about Denver is the lack of really good, fun and inexpensive restaurants. Don't get me wrong, Denver is full of delicious, beautiful and fun restaurants with really good food, but I haven't found that many great inexpensive restaurants.
Originally, I am from St. Louis. In St. Louis, there are a ton of great restaurants, all privately owned, that are very affordable, always happening with or without atmosphere. Last Sunday, I found a groovy little dive named Carl's Pizza in the Highlands area of Denver. From the street, the place looks closed or at the very least, no one is in there. Surprisingly, there were several tables full upon entering. (Hint to Carl's, open the vertical blinds all of the way to let people know that you are open and happening. You face north so the vertical blinds are useless anyway.) The atmosphere looks like you just walked into any local dive in southside Chicago or south city St. Louis; picture red and black booths, old cash register, the one booth with a week's worth of scattered newspapers on it, workers that are all related, and customers that have been frequenting the place generationally. Most of the food isn't cheap, but not expensive either...$12.00 for a Large Cheese Pizza and $6.50 for Breaded Mushrooms, but there are two important notes that I would like to share. First, I ordered a Black Olive and Mushroom pizza and each bite actually contained a plethora of both ingredients, not something of the norm at any other pizza place, and the pizza was quite delicious. Second, Carl's offers an amazing deal on spaghetti with meat sauce, marinara sauce, sauce with meatball or sauce with sausage. For $10 to $11, you will receive two to three helpings of spaghetti noodles with a quart of sauce that would last four meals for the normal person. The sauce was close to what an Italian Mother would make and if you want to impress dinner guests or bring home a very inexpensive treat for the family, pick up this deal. I made some whole grain linguini at home and used the rest of my marinara sauce. Lovely. I am picky about my pizza and I am picky about my sauce. My Mom and Dad were both born and raised in Chicago. My thrifty Father quickly realized the large profit margin of a pizza and considering that he had six children, he and Mom decided to open a pizza restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri. Even though Dad is 100% German and Mom Irish, German and Swedish, they introduced an Italian restaurant to St. Louisians. I was one year old when they started the business and I am the youngest of the six. Literally, I grew up working in the restaurant. My parents raised us on the earnings from their brilliant idea and we all worked there. Needless to say a pizza, pasta restaurant has to impress before I recommend it. Carl's Pizza and Frank the Pizza King are the only two, that I have frequented in Denver, that are even close to the caliber of Chicago pizza or my family's. I am not talking deep dish Chicago style, just delicious thin crust, Southside Chicago pizza. So go, enjoy an inexpensive meal! ![]() McCormick's is one of Mary's favorite restaurants. She is a lover of the lobster and vows that in Denver, she cannot find a better lobster than at McCormick's Fish House and Bar. I am going to divulge a very precious piece of advice to you that only the dedicated lobster lovers know. If you would like to partake in a lobster at McCormick's, then when making a reservation, also reserve a lobster for your table. You don't even have to give him a name:) Years ago, on our second dining experience at McCormick's Fish House and Bar, Mary ordered a lobster and to her chagrin was informed that they were out of them. The server then advised to reserve a lobster ahead of time since they only have a limited number due to them being flown in fresh, daily. Never, did we make that mistake again. Accordingly, I made the reservation for our table and Mary's lobster a couple of days ahead. We were seated at one of the wood, highback booths. As long as you don't have a fidgeter on the other side of your back who moves the entire booth every time he or she moves, then it is a perfectly lovely table. We lucked out this night, no fidgeters. We glanced at the menu and realized that it had changed for the first time in six years, however, adding numerous local vendors and raising the sophistification of the food a tad, turned out to be a lovely and welcome surprise! I shared our delight in the menu changes and the support of all of the local vendors to our server. He conveyed that he was proud that a corporate restaurant like McCormick's openly supported changing their menu to incorporate the local food movement. He also was happy that the negotiated lease agreement long held by their building owner would keep McCormick's in its' prized Lo-Do location while others' were not so lucky. Due to the redeveloping of Union Station, Denver's train station, into a major transportation hub, he informed us that building owners close to Union Station were starting to raise their tenant's rent, which means that Dixons and Gumbo's Louisiana Cafe are closing their doors. These are two restaurants that have fed Denverites food for years. After a discussion about how sad it is that everything boils down to making a dollar, we decided to enjoy our night and the fact that McCormick's still will be here. (Read author's sidenote at bottom of page for an update). Now, when we dine at McCormick's we like to make a night of it. I don't think of myself as a notorious gangster, but one thing that I do have in common with Al Capone is that our favorite drink is the Sidecar. I prefer mine straight up with no sugar rim. Earlier in the day, Mary had shared that she needed a signature drink like mine that she could order at corporate mixers. She likes Sidecars, but didn't want to copy. My reply of, "Who cares if you are copying if you like it" lead her to resolve that she actually preferred Sidecars on the rocks as opposed to my preference of straight up, so thus, she had her signature drink. We started off our dinner with ordering two Sidecars, slightly different and discussed the various options that we were considering. ![]() So almost a year ago, I became a Pescetarian, meaning that I am a vegetarian who eats shellfish, salmon and tuna. Somehow, I reason that shellfish don't have as developed of pain receptors as other animals and the nutritional value of salmon and tuna is too vast for me to give them up at this time. I will blog about becoming a Pescetarian in another blog.:) So going to McCormick's isn't as hard for me as it would be for a true Vegetarian. If you are a lover of the raw oyster as I am, I will offer another bit of helpful advice. Keep a running log of which oysters you prefer and don't in your phone or in a notebook that you carry with you. McCormick's offers at least eight types of oysters daily and most other raw bars and reputable seafood restaurants have at several varieties. On my log, I keep the name of the oyster, where it is from, and if I liked it, loved it, or didn't like it and the reason why I didn't. We needed to order some food and of course, a bottle of 90 points La Crema Chardonnay, at a very good price. We will skip the Jordan Chardonnay tonight. Perusing the oyster list, I saw a few that were familiar. Referring to my oyster log, I knew that I loved Indian Point Oysters from Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.), British Columbia (BC). Deep Cove oysters from P.E.I., BC was also on the list so we chose that one as well since it is from the same area. Wise decision! With a little cocktail sauce and fresh horseradish, one cannot go wrong! We realized that we had never tried the Champagne Mignonette sauce that also comes with fresh oysters and so ventured a try. Very nice, except the finish is too vinegary (word?), thus, diminishes the flavor of the oyster. We'll stick to the cocktail, horseradish combo. After we finished off a dozen oysters, our appetizers arrived. Mary ordered Kobe Carpaccio (slivers of raw Kobe Beef topped with capers and an aioli served with toasted Udi's sourdough bread), her words, "Magnifique!" I ordered the small salad consisting of fresh spinach, shaved parmesean and a light lemon vinaigrette, so delightful! Next, the main event...one and half pound steamed lobster with drawn butter; local Olathe corn-on-the-cob; and a side of Broccolini for Mary...Cioppino for me! Succulent, flavorful lobster and perfect accompanied sides made Mary's night. As Mary loves lobster, I love Cioppino and Bouillabaisse. I tried McCormick's Fish House and Bar's Bouillabaisse a few years ago and didn't care for it. On the new menu, they now had Cioppino and supposedly a new recipe so I ordered it. So glad that I did. It was YUMMY! The base was chunky tomatoes and carrots with some heat to them and a wide variety of fish -- King Crab Legs, Clams, Mussels, and Salmon. The Cioppino accompanied with very tasty toasted bread and I am in heaven. Simply lovely! A bit messy too, but the hot towels with fresh lemon offer a perfect solution. Of course, we didn't end there. Yes, we can eat! We ordered a Lemon Pannacotta with Blackberry Sauce, Pannacotta is my all-time favorite dessert, so I am not sure that this meal could have been any better. Oh yes, topping it off with a double espresso and a lemon twist, yes, then it was the perfect food night. After a three hour dining experience and a beautiful day of hiking, we hauled our satisfied, tired selves home to our beds. That was a good day! Author's sidenote: I found an article confirming that Dixon's is indeed closing in September, 2011, but I could not confirm that Gumbo's is as well. I just read an article stating that Tilman Fertitta, Landry's CEO, is attempting to purchase McCormick's and Schmick's chain. Hopefully, if that occurs, he still will keep McCormick's Fish House and bar, a 20 plus year veteran, as is like he did when he recently bought out the Claim Jumper restaurant, Bubba Gump Shrimp and Oceanaire.
![]() Hiking In Glen Haven, CO has been one of my favorite activities this summer! Just a few miles from Estes Park brings one to an idealistic little town with a quaint B and B, a General store that sells mouth-watering cinnamon rolls and my favorite place, Leah's. Leah's is a gift shop and tea room. I discovered it when after hiking Crosier Mountain, I wandered into the store and was delighted to meet the proprieter herself, Leah and Carol, her sweet Mother. One of their specials of the day was Hibiscus Iced Tea. One taste and instantly it was one of my favorite drinks of all time; completely renewing after a long, hot hike. The next time I visited Leah's, the special was Wild Berry Iced Tea. At that point, I had to know Leah's secret. She confessed that the tea was made from Boulder's Celestial Seasonings Wild Berry Tea and they naturally sweetened the tea by adding fresh blueberries. After purchasing the cutest mini flower floating candles and bath confetti and sucking down another heavenly iced tea, I bid ado to Leah and Carol, until I saw them several other weekends this summer. http://leahshop.com/ This summer I have made all types of combinations of flavored iced teas from Celestial Seasonings, experimenting with various summer fruits to naturally sweeten the tea. It is the most refreshing aperitif for summer! To spicen it up a bit I add a little vodka or American Honey. Now, Leah has directed me to other great hikes in Glen Haven, of which one of them is the North Fork Trail which is located at the Dunraven Trailhead. This past Sat. I hiked the North Fork Trail for the second time with my best friend Mary and dogs, Oliver and Scout. http://www.coloradohikingtrails.net/wiki/North_Fork_Trail_929 ![]() The North Fork Trail has about 1/4 mile that is steep, otherwise the trail meanders nicely along the Big Thompson River for 4.3 miles until you reach Rocky Mountain National Park. This is where I turn around, since dogs are not allowed in national parks. The trail literally follows the river the entire way which is very convenient for not having to bring along water for the dogs and for the peaceful lull that the sound of rushing water creates. ![]() Gorgeous, numerous wild flowers of every name abound along the path, generating a clean, fruity smell in the air mingled with fresh pine. About two miles in, you will pass a camp and horse stable. Saturday, the path alongside the horse stables was teeming with horseflies, which bite by the way. That part was not fun, but we ran through there quickly. Unfortunately, Mary was bitten a few times. I guess I am not sweet enough. We hiked this trail about a month ago and had to turn around a bit past the horse stables due to time constraints. Saturday, we were able to hike the trail to the point right before entering RMNP and then turned around for a round trip of 8.6 miles. ![]() Oliver and Scout love the hike as much as I do. They stopped at several water holes along the way to drink and play. Scout (the black and white little girl) is a swimmer at heart, but Oliver doesn't seem to have faith that he can swim. Once he dove off of a limestone rock into deep water and immediately freaked out. I lead him by the leash to a shallower area, but the whole time he was swimming to the shallow area his eyes were panic stricken, but as soon as he put paw to land, he let out a big, deep sigh, almost to say, "Whew, I made it. That was a close one." Too funny! Of course, after our hike we stopped in to see Leah and Carol. I tried their new Lavender and Blueberry soda water with a fresh sprig of mint-- delightful! Mary stuck with the Rasberry Iced Tea, always refreshing! This time we didn't stop at the Estes Park dog park while heading home. The park has a lake where the dogs can swim as well. We needed to get back because we had evening dinner reservations at McCormick Fish House and Bar at the historic Oxford Hotel in downtown Denver. After dropping the dogs at home to sleep off their hike, showering of course, and primping for our evening ahead, we made our way to downtown. As I was browsing through the September issue of Country Living magazine, which delivers such fantastic DIY design and entertaining ideas, I came across an easy, inventive design idea. ![]() Combine a swivel-eye snap hook, key ring, and cord, which all can be found at your local hardware store. Additional ideas would be to spray paint the swivel-eye snap hook and key ring a fun, coordinating room color and use a colorful ribbon or sew together a band of fabric to use instead of the cord. It's an easy, inexpensive and lovely way to coral your drapes! Please send pics of your completed project when you try this! By the way, has anyone ever attended the Country Living Fair in Columbus, OH or Atlanta, GA? If yes, is it as amazing as I expect? It is one of the largest antique, vintage and shabby chic markets in the U.S. My dream is to go one of these years. I would have to be prepared to rent a large moving truck and transport that baby home with all of the expected treasures that I would find! For the Fourth of July weekend, my sister, brother-in law and nephew came down to Denver from Ft. Collins. As we were looking for a clearance tent at Target, our conversation involved discussing different restaurants and various travel destinations. Per usual, I had strong opinions on the star dish at each restaurant and the highlights of San Diego. Simultaneously, my sister and best friend blurted that I should start a blog so that I could share with others my vast knowledge of oh, so many things that are interesting to me. So here it is.. the start, the beginning of hopefully something that is useful, informative, and amusing.
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Cathy SchuberthI am a lover of life! As an eco-friendly interior designer and a social worker, my passion is to create fun, harmonious and healthy communities. I will be sharing design ideas and projects; green living advice; entertaining tips along with new recipes; tools for personal growth; travel ideas; restaurant and out on the town information; and so much more. Please feel free to send me ideas on topics that you would like to see. I'm excited to have you join us! Archives
October 2011
CategoriesInterior Design
Green Living Entertaining Recipes Personal Growth Travel Restaurants Events Outdoors |