Ever been out walking your dog, and either they "take care of business" more times than you have bags? Or, if you think "Hey, Snuggles just went #2, there's no chance he'll need to go on this walk...", but he inevitably does?
One nice thing about living in Cole, is that when you're in a pinch like this, there inevitably is a plastic bag (or "ghetto tumbleweed" as my neighbor so cleverly called 'em) blowing by.
Black ones come from the liquor store on Bruce Randolph and Downing, and are most prevalent for obvious reasons. White ones come from the Down-n-Out Super. Regardless of what color they are they certainly come in handy.
Like getting water from an Agave plant in the blistering heat of the desert; or finding a wild blackberry bush while starving in the sticks, Ghetto Tumbleweeds can be quite the life saver. I wouldn't put them on my list of things I'm most excited about in Cole, but they serve their purpose.
Guess we owe a hearty "thank you" to all those litter-bugs out there.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Curtis Park Flats are on the market, one already sold!
I walked the dogs by Curtis Park today and noticed that the renovations to the old Curtis Park Flats are nearly complete, with "For Sale" signs in each front window. The East corner unit has already sold!
Those places were real problem properties, as this article illuminates, so this is very encouraging for Curtis Park--Park and neighborhood. And good for us over here in Cole, too.
It's also a good sign that affordable--Relatively affordable, at least--housing is still available as the neighborhoods change.
The Change keeps on coming!
Sunday, September 06, 2009
The Larimer (Not So) Hot House Sunday Brunch
My wife texted me the other day after heading downtown to work to let me know of a new restaurant just south of our neighbhorhood on Larimer--The Larimer Hot House. It was a new joint in the building formerly home of Espo's Gelato.
Readers of this blog know that I am all about local, independent businesses and try my best to support them whenever possible. That can mean discovering some really great places (Walnut Room, Curtis Park Creamery, etc.) and some real stinkers (Casselman's--Where I was assaulted on grand opening night--Or the several gas-station barbecue joints on Bruce Randolph, etc.).
This place looked very encouraging. The name and a stylish logo (with flames) suggested spicy food (which is my passion), or at least grilled or smoked meats.
I immediately went to their website and was surprised to find that it was just a sandwich and breakfast joint--Nothing spicy, and nothing that I could find relevant to the name "hothouse". Perhaps they don't have air conditioning?
Their sandwiches looked interesting enough, though they're going to have a hard time beating Walnut Room's, which I think are the best in town. But we also were excited to see that they had Sunday Brunch.
My wife especially is a big fan of brunch--Though I'm not quite sure why, as they consistently seem to disappoint, or be mediocre at best. I'd just as soon go eat Mexican, but that's me. We definitely used to enjoy the second generation brunch at Kiva, where they had some really interesting and tasty items on the menu. But of course, Kiva is gone.
The brunch was listed on their website to include: "Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browned Potatoes, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Breakfast Sausage, Sliced Fruit Assortment, Bagels & Cream Cheese, Refried Beans, Jalapeno Black Beans, Warm Tortillas, White Corn Tortilla Chips, Vegetarian Green Chili, Pork Green Chili, and Fresh Salsas". Sounded interesting to me, once again, because of my love of spicy and tasty fresh Mexican-style food.
From the website, we were already a bit bummed that they didn't offer my wife's requisite brunch beverage, mimosas. But, I thought, on the bright side perhaps limiting ourselves to the orange juice and agua frescas would lead to a more productive Sunday (and a cheaper bill!).
So we ventured out today to try the Larimer Hot House's brunch. We drove up to the place and noticed no other cars there--A bit concerning, but I know they are new and we should give them a chance, even if we were the only ones there. Walking in, we were greeted at the door by Jen Reyna, one of the partners. She was friendly, and escorted us to the tidy, if plain patio to the North of the building. She explained their brunch menu, and took our drink order. There was one other party in the rather vast dining room--A couple with two boys fueling up before heading to the Rockies game.
We headed up to the brunch, only to be instantly disappointed. When I read a brunch menu, I typically think what they list on the buffet is just a sample of what they have--In this case, what the Hothouse had out was in fact FEWER selections than they mentioned on the website. No tortilla chips, no bagels, and the "fresh fruit assortment" was a single small bowl of mixed fruit. Nothing else to be found.
Instantly I heard the sound effect from SNL's Debbie Downer, as I knew we were in for a profoundly disappointing meal for the $13 each (plus beverages!) we were about to pay.
Tamales, Chilaquiles, some more fruit selections, ANYTHING would have been a nice addition. But as my Mom always said, "Eso si que es". (It is what it is.) I thought perhaps the quality of the food items that were there would make up for the limited selection, so I dove in to make myself two breakfast tacos...
The "warm tortillas" came right out of a bag, and were mediocre. The scrambled eggs had a bluish hue to them that was a bit alarming, and they tasted bland. The "jalapeno black beans" tasted like they were from a can. The refried beans, according to my wife, were "clearly not from a can, as beans from a can taste better". Ouch. The two kinds of green chili (vegetarian and pork) were better than the creamy orange goo that passes for green chili at most places in Denver, but wasn't on par with the premier green chilis in Denver (think Jack And Grill, or Blake Street Tavern on Thursdays). The bacon and sausages were your standard breakfast buffet fare. And finally, the "fresh salsas" consisted of two choices--A bland roasted tomato salsa, and a marginally tastier tomatillo salsa. Neither particularly good (though they clearly were home-made) and neither were remotely spicy.
After choking down my unremarkable breakfast tacos, I gave a second look at the bottles of Tapatio on the tables--Perhaps they were there to add some discernable flavor to the meal.
So we paid a total of $28.11 (would have been three dollars more except Jen comp'd my wife's agua fresca for some reason) for what amounted to the free breakfast buffet you get at many mid-range business hotels. Needless to say we were very disappointed. Underwhelmed? Yes. Feel a bit ripped off? In honesty, yes. And while Jen thanked us for coming in, she never asked "how was everything." I am always uncomfortable complaining, but I would have appreciated that question so I could simply tell her "Quite honestly, we were really disappointed." We didn't need our meals comp'd or whatever, but I think she needs to hear some feedback early on that can perhaps help them succeed. Because I would like nothing less than for them to figure things out and become a viable business in the area.
I can't help but compare the experience I had here with one I had on Friday with another local joint--This time Large Marge's Cheesesteaks in Lakewood. Their website isn't much to look at, nor is their simple, take-out and casual dining room, but their staff was super-friendly, the food exceptional, and the value was good too. This is the kind of place we need in North Denver. Not another over-priced, poorly-executed sit-down dining restaurant. Oh, so yes, be sure to check out Large Marge's in Lakewood if you like a good cheesesteak from time to time.
We won't be back to the Larimer Hothouse for brunch, though we likely will give their lunchtime sandwiches a try sometime. Hopefully they're far better than their first attempt at brunch. Otherwise, it won't be long before I'll be potentially writing about yet another business at 2810 Larimer, where the Hothouse used to be.
So in summary, the verdict is still out on the new Larimer Hothouse Restaurant. But for brunch, don't bother.
Readers of this blog know that I am all about local, independent businesses and try my best to support them whenever possible. That can mean discovering some really great places (Walnut Room, Curtis Park Creamery, etc.) and some real stinkers (Casselman's--Where I was assaulted on grand opening night--Or the several gas-station barbecue joints on Bruce Randolph, etc.).
This place looked very encouraging. The name and a stylish logo (with flames) suggested spicy food (which is my passion), or at least grilled or smoked meats.
I immediately went to their website and was surprised to find that it was just a sandwich and breakfast joint--Nothing spicy, and nothing that I could find relevant to the name "hothouse". Perhaps they don't have air conditioning?
Their sandwiches looked interesting enough, though they're going to have a hard time beating Walnut Room's, which I think are the best in town. But we also were excited to see that they had Sunday Brunch.
My wife especially is a big fan of brunch--Though I'm not quite sure why, as they consistently seem to disappoint, or be mediocre at best. I'd just as soon go eat Mexican, but that's me. We definitely used to enjoy the second generation brunch at Kiva, where they had some really interesting and tasty items on the menu. But of course, Kiva is gone.
The brunch was listed on their website to include: "Scrambled Eggs, Hash Browned Potatoes, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Breakfast Sausage, Sliced Fruit Assortment, Bagels & Cream Cheese, Refried Beans, Jalapeno Black Beans, Warm Tortillas, White Corn Tortilla Chips, Vegetarian Green Chili, Pork Green Chili, and Fresh Salsas". Sounded interesting to me, once again, because of my love of spicy and tasty fresh Mexican-style food.
From the website, we were already a bit bummed that they didn't offer my wife's requisite brunch beverage, mimosas. But, I thought, on the bright side perhaps limiting ourselves to the orange juice and agua frescas would lead to a more productive Sunday (and a cheaper bill!).
So we ventured out today to try the Larimer Hot House's brunch. We drove up to the place and noticed no other cars there--A bit concerning, but I know they are new and we should give them a chance, even if we were the only ones there. Walking in, we were greeted at the door by Jen Reyna, one of the partners. She was friendly, and escorted us to the tidy, if plain patio to the North of the building. She explained their brunch menu, and took our drink order. There was one other party in the rather vast dining room--A couple with two boys fueling up before heading to the Rockies game.
We headed up to the brunch, only to be instantly disappointed. When I read a brunch menu, I typically think what they list on the buffet is just a sample of what they have--In this case, what the Hothouse had out was in fact FEWER selections than they mentioned on the website. No tortilla chips, no bagels, and the "fresh fruit assortment" was a single small bowl of mixed fruit. Nothing else to be found.
Instantly I heard the sound effect from SNL's Debbie Downer, as I knew we were in for a profoundly disappointing meal for the $13 each (plus beverages!) we were about to pay.
Tamales, Chilaquiles, some more fruit selections, ANYTHING would have been a nice addition. But as my Mom always said, "Eso si que es". (It is what it is.) I thought perhaps the quality of the food items that were there would make up for the limited selection, so I dove in to make myself two breakfast tacos...
The "warm tortillas" came right out of a bag, and were mediocre. The scrambled eggs had a bluish hue to them that was a bit alarming, and they tasted bland. The "jalapeno black beans" tasted like they were from a can. The refried beans, according to my wife, were "clearly not from a can, as beans from a can taste better". Ouch. The two kinds of green chili (vegetarian and pork) were better than the creamy orange goo that passes for green chili at most places in Denver, but wasn't on par with the premier green chilis in Denver (think Jack And Grill, or Blake Street Tavern on Thursdays). The bacon and sausages were your standard breakfast buffet fare. And finally, the "fresh salsas" consisted of two choices--A bland roasted tomato salsa, and a marginally tastier tomatillo salsa. Neither particularly good (though they clearly were home-made) and neither were remotely spicy.
After choking down my unremarkable breakfast tacos, I gave a second look at the bottles of Tapatio on the tables--Perhaps they were there to add some discernable flavor to the meal.
So we paid a total of $28.11 (would have been three dollars more except Jen comp'd my wife's agua fresca for some reason) for what amounted to the free breakfast buffet you get at many mid-range business hotels. Needless to say we were very disappointed. Underwhelmed? Yes. Feel a bit ripped off? In honesty, yes. And while Jen thanked us for coming in, she never asked "how was everything." I am always uncomfortable complaining, but I would have appreciated that question so I could simply tell her "Quite honestly, we were really disappointed." We didn't need our meals comp'd or whatever, but I think she needs to hear some feedback early on that can perhaps help them succeed. Because I would like nothing less than for them to figure things out and become a viable business in the area.
I can't help but compare the experience I had here with one I had on Friday with another local joint--This time Large Marge's Cheesesteaks in Lakewood. Their website isn't much to look at, nor is their simple, take-out and casual dining room, but their staff was super-friendly, the food exceptional, and the value was good too. This is the kind of place we need in North Denver. Not another over-priced, poorly-executed sit-down dining restaurant. Oh, so yes, be sure to check out Large Marge's in Lakewood if you like a good cheesesteak from time to time.
We won't be back to the Larimer Hothouse for brunch, though we likely will give their lunchtime sandwiches a try sometime. Hopefully they're far better than their first attempt at brunch. Otherwise, it won't be long before I'll be potentially writing about yet another business at 2810 Larimer, where the Hothouse used to be.
So in summary, the verdict is still out on the new Larimer Hothouse Restaurant. But for brunch, don't bother.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Good article about the (slow) redevelopment of the nearby Welton corridor.
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_13107276
The Ice Cream Man
Well, with the city pools closed, kids back in school, and football season starting, it's clear that summer is fading into fall. And that means no more "ice cream man".
I grew up in a rural area, far from any city of any scale. So I have to admit I enjoy hearing the ice cream man come by all summer in Cole, as I didn't have that as a kid.
I have to also admit that every time I hear the ice cream man, it makes me think of Eddie Murphy's Ice Cream Man bit. If you haven't heard it, and aren't easily offended by Murphy's profanity-laden style of the time (this was 20 years before Doctor Doolittle, mind you), you should check it out:
Farewell, Ice Cream Man. See you next year.
I grew up in a rural area, far from any city of any scale. So I have to admit I enjoy hearing the ice cream man come by all summer in Cole, as I didn't have that as a kid.
I have to also admit that every time I hear the ice cream man, it makes me think of Eddie Murphy's Ice Cream Man bit. If you haven't heard it, and aren't easily offended by Murphy's profanity-laden style of the time (this was 20 years before Doctor Doolittle, mind you), you should check it out:
Farewell, Ice Cream Man. See you next year.
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