Colorado Trip: From Denver to Grand Junction
I didn't want to wait another minute to share highlights from our flight to Denver and road trip through Colorado for pH's best friend's wedding festivities in Grand Junction and Palisade. Watch our little "postcard" recap below, then scroll through for recaps and snippets of our adventure!
Denver, CO
The flight to Denver was a breeze, and I was in awe of the weather - it was a crisp fall day in the upper 60s, a nice change of pace from the 90-degree temps in Florida. After picking up our rental car, we headed downtown to explore the food scene. The day before our trip, I'd spent some time scouring hashtags and locations on Instagram to build our food itinerary with - when I came across mouthwatering photos of the brunch options at Sassafras American Eatery, I was immediately sold.
We, of course, had to celebrate National Coffee Day right, and I ordered a Southern Maple Pecan Latte while pH ordered a cold brew with almond milk. As for food, I was open to recommendations and our server suggested I try the Cajun Benedict - the Cajun Benedict featured Gulf shrimp and lump crab cakes, fried oysters and house-smoked tasso and crawfish hash, topped with two poached eggs and smoked cayenne hollandaise. My goodness, was it amazing. There were so many flavors within that dish, eat bite was something phenomenal. pH ordered the Chicken Fried Eggs and Buffalo Hash, which featured pecan wood-smoked buffalo hash and two fried, six-minute eggs, atop jalapeno cornbread and topped with Fresno chili hollandaise - this dish, too, was savory and delicious.
Vail, CO
As we headed toward our destination, we made a pit stop in Vail for some coffee at Yeti's Grind. Vail was ridiculously amazing - ridiculous in the sense that parking above 30 minutes cost $20, but amazing in that it's truly like stepping into a whole new world. We took our 45 minutes sipping on lattes and taking in the view.
Grand Junction, CO
We spent the majority of our time in Colorado in the Palisade/Fruita/Grand Junction areas, where the wedding festivities were. Although not the size of Denver, Grand Junction's food scene isn't to be missed - we stopped by the Bin 707 Foodbar during some downtime and were amazed by the food and cocktails. pH thoroughly enjoyed the Bin Whiskey Sour, and I tried something new in the non-alcoholic universe: Peach Shrub and Soda. I'd never tasted drinking vinegar before, and although the virgin cocktail threw me off at first, I really enjoyed sipping on the drink throughout my meal.
To eat, we ordered the Green Chile Pumpkin Tortilla Soup and the Fried Artichoke Hearts. Topped with pepitas and creme fraiche, the soup was absolutely delicious, with the perfect amount of spice, and was the perfect complement to the cold, rainy day. I'm a big fan of artichokes, and the Fried Artichoke Hearts captured my own heart - tempura-fried and served with a lemon and garlic aioli, they were everything my palate desired. With our tummies halfway full after appetizers, we opted to share the Berkshire Pork Tacos - although pork isn't my first choice when it comes to meat, I did enjoy the tacos, although when I return, I'll be giving the Bin Ramen a try.
After lunch, we stopped by Kiln Coffee Bar to wind down and cleanse our palates. The coffee shop specializes in pour over coffee, so we both opted for a Costa Rican blend. Admittedly, we'd never tried a pour over prior to this visit, and after trying Kiln's, I wondered why it took us so long to begin with!
We had such a wonderful time on this mini adventure in Colorado, and I am so grateful to have celebrated love with the man who I love. With Sassafras American Eatery and Bin 707 Foodbar on my mind, I will most definitely be returning to Denver and Grand Junction for more tastes of Colorado.
