Fogoncito...and KJ's Guide on casual Mexican dining

This one feels like I'm cheating...this isn't new to me. I go here as often as I can make make an excuse to go.

First of all, they have lime green walls. If you can find a place that has lime green walls that I DON'T want to go to, I will give you a dollar.

And then there's the food.
Horchata, tacos, enchiladas, tortas, sopes, flautas, etc awesome etc.
I've read reviews about Fogoncito specifically, as well as other similar places.
There is something I will call gringo fear which exists with some non-spanish speaking people in regards to these establishments.

Fear #1- I don't speak spanish.
Response- These people own and run a business. They don't expect you to speak spanish when you come in to their restaurant. Sometimes you might come in on a day when auntie so-and-so is covering the register and hasn't quite mastered conversational english; who do you think is more worried about being misunderstood in that scenario? If auntie gives your total bill in spanish, for example, (numbers are a b***h to translate. I hate it.) and you're both staring blankly at each other...look at the screen or the register if you need to. You won't get slapped.

Fear #2- I don't know what all those words mean.
Response- Ask what it is. Remember for next time. (Hint: Look at the pictures. There's a reason they usually put them up there.)
Here's a simple rundown on common meat words that American's aren't always familiar with:
To begin with, traditional Mexican tacos are made with soft corn tortillas, not crunchy.
Asada- steak
Pastor- pork (good with pineapple! I'm not a canadian bacon and pineapple person, but somehow this is so much better.)
Barbacoa- beef, technically means "barbeque" but don't expect it to taste like ribs. I just learned it's cow cheek. Who knew.
Lengua- Tongue. I don't think I've tried this...I don't know if I'll get to it. People say it's good.
Carnitas- pork
Pollo- chicken

I usually go for the asada tacos. It's the hamburger of the taco world. Basic, yummy.
Covered in onions, cilantro, and freshly squeezed lime.

When I don't get tacos I get chicken flautas! (aka- Taquitos, basically)
Avocado, queso fresco, rice, beans, and creamy goodness that's not quite sour cream. mixed with salsa.

And always, no matter what I eat, I get a grande horchata. Because it's A-MAZING.
It's a rice drink with cinnamon, which I could drink by the gallon.
There's not many places to go where you'll be painfully full of amazing food for about $7-8. This is that place, and it makes me happy.

The original Fogoncito location is still on N. Main, just south of Sonic. The new location is just north of 9th and Main.
Go give it a try. If you're not sure about going on your own, you come find me ASAP.
I'd live there if they let me.

Santiago's

Apparently people get a little addicted to this place. I don't know if I'm to that point but I would go there more often if I could!
I usually get to-go cheese enchiladas with onions, 1/2 and 1/2 on the hotness. They are so wonderfully full of cheese. I go back and forth between green and red sauce. I always forget if I like one better than the other. They must be equally good.

 I've tried the churros twice and both times they tasted fine but were very dried out on the ends. I'd be happy to wait a couple extra minutes for freshly fried ones if they were to go that route but I don't think I'll get them too often. They are bad enough for my body that I can try to avoid them unless they are amazing.
I'm a fan of the carne asada if I'm eating there. It's just easier that way. I dismantle carne asada on the plate for some reason.
Now that it's on S. Main it's very handy to pop in and get something to go. But if you wanna eat in they have a nice little dining room, TVs, and a big Speedy Gonzalez in the corner that I probably definitely would never want to steal...

It's good food, convenient (if you're down that way), and a pretty good deal.
Always my first choice for enchiladas!

Brewing Market Coffee

This is practically around the corner from me and I realized the other day that I'd never been there. I think I go past that little corner so often that I forget to remember that it's there.
But they are. Do you forget to remember? It's a good spot to stop before heading to Boulder, just off 119.

I read that the owner was fond of Indian style chai so I had to see how it was. I got the black tea chai.
As always, it's not the same as my homemade stuff but it's still a warm spicy treat.
As far as taste, it's similar to the chai options at Ziggi's and La Vita Bella. The biggest difference between them really is atmosphere.

Ziggi's is busy and downtowny. La Vita Bella is cozy and mellow. Brewing Market is sort of modern, for lack of a more fitting word. Maybe it'll come to me later. It's more spacious for those that aren't as fond of the smaller downtown spots. I hung out a while making use of the wifi. There were only a few people when I was there so it was a good place to concentrate. It has good nooks so you're not in the elbow room of the table next to you.
If you are doing some Office Depot or Sports Authority shopping, take a quick walk over and grab a beverage.

They also have several locations in Boulder & one in Lafayette.

Bit Of Billiards (and the Sub Factory)

This is one of those magical Longmont places. It's been here as long as I have, but I rarely meet anyone that's actually been there. Why is that???
People have to go, or it wouldn't be open. Where are the other Bit o' People?
Anywho...I recruited Debita to join me at the Bit to see if I could relive my sub experience from years ago.
Way back when, the Bit was my standard option for non-pizza delivery food.
I remember liking the wings and pepperoni subs because they had such an absurd amount of pepperoni and provolone on them.
We were in for a late lunch and I'm pretty sure were the only female customers there at the time.
There were some fellas playing pool and, likely, regulars around the bar chit chatting about the High Park fire. It seems like I was there ages ago, but the fire had just started and all were wondering about the wisdom of those who choose to ignore evacuation orders.
As one might expect, there's loads of pool tables. There are dart boards, a DJ booth, and my favorite lottery scratch ticket machine...I bought a $1 ticket that won me $8. My best luck so far.
George, who I believe is the owner, was our host and was a chipper fella with a happy smile.
I got the pepperoni sub with provolone, and Debita tried the mushroom burger. I got a "large" rootbeer, which I can't believe I drank all of. When they say large they mean bladder busting. I DO love rootbeer.

There was quite a mound of lettuce on top of my sub, but it had some kind of Italian dressing on it. I sorta ate it as a salad before I got to my sammich. It was just too much to stuff in my face if I didn't eat off the top first! The sandwich was just as yummy as I hoped and Debita demolished her burger. I don't do mushrooms but it looked tasty otherwise. Her fries were awesome.
I wanted to try their fried pickles but I knew I'd be too full. I will absolutely be getting those next time.
They also offer breakfast all day! Can't wait to try that! Happy Hour is M-F 4-6, and Sat. & 8-10.
The prices are very reasonable and it has a little something for everyone. I can't speak on the pool part of the place but I wish I could go a little more often and become one of the regulars talking about the news of the day and eating bar food.
It's not the most fancy place in town but it's got my kind of vibe. Laid back, good food, hanging out...that's all I need. I'm not a terribly fancy lady.
Check out their website to see their specials, events, and menu!
I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that they had Wifi. How else could we have looked up some pointless bit of information about a topic I no longer remember?? Yay!

Snarf's

Sometimes I NEED a really good sandwich. Since my bagel thing didn't work out as well as I'd hoped, I was still searching for the perfect sandwich.
I had a feeling that Snarf's wouldn't disappoint. I love it when I'm right.
I hadn't been to Snarf's for a long time but they are always up to par.

I got the Snarf's size (7 inch) Italian sandwich with Salami, Pepperoni, Capicola, Mortadella, Provolone, and all the fixins. Exactly what I wanted.
I love me some Spicy Italian from Subway but this has so much more flavor. I'm not sure what the big difference really is (maybe because it's toasted?) but it works.

They actually give you more of what you ordered rather than piling it high with tasteless lettuce.
Nice staff, speedy service, cool place to hang out for lunch...I don't know what more you could want for your sammich craving needs.

You can order by phone or fax, and they also deliver!
There are now 2 locations in Longmont- One on Ken Pratt & Main (which is where I was) and Mountain View just East of Hover. The north one is too close to my dentist for me to want to go there if I have the choice but I'm sure it's just as tasty. (My dentist is super cool...it's just that I think he's evil...you know, on principle.)

Check out their menu to see which of these taste explosions you'll get when you go...breakfast is available at some locations but it seems not in Longmont quite yet.
http://eatsnarfs.com/menu.htm

Einstein Bros. Bagels

I had some high bagel hopes for my trip to EBB. I've had the bagels as a work treat and whatnot, but I'd never actually been in myself.
I often long for the amazing bagel sandwiches I used to get in high school. I'd walk over to Wild Oats, select my bagel and take it to the deli counter to get a tasty sammich created. They were such a fancy lunch for me back then. So I wanted to see how EBB stacked up.
It didn't really make my dreams come true.
I got the Turkey BAT (bacon, avocado, tomato) and an iced coffee.

First of all, to those that sell iced coffee, sell flavors for your iced coffees. Plain iced coffee tastes like dirt and sugar doesn't dissolve all that well in cold water. I'm sure there's some coffee physics that I don't quite understand about how that works but that's my take on it.
I added some milk and sugar to my coffee but it was still terrible. Not something I would want to drink even if it was free, let alone if I'd just paid for it.
I will say that the iced coffee from McDonald's is pretty excellent. I got the hazelnut. It was perfect. $1.79 for a medium...according to the commercial. I want to try the vanilla next!

Next came the bagel. I got an Everything bagel...aside from it being too salty for some reason, it was nice and squishy. The rest was not so great. The first few bites were alright but then I got in to the exciting layers of avocado and bacon! Well, it was not exciting. I actually scraped off some of the avocado & bacon. SCRAPED OFF...AVOCADO & BACON! Unacceptable. The avocado had no flavor at all. It was weird icky mush. The bacon just tasted...strange. I don't feel comfortable eating strange meats. Their chip selection was sort of lacking as well. Darnit.
The pickle wrapped up with my sandwich was a nice treat to find though! Yum!

So...the high point of my meal was the pickle. Not a very good deal for me. I think I'll stick to just the regular bagels from EBB in the future. Perhaps I'll give the breakfast sandwiches a try but I need time. I'm just not ready to go back yet.
The cashiers were very friendly though and while I was there I heard this older gentleman giving one of them a hard time, he said "You have an honest face....the rest of you looks like a liar, but your face is honest." HA!!

Blogmont Presents: Chai with KJ!

As I suspected, even before I got there, the chai we get here at home isn't quite what they have in India. Even at all my favorite places it's still good, but just missing something. Some people say it's the water that makes the food and drink different there. I'm not sure I buy that as far as Delhi is concerned since I certianly didn't drink any authentic Delhi water and my food and tea was terrific. I guess there could be something to it. But that is all of no concern to me now, as I have learned to make my own chai as close as I can to what my lovely hosts offered me in India.
And here's how I do it.

This is what I use:
-Taj Mahal orange pekoe tea (not in bags), you can get a box of this at Krishna's in Lafayette, but any black tea will do I suppose.
-Turbinado (aka "raw") sugar. I don't use white sugar because it makes it taste bizarre.
-Fresh basil leaves
-Cardamom pods (probably just the seeds would work too, but this is what I have.)
-Milk
-Cinnamon
-Fresh ginger

First I find my favorite little pot, strainer & special chai cup. I use the same one every day. You may have a bigger chai cup than me and will want to make your chai accordingly.
(If you want a cup that's twice as big, for example, I wouldn't just double the recipe. I'd stick with about 50/50 milk/water and then play around with it a little and see what works best. And if you're sensitive to caffiene, like my mother who gets all crazy eyed when I make her chai, you can certainly use less tea and it'll still be pretty good. The spices are the best part anyway!)

Turn your burner on medium, and pour in about 1/2 c. water, throw in a couple basil leaves (or one giant one if you have a macho plant like I do!) I sorta crunch open a couple cardamom pods so that I don't deprive myself of the potent seeds inside and throw the whole pod in. You'll strain it in the end so it doesn't matter which one you use. You can get the pods or seeds in the bulk spice section of most stores. (Or go to Simple Bulk on Main St.)

Let that start to bubble a little bit and let the flavors start flowing.
Then add about 1.5 teaspoons of Taj Mahal tea, about 1 Tablespoon of Turbinado sugar, and grate 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger right in to the pot--more or less depending on how gingery you're feeling.

I use my cinnamon grinder to add a dash of fresh cinnamon on the top, stir everything together so it's all in the water and let it bubble for a minute or so.

***You don't want your burner too high & don't want to let it boil for too long because it'll boil away your water and you'll end up with less chai than you planned on or it'll be too milky. Unless of course you like it that way, then by all means, boil away. Basically you want it bubbling and not really boiling.***

Add 1/2 c. of milk and wait for it to foam up a little bit. (I think letting it foam makes it creamier...but I could totally be making it up.)

Turn off the burner and let it sit for a moment to cool down.
Put your strainer over your cup and carefully pour it in. It'll strain out all your tea and spice chunks.
When I'm not in too much of a rush to get to drinking my wonderful chai I'll leave it to cool for a couple minutes until I get that milky film on the top because that'll get stuck in the strainer and will leave less in your cup to get stuck on your face.

If you're terribly efficient like me you'll run out and get the paper while your tea and spices are simmering, you'll pop in your toast just after you pour in the milk.
About the time the toast is done, you can turn off your tea, butter your toast (with Indian brand Amul butter), pour your tea in the glass, soak your pot, and grab the paper. It's a perfect system!

So there you have a morning in the kitchen with KJ....

Now who wants to help me with the crossword??

Longmont Farmers' Market

Oh such a lovely way to spend a Saturday morning!
I didn't make it to the first few weeks but I couldn't stay away anymore.
It was a warm sunny day and blue sky was all around.

If a visit to the Boulder County Fairgrounds isn't in your regular Saturday morning routine, then you should add it. It can be a family event!
There's so much to choose from! Fresh vegis are overflowing, of course. Meat, milk, coffee, hand-made soap, potstickers, gluten-free pastries, gluten-filled pastries, kettle corn, music, face painting, flowers, dips, bread, local organizations and more and more....
I recommend getting a bag of freshly roasted chiles and a bag of tortillas, but we'll have to wait for a little longer for those to come about. As more things come in to season, it just gets better and better!

I was long ovedue for a trip to Tres Papusas. They have them fresh off the grill with a side of coleslaw stuff and hot sauce. I went for the green chile and cheese, my favorite. They also have bags of all their different varities to take home, popsicles, and beverages. You can get vegan, vegetarian, and all are gluten-free. If you've never had them before they are like little corn pancakes filled with tasty stuff. I like the cheese ones right off the grill the best because they are nice and gooey and have that "grill" taste. Perfect food. You can check out their website to find out where to find their papusas when you can't make it to the markets!

For dessert, I got a cinnamon pretzel as big as my face from Styria Bakery. It's one of my favorite stops. The pretzels are amazing but they aren't even my favorite thing from there. You MUST try the lemon white chocolate bread. It might sound a little weird if you've never had it before but it's amazing. I really should give some of their other breads a try one of these days, but it's just so hard to stray from my favorites. Now that I'm the only one in the house that eats bread I'd be FORCED to eat it all myself, so I don't get it as often as I used to. Too bad they aren't cupcake sized!

Longmont Farmers' Market is every Saturday at the fairgrounds from 8am - 1pm, and runs until the first Saturday in November.

Beyond Longmont: Yak & Yeti, Elvis Cinema- Westminster/Arvada

I don't often venture toward the Denver-ish areas but on a toasty Thursday afternoon I had several reasons to take the trip.
First stop was Winchell's on Sheridan to meet my new friend Sarah. She operates Casa de Paz in Aurora and I had a coffee table and a big box of kitchen bits to donate to her house. I'm happy to get it out of the garage and happier if she can make use of stuff that's otherwise just sitting in a box.
After loading/stuffing the box in her car I had time to kill.
I went to King Soopers to grab a cold drink and saw the EZ Nails & Spa next door and decided to get my nails prettified. $10 for a manicure, if you pay with cash. Sweet!
I've learned over time that I can often to a better job on my nails than anyone else can but it's still nice to get the massage and for them to work on my sad cuticles. All things considered I was quite happy with my bargain and newly neon pink nails. She shaped my nails perfectly as well.
I hit the Big Lots down the walkway, and then decided to try and find my next destination.
I still had plenty of time so I stopped at the Unique Thrift Store, which is the size of a small city from the looks of the building. It's right after you exit 36 on to Sheridan...if you've been through there, you've surely seen it. It's surprisingly organized but needs more dressing rooms! 2 is not enough. You've got the room guys, stick another stall somewhere. I passed up a couple things that weren't quite "thrifty" enough for me but I'd go back again. There was a mountain...like, an actual small mountain, in the back of things that hadn't even gotten out of the bags yet. I'd bet you're sure to find new stuff any day you go.
Lo and behold, the restaurant I was on a search for was right in the same parking lot as the thrift store.

I give you...Yak & Yeti, serving up tasty food from India & Nepal.
I went to the Westminster location; there is also a location in old town Arvada, which may or may not be haunted!
I was meeting my pal Sister Alice, who was coming in from Kansas for the evening and soon moving even farther away so we took this chance to get together and be silly. Which is what we usually do.
I'm the Indian food fanatic usually but I know not everyone is so when she suggested we try this place I said YES PLEASE!
It is so amazing. Some of the best food I've had ever, let alone Indian food. (Most of the food you can get at restaurants here isn't quite the "home style" stuff I had when I was actually in India so I'm not comparing it to that.)

There's some vegi korma there, vegi pakora, vegi samosa, chicken tikka, saffron rice, and whatever those noodles are called. Along with that I got some raita and dal. And naan, of course.

They have a lunch and dinner buffet daily. Everything was hot, fresh, and perfect. They have white, saffron, and brown rice all in giant steamers.There were a few things I'd never even heard of before.
Alice and I both tried the Chai Milk Stout, it was also amazing. I like milk stout because it's got that creamy element to it, and it's dark, but this had the spices of heavenly chai in it as well. It's bites at your tongue a bit. It's also served in awesome mugs which I very much wanted to stick in my purse.
They have several beers to choose from that are made right at their other location.

The staff was all very nice. I would recommend this place to ANYONE and wouldn't find it at all silly to drive all the way to Westminster to eat there again. It helps that the buffet price is very reasonable. I also want to see if I can buy one of their mugs. They have a little shopping nook with t-shirts and stuff.
The only thing not really to my liking was the kheer (rice pudding.) It definitely wasn't what I'm used to. It was almost more oatmeal texture than milky. I like mine in between...not too soupy but not as thick as this was. I'm not sure if it's regional or just personal preference of the chef. So I'll pass on that next time and double up on gulab jamun and banana pakora! Yummmm

After stuffing ourselves to the breaking point we went down Sheridan a little ways to the Elvis Cinema. (Just off 64th & Sheridan, on the NE corner in a strip mall.)
As their website says, it's the best movie value in town, and they are so right.
$7 for 2 movie tickets. Honest. Had I not been so full I could hardly move, I would have bought a small popcorn for $2. I just love the place. It's a perfect combination of tacky and retro. It's like my paradise. We went to see Mirror, Mirror. It was cute, clever, and amusing. Not winning any Oscars, but perfect for our evening.

Two Dog Diner

Do you get tired of the same old stuff? Want something a little different but not...too different?

Two Dog has all the familiar stuff...burgers, sandwiches, salads, shakes, and breakfast fare. It's fancied up in to something that's a little more modern and fresh, for lack of a better explanation.
Most of my Two Dog visits have been for breakfast or brunch. I've also tried the Patty Melt (awesome) and shakes that I can't remember the names of. Something Cowish...

On my latest visit I noticed that they now have Chicken & Waffle on the menu! Yay! I can't explain the reason for this as a meal nor why it is so nice. But it is nice. I'd never heard of it until I watched Heroes. After that, I went on a search and could only find a place in Denver that served it, but I wasn't really interested in going there.
I tried it once at the Boulder Cafe, the chicken was fantastic but the rest was a little blah. I also tried it once Village Inn in Colby, KS...it was alright.
This one was certainly better. There's something about the chicken breading that I can't quite identify...but it's still tasty. I suspect it's simply less greasy/salty/fatty than the usual KFC variety of breading.
Honestly, I soak my waffles in so much butter and syrup that they could be made with drywall and I might not notice but they were moist and tasty as far as I could tell! If nothing else, the syrup pool was satisfying!

Mom's favorite thing about Two Dog is that they have gluten-free pancakes. They are becoming more common these days but the bite I had of hers were the best I've tasted so far.
It's a great place to go for breakfast if you have guests and want something a little special.
Granted I'm sad IHOP is gone but something with a little more character is always welcome in my dining experiences.

So, the thing about Two Dog that bothers me?
I can't sit in the booth seats. Either the tables aren't tall enough for the booths are too high, or something.
Even my bity mom thought they were a little disproportionate, so it's not just my bigger body that get in the way.
It doesn't stop me from going though...just an oddity that I notice every time I'm there.  Maybe next time I'll sit at the bar and watch the cooks do their magic. Mom was eyeing pies going by last time we were there.

You can't quite see it here but his shirt says: "Just calm down and have a cupcake." Good advice.

Always friendly staff, fun environment, and while you're waiting for your food check out the salt and pepper shakers...then check out the ones on the table next to you.....they are all different.
It's just those little bits of character that make it a cooler place to be.

If you like those shakers, you can head across the street to pick up a set for yourself in the Prospect neighborhood.

Check out their menu and daily specials or find them on Facebook.

Ziggi's Coffee

I love Ziggi's. I think they should make a bumper sticker that reflects my feelings.

I went in the other day to get some tasty chai and to work on some editing. My drink that day was FREE because I always keep my little punch card in my wallet. I think it's the only place I've ever gotten good use out of one of those things.
It's a great place to go and chill out while still amongst the buzz of downtown. They have the best couches ever, and seating indoors and out.

When I got there it was just when the after school crowd was gathering. Lots of little matching children running around drinking their shakes and eating gelato...texting some girl on a scooter.
It's more than coffee at Ziggi's...they have cookies, breads, gluten-free treats, gelato, Krispy Kreme donuts, sandwiches, salads, Breggos (they are like...breakfast hot pockets, give them a try!), and then there's coffee too. I don't generally drink coffee myself but I go for the chai usually and I once got an Almond Joy that was pretty super. Coconuty, chocolatey, where can it go wrong?
Mom and I also love the Italian sodas.
(I would like to know if they use compostable cups? Do they pick through and recycle? What do you do with all the stuff?? All I know is that I always throw my cups in the same trash can that everything else goes in to...)

Find your closest Ziggi's (now at 4 locations in Longmont) and skip the Starbucks. Support your local coffee folk. It's cheaper for you and better for your community!

There are 2 (almost...) drive-thru locations located on 17th and Hover, and soon on S. Main (MY neighborhood! YEAH! Also...oh no! Maybe I should apply for a job there? Feed the habit?)
And two sit-in (?) locations on 4th & Main, and on Francis, a couple blocks north of 9th. The 4th & Main location is open a little later than the others. It's the daddy Ziggi's...the only one I've ever been to actually.
They also have live music at the Main St. location:
Bluegrass: Every Monday from 7-9:30pm
Jazz: Every 2nd & 4th Wednesday from 7-9:30pm

Ziggi and I used to be a little closer. We saw each other on weekends and enjoyed iced beverages in the summer. Those were the days. I still very much love you but my homemade chai is much easier on the budget. But when I want to get out and about, have a treat, and watch the day go by on Main St. I come running back to your welcoming doors.

Check out their website for specials, events, and yummy treats and whatnot!

http://www.ziggiscoffee.com/