Perky's Coffee

After my most recent Brooklyn Deli trip, mom and I decided to stop over at Perky's since we were in the neighborhood. The neighborhood being just one door down. If you've gone to wedding dresses, you've gone one too far. I'd never been to Perky's before and I was in the mood for a mocha.
Little did I know I was also in the mood for a cupcake. (How silly of me not to realize.) While we were there we chatted with an older fella who comes down from Loveland just for Perky's Coffee. That's always a good sign!

There are so many treats in there that I didn't know were there! It was just before Valentine's Day so there was sweet treats fitting for your sweet treat. :D
After several moments of deep contemplation and debate we selected an orange and almond cupcake to go with our mocha and decaf iced chai. Orangey cake and almond frosting. I was tempted to try the boozy cupcakes or the rootbeer float cupcakes but those will have to wait for another time.

 

The mocha was splendid and the cupcake altered my relationship with all future cupcakes.

It was amazing.

I'm not really one for fruity baked goods and I don't even eat oranges but THIS cupcake was epic.

The perky Perky's barista told us that these are made with spelt flour, which she said has less gluten than regular flour. Since mom is gluten-free this fortunately/unfortunately gave her more reason to assist me in demolishing the cupcake.

(*Spelt according to my internet searching is actually wheat-free.)

 

Being the wonderful child that I am I took off a chunk of my cupcake and put in on the napkin for mom ("I just want a bite.") and slid it across the table to her. This is what you might have overheard if you were there:

Me: "I kinda wiped my face on that..."

Mom after taking a bite: "That's ok....you can drop it in the street and I'd still pick it up and eat it."

 

 Nom.

 

 

Coffee. Good.
Atmosphere. Good.
Service. Super friendly.
Cupcake. Heavenly.

I'll certainly be stopping in Perky's again when I'm out and about in north Longmont. I recommend you do the same! I'm not saying you HAVE to try a cupcake but why not use the excuse eh??

http://perkyslongmont.com/

Brooklyn Deli

I don't make it up to the north side of Longmont all that often anymore but, hey folks, there's good stuff up there.
Mom and I wandered out on a slightly blustery day and stopped at the Brooklyn Deli on 15th and Main. I hadn't been in quite a while so it was time to try it again.

I got the pastrami on rye (amazing bread) and mom got a brat with saurkraut on a gluten-free roll.
Mom dug the NY pickles. They are a little more mild than your average dill but pretty tasty!

Brooklyn Deli isn't just a clever name, the owner is authentic east coast. He's chatty and happy to answer questions about the menu. There's all kinds of stuff on there that I'd like to try.
I wish it was on my way to work in the morning because sometimes I just need a golden bagel drowning in cream cheese, which they have!
They offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There's a variety of amazing looking pastries, along with some stuff that I think I'm gonna skip on my next visit....chicken liver sandwich? Oy. But if that's your thing then this is the only place I know of where you can get it.

To check out the menu, visit their website: http://thebrooklyndeli.com/index.html

Flavor of India: My home away from home

If you keep up with my whereabouts at all, you’ll know I’m frequently at Flavor of India. It’s the only place in the world where I have an honest-to-goodness bar buddy. I was in last week and I looked over and saw a familiar face coming up to me; it wasn’t my bar buddy but it was another friend who frequents the place. He says, “Well, I was heading over to [other enjoyable Main St. establishment] but I thought since it was Wednesday I’d see if you were here!” I wasn’t aware until that point that I had a reputation to uphold as the Wednesday night buffet promoter! Daman and I were joking about me bringing in people off the street just by being there. There is a bit of a Flavor of India family that has been created around the ACTUAL family that runs this little haven of good smells and good times. I’m happy to be a part of it, if I do say so myself. Daman and Suki treat me like family and I am grateful for their presence in my life.

But on to the food!

Indian food is not the 1^st choice for many. But I think it’s misunderstood…
There’s more to Indian food than curry. Daman always recommends the lamb chops (which I’m ashamed to say I’ve never tried…but I will soon!), especially for people who aren’t very familiar with Indian food. Here are some of my all-time favorites: chicken pakora or samosas (appetizers), their chicken soup is AMAZING and will cure you of a sore throat in record time, nan of any variety is always a must, chicken tikka, tandori chicken, vegi or chicken korma (creamy and flavorful), chicken makhni (basically tandori chicken off the bone, in a creamy sauce), aloo gobi (potato & cauliflower) or aloo sag (potato & spinach) are good for vegi lovers, chicken biryani, and my favorite for dessert…kheer (rice pudding). Add a Mango Lassi for the kids (think- yogurt milkshake), chai or a King Fisher (Indian beer) for you and you’ll be in gut-busting heaven.

If you can’t decide, or still aren’t sure about the whole thing, I suggest going for the buffet. Go for lunch any day for $9.95; or dinner buffet on Wednesday nights for $12.95. I can’t resist the fried green beans and meatballs when I go on buffet night.

You’ll be greeted with a friendly hello, or if you’re as lucky as me….a few hugs, and feel at home while you’re enjoying all the flavors that Flavor of India has to offer. If you see a chick at the bar giving someone a hard time or giggling the night away then it might just be me.

 

http://flavorofindialongmont.com/