Colorado:Lots of Beer Options, No Food Options

How come there is no good ethnic food in Colorado other than Mexican. I've lived here 5 years now after growing up in Boston and have still yet to find good Chinese food, Italian, seafood that isn't ridiculously overpriced (I can understand that), Jewish cuisine, or anything decent that isn't beef or doused in tobasco.

I have to agree. My buddy moved out from Santa Barbara and was always bitching to me about the lack of decent restaurants. He's out in Littleton in the burbs. Nothing but Applebees for miles and miles.

Can't believe there's nothing good in Boulder, though? Downtown Denver has some nice spots?

Nothing that I have found unless you want really posh upscale Italian. I guess I am spoiled with being able to go into Boston and find little hole-in-the-wall mom and pop restaurant in the North End and walk out with the best Italian meal you have ever had for $15. Me and a friend have a theory the only place in the US to get good Chinese food is NY, Boston, Chicago, SF, and possibly Seattle.

Same thing out here, except in Portland or Corvallis. The local restaurant's lasagna tastes like a taco pie!

When you live in a cultural desert you learn to get creative. My wife and I "sponsored" a Chinese college student in the student friendship program here in town and he cooks us very tasty and very authentic Chinese meals.

Our small local college has several hundred students from about 30 different countries and we have an international food fair that where the students serve free ethnic foods. Everybody's had Chinese, Italian, Jewish, Thai, and Japanese but how about Nepali, Bolivian, or West African?

Or you can take the easy way out and marry a foreign national. I get all the lumpia, adobo, pancit, sinigang, and kinilaw I can eat.

Dude, you gotta be kidding me, living in Boulder and complaining about food options...

Chinese food - ok, I'll give you that one, none as good as in NYC, but Golden Lotus is pretty good and Ping's Favorite is great and authentic, and Moongate is great
Italian - Radda, Alba (amazing!) and Frasca (very pricey) are all great
seafood that isn't ridiculously overpriced - Jax
Jewish cuisine - Jimmy and Drew's Deli

you want others...

Aji (spanish), Budda Thai (Thai), 8 Island (Hawaiian), Sushi Tora or Zanmai (sushi), Zolo (southwestern), Mountain Sun (burgers and beer), Ras Kassa's (Ethopian), Taj (Indian), Mataam Fez (Moroccan).

There are a ton more, thats just off the top of my head. This is a town full of yuppies, trustafarians, and intelligent and rich people in the the tech industries who have come here from sophisticated places, have money to spend, and enjoy the good things in life. The best part is that you can get food equal in quality to major cities (NYC for example) and is costs much less. Every time I have friends/family from NYC out here, they are amazed at the quality of the food (James Beard best chef in the southwest at Frasca for example) and the prices are lower than what they are used to.

I don't want to hear it. I left Colorado a few years back for South Carolina and I miss the food in the worst way. Oh what I wouldn't do for a Haceinda Colorado or a Noodles and Company. Denver may not have what Boston has but there are far worst places to live as far as food selection goes.

david_42 said:

Same thing out here, except in Portland or Corvallis. The local restaurant's lasagna tastes like a taco pie!

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Eugene has some excellent hole in the wall type spots, too.

Just don;t go to New England and get Mexican food. Each area has it's own specialy of ethnic food. Some better then others. But don't go to a mexican place in New England. You will be dissapointed.

Parker36 said:

How come there is no good ethnic food in Colorado other than Mexican. I've lived here 5 years now after growing up in Boston and have still yet to find good Chinese food, Italian, seafood that isn't ridiculously overpriced (I can understand that), Jewish cuisine, or anything decent that isn't beef or doused in tobasco.

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I notice it isn't bad enough to make you leave.

Visit New Orleans. We have a lot of great food (just stay off of the side streets)

I have lived in about every part (region) of this country since ive been an adult. That being said New England has two things that are hands down AWESOME Beer and seafood. Other than that though there is absolutly nothing MA. has over any western state PERIOD.

Please feel free to throw shots

Denver is average when it comes to ethnic food. I mean what do you expect. There's only white and Mexican's here. Boston is a melting pot. Like NY, LA, SF, etc.

Melting pot = good food variations.

ahh, the san francisco bay area. i'm SSSOOOoooo spoiled. i can get it all.



i still prefer to bbq or cook my own, though. i recently have been hanging out with a brewer that is an AMAZING chef, too. every time we brew he cooks. smoked ribs and pork bun, curry, slightly cooked "sushi-ready" tuna, these are just the dishes he's made in teh last week!

man, i actually feel bad that all i bring is beer!

You can find good ethnic food in Denver, but you have to know where to look and be willing to drive.

Mexican? Given.
Chinese? Golden Dragon on Broadway.
Vietnamese? Any of several places on Federal between 6th Avenue and Alameda.
Thai? Thai Bistro at Kipling and Bowles in Littleton.
Indian? Not a fan, so I couldn't tell you.
Moroccan? Mataam Fez, denver, East Colfax.
Sushi? Sonodas at 6th and Broadway or near Park Meadows. There's another great sushi joint on old south Gaylord, but I forget the name...
Italian? Three Sons at 44th and Federal.

It's out there, but you have to get away from the chain restaurants in the 'burbs.

I've lived in Boulder for (cough) years and still complain how sh**ty the food is here !
Salvaggios is the best you can do for a sub but It's ordinary at best and it's f'ing pricey !
I can get an equal or better sub at any (name town) house of pizza in Mass.
Italian food and chinese food nearly doesn't exist here despite what people say.
The best Italian around here is Il Pastaio in the king soopers parking lot at arapahoe and 30th,if you're looking for a cannoli you're pretty much F'ed.
There is a place in Broomfield called original pizza (which is the best pie around) that does a pretty good cannoli,the place is on the midway and looks like it belongs out on Long Island.
Finally got a passable cheese steak but if you're looking for a North Shore Roast Beef you're SOL.
There are some good places here,Med,10-10 which are reasonably priced as well as some good asian and sushi around but You're best bet is to enjoy the mexican and tell people who insist some seafood place is really good that it's a glorified red lobster.

tdavisii said:

I have lived in about every part (region) of this country since ive been an adult. That being said New England has two things that are hands down AWESOME Beer and seafood. Other than that though there is absolutly nothing MA. has over any western state PERIOD.

Please feel free to throw shots

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It has an ocean and 396 years of history how many "western states" have that ...

Holy necroposts, Batman!

There's almost 396 years of history in this post.

I've had lots of great mexican, italian, and Vietnamese food in Denver.

TWAL said:

I've lived in Boulder for (cough) years and still complain how sh**ty the food is here !

Salvaggios is the best you can do for a sub but It's ordinary at best and it's f'ing pricey !

I can get an equal or better sub at any (name town) house of pizza in Mass.

Italian food and chinese food nearly doesn't exist here despite what people say.

The best Italian around here is Il Pastaio in the king soopers parking lot at arapahoe and 30th,if you're looking for a cannoli you're pretty much F'ed.

There is a place in Broomfield called original pizza (which is the best pie around) that does a pretty good cannoli,the place is on the midway and looks like it belongs out on Long Island.

Finally got a passable cheese steak but if you're looking for a North Shore Roast Beef you're SOL.

There are some good places here,Med,10-10 which are reasonably priced as well as some good asian and sushi around but You're best bet is to enjoy the mexican and tell people who insist some seafood place is really good that it's a glorified red lobster.

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I live in Broomfield...Originals rocks! I was there one night after closing and they were watching some Italian TV show. Can't get more original than that!