Colorado!

After being in Colorado for 5 days and setting foot in both Denver and Colorado Springs for some family time I came across some good eats! 

1) El Lucerito
3088 S Peoria Street 
Aurora, CO 80014
303-283-3517

I'm a simple girl when it comes to Mexican food - a nice taco with high quality home made corn tortillas, or a simple quesadilla with fresh vegetables and cheese.  I opted for a margarita and two chicken tacos with fresh avocado at our go-to restaurant in the Denver 'burbs - El Lucerito.

My Aunt lives down the road from this restaurant, as does my Grandma Lillian.  The two of them go to this restaurant so often that when my Aunt walked in they knew exactly what she wanted, down to the frozen margarita she must order frequently! 

For a five-dollar meal I was excited to see such care be put into presentation! Pretty food always tastes that much better.  The chicken was tender and not too salty, the avocado was soft, and the tortillas were warm and held all the filling together beautifully.  The wait staff were overly apologetic for putting my side of avocado onto my cousin's plate, and promptly fixed the order.  Lucky for me, this left me with an extra portion of avocado in the end.

Two chicken tacos with freshly sliced avocado

The margarita was alright, a little too much orange and not quite enough sour for me - - but it did the trick!

Visiting with my Grandma in Denver, CO over some margaritas and delicious Mexican food!

2) Carlos Bistro
1025 S. 21st St.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904

(719) 471-2905

After leaving Denver and visiting with my sweet Grandma and Aunt I headed to the Springs for my Mom's College reunion weekend and to celebrate her winning an Alumni award.

The huge medal The Colorado College awarded my Mother!

We had the pleasure of being taken to a spectacular lunch at Carlos Bistro by my Mother's old professor Don and his very lovely wife Mary Lou.  We were greeted with a friendly wave by Carlos himself as we pulled into the parking lot!  He held the door open for us and escorted us to our table where Don was waiting.  The service only got better from there.  

With sandwiches in the 12-20 dollar range, and a menu heavily laden with delicious seafood, I somehow opted for a vegetable sandwich with french fries for my lunch.  My sandwich was actually incredible, with grilled green beans, zucchini, and roasted red pepper topped with a melted cheddar to hold it all together - served up warm on a whole wheat baguette that was neither too tough, nor too soft.  The french fries (which are one of my favorite foods!) were battered lightly and served fresh out of the fryer.  Half the sandwich and fries were taken back to the hotel with me, and were promptly eaten when we returned to our room!

My mother and Mary Lou both ordered the salad special.  Not just any salad, but one topped with grilled sole, an avocado dressing of sorts, and adorned with fruit and other goodies.

I obviously didn't do this dish justice with my photograph, but the restaurant was so nice and I felt so awkward pulling out my huge camera!  

(Note to self: get over feeling awkward taking photos of delicious food!)

Incredible food, impeccable service, and a bill to match I am sure - well worth it for anyone looking for a place to celebrate!

I'm now in Florida for my niece's wedding this coming weekend...and hopefully will post one more food review while on the road to highlight the fabulousness that is Bella Brava in St. Petersburg - one of our family favorites in the vibrant downtown area!