Subway

Subway

1412 S. Parker Road

Aurora, CO 80231

http://subway.com/subwayroot/index.aspx

Yes, I am writing about the cheap sandwich place that is all over the place. However, I am unemployed, and I sometimes need an inexpensive place to get out of the house. This is my escape. They do let you put a fair amount of vegetables on each sandwich, and did I mention they are cheap. This store, which is a nice walk from home, is very friend; they do not mind me spending 45 minutes having lunch there while I twitter, etc. They are my refuge at the moment.

El Chubbys

El Chubby's

9865 E. Hampden

Aurora, CO

Denver has four Chubby's Mexican restaurants. This is the fourth. Its food is not the best, but it is also fairly cheap. Its food is above fast food, while the prices are about the same. So, if you want great food, you might want to else where, but, if you are after good and cheap, give this El Chubby's a try.

Five Guys

Five Guy Burgers

2300 S. Parker Road

Aurora, CO 80231

303-751-7449

http://www.fiveguys.com

Five Guys is fast growing premium burger restaurant. They use fresh meat---never frozen. Also they cut their own fries, and cook them in peanut oil.

The burgers and fries are very tasty. Also the size of the small fries is easily enough for two people. Also the food is cooked after you order it, which can mean the wait is a little long after ordering, but not much.

There a couple of things that are not quit perfect. The first is buns. They easily become soggy and fall apart when you are eating. Part of this is the fact that the burger and toppings are very moist, which is good thing. However it can make the experience messy.

The other problem is the price. Five Guys are probably the highest priced fast food. It could easily be worth it, but is also a consideration.

Corner Bakery

The Corner Bakery

1147-16th St.

Denver, CO 80202

303-825-0525

http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com

The Corner Bakery is a fairly good place to get a quick meal. Its panini sandwiches are good, particularly the Club and Ham and Swiss sandwiches. The Carbonara is also good. They have a variety of sweet baked goods too.

Caitlin's

Caitlin's

4379 E. Mississippi Ave.

Glendale, CO 80246

303-798-6600

http://www.caitlinsrestaurant.com/home.html

Catilin's is an inexpensive, good place to have breakfast and lunch. They have the basics. The green chili has a nice heat to it. Also the country gravy is well peppered. Good food.

Airport Inn

Airport Inn

Airport Hill

Miles City, MT 59301

406-234-9977

http://custer.visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?IDRRecordID=10496&siteid=129

This is not a Denver Restaurant, so sue me. In Miles City the Airport Inn is an institution, and has been for many years. It was a place that you went to for pizza back when I was in High School.

It is located half way up Airport Hill on Highway 59, north of Miles City. This lends it one of its other attractions: the view of the town below.

Pizza is one of the Inn's main stays. It is not great pizza with subtle uses of basil and other herbs. It is hearty pizza that goes with a group of friends and a cold beer. It is enjoyable and unpretentious.

The other food that people return for is the finger steaks. They thin slices of beef dipped in batter and fried. They are served with fries, onion rings, and veggie sticks. This can be heaven. The shrimp is also good, but the chicken is bought prepared, and does not live up to the beef.

This is my past, but it is also the past of several generations of people from Miles City. It is good.

Denver Biscuit Company

Denver Biscuit Company

(Inside Atomic Cowboy)

3237 E. Colfax Ave.

Denver, CO 80206

303-377-7900

http://www.denbisco.com/

The Denver Biscuit Company is a wonderful place to have a southern Breakfast. They have wonderful biscuit sandwiches. The Franklin is a sandwich with fried chicken, bacon, and cheese smothered in sausage gravy. All of the ingredients are very good, and together they make a filling breakfast. The price of the sandwich is also only $7.00; however, the coffee was $3.00, so that might be something that might be a avoided if possible.

Noodles and Company

Noodles and Company

1502 S. Colorado Blvd.

Denver,CO 80222

http://www.noodles.com/

Noodles and Company is another fast food place that lets you build your order from a variety of items. Strangely for me I do not have a usual thing that I seem to always order here. They let you choose the pasta, sauce, and meat. You can order any combination of things, there just are somethings that seem to go together better, and there are some very tasty combinations.

Tokyo Joe's

Tokyo Joe's

1001 16th St.

Denver, CO 80265

303-825-1437

http://tokyojoes.com/index.html

Tokyo Joe's is another fast food place. Its main claim to fame is its rice bowls. When ordering you get to select the type of rice or noodles, meat, veggies, and sauce. I usually have the brown rice, beef, veggie mix, and teriyaki sauce. MMMM

They also have made to order sushi. There are also salads and their own special bowls.

Finally, a note needs to be added about their staff. They seem to find a lot of the young goth people in this town. They are very nice and helpful. Just different.

Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill

745 Colorado Blvd.

Denver, CO 80206

303-333-2121

http://www.chipotle.com/#/land

Chipolte is a fast food place. You get to build your own burrito (at least you get to tell the person taking your order what you want on the thing). You get to start with rice, and a choice of beans (I like the black beans). You then have a choice of meat (beef, pork, chicken, veggie). Then comes the salsa (I always have the medium corn). Then there are a couple of other things that you need to decide. It is then rolled and wrapped in foil. It is not as cheap as McD's, but then it has better flavor, and might be better for you.

Smiling Moose Deli

Smiling Moose Deli

727 Colorado Blvd.

Denver, CO 80206

303-333-3354

http://www.smilingmoosedeli.com/

The Smiling Moose Deli is mainly a sandwich place. In this neighborhood there are 6 sandwich places,and since the CU Med Center has moved, there is really not that big of demand for them (actually two others have closed). The Moose is the bast of the remaining. First, they have a couple of sandwiches that are a little different from the run of mill. There are two hot sandwiches that are good: 1) The Mighty Mo is a grinder cheese burger. It is ground beef, melted cheese, banana peppers, etc. and 2) The Parisian is a chicken breast with Brie, avocado, sun dried tomato, and pesto mayo.

You can construct your own sandwiches with a variety of breads, meats, cheese, and veggies. Finally there are a variety of breakfast sandwiches to start the day (is there an oxymoron in there?).

They are a cut above.

Zaidy's Deli

Zaidy's Deli

121 Adams St.

Denver, CO 80206

303-333-5336

http://www.zaidysdeli.com/

Zaidy's Deli is a great place to have a great cheap breakfast or lunch. Their latkes are good when used instead of bread in a sandwich with their pastrami. The Labels Special is special: latkes, eggs, lox, cream cheese, onions and tomatoes with a side of slaw---a real breakfast. This is non-kosher Jewish deli---all the good Jewish food plus ham. What can I say. it is good

Washington Park Grill

Washington Park Grille

1096 S. Gaylord St.

Denver, CO 80209

303-777-0707

http://washparkgrille.com/

It is Restaurant Week in Denver. It is a slow time for them, so they have created a week where they offer multi-course meals for a fixed price. Some places create special dishes for the event, while others offer a combination of items off their regular menu. Washington Park offers items off their menu.

Washington Park Grill describes itself as an "Italian Restraint with a Twist". When I look at the menu, I see many items with Italian influences, but there are some items where that influence is not obvious.

The first courses that we tried were Baked Brie, Spinach, and Artichoke Dip and BLT Slider. The baked Brie is a creamy mixer of cheese, and veg tables; it has a savory earthy mixture. (It is one of their signature snacks.) However, the BLT slider was more enjoyable; it was made with pork belly meat (not cured like bacon would be), tomato, lettuce, and a plum ginger sauce. The sauce added a bright spicy flavor to the sandwich. I would love 3 of them for a nice lunch.

The second course was a pork chop (we both chose the same item) with a Peach Chutney, smoked Gouda potatoes, and carrots and beans. The vegtables were tender and flavorful. The potatoes were a little heavy (I like my mash potatoes light. I think it would have been nice if they were shaped into patties and lightly browned.)

The pork chops with the peach chutney was very tasty. The chops in themselves were nice, but the chutney added a very complex sweet/sour/spicy flavor to them. I can not remember eating a chutney before; I was aware of the relishes , who have their origins in India, but I am more aware of the mid-west US canning concoctions that are used to pickle excess fruit and vegetables and in the end add a little flavor to some bland cooking. The peach chutney here added a wonderful spicy/sweet flavor of the pork chops.

The final course was a a shared Raspberry Creme Brulee. it was a wonderful combination of sweet smooth custard with sour raspberry puree, and caramelized sugar crust. It was a nice finish to a very good meal.

Cozy Cottage

Cozy Cottage
2423 S. Downing St.
Denver, CO
303-733-0219

To say that The Cozy Cottage is small would be totally accurate. However, I must point out that the Denver magazine was totally incorrect in its reporting that the place has six tables; it has seven not counting the two outside, which I don't because it is winter.

The place is operated by Jeanette Mueller and her son, Michael. They serve breakfast and lunch. There were the usual breakfast items, plus a wonderful assortment of pancakes.

The blue cheese and bacon omelet was very good; it was an interesting combination with just the right anount of blue to have a sharp tang, but not too much to be over powering. Also each plate in addition to the usual the toast, and potaoes/grits also had a spoon of peas.

The price was also enjoyable at just a little over $10. We shall be returning.

Toast

Toast
222Columbine St.
Denver, CO 80206
303-322-3493
http://www.toastygoodness.com

This is the second locating for this restaurant. It moved into this location on the cheap...since the previous occupant was the Village Inn, that was hard to do. The decor is very similar to VI, in fact it is the same.

The food on the other hand it quit good. The pancakes are the center piece of the menu. They range from apple, blueberry-granola to egg and gravy, which has a fried egg and sausage gravy. There is also a variety of other items including a good breakfast burrito.

The prices are good. The pancakes are all under $10.

The one thing that is interesting is the similarity of Toast and Snooze, not only do they have a similar menu, but the pancake sampler are both called "Flight". Go figure.

The Egg and I

The Egg and I
560 S. Holly St.
Denver, CO
(303) 577-9050
http://www.theeggandirestaurants.com

This is another breakfast place. It is a little more original in some of the variations they have in some of their dishes. The Hiker's Benedict is good; it is Eggs Benedict with asparagus added.

They have all of the traditional eggs, meats, and potatoes. I am there frequently.

Hot Cakes Diner

Hot Cakes Diner
1400 E. 18th Ave.
Denver, CO
(303) 832-4351
http://www.hcdiner.com

I love to eat breakfast away from home. Many of the places I go are traditional. Big portions of traditional food with friendly service. Hot Cakes is in that mode. Their food is cheap and plentiful. The staff is fun and attentive.

Their hot cakes are good. (The single cake is a lot of food, The double stack is just too much. This is from someone who can put down a lot of food.) However, the Sweet Potato Waffle should be tried. The Breakfast Burrito is also good.

I have not tried any of the lunch selection, but they sound good.

Annie's Cafe

Annie's Cafe
3100 E. Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO
(303) 355-8197
http://annies-cafe.com

Annie's used to be my favorite local. However, a year and half ago the owner of their building decided that the neighborhood needed a hotel. He tore down the building;the economy tanked, and he changed his places to poorly landscaped mosquito pond. Annie's had to move out of the neighborhood and we had an eye sore.

Annie's was lucky. At the time another restraint, Good Friends, had to close, and their location was available. So they moved. They tried for a while to have a combination of the two places, but Annie's has gone back to what was their tradition: comfort food.

Annie's is known for their breakfasts, which are cheep, large and filling. They have the traditional eggs, potatoes and meats. Also the breakfast burrito is good.

For lunch they have some nice traditional salads. There are the usual hamburgers, and sandwiches. The sweet potato fried are a nice side to these.

They also have some dinner plates. The meatloaf is sweet and interesting. The fish and chips should be avoided.

The one thing from Good Friends that has remained is the bar. Now Annie's has always had an interesting of soft drinks like Lime Rickey, etc. With the bar they now have an interesting selection of adult beverages.

It is still my local, but the distance has made the visits fewer.

Pasquini's Highlands

Pasquini's Highland
2400 W. 32nd Ave.
Denver, CO
(303) 477-4900
http://pasquinis.com

I have a method I sometimes use when I am trying a new place to eat: I order one of the basic dishes offered by the place to see how they handle the basics. That is what I did here with Pasquini's. I ordered spaghetti and meat balls.; I wanted to taste their basic sauce, meatballs, and pasta. What I got was a well rounded dish of enjoyment. The sauce and meatballs were spiced nicely to be enjoyable, but not excessive. Also the pasta was well cooked to just the right texture., they know how to treat pasta.

Finally, the portion was nice. I was satisfied without worrying that I had taken food away from a couple of children in some third world location.

I am looking forward to the prospect of going back to Pasquini's for some of their other fare. The ravioli looks inviting. They are a chain and there is a location close to home. They also deliver and I might try that service.

Cheeky Monk

Cheeky Monk
534 E Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO
(303) 861-0347
http://thecheekymonk.com

A cheeky monk likes the Cheeky Monk. The big draw for me is the variety of very good beers they have on tap. Today I tried two and one was a hit and the other was not so good. The dark was very malty with good tooth, while the lighter ail was very flowery and just not that pleasant to me.

The Monk also has a very good weekend lunch. For less that $6 I had a nice bowl of penne with asparagus and bacon in a Gorgonzola sauce.

I will be there more often sampling the beers.