All these things factor together for your vote for the Best Sushi in Denver.  I have my favorites, and I love it fresh.  I was in Japan last year and during that trip I think I spent half a day at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo because I love sushi so much.  I arrived in the wee hours of the morning, just as they were starting to set up and before many of the workers, let alone other tourists had arrived.  I was jet lagged and woke up at 3 am so this was easy.  The market is amazing and I recommend you plan to add this to your list of sights if you visit tokyo.  the fish come in, are auctioned, chopped, iced, sealed wrapped, boxed and shipped in an amazing feat of organization.  Hundreds upon hundreds of small stands line this dockside location with every possible fish, eel, or squiggley thing you can imagine.  I got a treat knowing that somewhere in the ranks of people milling about was the buyer for my local Sushi Spot and the items he picked out were going to be ending up on someone’s plate in Denver within 24 hours.  AMAZING. I finished my morning by stopping by a very small local sushi stand/restaurant (not sure how to describe this, it was a permanent temporary structure) on the outer edge of the market and had one of the best breakfasts or sushi meals ever. Talk about fresh… WOW!!! A link to my Japan Photos on Flickr is here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/theurbanbrain/sets/72157602140178957/

Anyway, let’s hear from you Denver… where do you go for your favorite sushi fix.

My first morning in Tokyo I bounced out of bed, unable to sleep, at 4 am. I quickly showered and dressed then headed downstairs to catch a cab to the famous Tsukiji Central Fish Market. The Tsukiji Central Fish Market is the largest fish market in the world, and a recommended sight in Tokyo by every book, website, and person I checked with. The auction officially starts at 5:30 am and it can draw huge crowds, especially on the weekends. My lonely planet review offered the detail “About 2246 tonnes of fish, worth over 1.8 billion yen (US $15.5 Million), are sold here daily”. Thats alot of sushi.

I thought I was getting a good jump on the day but from the look on the concierge’s face it was too good of a jump as she politely suggested I find a cup of coffee to bide my time before taking a taxi. Maybe there is nothing going on at the Fish Market at 4:30 am so I took her advice and wandered the quiet, very quiet, streets of Tokyo to find an early morning beverage. Outside of a few salarymen heading in early there are actually times that Tokyo is all but motionless. It was kind of peaceful considering the buzz I had witnessed just the night before. It only takes a few blocks to find a convenience mart and pick up some oj and then return to the Hyatt a short time later for my cab.

If you are asking why I didn’t use Tokyo’s awesome subway lines; it was just too darn early for the trains to be running.

My cab whisked me over to the fish market and soon I emerged from the cab in the middle of a busy frenzy of men buzzing around on buzzing carts. It was still just around dawn on an overcast morning and the grey illumination showed me stacks and stacks of styrofoam boxes, crates, tanks, and trucks on a wet stone street. My taxi driver pointed the direction of more activity and some larger trucks and then zipped away as a truck behind him began honking.

I saw no other tourists and it may very well be that I was seeing a little bit of the pre show. As I walked in the direction i had been pointed I had to wait and watch at every step for the activity of these funky little motorized carts going both directions. They had a round tank like engine in the back and sat up a little high and they were moving fast.

Continuing past a area with many parked trucks I entered the main tents of the Market. Here I found hundreds and hundreds of booths and alleys with an array of every type of fish being set up. My arrival was right in the middle of set up and while I wandered around merchants were laying out their items and setting up their displays. And they were doing it fast. Now the carts were buzzing along in tight alleys, men and women in jeans and tee shirts smoked cigarettes and laughed with their colleagues as they worked. A few offered kind smiles or waved but most were so busy, and probably either used to or annoyed by the tourist crowd, that they just kept working at a quick pace. Some of the booths were larger, well lit and had big display counters. Some had tanks with eels or fish squirming back and forth probably recognizing their fate and looking for an escape. And some were dark alleys where men with huge machete style blades or big electric saws waited for the next fish to cut up.

It was amazing. Many fish I recognized and many I did not. Sometimes the display booth had many different varieties in piles of fish where you could see them still moving, wriggling from being only recently taken from the sea. These guys were the supermarket booths that had many things to choose from. Others might be a specialty store where there was just alot of one thing. One booth had every type of mollusk and clam under the sun. bins of fleshy white squid or a mountain of bright red shrimp and prawns. My favorite was a stand with nothing but octopus of all sizes and a very stoic man standing there waiting for his customers. A warning sign asks the tourists not to touch or you have bought the Octopus and to respect the ways of Japan while in Japan. Sounds like a few of the tourists haven’t been so well behaved.

I weaved my way through the booths for I don’t know how long, amazed at every turn until I noticed some activity in the back in a large open shed like area. I headed that way and heard loud rapid speaking and the sound of a crowd responding. This was the auction. I walked right into the center of the Tuna auction surrounded by the huge and glistening bodies of some monsterous fish. If you have ever seen a Tuna body it is one big fish. And surrounding the fish were various men going about their tasks of the day. There were main auctioneers who would ring a bell to signify the start of an auction and the various buyers would be gathered in a circle around him. Just like the stock market, the auctioneer would start rapidly speaking and shouting out higher and higher prices (that I couldn’t understand) as the buyers around him raised hands for their bids. The energy of the event was high and the momentum was fast. While the auctioneer was yelling out the bid prices buyers or their assistants were checking on the fish for quality. Each fish had a slice in the tail to expose a flap where the buyers bent or knelt down and checked the lines of fat. Perhaps to determine how how much O’toro versus toro they would be able to recover as O’toro goes for as much as 5 times the amount (Fatty tuna sushi sells for much more). These inspectors carried flashlights and were studying each of the fish in turn.

As the auction progressed and wrapped up and the fish were purchased the runners would tag each of the fish and a man with long paintbrush would mark the body of the fish with bright red paint. They didn’t seem to be doing an auction fish by fish, but more row by row with 8 fish going at a time in almost mini lots. And there were multiple auctions going on at the same time creating a moving flow of activity as buyers flocked from one crowd to the next. In the midst of it all men with pull carts and huge hooks were running through grabbing the sold fish and then racing them off to their destination. Most of these fish were huge and them men would swing all their weight to rock these weighty monsters up and onto their cart.

I wandered in and clicked more than a few photos before spotting a huge sign saying that I wasn’t supposed to be there. I am sure this is not only to help keep their business from being slowed down but also to make sure I don’t get myself squashed by some swinging fish or rolling cart. Fortunately this was the earliest auction and no other tourists had arrived so my presence was barely noticed and I began looking for a proper roost to take in the views. The tuna auction was wrapping up and most of the activity was done by the delivery carts who sped away through the alleys of the market with their cargo. At this point a very nice man in bibbed overalls came over to me and began pointing and saying “Salmon”. Turning I noticed a sign for visitor passage (A-ha) and off I headed.

The folks at the fish market were wise and had created an alley between two of the large warehouse style areas for the tourists to gather and click away with their cameras. While I was expecting a big crowd, there were probably only about 20 or 30 folks there but from every spot on the globe. Surrounding us on both sides were rows and rows of Salmon carcasses. These were clearly frozen and must have just been unloaded from their icy cargo holds. It had a surreal effect of creating a lingering mist across the floor of the auction hall as the rows of frosted fish gave off their chill. This auction was more of the same although it seemed to be bigger. Maybe Salmon is a bigger market. Either way it was fun to watch this from start to finish and I followed the visitor passage from one warehouse to another and spotted a few other fish along the way. The most interesting part was watching the different styles of buyers and the auction’s energy. Some were older, more traditional men who looked very sage like as they conducted business while others ran around in corporate jackets and looked like they represented the big boys of business.

After watching this auction for awhile I decided to head back to the market and see where those deliveries were going. As I headed back the carts of recently purchased fish flew by me everywhere. I soon found that the booths I had recently seen busy setting up were now pulsing with the activity of selling. In some areas I saw the same fish bodies recently bid on being divided for sale to their various customers. In France you see folks picking up their morning bread at the bakery, here they are picking up their morning fish. Some bought over the counter and kind little ladies and men walked around with individual purchases. Others placed orders at little booths within the booths, like mini cashiers which were almost always manned by ladies. My guess is these were the restaurteurs placing larger orders for the day. And everywhere small, medium, and large styrofoam boxes were being filled with different size fish and sealed for delivery to different locations. I recognized the same packaging I believe I saw at Sushi Sasa once, and imagined that a fish I saw today might just be eaten in Denver tomorrow. Cool.

I again weaved my way (again for a long time, so much to see) through the booths again watching this new activity and then headed to see what else was going on. There was a bustle of cargo heading for the trucks and more mechanical carts running to and fro as I cleared the both area. There were also a number of ice machines I had missed notice of on my way in. These guys had the wonderful job of sitting there and reading the paper or smoking until someone ran up with a bin. Then they flew into action grabbing a block of ice and putting it into this very, very, very old and scary looking machine that blew out chunks of ice from a metal chute. Then the ice fetcher shot off to restock someone and the ice make returned to his relaxed post.

By this time it was almost 7 am and my stomach was growling. Watching all this fish was making me hungry and another tip I had heard was there may be no fresher sushi in the world than the small sushi stands surrounding the Tsukiji market. Sure enough in the first outer ring of booths I found a scattering of small sushi bars and other vendors. Looking in from door to door I tried to pick the right one. The first had no customers, the second looked too touristy, but the third was perfect. It was a tiny sushi bar with maybe 10 seats and the wall was filled with photos, writings in Japanese, and was, simply put, cozy.

it was the perfect fit and the gentleman behind the counter made sure I was welcome. He recommended the Sashimi bowl and I have to say it was the absolute best bowl of Miso I have ever had.

Just outside the market other fish were headed for trucks.

Aw heck, this is taking a long time to write and I need to get out and keep exploring so here is a quick link to a Flickr dump of the photos from the first couple sights. Enjoy.

My early morning flight out of DIA took off a little after 8 am. With little sleep from the night before, either from nervousness or excitement, it was an easy crash on the plane. I slept the entire way to my midway stop in Vancouver.

Vancouver, by the way, has a fantastic airport. It is beautiful and the views out the windows make it an addition to my “places to see” list. I was transferring to Air Canada (I know, United Mileage plus points… but really) and spent most of my 3 hour layover traveling from gate to gate trying to find an active one to switch my upcoming seat assignment from a middle seat to a window. I could not imagine anything more painful than taking my longest flight to date squished in a coach middle seat. I was dreading it. The airlines had the flight set at completely booked so my chance, my only chance, was that brief window an hour before flight time or close to it when those folks who cancel their flights give up tickets. With the knowledge that there were about a hundred other potential candidates for a window seat I knew my chances were slim. But with only time to kill in Vancouver it was worth it.

It was in the Air Canada private club entrance that salvation came my way. A kind lady heard my request and since mine was probably the easiest request of the pampered and coddled elite who pass her way she quickly pulled up an access screen (I should have thought of this first as the club probably can do changes anytime for their members) and announced that she saw one and only one alternative. It was an aisle seat on the window side and she said “I’m grabbing it before its gone” before I could respond. My thanks went out to her then and today for saving me from another experience.

I boarded and met my seat mate who was a Canadian model named Cory traveling for a multi month agency post in Tokyo. A lot of single guys might be excited but since I am very happily married man it just meant it was someone who spoke English. I always feel so embarrassed that I haven’t taken the time to learn other languages. I can do pretty well with French, I can get by with a touch of German, but I am totally lost in any Asian language.

Her story about the crazy modeling industry in Tokyo was interesting. Apparently the Tokyo market loves to use Canadian, American, and European models for their products. There is a draw to their audience and a created endorsement with the images. I would see evidence of this later in the Tokyo subways with advertisements featuring Tommy Lee Jones and a myriad of other American personalities. The requirements were to look young, cute, and dainty. Her words, they want you to be cute and she works it. Cory’s agency knew her age in the mid 20′s but would pass her off as an older teen for the casting calls. I was amazed to hear that girls as young as young as 14 were going to be living over the next few months in Tokyo as part of this model agency project on their own. I can’t imagine what I would do as a 14 year old in Tokyo for months on my own but the only answer seems to be to get in trouble. And this, Cory stated, is exactly what happens. Her stories, the few I heard before crashing out as we crossed forward from Monday to Tuesday over the international date line, indicated that all the hype about the safety of Tokyo were true. Outside of a few incidents with drunk Japanese businessmen following her home after clubbing until she screamed at them her stays over the past 8 years have been without problems. Cory gave me some tips on places to go and squashed a few myths that I had either read or researched before my trip, shared a cab to the city (cabs are expensive but she said the bus and subway are a nightmare) and then I was on my own upon arriving at the Park Hyatt Tokyo at 3:45 in the afternoon. One final comment on the flight, the food on Air Canada is terrible. Wonderful team members and very friendly but if there is a next time I’m packing some snacks.

Now keep in mind that while it was 3:45 in the afternoon I felt like I had been up for over a day. The combination of a lack of sleep before I left and the poor sleep on the flight meant I was a bit tired. My goal was a quick walking tour of my area, some Sushi for dinner, and then a good nights sleep to wake up the following day for the consistently recommended Fish Market that starts at 5:30 a.m.

The Park Hyatt Tokyo is surrounded by huge and towering office towers and Luxury Hotels. The site of the movie “Lost in Translation” it truly does have the panoramic views of Tokyo that are breathtaking. I had gone for an upper tower room and upon check in I found myself in a wonderful corner city view room on the 46th floor. My representative upon check in had indicated there was one available on the 51st floor a bit higher but she confided that my room would offer her favorite view. She was right and WOW what a skyline. Tokyo seems to go on and on forever. It is like a sea of buildings that stretches farther than I can see.

I quickly cleaned up and heading out. After landing, customs, and over an hour of cab ride plus just checking in it was now past 6 pm. I shot up to the famous New York Grill restaurant at the top and took in that spectacular view with a quick cocktail and a bit of a “whew, I made it” moment. Then it was off for dinner.

I asked at the front desk and concierge about recommendations for Sushi and they kept recommending the first floor restaurant. I poked my head inside and found your typical New York Style casual style eatery with plastic boxes of prepared sushi similar to anything you might find at Whole Foods or Wild Oats. This was going to be an ongoing challenge during my trip, the assumption that as an American my sushi tolerance was tuna and California Rolls. Since the local team didn’t seem to be much assistance in this I was going to have to set out by foot (which I prefer actually).

I started out on the main strip and found a flurry of neon glow, vending machines for every easy food or drink you would want, bicycles parked everywhere and tons, and tons of people. I had hit the beginning of the post work day and salarymen and salarywomen (term for the white collar workers) were getting their groove on. After cruising the main stretch in Shinjuku without any great prospects I drifted into the side streets where the restaurants magically appeared, along with a number of shops and bars. The neon still and signs were everywhere and so where the people. I circled a few times, taking in the different prospects and then found just what I was looking for. It was a small Sushi restaurant with perhaps 20 chairs. Inside at least half the seats were taken and nothing about it looked tourist. I figured if it was totally empty and this was where there were locals were going then there must be a reason. Inside three sushi chefs worked busily center stage of the u shaped sushi bar and a conveyor belt circled them carrying all sorts of delicious items.

I walked in and their was a cheer from the staff as a greeting and I quickly took a seat at the bar. The cheer, of course, was not just for me as they did this to every person who came in while I was there. My choice of restaurants was a great pick for a number of reasons. First, since other than my phrase book and dictionary I spoke virtually no Japanese this allowed me to just look and grab any dish that cruised by on that awesome conveyor belt without ordering. Second, since I was picking for myself there was no worry that the chef would assume I was intimidated by sushi and give me only the basics. And third, since the folks around me were the locals I could watch their picks and maybe try a favorite or two.

The sushi, for the record, was amazing. I had items in colors and with some light sauces that I had never had before. And talk about fresh, I almost couldn’t pick up the toro because it fell apart like butter in my chopsticks. I had the most amazing white almost translucent squiggle things and some amazing fish I didn’t recognize. The problem of course was that I didn’t know how to say “what is this” and even though I could have looked it up in my phrase book I also didn’t want to interrupt the chefs who were slaving away to keep the conveyor belt full.

And these guys eat FAST. Piles of empty plates soon filled up in front of the other diners at the bar and it didn’t take me long to follow suit. They leave those in front of you as they are your bill, so to speak. Different items cost different amounts (darned if I knew which was which) so the stack in front of you gave them a total when you were done. They had a special powder that you put in a cup and then in the bar every couple seats was a hot water spout to make your own tea. They showed me this when I sat down just to make sure I didn’t mess it up, which of course I would have because I thought the spouts might be for soy. I am not sure if Tokyo has liquor licenses but this place might not of had one since everyone drank only tea, no sake or beer. So on my big splash first night not a drop of sake, only a gallon of green tea. The salaryman to my right was loading up on the raw shrimp, clearly his favorite as it was his bite every other time while the salaryman to my left seemed focused as I was on the variety plan. One of the chefs smiled a few times and checked in to see if I was okay and it was clear that I was not their usual customer and they were enjoying it. The comments I repeatedly heard about how friendly everyone is in Tokyo were totally true.

After creating a respectable pile of mini plates and trying every different item I could find I finally hit my max. I pulled out my phrase book to say “that was delicious” (oy-shi-kat-ta) and one of the ladies circling added up my plates and gave me my bill. I walked to the corner cash register and paid what for dinner something close to the cost of my Hyatt cocktail. No surprise there and certainly an awesome experience.

I left the restaurant and spent a good hour getting lost trying to find my way back to my hotel. Fortunately I spotted the tower and weaved my way to it through the streets. They say Tokyo grew without any plan, buildings popping up wherever they might and streets organically growing in no set order. Plus street addresses are pretty much worthless as they indicate a sector in a grid, then a sector within that grid, and then another sub sector. From there you have to wing it to find your final destination as the actual street numbers don’t go in order. They say that the street numbers in some places indicate the construction year so you can see how that doesn’t help unless you can pick the architecture out specifically. Either way I finally found it, went to my room, and crashed hard. It was a long day and my next days log will start with my jet lag waking me up around 4 am which works perfectly for attending the fish market. I’ll tell that story in the next post as I am about one day behind and now need to set out for some sights.

By the way, sorry for the lack of photos today. I had my camera on me in the cab but left it when my ravenous nature carried me out for my sushi dinner. Many, many more tomorrow.

What a fun tagline… “Serious food Silly Prices”!

While there has a been a great deal of excitement about the new King Sooper announcement another grocery store has popped up and opened for business. In the Highlands and close to the CPV, at the corner of 38th and Wolff a Sunflower Farmer’s Market began serving the community. Initial feedback was that there was wonderful produce to fill the need of local cooks and munchers downtown.

Let’s face it, a grocery store is a big big thing. Bigger than a top restaurant, bigger than a retail shop, a grocery store that is convenient makes our lives that much easier. So last night I went to check it out.

It’s great. First walking you see piles of fresh produce ready for the picking. The bakery seemed to be a bit small, until I realized that all the fresh bread had simply been hit hard by shoppers and the shelves where I wanted to see all kinds of breads was empty. It didn’t look like the same variety as Whole Foods, but it looked darn good for a place that was a convenient bike ride for me.

There was a great supply of premade meals, including ample sushi selections. The deli looked great but the butcher and fish selection were not my ideal scenario. I suppose I just love the huge butcher counters with all kinds of fresh meats versus the shrink wrapped precut selections. The fish selection was a mix of some fresh behind the counter staples and then a full deep freezer counter filled with every type of fish under the sun. Although it was frozen and sealed it certainly gave you a great selection of fish from across the many waters.

What else… well this store is big. Dairy, cheese, grains, cereals, sauces, canned goods and sweets. For those of you who were waiting for something larger than our local Vitamin Cottage with healthier goods and fresher veggies than a regular grocery story… your wish is granted. And guess what! The team there is super nice which goes a long way towards keeping us happy.

While I was there they also announced a doctor’s speaking engagement was taking place outside where I found a grove of active listeners gathered on folding chairs under shading tents learning about how to keep their bodies healthy and strong.

Yeah! While I may still have to travel across town if I just absolutely have to have the best steak cut or fish, this great addition to the neighborhood will be my new staple of grocery shopping. Without much publicity that I know of, it is doing great. So go check it out and come back here and share your thoughts.

Happy nibbling!

On Sunday we enjoyed another wonderful dinner at Sushi Sasa (does this place rock or what) celebrating a birthday and then continued over to Forest Room 5 for a little after dinner cocktail. What a pleasant suprise we got when we arrived and learned that they were holding their weekly movie nights.

So here is the scoop. Every Sunday and Monday FR5 (Forest Room 5) takes full advantage of their great outdoor paito and sets up a projector and launches a movie against the big brick wall opposite them. What a great idea! Just take a sight sore vacant wall and turn it into drive in style entertainment.

Whatever movie was playing on Sunday was definitely from the offbeat path. A mix of artsy and Kill Bill style gore, it was if nothing else some great background for in depth discussions over slowly sipped tequila or tasty micro brew beers.

If you want to know what kind of movies you can regularly expect, the answer is anything goes. Apparently all requests are considered and the joint is not so busy yet that you can’t have your own screening occur.

So check it out, pick a good flick, and swing back to the Urban Brain Forum to please let us know what you are planning or what is playing next.

P.S. photo take on iphone.

Denver has awesome restaurants. Many of the entries and polls in this site talk about just that, the best of the best for food in our great city. Now the question is which neighborhood is best for a foodie to live in. You know what I mean, if you want to walk out your door and walk for the best burger, coffee, sushi, or whatever your taste buds crave.

Last night was a wonderful party in the Glass House lounge. New residents who have moved in got a chance to meet, enjoy the newly created Glass House Martini or glass of wine, and eat sushi or other tasty treats.

A small group of us ended up outside by the Fire Pit, which I have never seen lit before. This is such a terrific spot for relaxing with the city views. There is just something about sharing stories and laughter around a fire that feels right. Maybe we have never evolved from the cavemen and sitting around the fire is in our most basic instincts.

Either way, it rocks.

I love breakfast. A warm cup of coffee, bacon, eggs, hash browns and toast… or maybe pancakes… or should I do a breakfast burrito.. it all sounds so good. I remember living in the mountains and being the biggest pain in the butt to my friends. Some people woke up early for fresh tracks, I woke up even earlier so I could have a big breakfast before my fresh tracks. My friends would always know it was me because my calls came in the wee hours of the morning looking for breakfast and ski companions as a round robin, hitting their home, their cell, then their roommates cell. Eventually I would find someone who hadn’t gone out big the night before. Okay, I admit I can be a bit of a freak about getting up on the hill early and staying fueled up to ski through the day without stopping… especially on a powder day. And the key to making that happen is a great breakfast.
So of course my time in Denver has been spent hunting down some of the best breakfast spots around. Now imagine how excited I was the first time I went into Snooze. Great coffee, killer pancakes, and a steak and eggs benedict that is out of this world. You will find me there at least once every week, which is made easier by the fact that they are open every day.

The last time I was in there I was with about 12 folks, which gave us a full sampling of the menu. Everything was great, and a few new members of the Snooze fan club were started. So I thought it was time to get to know Snooze and it’s host and owner Jon Schlegel a little better. Join me for an interview with Snooze…

1: Let’s start out basic for folks who have never been in to visit you. Tell us a little bit about Snooze.

Snooze is my dream. I’ve been in the restaurant business since I was 13, went to DU for the Hotel, Restaurant School, and have been in fine dining for a while. It’s the package for a breakfast restaurant; focus on great food, great service, and a fun atmosphere.

2: By the way, Snooze is a great name. Where did you come up with that?

I’ve been working restaurant hours since I can remember. I thought to myself, If I ever want to coach my kids soccer teams, If I ever want to be at home for dinner with a future family, if I ever want to have nights off, I needed to change something. I would set my alarm every morning to try and be an early bird, to live the life of “normal” people, even though I went to bed at 3a most nights. I hit the Snooze 3 times, each morning….and one morning, while I was searching for my answer on how to have nights off….the epiphany happened.

3: Can you share a little bit about the background of Snooze and how you got started? Is this your first restaurant?

Snooze is the classic start up business story. Over 20 banks said NO, investors, developers….and than finally, the whole thing happened. I started the business plan in 2000, and had several people critique it. It’s my first restaurant that I own, but since moving back to Denver, I’ve been the manager of The Denver Chophouse, Sushi Den, MAO (Now Ocean), and Monarck.

4: Okay, I have to ask about the pancakes. How many types do you have and which are your favorites?

We had National Pancake Day in September and we had three batters, 20 ingredients, 15 sauces and 7 butters to choose from. We have a ton of pancake ideas….it is really what tastes best, what’s the season. It’s great because it’s constantly evolving. I am a Reece’s Pieces junkie….it’s a joke among my family. The new big cups are my favorite. So, the Peanut Butter Cup pancake is mine (Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips, Peanut Butter Cream Anglaise, and More Chocolate on top, crushed peanuts for garnish)

5: If you had a friend in to visit and they only got one meal at Snooze, what would you recommend they try that they couldn’t find anywhere else?

Juan’s Breakfast Tacos with flour tortillas and Chorizo, a side Pineapple Upside Down Pancake, a cup or House Coffee (Our Own blend flown in from Guatemala each week) and a Morning Manhattan.

6: Any plans to franchise Snooze, open additional locations, or open something new?

We still have so much we want to do with this Snooze. The product can always evolve, improve I feel. Plus, I have some great regulars and employees. When you have more locations, that all changes.

7: Any plans for lunch or dinner? Any new items for the menu coming soon?

No Dinner. We want to do two meals, breakfast and lunch, and do them well. We serve lunch Monday – Friday and our menu changes approximately each 2 months. We have a new menu rolling out February 6th…..it’ll be sweet!

8: Didn’t you recently have a pancake charity event? What events have you had and are there any more planned?

Make a Wish for Pancakes Day….Pick your batter, pick your ingredients. All Pancake sales went to our neighbors at the Samaritan Shelter. We’ve hosted everything from DU alumni events, to Dinner Rehearsals. We have the chef and the liquor license and the space. It depends on the occasion.

9: Can you tell us about your location? Denver is constantly growing, have you seen changes?

As a Denver native, I wasn’t even allowed down in this area. However, I live above the restaurant and am the VP of the Ballpark Neighborhood Association. I’m familiar with the historic district, future developments; future endeavors….the area are great. In my opinion, it’s the most diverse of the Denver Neighborhoods which is a cool characteristic.

10: Anything else I should have asked that folks should know?

I love hearing about someone’s Favorite dining experience! It doesn’t matter when or where but what was it that made it so memorable!? One of my favorite books is THE PERFECT MEAL……it’s about the best meals all over the world. Some in rural parts of Asia, other chapters at the nicest fine dining restaurant in the world. Tell me yours….

Visit, edit or contribute to the Denver Wiki Page for Snooze

Just because we all want to know… and because it might be the most perfect meal.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

This was a true statement I overheard during a recent lunch at My Brother’s Bar down in the CPV. I had just finished a physical; which is according to every dudes’ magazine and medical professional is exactly what I should do at my age, and was starving. My morning had been crazy without a second to breathe or eat and the fact that they stole some of my blood left me feeling even more ravenous. So my body was telling me it needed something with a touch of flavor (aka grease) and My Brother’s Bar was just the ticket.

So I belly up to the bar and order myself a J.C.B. If you don’t know what a J.C.B you had better get in there because I am not telling. Don’t take this as me being mean, I just think it is a rite of passage that you go in and order this delicious item along with a brew just like I did when I moved here.

MBB (my abbreviation for My Brother’s Bar) is a great, cozy, old as dirt spot on the corner of 15th and Platte. Stories about what was here before Riverfront Park usually go “I remember driving through here when there was nothin’ on my way to MBB”. Does that give you any idea of how old it is.

With a menu posterboard on the wall, old wooden walls and booths, a big historic bar with vintage bar stools, and a dry wit team MBB rocks. One of the fun traditions when you order a burger from MBB is the presentation. They bring you out a classic diner style service full of pepperoncini, pickles and other great add ons. You just add to an already delicious burger whatever your heart desires. Awesome!
So I was sitting there, enjoying my J.C.B. with an o’ring and french fry combo I overheard a truly classic discussion at the bar where some poor guy was getting beaten on for owning, and loving on, his kitty cats when it was clear how cool dogs were. The dude stood his ground, even explaining how he was on his way to take care of them after a couple final beers (it was lunch time). My favorite line was that if he had to love his cats, couldn’t he at least dress them up like small dogs so no one would know.

Cat lovers out there, and I know one cat lover very well, might not appreciate that. But I thought it was funny as heck. What can I say, you will get almost any discussion sitting there having a bite at My Brother’s Bar. I can’t guarantee the topic, but it will make you smile. So gather up some buds, put on some old jeans and head over to MBB for a relaxing good old experience.

And as a a side note, I may not be able to live on J.C.B’s every day. My physical came back rock star status (YEAH!!) with a side note that my bad cholesterol could be better (but not bad I was told). Geez, does that mean I’ll be blogging carrots and celery going forward. I don’t think so. An occasional (not daily) J.C.B. is one of the simple pleasures that helps the world go ’round. But since I love Sushi I can always add a bit more of the good fishes to my plan.

Here’s to you!