Pitchers Sports Resaurant

Today I'm highlighting another one of my favorite places in town. Pitchers at 1100 West Drake Road in Fort Collins. It's right on the corner of Drake and Sheilds, so it's pretty easy to get to. Added bonus for me is how close it is to my home. It's less than a 5 minute drive and in the warmer months it's just a short walk.

First Impressions: From the outside Pitchers doesn't look like much. You'd be right in guessing that it's a sports bar and it looks the role in every way. From the sports themed sign, the name itself, the look of the building complete with two large satellite dishes, it screams sports bar. Don't let this put you off. Once inside the sports bat look gets even more pronounced, TV's everywhere you look, pool tables cover one half of the building, the center of the main room is dominated by a large bar, lights are low and the seating is in the back. Again, please don't let the look fool you, it can be a little off-putting when you're looking for a meal and walk into a bar scene. But trust me on this one, you're in for a treat if you keep an open mind. Forge ahead and don't wait to be seated, just find an empty booth or table in the back and make sure you're not hiding in the corner or the wait staff may not see you.

The Menu: Once you are seated and the wait staff comes to check on you, you will be asked if you even want a menu. Being a sports bar some folks do just come to have a drink or two and watch a game on one of the many TV's. Looking at the menu itself you will again think I'm crazy or just have no taste, it looks pretty much like any bar menu, burgers, lots of appetizers and pub style food. However the Mexican food section is quite extensive and there are several gems on the menu worth trying. I won't say it's not bar food, because let's face it, it is. But it's some of the best bar food I've ever had.
Having lived in CA for most of my life, I've acquired a taste for authentic Mexican food. This is the closest I've come in CO to getting "the good stuff". No really, trust me on this, no Mexican food restaurant that I've tried in CO comes closer to authentic than the food at Pitchers does. This is primarily due to the green chili. They are very proud of their green chili and they should be, it's excellent, so they put it on most of their Mexican dishes. That's fine by me, it's got a lot of flavor and a little spice to it without being too much for a gringo palate. Even my kids can eat it and they don't care for spicy food. In the picture above you can see the smothered burrito, I cut it open to try and show that they use black beans instead of pinto, and how the entire tortilla is filled with beans and meat. Also you can see that when they say smothered, they mean it. That's a pile of green chili and cheese on top. No skimping here.
Another highlight of the menu is the fries. Wait, french fries are a highlight? Yes, you read that right, the fries here are great. They're homemade from real potatoes and fried on the spot. They don't over cook them either so they're not too crunchy even though they are thin fries instead of the thicker home-fries or potato wedge style of fry. Lastly they aren't over salted either, so you can taste the potato, which I like quite a bit.
Being a bar they also have some great drink selections. Don't look for fruity cocktails here though, this is Colorado which means some of the best beer in the country. Pitchers actually has their own microbrewery so I highly recommend trying one of the house beers. The amber and 808 wheat beer are both excellent and in spring the 420 wheat beer is great as well.
One final note, even though it is a sports bar, I've never had any problems bringing my kids here. The wait staff is great and really try to make everyone feel at home, including the kids and for a bar it's quite clean and well taken care of.

Favorites: The fries, the buffalo wings (which come in a variety of optional seasonings), the smothered burrito (pictured), chili rellenos, or just about anything else smothered in their green chili, the 420 wheat beer and the amber.

Prices: On top of great selection and good food they have good prices too. Dinner for 2 usually ranges from $18-$24 including drinks.

Quick Take: A sports bar with food very unlike a sports bar. One of my favorite places in town for a drink or for Mexican food.

Starry Night Espresso Cafe

Starry Night Espresso Cafe
112 S College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80524

I'll start my food blog out with one of my favorite places in town. The Starry Night in old town Fort Collins is a great place to grab a cup of coffee, but it's also got some great food.

First impressions: This is a "cute" locally owned coffee shop, something Fort Collins has a fair number of so it's easy to miss some of them in the crowd. This one, on the corner of College Ave. and Mountain Ave. is in a great spot though and if you visit old town you drive right past it all the time and may not have noticed that it's even there. It's small but not cramped, clean without being sterile in feel, and it has worlds of class. The store front has large windows with the very nice and professional logo painted prominently in the main window. These windows allow for a lot of natural light keeping the place bright and warm a feel only accentuated by the old town charm of the building with hardwood floors and classical brick construction. Add to this a huge rendition of Starry Night by Van Gogh, one of my favorite paintings and overall it's a beautiful place and I love just being there.

The Menu: Coffee, lots and lots of coffee. The primary focus here is the extensive coffee menu, think almost Starbucks variety but local and really, better quality (sorry Starbucks, nothing against you, but there are quite a few places for a better cup of coffee). Along one wall they almost always have three to four "plain" coffees to choose from, all of them are usually great. My personal favorite is the Brazilian medium roast, but I'll leave that choice to you.
Next to all the coffee however there is a small and somewhat limited food menu. Though not their primary focus and no where near as extensive as their coffee menu, they have by no means skimped when it comes to their food. You can find the normal array of baked goods as well as some specialties you can't find almost anywhere else. The majority of the food is locally baked or otherwise prepared and all of it has great flavor and freshness.

Favorites: The Dreambar, Vegetarian Breakfast Burrito (pictured above), and of course the coffee.

Prices: Two can get a beverage and a snack for between roughly $7-$15, a real meal plus beverages for two runs between (again roughly)$12-$22.

Quick Take: One of my favorite places in town, great coffee, great snacks, great location, great feel/scenery, good food, good prices.

Welcome to the Front Range Food blog

Hello and welcome to the Front Range Food blog. I'd like to just to use this post to explain for a moment what this blog is about and what the reader can expect.

I grew up in the Silicon Valley California, for those that don't know what that means it's the San Jose Bay Area. It's culturally diverse region with a variety of great food including in nearby San Francisco. It's also very close to the California wine country allowing for even more diversity of flavor and style.

I moved to Southern California and live there for many years which broadened my palette and experiences in a number of ways. Then in 2007 I moved to Fort Collins, Colorado and I love it here. Once again I'm enjoying the experience of finding new favorite restaurants and foods. I've decided, after some urging by friends and family, to record my experiences and reflections on local foods to help others find the real food gems of the area.

What this blog is about:
This blog is designed to highlight some of the best food in a region full of excellent eateries in a simple, non-snobby manner. My goal here is to allow visitors to the region as well as newcomers to quickly find and taste the best NoCo has to offer. The blog will focus mainly on Fort Collins, Loveland, Estes Park and the surrounding areas, however from time to time I will highlight places in the greater Denver area as well.

What this blog is not:
This blog is not for the people looking for yet another haughty, overly snobby food critic who can't appreciate a burger simply because it's American food.
This is not my living. I work a normal 9-5 job and I do this as a hobby because I love food. Don't expect daily or even weekly updates. I will update when I can and sometimes that may be very regular and sometimes it may be up to 30 days between posts. Please be patient with me.