Big Texan

When Jeff, my husband, said he wanted to eat here, I wasn't so sure.  I read the reviews and most were not very good.  However, I love doing the tourist things when we are traveling, so I decided to give it a try.  I am glad we did because the food was really good and it was fun eating there.

You can't miss the sign!

There is a food challenge that you can take.  You must eat 72 oz steak, Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Potato, Salad, with Roll, Butter.  If you eat everything, your food is free.  It not, you pay $72.

 

Inside the restaurant.

 

 I ordered the 20 ounce ribeye with a salad and mashed potatoes.

Salad is served in a cast iron skillet.

Look at that ribeye!  It is a 20 oz for $20. Yum!  Mashed potatoes are in the upper right.

Basket of butter sits on the table.

Jeff had the T-Bone and a sweet potato.

The food was really good and the prices were reasonable.  My $20 ribeye was much better than the $29 one I had at the Dusty Boot earlier in the week.  The staff was friendly.  I am so glad we visited this "tourist trap" as it is called.  It was fun and we made memories eating there.

There is a gift shop that is connected to the restaurant, so we visited it. It wasn't filled with the cheap, junkie stuff that you find at most gift shops. The only thing we purchased was a magnet in the shape of the Big Texan. We also visited the fudge shop and left with five squares of fudge.  It was a fun evening.

Dusty Boot Steakhouse & Saloon

I normally like to do a little research on Urbanspoon before we try a restaurant.  I like to look at the menu first.  Yesterday, we had several errands to run and I didn't know where we would end up, so I let the GPS guide us. I thought Dusty Boot Steakhouse & Saloon sounded interesting and maybe not too expensive.  Steaks seem to be more expensive here in Denver than in other places we have visited.

Outside - cars were coming and I had to take the photo quickly which is why it is slanted.

Inside - there are large screen TVs and a bar area.

We started our meal with an appetizer. I have looked over the online menus and cannot find what we ordered. It was a portabella mushroom with spinach and bread crumbs and some sort of sauce.  It was really good.  Appetizers are half price during happy hour and there are happy hours every day of the week.

Appetizer

I really wanted a ribeye, but the only ribeye on the menu was blackened.  I am not fond of blackened food, so I asked if it could be regular and the waitress said it was not a problem.

Ribeye Dinner Served with caramelized balsamic onions & onion horseradish dressing

The ribeye was good, not great.  I probably would have liked it if it had been a little less money.  It was $29.  I really don't like spending more than $23 on a ribeye.  I decided that since we hadn't gone out for lunch, I could splurge on dinner.

All the baked potatoes come loaded and you choose your toppings.  Here are the toppings from the menu:

• Broccoli & Queso
  ~Homemade queso with fresh steamed broccoli

• Chicken Ranch
  ~Grilled chicken, ranch dressing, bacon, green onions & shredded cheese

• Southwest
  ~Choice of red or green chili, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, green onions & sour cream

• Loaded
  ~Sour cream, butter, cheese, bacon & chives

I chose to have the sour cream, butter, cheese, bacon & chives.  It was really good.

Side Salad

I chose a side salad instead of soup.  It was good.

Bread comes with the meals and is served with a cinnamon butter.

Jeff ordered the Blackened Ribeye.  He said it was not spicy, but it was good. 

We enjoyed eating here.  The waitress was very nice.  We would probably eat here again if we were in the area longer.  I wouldn't order another ribeye though.  I would try something different.  The menu has pasta, Mexican food, burgers and other things, so there is a nice variety.

C.B. & Potts Restaurant and Brewery

We visited C.B. & Potts on a Saturday night.  We were seated quickly even though the place was very busy.  The Nuggets were playing and many people were there watching the playoff game.

Outside C.B. & Potts

Outside C.B. & Potts

Inside

The menu has many things to choose from including pasta, steaks and burgers. They brew their own beer. It was hard to make a decision.  We started our meal with fried pickles.  I have fallen in love with fried pickles over the past year.

Fried Pickles

The fried pickles were good, but the breading didn't have much seasoning.  My favorite are still from Smashburger.

I debated between ordering a ribeye and a burger.  Why the debate?  Well, we are planning on going to a steak place next weekend and I decided to save my money for that.  I ordered the Stadium Burger and I did not have any regrets.

The Stadium Burger

The Stadium Burger: Seasoned beef patty, sauteed mushroom, hickory smoked bacon, cheddar, lettuce and mayonnaise on kaiser bun.  I chose onion rings instead of fries.  The burger was delicious.  The mushrooms really made it good.  The onion rings were good, but for the up charge for them, I think there should have been more than six.

Jeff, my husband, ordered a speciality burger and I can't remember the name of it.  It is not listed on their online menu.   I think it was the Wineland Burger or something like that.  It was a burger that had a brat, burger, sauerkraut, cheese and probably a few other things.  He said it was really good, but the brat was a little much.

Burger with Brat

Vampire Fries

Jeff ordered Vampire Fries with his burger.  The fries have garlic on them.  They were really good.  There was an up charge for them, but they were worth it.

We really enjoyed this restaurant.  The food was really good as was the service.

NoNo's Cafe

Outside of NoNo's Cafe

Nono's Cafe is a Cajun cooking with a Southern flare.  We were told by the hostess that the owners are from Louisiana.  We ate here on a Saturday afternoon. It is a very family friendly place.  On the weekends, you can have breakfast until 2 p.m.  The menu has so many different things to choose from and it was hard to make a decision.

Inside

Another inside photo

I started my meal with a side salad.  I chose the House dressing which is a mix between Ranch and Garlic Vinaigrette.  I wasn't really fond of the dressing.  The croutons were very spicy.

I ordered the Bayou Burger.  Here is the description from the menu: A great, quality burger grilled to your liking. Served on a toasted Kaiser roll, with shredded lettuce, covered with roast beef gravy, and topped with tomatoes, and our pickles and Cajun island dressing. Served with Zapp's potato chips.

Bayou Burger

 I wondered how messy it would be with gravy on it, but the gravy was on the plate.  It was really good!  The Kaiser roll was nicely toasted.  I was a little disappointed that chips came with the burger instead of fries, but they were good.

My husband ordered the Monica Smothered Catfish.  The menu description: Lightly blackened catfish draped with our crawfish monica cream sauce, served over rice with tomatoes vinaigrette.

Monica Smothered Catfish

My husband said this was the best meal he has had in Denver and he really, really liked it.

The staff was very friendly and prompt.  We really liked NoNo's Cafe and if we were staying longer in Denver, we would eat here again.

TOCABE: An American Indian Eatery

I have been very excited about trying this restaurant. It appeared on Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives.  I did not actually see it on the show, but it appears on my app.  There has only been one restaurant that we have tried from that show that we did not like, so I was hoping I would not be disappointed this time.

Outside of the restaurant.

Orders are placed at the counter.

The three hands represent the three villages of the Osage Nation: Pawhuska, Hominy, and Greyhorse.

I had checked over the menu before we arrived. I was set on ordering the Indian Taco, but I almost changed my mind because the Bison Ribs sounded good.   I stuck to my first decision and ordered the Indian Taco. The tacos are not the type of tacos you get elsewhere.  They are flat. They are made from Indian Fry bread and they are so good!

Indian Taco

I chose to order my Indian Taco with shredded bison. I added chili beans, lettuce, red onions cheese, hominy and chipotle sauce. It was so good!   If I ordered it again, I would take off the onions becausethey were strong, but I loved it!

Stuffed Fry Bread

Jeff, my husband, ordered the Stuffed Fry Bread.  I am not sure what all he had it stuffed with, but he really liked it.  There was a little problem with his.  He had to wait for his because it had to be fried and he gave his name.  Well, the guy behind him was also named Jeff. He ordered the bison ribs and I guess he wasn't sure what the ribs looked like because he accepted Jeff's order and ate half of it before the error was caught.   We were not upset at all, but the manager came by and gave us an order of Fried Bread Nuggets because he said they don't like to mess up. We were very impressed.

Fried Bread Nuggets

The Fried Bread Nuggets are bread dipped in powder sugar.  They were very good.

Orders are placed at the counter, but employees still came by to check on their guests and to make sure everyone was happy. The staff was very friendly.

Finally, a place in Denver that knocked our socks off!    If you want something a little different, try this place!

Table Mountain Inn

This is a restaurant that is inside the hotel in Golden, CO, but you can see it from the street as they have patio seating. We ate here on a Saturday evening. We arrived before the restaurant portion opened, but we were rudely told by a waiter that we could eat in the Catina if we could find a seat. We couldn't find a seat. We passed by the hostess and we asked her what time the restaurant opened. She said she would find us a seat. We passed by the rude waiter and he said "It looks like it is going to work out for you after all." The hostess did not find us a seat but told us the restaurant opened in ten minutes. Wouldn't it be nice if the waiter could have told us the same thing? I think my husband would have been fine with leaving, but we stayed.

We started out our meal with Flaming Asadero Cheese.

No, it didn't set the place on fire, but it looks like it could have.

The Flaming Asadero Cheese is served with house made flatbread, chips and condiments.  It was very good.

My husband ordered the Poblano Del.  It is a roasted poblano pepper filled with shrimp, bay scallops, cotija and jack cheese, Chimayó red chili sauce.  He said it was very good.

Poblano Del

 I ordered the Carnitas Burrito.  It is pork braised in traditional New Mexican seasonings, chipotle-onion blend, flour tortilla and smothered in green chili.

Carnitas Burrito

I wasn't impressed with the burrito.  I didn't feel it was seasoned at all.  I did take half of it home and ate it the next day for lunch and I enjoyed it more at home. I added cheese to it at home.

We thought the food was good, but we will not be returning because it didn't knock our socks off.  There have to be places in Denver that has food that will knock our socks off, right?