British Tea Room

British Tea Room Rocks! I decided after some mulling over that I am going to add to the blog, about every 4th or 5th posting, something about a non-Fort Collins restaurant. Now this may seem like heresy to people, particularly natives. I have often noticed the people who have grown up here think of Greeley, for example, as a foreign land that requires a visa to get to, in addition of course to the travel time. For someone from Southern California, this seems strange. When I was in my late teens, all the best restaurants were either in downtown LA or even further out from me on La Cienega Boulevard. It seemed natural to hop on the Pasadena freeway, drive an hour, dine and then drive back. Given that long intro, I am going to blog about the Wildflower Tea Room in Broomfield, which is owned and run by Brits. I love a good British Tea Room/Restaurant; this is of course despite the fact that I realize that 90% of the things I might eat there are going to challenge my LDL cholesterol...but they will really help my endorphins, those crazy little hormones that may you go "ah!" (like the girl from Ipanema). When I was at UCLA there was a great little British tea room in Santa Monica that really got me addicted to scones, and funky small cucumber sandwiches. Greeley used to have a British Tea Room with Steak pies, Bangers, etc, but it is gone. And I truly miss Loveland's Miss Attie's Tea Room which was elegant as well as tasty. So it was with much anticipation and excitement that I went to the Wildflower Restuarant and Tea Room in Broomfield. I had signed us up for High Tea. This started out with a cranberry scone. Now this may seem ordinary, but this was not just any ordinary scone, anymore than Bilbo's ring was just a plain ring! This was almost right out of the oven, flaky and tasty and served an option of either home made strawberry perserves and/or double clotted Devonshire cream. Then came either soup or salad--I opted for the salad as one of the dressing choices was a home made Bass Ale vinagrette, I was not disappointed. Tea was flowing strongly too by this point, but they also gave us champagne. Whew! I was already feeling semi-full from this when the waiter showed up with one of thos cone shaped carried trays that seem unique for High Tea w/ a what seemed like a multitude of microsandwiches and desserts. It was a nice mix of traditional (cucumber sandwich w/ a dill spring) with some unigue items like a diced shrimp on a crostini, jalapeno cheese puff and Guiness chocolate petit-four cake. At the end of this I was beginning to feel like Mr Creosote from the Monty Python movie, not quite to the bucket stage, but close. But wait (like the ads on TV say) there's more! Not more food right then, but there other menu options for dinner, lunch and their pub. I literally can't wait to go back to try Bubble and Squeak or Scotch Egg appetizers. And, their adjoining pub , the Burns Pub, not only has one of the largest selections of single malts I have ever seen but once a month has a Whiskey Dinner, with 3 whiskey's paired with an appetizer, entree and dessert. Gaelic Heaven on earth! The whole complex of the pub and restaurant are attached to a Bed and Breakfast, which I may need if I go to the Whiskey Dinner. So, gentle readers, stretch your boundaries and try this place. It is not too far from Costco, for those of you who drive down there for deals...use the money you have saved to indulge your inner British Glutton. Last item: a contest. Because I don't have a 12 year old boy in the neighborhood who can show me how to correct the spelling on the title of this blog...please submit your answer as to why "Northen" is actually correct instead of "Northern." Submit your answer on the blog site, not Facebook and the most creative answer will win: a meal out for 2 with Shelley and me. What a deal! All for now, Berm

Cilantro Grill

Cilantro Grill: A hidden Mexican food delight. I know, I lied. I said I was going to talk Sushi. But...the place I went that week was a total disappointment, and I thought to my self, "Am I really trying to do a newspaper like restaurant review column, or just advise people where it's fun to eat?" So, we are going to skip Sushi for now and move on to a Mexican restaurant. Mexican food and I go back a long way...like PTB (Pre Taco Bell). Yes, there was a time when there were no fast food Mexican chains. Oh there were Taco stands, like the one on Mission Ave in South Pasadena that had the most amazing deep fried bean burritos that I am sure have changed my circulatory system forever, but they were all independently owned. I really don't remember Fish Tacos however until maybe 15 years ago during a visit to San Diego--my life has never been the same. So now I search, with help from my sons in particular, for the ultimate fish taco experience. Cilantro Grill, which is set back in the alley off of the section of Laurel that includes the Pickle Barrel and Cold Stone Creamery in Fort Collins, has, either the number 1 or 2 Fish Tacos I have ever had. They use Tilapia and grill it in very nice spices and add a slice of fresh avocado. It melts...My eldest son sent me a link about how gorillas make humming noises when they find a great feeding patch. When I am in Cilantro Grill my inner gorilla comes out. Interestingly enough, when I was there this week, I decided that I had to get out of my rut and get something besides the fish taco. It caused a fair amount of inner angst but I felt I had to try something else just so I could blog about it. So...I got the Chile Relleno plate. Chile Relleno is one of those tests of a really good Mexican restaurant, at least that is my belief. The one at CG was only lightly battered, which for me is good because then I can rationalize that I am only slightly raising my LDL with the cheese and not the "crust." The first bite was fairly spicy, but I have become aware that that is something that is very dependent on the batch of chilies and not the cook. But...the cheese innards perfectly balanced that on further feeding and prevented me from having the mouth-on-fire experience that would remind me of the first time I tried to eat a whole habenero. It was a superb Chile Relleno. But what really impressed me was the rest of the "plate." Some Mexican restaurants add a little bit of shredded iceburg lettuce, throw on 1/2 tsp of salsa and call it a salad. But...these folks had a reallly nice side salad w/ a cilantro dressing that was yummy. The beans, which were whole pinto (you could get black also) were tender, covered w/ shredded cheese and were great! I didn't have to worry about frijoles that might be 3 parts lard to 1 part bean... Despite not having a fish taco, I hummed. Although I didn't order it this time, I might add that there Flan is also a truly wonderful thing...creamy and carmelly (which if it isn't a word, should be). So...all for now. But: I'llbe back (pretend you are hearing this with an Austrian accent). Berm