Kickin' it in Colorado: Impressions of Denver

The boy and I recently got back from a week of visiting beautiful Colorado, a wonderful land that boasts the trifecta of microbrews, Mexican food, and mountains beyond mountains.

On the surface, the main reason for this trip was to visit wedding venues; we knew we wanted to get married somewhere in Colorado and we had to see the sites and meet with coordinators in order to make a decision. But the bigger reason we went to Colorado was to get a feel for the different neighborhoods and for what life was like out there, as it's been a dream of ours for a few years now to get a dog and live close to the mountains. So aside from our hard appointments with wedding venues, we didn't have much of an agenda. Just a rental car, a borrowed tent, some Marriott points to burn, and dreams to chase.

We flew out with the boy's brother's fiancee's son (my soon-to-be nephew) and dropped him off with his dad at the airport. Then we picked up our rental car - the Hyndai Veloster, a funny little subcompact that only had 4 miles on it - and met our friend Steve, who had flown in from Texas.

X and Ms. Rose, ready for take-off!

The very first meal we had in Colorado was at African Grill and Bar, a highly-Yelped-about affair. The suburban location and unassuming exterior of the restaurant were deceiving; inside, we instantly took in the aromas of something delicious on the grill, and we were greeted warmly by the owner and his family who treated us as if we were family too. It ended up being one of our best meals of the whole trip and was a most excellent way of kicking off the vacation.

Beef samosas and fried donuts filled with beans... both delicious. The owner boasted that nobody has ever disliked the samosas, and that he would gladly refund anyone who claimed to hate it. 

Okra and goat stew with a side of plantains. I gobbled this up.

Our view as we ate. Gorgeous sunsets are no big deal in Colorado.

Happiness is a good meal with friends. Note the beautiful sunset reflected in the window.

We spent the rest of the weekend exploring the best that the Mile High city had to offer. One of my favorite neighborhoods were the Highlands. Think Subarus everywhere, quaint little boutiques, and a flagship REI in the middle of it all. Basically, outdoorsy yuppie heaven.

We spent the sunny afternoon exploring the downtown area too, where more gallivanting ensued.

Downtown Denver felt a lot more calm than Chicago. It still has almost everything we do here in the Windy City - stadiums, parks, and of course the business district - but it's all taken down a notch.

We also paid a visit to Wash Park and took a long lazy stroll while Zillow-ing the houses nearby to see if we could afford them (spoiler alert: we could not).

I look like the little boy in Up.

There were a few things that I absolutely loved about what I experienced in Denver:

- the Mexican food. None of it pictured because I did not have the self-discipline to photograph it before I stuffed fistfuls of it into my mouth, but it was damn good and very plentiful.

- the activeness. Even in the heart of the city, where you'd think there'd be the least amount of activity, we saw bikers and joggers everywhere. Plus, you know, REI was like Mecca.

- the creeks. Denver doesn't have Lake Michigan hugging it from the East but what it lacks in lake, it compensates for in lovely creeks nestled between even lovelier unbroken paths for joggers and bikers to enjoy

- the laid back feel. Everyone seemed really casual and I felt no air of pretense or flashiness anywhere I went. We spent a good amount of time just hanging out in bars or breweries and were able to strike up conversations much easier than in Chicago. Also, five million bonus points for all the dog-friendly bars.

- the sunshine. Oh, my god. Compared to Chicago it felt like we were on a different planet altogether. Clear skies and sunshine every single day... where was the grey, dull weather I was used to?

I think there was only really one thing I didn't love, and that was the relative lack of public transportation. In Chicago, I've been spoiled by the CTA for a cheap, reliable, and environmentally-friendly way of getting around almost everywhere. In Denver it really seems like you need a car too go anywhere. Which I know is the reality for pretty much any American city that is not DC, New York City, San Francisco or Chicago.

But let's be honest, Denver isn't the reason we were attracted to Colorado; it's the mountains and quality time in the great outdoors that we were really thirsting for. Coming up next: adventures in mountains!

Sliced avocado with Sriracha + freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt

Lately, I've been on somewhat of a health kick. I run 4-5 times a week and I've been meticulously tracking everything I eat using an app on my phone called MyFitnessPal. Just the lone act of logging my food consumption has made a pretty difference in my eating habits. I used to mindlessly snack out of boredom (a habit that once earned me the nickname "Rolls" on a project team because I surrounded myself with 3 or 4 different types of food at my desk). But I'm also lazy - and knowing that I have to put all that into my tracker has been an effective speed bump in deterring me from grabbing fistfuls of Milk Duds and shoving them all at once into my pie hole.

One of my favorite healthy-ish-maybe-Ithink snacks is sliced avocado with Sriracha sauce, garnished with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt. I discovered this combination one day when I had a few avocados laying around but no onions or tomatoes to make guacamole with. Out of laziness (see a trend here?) I thought, what the heck, let's substitute in Sriracha, sprinkle on some s+p, and hope for the best.



The result was decidedly not guacamole-y, but really tasty in a different way. The flavors of smooth avocado and tangy, garlicky Sriracha combine beautifully into a creamy spicy blend, all enhanced by the salt and pepper. This snack perfectly fulfills my cravings for all things spicy, satisfying, and umami. Mmm...unami.

The best part is that it is ridiculously easy to make, with ingredients that are probably hanging out in your cupboard already. The hardest part is picking out an avocado that's on the firmer side. The second hardest part is resisting the urge to blend this stuff and hook it up to an IV and live out the rest of your days in Sriracha heaven.

My name is Rose and I'm addicted to spicy ramen.

So many of my blog entries have been about trips and travels. I thought I'd mix things up a little by sharing one of my favorite things in this whole world: Shin ramyun.

Photo from asianfoodgrocer.com

Ramyun (sometimes 'ramyeon') is the Korean spelling for the Japanese word 'ramen' - a word that usually inspires images of dehydrated peas floating in Cup Noodles and memories of being a broke-ass college student. But Shin ramyun belongs in a different league. For one, its broth game is on point. The salty, spicy concoction is addicting and ultra satisfying to slurp down. For another, Shin doesn't use any MSG, which makes it a bit better for you than its competitors. And finally, it carries a top-shelf price relative to other ramen. You can find it in the Asian aisle of most grocery stores for around $2 a pack, and once you've seen the light, you can buy it cheaper in bulk.

Shin ramyun is so easy to cook - even the most domestically-challenged caveman could do it. All one has to do is boil a pot of water and plop in the contents of the package: one spice packet, another of dehydrated veggies, and of course, the noodles themselves. A common mistake is boil too much water, which dilutes the goodness of the spice mix. For every packet of noodles I recommend using about two and a half cups of water.

Photo from Serious Eats

It's definitely not an every day kind of food. Shin ramyun is like a double cheeseburger: so blatantly terrible for you that it's not even worth trying to justify it as a proper meal with you know, actual nutrients and stuff. One packet contains 440 calories, 88% of one's daily recommended sodium intake, and 40% of the same for saturated fat. In fact, the recommended serving size is only half a packet...which, let's be real, nobody on God's green earth would be able to fill up on.

Aware of its possible shortening effect on my lifespan, I treat myself to Shin ramyun only once in a while. I like to eat mine with a fried egg and keep things cool with a tall glass of milk. Each time it is so, so good. I can't get enough of the flavor - a perfect blend of spicy and seafood goodness that warms the soul and leaves the tongue in a 'hurts-so-good' state of blissful torture. Then there are the noodles - thick and chewy, a perfect vessel for the rich flavors of the broth. For me, it's the ultra comfort-food, so much so that the twenty packets I brought from the US have long ran out and the ten I stuffed into my suitcase during a trip to London have also disappeared, as both the boy and our roommate in Istanbul have become hooked - hence why I used pictures from elsewhere on the internet instead of taking my own.

If you haven't had Shin ramyun, you're most definitely missing out. Run out and try it for yourself this holiday season. Don't be tempted by the convenience of the ones in a cup - go for the packet instead as the latter is much, much better.

Rumor (aka Amazon search suggest) has it that there exists such a thing as Shin ramyun Black, a variant that promises a richer broth and dehydrated beef in addition to the usual mixings, but that sadly lacks the spiciness of the regular ramyun. I haven't tried the black version yet; every time I venture out to buy a packet, I end up caving and reverting back to my spicy ways.

In conclusion: Shin ramyun is my god and I am its prophet.

Reminiscing about Rhodes

Rhodes will always be special to me because it's where the boy proposed. But despite being the highlight of our trip, getting engaged wasn't all that we did during our week there. Here are some photos and memories from our vacation.

We booked our trip via Thomson, a UK-based travel operator. We chose a couples-only package that included flights and seven nights of half-board at the Atlantica Imperial Resort in Kolymbia, a small town on the east coast of Rhodes. This was our first time using Thomson and we weren't sure what to expect. Looking back, I loved how perfectly easy it was - all I had to do was choose my dates, flight times, and review the hotel options. 

This was also our first beach vacation together, one where we would stay in the same place for all seven nights instead of the city-hopping, sock-losing, two-night-maximum, suitcase-barely-unpacked-before-throwing-everything-back-in-again-and-dashing-off maelstrom that is our usual routine. I actually had some reservations about going to a beach and plopping my ass down into one place for this long. It seemed so... normal. So not mobile. So...not...me?

I was a fool. It was all amazing. Within just minutes of arriving, I could feel my stress and worries and control-freaked-ness wash away with the gentle lapping of the ocean waves.

Our resort was roughly halfway between Rhodes' two main cities. Our first excursion out was to the aptly-named town of Rhodes.

I use Yelp and TripAdvisor religiously when traveling, so I was stoked to visit the most well-reviewed place in town for lunch - a small restaurant named Tamam. I was met with impeccable service, fresh fare, and such a kind group of people who ensured my dining experience was utterly enjoyable. It may have been one of the best meals I've ever had in my life.

Having achieved culinary satisfaction to an extent previously unbeknownst to man, we spent the remainder of our day strolling around the rest of the city and the old part of town.

Then there was one day we went kayaking and exploring the grounds of the resort. I vividly remember feeling so amazed by how clear the water was and how well we could see the bottom even as we paddled far out beyond the bay.

I won't deny that we didn't spend an awful lot of time just lounging by the pool, Kindle in one hand and cocktail in the other. In the photo below you can see me holding the paddles we used to volley a rubber ball around in the water - sort of like tennis/ping pong for the lazy. Really simple good fun. We nicknamed the activity 'bum-paddle' and got mildly addicted to it over the course of the week.

Yet another lazy was spent relaxing on Tsambika beach, which all the locals insisted was the most beautiful of all the beaches on the islands. A perfect place to eat a gyro, down a beer, and get the biggest surprise of my life.

And last but certainly not least, there was Lindos, with her breathtaking views from atop the Acropolis.

As I hope the pictures show, Rhodes was just forehead-smackingly beautiful. I can't think about the trip or look at the pictures without grinning, salivating, and sighing hopelessly - usually all at the same time. It really was the vacation of a lifetime, one that will be hard to top.