Exploring Denver

Hi! I am Paige, an Event Producer at Entertaining Company. I recently traveled to Denver, CO to escape the hustle of Chicago and gather inspiration from one of my favorite places to visit. Luckily, one of my childhood friends now works and lives in Denver so I always get to experience the area as a local. Within the last couple of months, I have been experimenting with a vegetarian and sometimes vegan diet. Although eating vegetarian has been easy, vegan not so much. So, while I was in Colorado, I made it my goal to eat vegan the entire weekend knowing that there were many restaurants that accommodate to those with a plant based diet.

First up on my places to try was City O’ City. If you are ever in the Denver area, you must put this spot on your list. City O’ City is 100% vegetarian. The only animal products they offer are eggs and cheese upon request. As a newly plant based eater I was so excited to try some new things. Especially the vegan mac and cheese. Their menu is fantastic! Check it out here. I went with the BBQ Bowl and substituted tofu for BBQ seitan because it was something I had never tried, and I am not the biggest tofu fan. It was so good! My friend, who is not vegetarian or vegan, ordered their All-Day Breakfast Sandwich on the most delicious toasted pretzel bun.

Although no views compare to Chicago rooftop views. Denver recently opened a rooftop restaurant called El Five. Tapas style dinner and cool craft cocktails. Their menu was also very accommodating for vegetarian and vegan guests. We started with the patatas bravas, hold the chorizo. We then ordered green sofrito paella and the seafood paella. Jumbo grilled shrimp. Fried calamari, clams, rockfish all on a bed of bomba rice. Although I only tried the rice, everyone else seemed to enjoy it! I however LOVED the green sofrito paella that was a mix of quinoa, lentils and a pile of Fall roasted vegetables.

One of the nights I went out. I stumbled upon a chef at Meadowlark Kitchen grilling up a pretty amazing looking burger. I later found out that the burger was featured on the Food Network. This massive burger is layered with a soft poached egg, candied bacon, cheddar cheese sauce, an onion ring and a jalapeno confit. Voted Denver’s best burger for a reason! It ALMOST made me want a bite.

Stay tuned for more EC travels. We love exploring new towns for menu inspiration – I am sure Wendy Pashman is planning another trip as we speak!

Cheers!
Paige