Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill

I don't care if it's a fast-casual, cheap chain restaurant; I love Garbanzo.

I love the fact that I always walk in there starving and I immediately get handed a warm, freshly fried falafel to sample. I love that they pile my plate high with enough food for two meals for less than $10. I love that I can mix everything together on my plate to form a hummus-heavy pile of Mediterranean goodness.

Garbanzo locations have shot up around the Denver area like delicious weeds. I've eaten at four of their Front Range locations, all in the south suburbs. 

Garbanzo has a Chipotle-style setup where you select the shape and style of your entree, and customize it to your liking. Customers can choose from a plate, a pita, or a laffa (think Middle Eastern burrito). I always go with the plate since I seem to get more food that way, and they provide a pita on the side. Plus, I can grab a lid for the plate and eat the remainder of my giant meal later.

My standby is normally the Steak Shwarma plate ($6.99).  I order it with plenty of hummus, a generous helping of veggie salad, red cabbage, a dolma, and a little bit of tzatziki sauce. It's very filling, and as long as I can take it easy on the hummus, it's generally low-calorie as well.

Recently, Garbanzo has added steak and chicken kabobs to their menu. I tried a Chicken Kabob Plate ($8.99) at my last visit, with the usual fixings plus some Mediterranean rice.

Chicken Kabob Plate

The chicken was marinated and perfectly cooked. It was skewered alongside green and red bell peppers and red onions, which added a sweetness and crunchiness.

My biggest complaint about Garbanzo? The restaurants post nutritional stats and ingredients online, which is great, but it reveals the fact that they include preservatives in their hummus, falafel, and many of their sauces. I would expect a place that prides itself on freshness to avoid such additives.

Garbanzo is a Colorado-based chain, with locations across the Front Range. It's not terribly authentic, but it's tasty, fast, and cheap.



Everyday Dining

(8 of 10)

Pros: Cheap, fast, delicious
Cons: Not terribly authentic, preservatives in some foods

Website:
http://www.eatgarbanzo.com/

Larkburger

There are so many hamburger spots in Denver that Larkburger never really made its way to my radar, despite the nonstop blogging hype and the weed-like proliferation of its restaurants across Colorado. That was, until a location opened up in the Denver Tech Center that was just way too convenient to pass up.

Larkburger labels their burgers as "gourmet" at every opportunity, and that's probably a result of their fine dining roots at Vail's Larkspur restaurant. That's also why you see truffle flavor permeating so much of the menu.

My husband, my mother-in-law and I arrived at Larkburger for lunch on a Saturday. Their Greenwood Village location is right at the heart of the Tech Center, in a fancy-ish strip mall that's packed to the brim all workweek long but is eerily quiet on weekends. As expected, Larkburger only had a few other customers during our Saturday visit.

The menu at Larkburger is very, very simple. You have a choice between various types of burgers (beef, tuna, turkey, mushroom) in a couple of different sizes, but that's where your options taper off.  The restaurant encourages a medium cooked burger, Tillamook cheddar is the only cheese option, and your toppings will be lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and sauce. Some people might find that constricting, I thought it was easy and perfect.

My husband selected the Larkburger with cheese ($6.5), I ordered the Little Lark with cheese ($4), and my mother-in-law ordered the Turkey Burger ($6.25). We also got an order of their Truffle and Parmesan Fries ($3).

Just a few minutes later, out came our food:

Left to Right: Larkburger, Little Lark, Turkey Burger  
Background: Truffle & Parmesan Fries 

One bite into my burger, and I completely understood what all the fuss was about. So good. Maybe it was the quality of the meat, or the fact that it was cooked so perfectly, or the buttery sauce or fresh toppings, but this an insanely good hamburger. I didn't even feel the need to add ketchup.

My husband loved his Larkburger equally. He made fun of the miniature size of my Little Lark, but I thought it was the perfect portion. I didn't try my mother-in-law's turkey burger but she loved it.

The fries were just ok. I prefer thick, steak-type fries, and these were very skinny and lacked the punch I was hoping for.

Overall, an outstanding hamburger for cheap. I'll be back.


Everyday Dining

(8 of 10)



Pros: Amazing hamburgers, great service, cheap
Cons: Some people may not like lack of menu options, fries were average

Website:
http://www.larkburger.com

Snooze

Snooze is another restaurant that's kind of a big deal, and I've been wanting to go for months now. I mean, this is a place that offers Red Velvet Pancakes, how can you go wrong?

The downside of being kind of a big deal is that everyone else is trying to eat there too. When we stopped by their Centennial location last Sunday morning, a quick look at the crowds standing outside idly made it obvious we were in for a bit of a wait. They also don't take reservations, which was frustrating.

We were told by the staff that our party of 2 would be a 15 to 25-minute wait. That stretched out to about half an hour before we were seated.

Snooze has a pretty jazzy looking interior, with pale green walls, giant orange light fixtures, and huge circular tables. It was, of course, packed to capacity.

Making a decision on our meal selections was tough. There were about five or six dishes we each wanted to try. I'll just refer to you to their full menu. You'll understand our dilemma.

My husband decided on the Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes. From the menu: Caramelized pineapple chunks with housemade vanilla crème anglaise and cinnamon butter.

Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes

These pancakes were every bit as rich and delectable as you'd imagine. Fluffy, white pancakes filled with sweet pineapple pieces and topped with a rich drizzle of rich sweet cream-cheesy "syrup" that was almost like a glaze.

The only problem? It was way too sweet and rich for the portion size. This is a hyperglycemic attack on a plate.

I didn't notice until after we'd dug in was that Snooze offers "a la carte" pancakes. I really wish we'd just ordered a single pancake alongside something with more nutritional value. The two enormous pancakes were just too much.

Anyway, moving on to my selection: the Breakfast Burrito. From the menu: Filled with scrambled eggs, hash browns, house black beans, cheddar & jack cheese, topped with salsa fresca and your choice of green chili or ranchero.

Breakfast Burrito with Green Chili

This monster was delicious, but why such a measly helping of green chili? I was expecting a far more generous smothering. The burrito was a little bland and would have been outstanding with more green chili flavor in each bite.

My portion was also too big, and even with some help from my lovely partner in crime, we had to push ourselves to finish three-quarters of it.

Our service was alright. Obviously it was a very busy place and I felt like we were rushed a little bit for the sake of table turnover.

I'd definitely return to Snooze, assuming I could get there early enough in the morning to avoid a substantial wait. The menu has too many delicious-sounding items that I have yet to devour.



Everyday Dining

 (7 of 10)

Pros: Great tasting food. Unique options. Cheap.
Cons: Long wait to eat, and they don't take reservations. Beware the full pancake portions (I recommend a la carte pancakes).

Website:
http://www.snoozeeatery.com

Gelazzi Gelato

My husband and I spotted Gelazzi at our local suburban strip mall, and we drove by maybe five dozen times saying "oooh hey we should try that place" before finally checking it out.  We've now made about three or four visits to the location. 

Walking into Gelazzi for the first time, I was surprised at how large the place was and how many different frozen treats were on the menu.  They offer about a million different ways to ingest gelato, including cannolis, cookie sandwiches, cakes and pies. There's ample seating for 20-30 people, plus a party room in the back.  The decor is a little over-the-top - think Greco-Roman meets the 1980s - but maybe the kids love it? 
Every time we've gone has been at what should be peak hours, and the place has a steady stream of traffic but its never terribly busy.

Another thing that sets Gelazzi apart from most ice cream or gelato stops is the vast array of alcohol-infused gelato treats on the menu.  Given the wide selection of these "gelatinis", they must be pretty popular.  However, I'm surprised many people would order them, considering their primary demographic in this deep-in-the-'burbs location is families and teenagers.

I'm not a huge fan of mixing dairy treats and booze, so I've always just stuck to the former. There's at least 20 different flavors available at any time, ranging from mango to Oreo to pistachio. The gelato is - as advertised - lighter tasting (and presumably lighter in fat and calories) than ice cream.  I actually find it slightly bland, but my husband loves it and will be very upset when he sees what I just wrote.  His favorite selection is amaretto chocolate chip gelato in a waffle cone bowl.  I've had a few different chocolatey flavors, all in plain cup form, with chocolate chip cookie dough gelato being my favorite.  The two of us usually get out of there for under $7.



Front: Amaretto Chocolate Chip in a Waffle Cone Bowl
Back: Chocolate Chip Cooke Dough



Everyday dining

(7 of 10)


Pros: Good service, any permutation of gelato goodness you can dream of can be ordered
Cons: Slightly expensive

Website: http://www.gelazzi.com/

Toyko Joe's

Without Tokyo Joe's, my husband and I would starve to death. 

You think I'm exaggerating.  Well, I am, but only slightly.

Tokyo Joe's opened its doors to hungry Denver fast-Japanese food lovers in 1996.  Today, lucky Denverites such as myself get to experience the joys of their 21 metro area locations.

Tokyo Joe's serves fresh, natural, solid Japanese food at a very reasonable price. The staff is friendly and service is prompt. They also have a punch card system and an "addict club" that lets regulars eat for especially cheap.

Our local Joe's

My husband and I eat here at least several times a week.  We normally get a filling dinner there for under $15.  I usually grab sushi, the Boulder Veggie Bowl, or the Lettuce Wraps.  My husband is boring and prefers the White Chicken Bowl with Oyako Sauce.

4-Piece "Joe's" Roll

The food won't blow your socks off with depth of flavor or unique preparations, but it is good, solid, healthy Japanese food for cheap.  If you don't want to or don't like to cook, Joe's is the pefect place to grab a quick lunch or dinner.

 Ramen Noodle Bowl

Lettuce Wraps

Website:

http://www.tokyojoes.com/