Go Vote! 5280 Top of the Town and Westword's 2012 Best of Denver Readers' Poll

Westword and 5280 both have reader polls open for the best of Denver 2012:

Westword 2012 Best of Denver Readers' Poll

5280 Top of the Town Ballot

Westword's closes March 22, and 5280's closes March 18.

The polls pertain to all things local, but since I only leave the house to work, eat, and drink beer, I could only comment on the food and drink scene in Denver.

Oh, and feel free to vote for the Rocky Mountain Oyster as "Best Blogger"!

Below are my picks; I only voted when I felt strongly about a certain restaurant or food.


From Westword's Poll:

91. Best brunch
Duo

99. Best expense-account dinner
Opus

100. Best first-date restaurant
Root Down

101. Best restaurant for a last meal
ChoLon

108. Best bakery
Pierre Michel French Bakery

116. Best brewpub
Southern Sun

117. Best tap house
Avery Brewing Company

119. Best bottle beer list
Hops & Pie

120. Best draft beer list
Hops & Pie

123. Best house margarita
Lola

133. Best hot dog
Biker Jim's

137. Best mac and cheese
Hops & Pie OR Biker Jim's

138. Best pizza
Mellow Mushroom OR Marco's Coal Fired Pizzeria

142. Best free chips and salsa
La Loma

164. Best French restaurant
Pierre Michel Organic French Bakery OR Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar

165. Best American restaurant
Root Down




From 5280's Poll:

Bakery:
Pierre Michel Organic French Bakery

Breakfast:
Snooze

Brunch:
Duo

Burger:
Larkburger

Dessert:
ChoLon

Donuts:
Salt

Gluten-Free Menu:
Root Down

Hot Dog / Sausage:
Biker Jim's

Ice Cream / Gelato:
Sweet Action

Kid-Friendly Restaurant:
Parry's Pizzeria OR Mellow Mushroom (SouthGlenn)

Meatball:
Wooden Table

Patio Dining:
Lola

Pizza: 
Mellow Mushroom OR Marco's Coal Fired Pizzeria

Half Order of Curious Jorge French Toast at Snooze

The Best Things I Ate in 2011

I ate a lot of great food this year, and a few of those foods were particularly memorable. In no particular order, here are my favorites from 2011:

Devils on Horseback @ Root Down

The Bronx Pizza @ Marco's Coal Fired Pizza

Guacamole @ Lola

Moules au Saffran @ Le Central

Roast Colorado Lamb Rack @ Restaurant Kevin Taylor

Cider Glazed Pork Benedict @ Duo

Any hot dog from Biker Jim's, AND the Fried Mac 'n' Cheese at Biker Jim's

The Larkburger

Vegetable Risotto (Served with Butter Poached Salmon) @ Opus

Glazed & Cinnamon Doughnuts @ Salt

Red Velvet Cupcake @ Euclid Hall

Salmon on Potato Chip @ Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar, 5280 Dines

Boneless Berkshire Pork Chop @ Vesta Dipping Grill

Panang Curry Chicken @ Tuk Tuk Thai Grill

Pork Tenderloin @ ChoLon

S'mores Tart @ ChoLon

IPA Mac 'n' Cheese @ Hops & Pie

Crispy Risotto Arancini @ Linger

Thank you for following the Rocky Mountain Oyster in 2011. Happy New Year Everyone!

Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs

Well, I suppose if Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs is a favorite of Anthony Bourdain's and if it's Susan Feniger's "Best Thing I Ever Ate", it's probably good enough for me and my amateur tastebuds. Biker Jim's has quickly become one of the most well known food spots in Denver, meaning it was time for us to get over there and see what the big deal was all about.

We showed up at about 5:30 pm on a Friday night just before a Rockies game. Surprisingly, only a few tables were occupied when we first arrived, but it soon became packed with customers after we entered.

Biker Jim's is more famously known for its hot dog stands, and just opened the brick-and-mortar location this past March in Five Points near Coors Field (across from my beloved Marco's Coal Fired Pizzeria). The Biker Jim's restaurant has order-at-the-counter service and indoor and outdoor tables.

My husband ordered the Louisiana Red Hot ($6), with cream cheese and grilled onions on top (additional $1). And a half order of the much-Yelped fried macaroni and cheese on the side ($2).

And what did I order? I'm going to get a lot of crap about this. Well, I already have from my husband. Brace yourself. I ordered a hamburger. It was the Off-The-Street Burger ($8) to be precise.

WHY you ask, did I get a hamburger? Well...

1. I'm not that big of a hot dog fan
2. The toppings sounded *%(@*$ fantastic. Fried green tomatoes, fried onions, roasted poblanos, garlic aioli and a gooey-yolk egg?  Yes please.

We munched on pickles and banana peppers from the relish bar while waiting for our plates, and we were greeted with the arrival of our food after only a few short minutes.

Left - Louisiana Red Hot dog with cream cheese and grilled onions
Right - Fried Macaroni and Cheese
Sorry my husband took such a bad picture and didn't even bother to unwrap his hot dog.

My husband was upset about my hamburger order, and I am upset with him for taking such a crummy picture of his delicious food. Underneath that tin foil wrapper is a wonderfully spicy Louisiana Red Hot dog, which was perfectly complimented by the cream cheese and sweet grilled onions.

And the shot of the two fried triangles on the right simply does not do justice to the insanely good Fried Macaroni and Cheese insides. It tastes like the richest, gooey-est, most wonderfully cheesy and with perfectly cooked pasta type mac and cheese that you've ever had. And then it's deep fried. Amazing. It lived up to every word of Yelp hype. Loyal readers (all 2 of you), you must try it if you visit.

And my order, the Off-the-Street burger:

Off-the-Street Burger

Let's start with the toppings I was so excited about. The fried onions, egg, and roasted poblano were all excellent, but the real star was the perfectly cooked, tangy fried green tomato. Clearly Biker Jim's really has their act together when it comes to fried goodies.

But sadly, my hamburger was a bit dry and flavorless. It certainly didn't have the punch of a Louisiana Red Hot dog. And the worst part about it was I was blasted with "I-told-you-so"s from my irritatingly smug dining partner. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH IT PAINS ME TO SAY THIS, but he was right. I should've stuck with a hot dog.

Unfortunately, along with the arrival of our food at the table, we were faced with what was no doubt my biggest gripe of the experience: there were flies everywhere. I spent more time trying to swat away the nonstop swarm of winged pests than I did enjoying the food.  Biker Jim's has two garage-door panels that they had open at the time - I assume to keep temperatures cool and smoke levels down - but they need to put up screens or do something to keep the flies away. A friend who's been to Biker Jim's on several other occasions confirmed he's seen the same thing, so it wasn't just an isolated problem.

Biker Jim's: Great hot dogs and great fried mac and cheese. Well worth any marital strife your visit may cause. Bring a fly swatter.


Everyday Dining

 (7 of 10)

Pros: Amazing Fried Macaroni and Cheese and hot dogs. Fast service.
Cons: Hamburger was disappointing. Beware the flies when doors are open.

Website:
http://bikerjimsdogs.com/

CJ's Frozen Custard

CJ's is the ultimate mom-and-pop custard stop. Their small location is located in Lone Tree at Lincoln and Yosemite, in a strip mall near Safeway and in between a couple of random stores.

The interior of CJ's is pretty bare-bones, with six or so tables and fliers everywhere for every local thing imaginable.

CJ's offers the traditional custard-stand staples of chocolate, vanilla, and "flavor of the day" custards, as well as Vienna hot dogs. I've never tried the hot dogs, but I do know all about the custard. The frozen treats are offered with a variety of standard toppings, and can be ordered as part of a sundae or malt. CJ's also sells "flavor of the day" pints.

My husband's favorite thing ever is the marshmallow malt, made with vanilla custard ($5.5).

Marshmallow Malt

My selection on this particular visit was a small cup of chocolate custard with peanut butter cup pieces ($3.5).

Chocolate Custard with Peanut Butter Cup Topping

And one of my husband's favorite "flavor of the day" selections, in pint form:

Cherry Amaretto Custard Pint

CJ's isn't anything terribly unique, but it is a solid neighborhood custard stop.

Everyday Dining

(7 of 10)

Pros: Unique flavor of the day options, custard in every form consumable
Cons: Slightly expensive, very average custard options

Website:

http://www.cjsfrozencustard.com

Bernie's Hot Dog Co.

Disclaimer: I'm not a huge hot dog fan. To me, a typical hot dog tastes OK but not great. Plus I sort of avoid processed red meats. But my husband is an occasional hot dog eater, and he was intrigued by Bernie's after driving by their Highlands Ranch location. Since our first visit many months ago, he's become a regular, and I tag along every once in a while.

Bernie's is located in the most stereotypically suburban setting imaginable, in a small strip mall-ish cluster of restaurants near a main artery of Highlands Ranch and across from Home Depot. But don't be fooled by the location; Bernie's is one of very few non-chain, local restaurants in the south suburbs.

Walking into Bernie's, you might forget just how deeply entrenched in the suburbs you are.The interior is a combination of eye-popping red and green walls and, in an apparent reference to its own menu offerings, canine photos plastered all over the restaurant.

Anyone wary of standard hot dogs will be pleased to discover that Bernie's offers veggie dogs, turkey dogs, and "all-natural" dogs. The "all-natural" dogs are made of Vienna beef with no added color, hormones, or nitrites, and they're what my husband and I have ordered every single time we've visited. In other words, they're delicious.

The most difficult part of a visit to Bernie's may be deciding from their 20+ condiment offerings. Besides the usuals like ketchup and pickles, there are more exotic options including blue cheese, bacon, and green chili. My husband usually orders the "Michigan Ave" (aka a Chicago Dog), which comes with yellow mustard, pickle spears, tomatoes, sweet relish, diced onions, banana peppers, and celery salt. I've tried the Michigan Ave a couple times but got turned off by the subsequent bad breath and fluorescent green relish; now I stick to just ketchup and mustard.

All-natural dog with Michigan Ave toppings

All of our meals at Bernie's have included a side of their beer-battered fries, which are always served piping hot, and with all the salty and greasy goodness you ask for from a hot dog joint.

Beer-battered French fries

Nothing stands out as being the best thing i ever ate, but you can definitely get a great hot dog - customized to your liking - at a very decent price.

Everyday Dining

(7 of 10)

Pros: Good food. Lots of hot dog and condiment options, great service

Cons: Boring location, buns are nothing special, not many healthy options

Website:

http://bernieshotdogs.com/