Looking forward and backward at the same time.

I got a new job.
It is a DREAM job. A full-time job. A job with benefits and perks that I still can’t believe are real. A job with incredible people with serious ambition. A job of which I am extremely proud to have earned.

I will once again be returning to full-time editor life and I am thrilled! I won’t go into specifics here, but it is travel-centric and the wanderlust is already very real. Mostly I just want to acknowledge that I’ve hustled and made ends meet these last couple of years, networked, built my portfolio, and dealt with a lot of personal adversity—and this position is well-deserved. I am very, very proud of myself and cannot wait to feel financially secure.

And now, the good stuff.

While my posts on here are few and far between, perhaps it’s a result of lofty and far-from-realistic content goals; that said, I am trying something new. I plan to share an array of delicious things I’ve eaten and drank and cool places I’ve been, multiple in one post, to acknowledge the incredible food scene that exists here in Denver (and wherever else I go). Let’s begin.

Back-to-Back Brunch

The last few weeks have been chock-full of weekend brunch. And while I think my bottomless mimosa-binging days are far, far behind me (phew), I am always up for a Sunday morning feast. (As long as there’s coffee.)

There’s a restaurant in the Lower Highlands (LoHi) of Denver that calls itself an Israeli restaurant but also gleans inspiration from various parts of the world. Ash’Kara’s weekend brunch is recently re-launched and features a colorful, flavorful array of dishes you can’t find anywhere else in Denver—like Curry Fried Chicken, freshly made pitas, and all the hummus, labneh, and baba ghanoush your tastebuds can handle.

Heading Downtown

Following a delightfully bright and complex-flavored brunch in the Highlands, I moved to the heart of Downtown Denver/Union Station to one of my favorite restaurants: Urban Farmer. I’ve (obviously) been here before, but for a cheese tasting or a dinner and never brunch—and that will change now that I’ve had it.

I had the most decadent Duck Hash here (with a side of scrambled eggs, just because), and we were treated to a brunch-dessert of the Brioche French Toast topped with strawberry jam, hazelnut brittle, chai cream cheese, and powdered sugar. It was an epic meal, and despite going alcohol-free on this one, I definitely needed a nap as soon as I got home.

And, like many great brunches, Urban Farmer’s got a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar.