Forty-Two

Update 1/17/2010: The Glenn now has their website up and going. You can visit it at www.theglennbarandgrill.com. The menu and some pictures are up there, and hopefully we’ll see some upcoming events listed soon.

Update: They now have karaoke on Thursday and Friday nights! Woo Hoo! This past Friday it was on the patio. The weather was perfect and we had a blast. Sean OWNED the Kid Rock song “Bawitdaba”! They’re making some changes to the outside as well. New awnings have gone up, a new oversize menu is posted outside near the door, and a new large sign is going up outside as well. I’m also going to add some new photos to the post taken during our Sunday brunch there yesterday. Sean had the steak benedict AND french toast and bacon (it comes with three pieces of bacon but he had already eaten one by the time I got the photo taken) and I had the “Debi Special”, one steak slider with avocado and bacon and a side of sweet potato fries. Super yum! As you can see, the food is AWESOME!!!!! 6/20/2009

Update: They’ve added to their Brunch menu this week, fried chicken and waffles! I couldn’t be happier! Mmmm… 2/28/2009

Our local pub, the Glenn, offers everything I could ask for: great food, great atmosphere, and great service. The warmly lit interior has wood-panel high-backed booths lining the walls, a few tables, and a spacious u-shaped bar. The large patio in back also has a second bar (open during the summer), and a nice fire pit for atmosphere. The bartenders and waitstaff are almost entirely female and are really the most wonderful group of people I’ve ever met, always greeting us warmly when we arrive and keeping our drinks filled and our bellies happy while keeping us up on the latest news and conversation. The events during the week keep us entertained such as Trivia on Tuesdays and Karaoke on Thursdays. They even offer a calendar of live music and special events such as a classic car night and patio barbecues during the summer.

The food, however, is the raison d’être! The burgers are the best around: excellent fresh beef patties on bakery rolls that are quite large for the price of about $8 with fries. Of course, I always opt for the up-sell of their fantastic Sweet Potato fries; a delicious combination of sweet and savory crisp fries that welcome you with their delightful orange color. The giant chopped salad is truly enormous and heaped with (among other things) egg, bacon, chicken, even freshly-sliced bright green avocado. The greek salad is also wonderful with loads of feta, olives, and a tart vinaigrette that leaves your mouth watering. Even the jalapeno poppers are made with a sweeter red jalapeno and cream cheese and served with a spicy jelly for a nice change from the usual. The newest addition to the menu, the steak sliders, are a sweet combination of tender sliced steak, havarti cheese, and carmelized onions nestled within hawaiian rolls that are just to die for! Our biggest downfall, though, is the weekend brunch served Saturdays and Sundays 10-3. The homemade hollendaise sauce on the classic eggs benedict and the french toast with crispy bacon served up with their clever Bloody Mary bar are the only reason we’re up and out-the-door by 10am most weekends.

The prices are extremely reasonable for the high quality and serving sizes of food and combined with the location and service it is what keeps us coming back every week and bringing our friends. They are also very accommodating for larger parties and groups although the Friday night crowds are getting bigger as word gets around. Parking in their small lot can fill up during happy hours and on Friday nights, but the lots next door and around the corner are always available. All-in-all, I’d rate the Glenn as one of the best restaurant/pubs in the area, located at 112th and Irma in Northglenn. Also, don’t miss their sister restaurant, Sloan’s, near the Sloan’s lake area in Denver. 11/28/2008

Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes, England has produced the most amazing cheese I’ve every tasted. Their Abbot’s Gold cheddar with caramelized onions is the best cheese I’ve ever had and I’ve had a lot of cheeses!

I tried this cheese for the first time on a cheese plate at a Wisconsin wine bar. I know… an English cheese in Wisconsin? But yes, it’s that good. I bought a quarter pound of it the next day at a cheese shop there (Cheeser’s in Stoughton, WI) and fell in love with it forever. The Wensleydale Creamery from Hawes’ “Abbot’s Gold” cheese has the rich, sultry flavor of caramelized onions that complements the dense, slightly crumbly true English cheddar in the best possible way. It’s fantastic sliced thinly on a buttery cracker or slightly thicker on a good crusty loaf of bread. I love it served with a side of tart fruit such as Granny Smith apples or a good ripe Bosc pear, sliced on a grilled cheese or roast beef sandwich, melted into mashed potatoes with leeks and bacon, or anything else your heart desires, this cheese is the best cheese ever!

Order from Amazon!

Enjoy!

The Weber Grill restaurant in Chicago was fantastic! Based on the Weber brand charcoal grills, the restaurant actually uses giant charcoal grills in its kitchen.

The December day in Chicago was a cold one, negative 12 degrees or so, and we were ill prepared for the walk around the block since we went the wrong way from exiting the parking structure. But we finally made it the restaurant and it was packed for the dinner rush including the amply-sized bar. We eventually found a couple of cramped seats at the bar after putting in our name for the 40-minute wait and had a few cocktails.

We anticipated the wait due to the location and timing and our lack of reservations, but it was a bit more cramped and busy than I had hoped. Eventually, we did get seated and our server was friendly and helpful. We selected the special for Sean, and I had a nice filet. They were awesome in their willingness to cook my steak as rare as I wished (sear, sear, serve) and the flavor of the steak was incredible!

Sean was floored by the awesome pretzel rolls with cheesy butter (tasted just like soft-pretzels but had the texture of a really wonderful roll) and I loved the grilled corn on the cob and grilled asparagus. Sean’s special was a wonderfully tender and flavorful grilled chicken and sweet potato mash that was all-together delectable.

We left the restaurant full and happy. Despite the temperature and wait, it was well worth the trip and I would highly recommend the food to everyone!

Whenever downtown, I try to make it to my favorite restaurant of all time, Le Central. Very affordable fine French cuisine without the fancy dress requirement. The restaurant itself is an eclectic-styled older house renovated into a many-roomed dining area with steps up and down throughout. The tables are small and cozy, many arranged in small nooks throughout the maze of warmly decorated rooms.

They have, as you’d expect, a wonderful wine list and dessert menu as well as a chef-created daily menu that usually offers a beef dish, a fish dish, and a poultry dish as well as the menu mainstay of a variety of mussels and a special prix-fixe three-course-meal option (chef-selected soup or salad choice, usually a choice between two entrees, and a special daily dessert). I usually opt for the prix-fixe meal and have been overcome with joy at every one of the past selections such as a wonderful rabbit with a ragout sauce, and a fantastic plum-glazed duck. The all-time favorite dish for us at one of our meals was an amazing dessert that came after one of these three-course meals: a passion fruit mousse in a dark chocolate shell. I think I lost a moment of time when I sampled it, my eyes closing in ecstasy. Yep, it was that good!

Although I’m not a fan of mussels, several dining companions have partaken of this staple of the menu and they have always given excellent reviews. We have even sampled the escargot and, despite my reservations, I was quite impressed at the lovely buttery garlic sauce and the tender meat. We have never had anything less than a stellar dish despite what we have ordered (sometimes in a spirit of adventure), and the combination of the fine wines, the warm bread served before the meal, and the always-amazing entrees leave me well-sated and happy every time.

Located downtown at Lincoln and 8th in Denver, Le Central does not have a parking lot but there are meters on the street for a relatively painless parking experience. The “daily menu” design of Le Central means that each time we go I get to try something new and amazing, the wonderful service and fine atmosphere, and the true affordability for this fine cuisine are keys to making this restaurant my absolute favorite.

http://www.lecentral.com/