11 Colorado Food Blogs You Should Read

11 Colorado Food Blogs You Should Read

by | Jul 11, 2016 | IndiNews

From high altitude baking to Southwestern recipes, to Denver’s and Boulder’s burgeoning food scene, there’s plenty of fodder for local food bloggers to cover. Here is DiningOut’s list of 11 Colorado food blogs to read! 

Oh, Ladycakes

11 Colorado Food Blogs You Should Follow

Blogger: Ashlae Warner

Homebase: Denver

History: I started Oh, Ladycakes in late-2011, as a way to chronicle my adventures in baking.

Specialty: Vegan baked goods (and other sweet confections) that don’t taste like they’re vegan. Basically, I could trick your meat-loving uncle (who thinks vegan is synonymous with the word gross) into eating one of my desserts. And he’d probably ask for seconds, too.

Favorite CO restaurant: It’s always changing, but I’m currently digging Mercantile Dining & Provisions. The space is stunning and the vegan plate (not officially on the menu) is always outta-this-world delicious.

Use Real Butter

11 Colorado Food blogs to FollowBlogger: Jennifer Yu

Homebase: I split my time between Nederland and Crested Butte.

History: I started the blog in 2004 to write down my thoughts after the untimely death of my only sister earlier that year. It eventually evolved into a personal blog full of photos and stories about my daily life including lots of food. In 2007, I stripped out the most personal content and went public with my food blog so I could participate in a fun and supportive group of food bloggers called The Daring Bakers (now The Daring Kitchen).

Specialty: My blog is about me—my life in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, my dog, outdoor adventures, places I like to eat, my cancer, some travels, some thoughts, some science, and lots of recipes with step-by-step photographs. There is plenty of photography because I’m a visual person. It’s part diary, part archive, and part a place to share things that I find beautiful, fascinating, or delicious. I don’t specialize in anything other than whatever is on my mind.

Favorite CO restaurant: That’s a tough one, because both Boulder and Crested Butte have great restaurant scenes and I know Denver does, too—although I don’t get to Denver often (I prefer to stay in the mountains).  I would have to go with Frasca in Boulder, because the food and wine are divine, and the service is beyond exceptional.

Climbing Grier Mountain

11 Food Colorado Blogs to FollowBlogger: Lauren Grier

Homebase: Denver (the Highlands)

History: I started Climbing Grier Mountain (CGM) in 2010 as a way to showcase all the wonderful experiences one can have while living in Colorado. The stories from CGM quickly morphed from just lifestyle to more food-focused when I got married, and figured it was time to learn how to cook a proper meal. I was working in the financial industry in 2010, and I lost my job due to the market crash. I figured the best way to pass the time between job interviews was to teach myself how to cook. If I could cook, I imagined that others could do the same.

Specialty: Curiosity.

Favorite CO restaurant: My favorite restaurant right now is Blue Pan Pizza. Their Detroit-style pizza is absolute perfection. Cheesy-topped dough with crispy edges—I’m hungry just thinking about it. I always order either the Parma Italia or Rocky Mountain.

Elana’s Pantry

11 Food Blogs to FollowBlogger: Elana Amsterdam

Homebase: Boulder

History: I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1998. I tried a gluten-free diet and had mixed results so went on a grain-free, or paleo, diet in 2001. I started blogging to share my recipes as well as research on health issues in 2006 with others. Now, I have more than 800 recipes on my website and have written three cookbooks for Random House.

Specialty: My recipes are incredibly simple. I use very few ingredients and test my recipes more than a dozen times to make sure they really work for my readers. I get a lot of feedback thanking me for short ingredient lists and recipes that work.

Favorite CO restaurant: Larkspur in Vail. The food is incredible and they easily handle requests for special diets. Thomas Salamunovich is a genius.

Boulder Locavore

Toni-Dash-BoulderLocavore-Head-Shot-BoulderLocavore.com-76Blogger: Toni Dash

Homebase: Boulder

History: I did a personal experiment to see if I could source my protein and produce exclusively from within a 100-mile radius over a winter in Colorado. I succeeded and in the process discovered all sorts of new farmers, markets, and food artisans. People constantly asked for my resources so I decided to start a blog in September 2010.

Specialty: Exciting, approachable seasonal food and cocktail recipes with twists that are all gluten-free, most also with a gluten option (if not naturally gluten-free). I also share travel stories—often with a food focus.

Favorite CO restaurant: Very difficult to answer, but I’ve been smitten with The Kitchen since it originally opened in Boulder. I love their food quality, innovative recipes, focus on sustainable practices, and involvement with the larger food movement through projects like supporting school gardens. And I found my farm CSA through them!

Culinary Colorado

11 Food Blogs to FollowBlogger: Claire Walters

Homebase: Boulder

History: “Culinary Colorado,” my guidebook to Colorado restaurants, gourmet food stores, artisanal bakeries, cheeseries, cooking schools, wine specialists, food festivals, etc., did really well as soon as it came out of the bindery, but became outdated quickly. It proved too complicated/costly to create an immediate second edition only to face the same challenge again. When the publisher decided not to issue a second edition, I added a “Dining Diary” page to my website. Then when blogging appeared, I launched on October 10, 2006.

Specialty: I write about meals I’ve eaten and food I’ve cooked, trends, and news that intrigues me. My blog is Colorado-centric, but not Colorado exclusive, so I also celebrate Colorado chefs and restaurants that appear on “top” or “best” lists.

Favorite CO restaurant: I have no single favorite. That’s not a cop-out. It’s the truth. My favorite might be where my last delicious meal was–or one serving the food I’m in the mood for. One thing is that I do not go to chains–unless a restaurant is part of the [Frank] Bonanno empire, the Frasca [Food and Wine] family, the [Jen] Jasinski/[Beth] Gruitch collection, or similar.

Dough Eyed

11 food blogs to followBlogger: Nicole Espinosa

Homebase: Southeast Aurora

History: I’ve always baked with my mom as a child, and my grandma was an amazing baker and cook as well. I started the blog in 2009 when I lived in Boston for college–it was called Small Kitchen Big Head because I had maybe the smallest kitchen in America. I have also always been a writer and went to school for journalism. When I moved back to Colorado, I started to improve my baking skills. I’d be baking just as much whether I blogged about it or not, so blogging is just an excuse for me to keep on baking!

Specialty: Baking and sweets are really my passion. I’m also building up some high-altitude baking resources as I learn more, which I think are too sparsely available online today–it’s hard to find high altitude recipes that actually work! I have a high altitude section on my site that I’m building up.

Favorite CO restaurant: Right now, I’m obsessed with a small breakfast and lunch spot in Aurora called The French Press. They make graham cracker syrup to go with stuffed french toast and other sweets, and it’s incredible! They also have chorizo biscuits and gravy that are EVERYTHING.

Grace(full) Plate

11 food blogs to followBlogger: Grace Boyle

Homebase: I live in Longmont and work in Boulder.

History: I had been blogging since 2008 on my personal blog, while also working at my day job in the blogging/publisher industry, so it was part of my day-to-day already. I love uncovering hidden restaurants when traveling, cooking, providing tips on where to eat (I get so many: “Where should I bring my family when they’re in town” questions), and sharing my love of food and how it binds us as people, so it felt very aligned to start another blog on food. A trip to Taos, New Mexico inspired me to finally take the leap in October 2010 so I could share the incredible food I had there.

Specialty: I’m keenly aware of restaurant openings and food stories in Colorado, so as a naturally curious person, I keep readers up-to-date. As an Italian, I care deeply about food and feel strongly that no matter where you’re from or your beliefs, food is one of those few things that connects us. I like to think that insatiable passion comes through in my words as I showcase interesting and delectable stories about food in Colorado and beyond.

Favorite CO restaurant: I love Black Cat. Their menu is driven by their 130-acre farm just outside of Boulder, so the menu changes daily to truly reflect what’s seasonal and fresh. It’s not unusual to see Owner/Chef Eric Skokan at the Boulder Farmers’ Market with his Black Cat farm stand in the morning, then see him later that night in the kitchen at Black Cat, cooking and greeting customers in person.

Rocky Mountain Food Report

bryce-600x600Blogger: Bryce Crawford

Homebase: Colorado Springs

History: I was previously a reporter and restaurant critic for the weekly newspaper. After I quit and realized how much there still was to cover in the area, I started my site on September 1, 2015.

Specialty: We’re connected and plugged-in. We’re judging the events you attend and hanging with the people you want to know more about.

Favorite CO restaurant: My favorite restaurant is probably King’s Chef Diner. It’s a great greasy spoon with kicking green chile.

Saucy Dipper

11 food blogs to followBlogger: Sara Lancaster

Homebase: Denver (Denver Tech Center area)

History: I started in 2010 as a portfolio piece for my marketing agency (The Condiment Marketing Co.) and because I really do have a love for sauces and dips and felt food blogging would be a fun, creative outlet.

Specialty: Sauces and dips aren’t unique really, but to blog about only those two things is unusual as far as I know.

Favorite CO restaurant: I’ve got two little kids now, so I don’t make it out to try the restaurants I would like … at least not often. But my recent favorite is Los Chingones in the DTC. I think of their  Garden Guac often.

Creative Culinary

barbara-creative-culinaryBlogger: Barb Kiebel

Homebase: Denver

History: I learned HTML in 1995 when working in the Internet Division of a large cable company and decided to create my own recipe site to both categorize and easily share recipes with friends. I turned that site into an interactive blog in 2007 and became a full-time food and cocktail blogger in 2012.

Specialty: Though I feature more recipes for food than cocktails, I am most well known as a cocktail blogger since I started featuring cocktails five years ago in my weekly series called “FridayCocktails.”

Favorite CO restaurant: I love Ya Ya’s in the Denver Tech Center. While I have always enjoyed their food and ambience, they are my “Cheers” that that’s what makes them so special; everybody knows my name!

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How to Make Your Social Media Content Stand Out

How to Make Your Social Media Content Stand Out

by | Jul 8, 2016 | Management

If you run a hospitality business, marketing yourself is a large part of your success. To do that, you’ll need to be active on social media. With so much going on, it may be difficult to know just how to get started, but there are nuances that make each platform stand out–use the best practices for each platform in order to truly grow your business without extra effort, with these tips below:

Facebook

With the largest digital population of all social media sites, Facebook is where you will reach the largest segment of your customers and potential customers. Facebook also has the largest variety in terms of content you can post.

Facebook also has the largest variety in terms of content you can post.

Take advantage of the easy shareability the platform provides by posting an enjoyable mix of entertaining posts, from special event announcements to fun foodie facts and behind-the-scenes photos, and encourage your followers to share with their friends. With a small budget (starting at $5 a day), you can boost your posts, which will spread them to a much wider audience, outside your own internal network.

Facebook also allows you to source reviews and post them on a special tab. Since word of mouth is the best way to find new customers, don’t miss this chance; invite customers to review your business on Facebook as often as possible, including messaging on flyers, posters, your website, and more. Include these reviews on your website as well.

Twitter

Twitter is an of-the-moment platform. Followers see your posts in real time, so Twitter is the perfect place to react to customer comments and provide statements on relevant events as they happen. You’ll show that your business is up-to-speed, responsive, and attentive.

Make Twitter your forum for public service.

Make Twitter your forum for public service, and ensure that you respond to any customers’ mentions, tweets, or comments about your brand as soon as possible. By quickly reacting and offering commentary or assistance, you’ll be able to set your business up as a leader in the industry for client needs.

Instagram

Instagram is a highly popular platform that works best when the images do the talking for you. Use this platform to let your products shine! Showcase beautiful images of your business’s food, set-up, and fun employee moments as well, since followers love to see original and enjoyable behind-the-scenes snapshots and feel a connection.

Use Instagram to let your products shine!

Instagram is also a great place to source user-generated images, as people love to post their own material. Use this to your advantage by hosting contests on Instagram: invite followers to post an image of dining at the restaurant (or their favorite meal, or activity perhaps), then tagging your profile in order to win a free meal.

It’s an easy-to-enter and fun activity that will generate wonderful brand awareness to your followers’ followers, as well as a plethora of fan photos that you may be able to share and use, too.

Social Media Tools

By focusing on the aspects of each channel that will work best for your hospitality business, you can grow your brand without too much exertion. To make it even more seamless for your marketing team, consider using a social media scheduling tool or monitoring tool, where you keep an eye on all platforms at once.

To make it even more seamless for your marketing team, consider using a social media scheduling tool.

One of the best tools out there is Hootsuite, where you can schedule posts and track all of your activity at once. To watch multiple topics and conversations in real time on Twitter, you can also look into Tweetdeck, which will easily show you all topics, accounts, and conversations of interest in one simple layout.

Another option, if you’re looking to automate any posts from one channel to show directly on another, is IFTTT. If you’re looking into this, consider the relevance of each post for multiple channels to be sure you want to post that content widely.

With these platform-specific tips, you can begin to post and share to social media now, growing your business strategically – and enjoyably!

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What Do You Mean Hot Dogs Aren’t American?!

What Do You Mean Hot Dogs Aren’t American?!

by | Jul 4, 2016 | IndiNews

Ask any American which foods they consider to be ‘American’ and the answers will be the same. But which of these do we inaccurately consider our own? Don’t worry, we’ve got the answers.

Breakfast Foods

The All-American, the most popular breakfast in America by far, is a dish consisting of eggs, breakfast meats, fried potatoes, toast or American biscuits and occasionally waffles or pancakes.

Traditionally, this fare was enjoyed only by the European elite or the gentry.

Traditionally, this fare was enjoyed only by the European elite or the gentry. Eggs and bacon, for example, go back to the Greeks and Romans in ancient times. Most people broke their fast with tea and a grain like rice or oats, which prepped the body for the day.

As time passed, vegetables, fishes, meats and grains were added to the meal. The English, for instance, enjoy their bacon, sausage and eggs with baked beans, fried tomatoes, fried mushrooms and sometimes leftovers from the night before.

Typical breakfasts the world over include soft or hard boiled eggs, meats, cheeses, bread with butter and jam and a drink like coffee or tea. So, unfortunately, America can’t claim this one.

Pancakes and waffles are considered inherently American. But, such a notion probably has the Greeks of the 5th century BCE, who devised the pancake, turning in their graves.

As for the waffle, we can thank Denmark for this delicious breakfast item.

As for the waffle, we can thank Denmark for this delicious breakfast item, which was first concocted by the Danes during medieval times.

Lunch & Dinner Foods

Hamburgers are definitely considered to be an American invention, but it actually originated in ancient times with the invader Genghis Kahn. He and his men rode their horses for months at a time and their foods had to be held in one hand, so they could guide the horse with the other.

The meat was first tucked beneath the saddle to be tenderized and then eaten raw with one hand.

One of the lands they conquered had developed ground meats of lamb and mutton (sheep at different stages of maturity). The meat was first tucked beneath the saddle to be tenderized and then eaten raw with one hand, similar to what we now consider steak tartare.

Only when brought to America by German immigrants was the meat placed between two slices of bread and called a hamburger for Hamburgh Steak.

Hot dogs, or sausages, are one of the oldest foods in the world going back to the 9th century BCE. They were called dachshund sausages or little dog sausages, for what reason, no one seems to know, and were brought to the New World by German immigrants and sold at roadside stands.

They were called dachshund sausages or little dog sausages, for what reason, no one seems to know.

How did they become known as hot dogs? A reporter at a ball game in New York couldn’t spell dachshund, so he just printed the words “hot dogs”, because vendors shouted to “get your dachshund dogs red hot”.

Pizza is another American favorite thought by some to have been invented in Chicago during the 19th century and by others, in New York during the 20th century, but they’d all be wrong.

When it came to America, pizza morphed over the years into what Americans know and love today.

The flatbread with things on top of it has existed since around 500 BCE. Egyptians, Indians, Persians, Greeks and Romans all made flatbread with toppings to form what we today call pizza.

As with all things, when it came to America, pizza morphed over the years into what Americans know and love today.

Food and a specific method of preparation may have been born in a certain country, but the end results are always personalized by the cooks preparing the dishes. After all, the same foods are used all over the world. Americans celebrate their food by finding new ways to combine and cook their ingredients in an imaginative manner, and this is what truly makes it American.

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How to Find the Best Local Restaurants When Traveling

How to Find the Best Local Restaurants When Traveling

by | Jul 1, 2016 | IndiNews

Do you want a chance to step outside of your comfort zone? Hit the road and go somewhere that is on your bucket list. Travel is the best way to challenge yourself to try new things. One of the most important factors to consider when going to a new location is where are you going to eat. Don’t stay with your fellow tourists, rather eat with the locals. Use these tips for how to find local restaurants when traveling.

Use Personal Connections

Before you travel to a new destination, check with friends, family, and coworkers who have been to the same destination. Ask them what the local food scene is like and if they have any suggestions.

Try and get insider tips.

Try and get insider tips. For instance, how is the street food? What are the prices like in restaurants that are down side streets? What are some of the most popular restaurants for locals?

Do Your Research

The internet is your best friend when you are traveling. Check different travel websites before you leave. Do the same on the internet at your hotel. If a restaurant sounds interesting, check the reviews for it. Do not be afraid to try places that don’t have any reviews listed.

Do not be afraid to try places that don’t have any reviews listed.

Look for local deals and see if you qualify for the offer. Sometimes these offers are available to travelers especially if the location is new and trying to grow their customer base.

Walk around the non-tourist parts of town when you arrive. If a restaurant seems appealing, walk in and try it.

Brush up on the Local Language

When traveling outside of the country, it is important to understand the local customs and culture. One of the most important parts of the local culture is understanding the language.

Make sure you know how to read and speak key phrases. Some food related ones to know are: excuse me, what do you recommend? Where do you like to eat? What is in this dish?

These phrases along with basic manners will help you blend in a bit more.

These phrases along with basic manners will help you blend in a bit more. Making an attempt at a new language will get you in the good graces of locals, once you make the attempt many will switch to English if they know it.

Be Prepared to Expand Your Palette

Travel is an exciting escape from the everyday grind. It is the perfect time to try new dishes. Experiment as often as you can because you probably won’t be able to taste these dishes when you’re are back at home.

Take a risk and try something new.

Don’t be afraid. The worst that could happen when trying new flavors is that you don’t like it! So take a risk and try something new. However, if you know you have an allergy or sensitivity use caution.

Chat People Up

Ask the people at the hotel where they eat. Let them know you do not want to eat where typical travelers eat. If you are looking for a specific type of food let them know so they can narrow their choices down.

If you are traveling overseas, this includes talking to the flight attendants when you get the chance. There is a good chance they will have some recommendations especially if you are flying on one of their regular routes.

Do not be afraid to talk with people on the street. If something smells good and a local is walking by the location, ask them about it.

Ask the people at the hotel where they eat.

Ask the servers where they eat if you want future meal ideas. Talk to the people in tour centers as you pick up your tickets. Ask them where they eat for all meals.

While the primary goal is to find positive food experiences, take to heart any local opinions on places to avoid.

No matter if you are traveling for business or pleasure, use these tips to expand your food knowledge. Know your limits though and if you have any allergies or sensitivities, make sure you inquire what is in with the dishes that you want to try. Happy eating!

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Bar Reservations May Increase Restaurant Profitablity

Bar Reservations May Increase Restaurant Profitablity

by | Jun 27, 2016 | Business Toolkit, Management

Do you take reservations for the bar in your restaurant? If not, it may be time to start. According to a new survey from OpenTable, offering reservations for bar dining has many potential benefits including added seating, faster turnaround times and, for a specific type of guest, increased hospitality. 

In late May, OpenTable launched Table Categories, a pilot program that allows users to book bar reservations at a handful of participating restaurants in Chicago. As OpenTable’s Eli Chait, this was a response to internal company data showing that bar dining options are underutilized at many restaurants.

“We estimate that non-standard seating options like bar, communal tables, and high-tops make up 12 to 15 percent of restaurant inventory in the U.S. These seats are typically empty or highly coveted, as some diners actually prefer a seat in the center of the action.”

In order to establish some bar dining benchmarks, and to kick off their Insider Survey Series, OpenTable polled 420 restaurant partners, of which 62% were casual fine dining, 31% full-service casual, 12% formal dining establishments.

Here are the survey key findings:

  • 36% of respondents are already accept dining reservations in their bars and 12% are interested in doing so.
  • 52% report that the bar generates the same amount or more revenue than that of the dining room.
  • 54% say that the average turnaround time in the bar is under 60 minutes.
  • 85% agreed with the statement, “Investing in my bar area increased my restaurant’s profitability.”

So, what’s the main advantage of offering bar reservations? As BonAppetit‘s Sam Dean explains, it all comes down to having the flexibility to seat more guests.

“Solo diners can drop in without having to hog a two-top, and a friendly word from a bartender can free up enough space at the bar for a whole new party—after all, you can’t exactly ask a couple to slide down to the next booth in the middle of their meal.”

However, skeptics remain, fearing that bar reservations may compromise customer service and guest experience. In response, OpenTable says that implementing this practice satisfies another type of clientele that prefers the bar scene.

“Offering bar seats to guests who are thrilled to book them means those diners get the experience they desire—and seats stay occupied all night.”

And, yes, for the customers that like to get their names in the book but would rather sit at the bar, this is definitely the case. But what about those that prefer the bar precisely because it doesn’t require a reservation? They probably wouldn’t be too pleased.

All in all, it really comes down to the establishment and its clientele. That said, with the right conditions, allowing customers to book the bar could mean more money in the register.

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