Feeling a Little Chile at Lunchtime

There are plenty of things that I should be doing today-I have a critical thinking paper due Monday, the laundry pile is a little high, and I should devote a little time to some work for my internship.  But, it's 80 degrees and sunny, and I feel something in the air.  All outdoor patios in the area are full, and people seem to have started the weekend early.  Not many lunch options at the crib, and I'm a little tired of turkey sandwiches, anyway (not that turkey sandwiches are the only thing that I've eaten this week).  So, when I spotted the Steuben's Truck between 17th and 18th on Sherman, I knew that I'd need to make a stop.  I drove around the corner and parked in front of Wells Fargo Bank, intending on getting $20 out to get lunch and put some gas in the car, but the lure of the food truck made me forget to go to the ATM.  My mind simply put blinders on and guided me to the small crowd of people gathered around the blue truck.

 No, seriously.  I had no idea the food truck would be here, at this particular time and location....

Food trucks are still a new thing to me-they were a total rarity in NC.  I've noticed that they seem to be growing in popularity across the nation, and they've definitely developed a following in Denver.  The Steuben's truck travels far and wide, in fact they just traveled the country a few months ago. They're a venture by Steuben's Restaurant in the Uptown neighborhood, which is a must-visit in Denver, as anyone that has visited me so far can attest. Luckily the neighborhood is close enough to my pad that you could literally roll me home. But I'll give you the restaurant rundown on another post.  Soon, I promise.  Back to the food trucks, social media has turned their existence into a celebrity-spotting, of sorts, around town (Hey, did you hear where so-and-so is today?)-everyone updates their location via FB or Twitter.   Okay- So now's the time where I come clean and tell you that I didn't just happen to stumble on "Pearl"-as she's known.  I knew damn well where she'd be.....  So I walked up and checked out the menu.

                     Nothing to see here....just move along.....


I thought about it briefly, but after watching a few episodes of Man vs. Food last night, I couldn't get my mind off of cheeseburgers.  Granted, I seem to only write about burgers lately, but Denver is by some accounts the birthplace of the Cheeseburger itself!  Anyway, I wanted a little variation, so I went for the green chile cheeseburger.

Don't know if I can make it home without a bite.  Maybe I should flip the hazards on and run some red lights.....

Yeah, I just went for the burger.....I just didn't need any fries today.  Granted Steuben's fries are phenomenal, but just not necessary.  After all, I saw the size of sandwiches that other patrons hauled off.  So, I grabbed my burger and started to walk away, when I noticed several people munching on something odd out of a paper cone.

Hmmm.....something fried, something with powdered sugar on it....tell me more......

They offered me one and told me what they were-a treat called "Steubie Snacks".  Bits of pork shoulder deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar.  Are you kidding me?  They offered one-who am I to resist?  The chunk was decadent beyond words, sweet, salty, crispy, and addictive, I'm sure.  The food equivalent of crack cocaine.  I'll order them for unsuspecting visitors in the future, for shizzle.  In the meantime, I drove the mile back to my house, ready to munch down on the burger.

Environmental responsibility is a big thing with Steuben's and Pearl.  Pearl runs off of vegetable oil from their cooking, and solar panels help provide power to the mobile goodness machine.  Steuben's also takes great pride in sourcing ingredients from the area.  The burger was no exception.  Starting with a sweet challah bun from Udi's and a big burger patty from River Ranches Beef in Steamboat (from what I've read), the sandwich is a direct replica of the burger served at the Owl Cafe in San Antonio, NM- widely regarded as THE authority on green chile burgers.  Supposedly, the Steuben's crew headed down and researched it extensively!  In any case, the fresh patties are given a rub, then covered with melted cheese and topped by green chiles.  Mayo, lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles are then laid on top.  The result is somewhat spicy chiles held in place by the cheese just long enough for you to take a gigantic chomp out of it.  Perfectly seasoned, undeniably fresh, enjoyably sloppy, and large enough to go without sides, I think I made the right choice for lunch.  Even better, when I got home I realized I had one Odell's St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale to go with the burger.

 Nothing wrong with a beer for lunch, right? I mean, I passed on the fries!

Hoppy, crisp, but with little aftertaste, it was a perfect match for the Southwestern twist on an American staple.  Probably a good thing I only had one in the fridge, because it went down like water, and I have stuff to do.  Seriously, I could see my self stalking food trucks, and that's not the Odell's talking.  Convenient, delicious, inexpensive, and often distinguishing themselves with signature twists on their menu, they're another reminder of how fun and exciting a meal can be.  And with that, I'd better get back to my homework.  I've got a ticket to Widespread Panic tomorrow at Red Rocks, and the Electric Forest Festival to attend next week, and lots of work to do in the meantime.  I'd better get started.  Right after this nap.....

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

One of the coolest things about Denver is the palpable sense of history.  Last week, we decided to capture some frontier essence and eat somewhere legendary.  I thought about it for a few minutes and realized that it was time to visit the oldest bar in the town, My Brother's Bar.  Originally established in 1873 as Highland House, MBB has been pouring drinks continuously for almost 140 years.

The real claim to fame, though, is the former clientele.  The bar was known as the local watering hole for two of most prominent figures from the Beat Generation, Neal Cassady and Jack Kerouac.  Cassady, a Denver native, was the inspiration for Kerouac's On the Road (and later, the Grateful Dead's "The Other One" and "Cassidy.") Supposedly, they lived off greasy burgers served in wax paper, and ran up tabs in the dark, unmarked bar. 

So what can you expect, these days? We drove down to the River District, an area gentrified in the last decade.  The REI flagship store is down the block, and the hip restaurants of Highland right up the hill.  My Brother's Bar, though, involves no fanfare-there's not even a sign outside to let you know what you're getting into. When you walk inside, you witness a non-pretentious remnant of yesteryear, including a menu that hasn't changed in eons.  A nostalgic, slightly musty smell adds to the ambiance, and with a beautiful old bar and employees in ties, you realize that you're not in the hip new fusion spot that popped up on the corner.  I would call it "Sophisticated simplicity."  A quaint, dimly lit beer garden begs you to sit outside, but on this chilly June evening, we elected to soak up the atmosphere and sit inside near the bar and check out the highly-regarded pub fare.

The beer list is rather short-but that's fine when you've got good ones on draught.  We ordered a pitcher of Odell's IPA and waited for the burgers to arrive.  I ordered the Johnny Burger, which featured three cheeses and onions.  My girlfriend ordered the JCB, which stands for Jalapeno Cream Cheese Burger.  You couldn't go wrong either way.   Every meal comes with a condiment tray- an impressive box that will allow you to dress up your burger anyway you see fit.  We ordered fries and onion rings to accompany the meal, but frankly they were sidenotes to the amazing burgers.  Now these burgers are not going to wow anyone with gourmet twists; they will hit you instead with simple, in-your-face goodness.  The talking ceased, the burgers disappeared, and instead of dessert we opted for a pitcher of Fuller's London Pride (unexpected surprise of a session beer!)  Anyway, with our stomachs full, we vowed to return-SOON.

Now I hate to read reviews where people compare apples to oranges-the service is slow in this type of bar.  If you want fast, friendly service, go to Outback or Chili's.  If you want one of the best (if not THE best) burgers in Denver-and authenticity and a sense of place mean something to you, then go to My Brother's Bar and order a pitcher of beer and kick back.  Better yet, let me know and I'll go with you.  The food will arrive soon enough, and believe me-when it gets there, it'll be worth it.