Road Tips

DC Oakes Brewhouse and Eatery - Fort Collins, CO

On our first night in Fort Collins earlier this year, we had hoped to eat at a Mediterranean restaurant near our hotel.  When we pulled up to the place around 8:30 p.m., we discovered that they closed at 7 p.m. on Sundays.  There were a number of restaurants in the immediate area, but most were national chains with full menus or fast casual places that didn't really appeal to us.  I remembered driving past a brewpub down the road on our way into Fort Collins to our hotel on the south side of town.  We drove down East Harmony Road and pulled into the parking lot of DC Oakes Brewhouse and Eatery.  (see map) 

Daniel Chesseman Oakes was born in Maine in 1825 and grew up in Iowa before heading west in the late 1850's.  Oakes was one of the first people to see opportunity in Colorado, panning for gold around the Pikes Peak area south of Denver - he wrote a book detailing what a person would need to survive for six months in the mountains of Colorado looking for gold.  Oakes later built the first sawmill in Denver and his mill provided the lumber for many of the first buildings built in the city.  Even though he built a fort to protect new settlers in the region from possible attacks from Native Americans living in the area, Oakes became a government intermediary who helped keep peace between the local tribes and the settlers.   Oakes later became a member of the first Denver city council and was named the first postmaster of Douglas County, just south of Denver.  

It was because of Oakes' penchant for taking pioneer spirit risks in difficult times which turned out to be successful, it became the name of the brewpub/eatery that five friends who had worked together in the restaurant industry had planned to start in Fort Collins.  Steve Boothe and Gerard Boyle recruited friends and former co-workers to round out their team at their planned brewpub.  TJ Compton actually got his start as a chef at C.B. and Potts, a brewpub and restaurant in Fort Collins, before he caught the brewing bug.  Compton eventually left C.B. and Potts to become the head brewer at Lost Highway Brewery in Denver.  With 17 years of brewing experience under his belt, Compton joined Boothe, Boyle, chef Tony Gray, and Henry Fang - the numbers guy of the group - to open D.C. Oakes in May of 2017, the 20th brewery in Fort Collins and the first one on the southeast side of the city.  

It wasn't too busy at DC Oakes when we pulled into the parking lot of a new-ish strip mall just off E. Harmony Road.  There was a small crowd in the restaurant that featured sort of a mix between modern industrial and rustic architecture.  There were some booths in an area of the dining room, but we took a seat at a high-top table opposite the bar. 

The bar area featured a couple of flat screen televisions either side of spigots coming out of the backbar wall that appeared to be made out of reclaimed barn boards.  The menu of beers on tap were also bordered with what appeared to be old barn boards, as well.  It was an open and somewhat loud place, even though it appeared to be only at a quarter of capacity that evening.  

The hostess had dropped off a couple menus for us when we sat down and our server Erika came over to take our drink order.   Even though DC Oakes has a full bar, we wanted to try one of their IPA's that they had on tap.  I thought it was pretty good - sort of a fruity taste on the back side that helped cut into the hoppy flavor of the beer.  While my wife got a pint of the IPA, I ended up getting the Copper lager, a smooth and malty tasting beer.  

The menu at DC Oakes featured a number of appetizer or shareable platters including chorizo and ale-steamed mussels, a charcuterie board, smoked chicken wings, and skewers of wedged heirloom tomatoes with spicy Italian coppa and fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil.  They had a number of salads including ones with grilled salmon, steak or chicken teriyaki mixed in.  There were a number of burgers and sandwiches, as well as entrees such as a smothered steak burrito, pan-seared salmon in a wheat beer sauce,  and a half-rack of slow-roasted pork ribs that were covered in a pomegranate/chipotle sauce.  They also had an adult mac & cheese dish that featured four different types of cheese mixed with orecchiette pasta shells.  You could add items such as shrimp, steak, chicken, pork belly or lobster for an upcharge.  DC Oakes also featured a kids menu and has what appears to be an extensive brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  

My wife has been on a buffalo meat kick as of late because of the leanness of the ground meat.  She ended up getting the white buffalo burger.  It came with whiskey-braised onions and a garlic aioli along with arugula and halved cherry tomatoes.  She had a choice of a side with the buffalo burger and she got the house-made slaw.  My wife's biggest peeve is when the restaurant cooks the life out of a buffalo burger.  But she said the grill chef in the kitchen at DC Oakes cooked it perfectly.  She said there was still some juiciness in the meat and it was a delicious buffalo burger.

I had thought about getting the meatloaf sandwich that was made with a mixture of chorizo sausage and ground beef and topped with a chipotle barbecue sauce.  But I ended up getting the chili verde burger - a flame-grilled patty topped with their house-made pork chili verde, cheddar cheese and a fried egg, all served open-faced.  For my side, I asked Erika if I could get a cup of the green chili instead of a potato choice or cole slaw.  She said it would be a slight upcharge, but that was fine with me.  

The green chili burger was very good - the pork chili verde was a wonderful compliment to the medium-cooked burger, but didn't overpower the taste of the beef.  The cheddar cheese was melted evenly on the patty and the fried egg gave it a another flavor to add to the already delicious mixture of savory and spicy.  The cup of green chili was topped with cheddar cheese and it, too, was wonderful.  

There was little - if anything - we could quibble about our meal at DC Oakes Brewhouse and Eatery.  Their brewery made some good tasting beers, the food selection - and the quality of the food - was a step above most brewpubs we've visited in the past, and the service was fine.  If anything, one could say that it was a little loud with the open layout of the floor plan in the place.  But it was a Sunday night and by the time we were done we were just two of about a dozen people left in the place, so carrying on a conversation wasn't all that bad.  DC Oakes was a nice little brewpub in a city that is famous for their brewpubs and microbreweries.  

Urban India - San Diego

I was back out in San Diego earlier this year for a trade show and I went out with a colleague to have dinner one evening.  I had mentioned seeing an Indian restaurant a few blocks north of our Gaslamp Quarter hotel when I was out for a walk earlier in the day and my colleague said that he would be up for some Indian food that evening.  He was actually one of the first people to introduce me to Indian food a number of years ago, so I knew he'd want to go with me if I suggested Indian food that evening.  We made about a 10 minute walk from our hotel to the front door of Urban India.  

Surinder Singh moved to San Diego at the age of 12.  He got his start working in restaurants as a teenager bussing tables and running food.  When he was in high school, his parents bought a small neighborhood Indian restaurant by the name of The Indian Tandoor.  Surinder started working for his parents part time moving into a full time position when he graduated from high school.  He learned to make many of the traditional Indian foods served at The Indian Tandoor.

The Indian Tandoor was a success and the Singh family opened other locations around the greater San Diego area.  But Surinder was looking to do something on his own - sort of a combination modern Indian restaurant and sports bar.  Partnering with a friend, Surinder Singh looked to open his spot in downtown San Diego and they found a spot on 4th Street that used to house Joey's Smokin' BBQ.  Urban India opened in April of 2012.  

We walked up to Urban India around 7:30 on a nice, but somewhat humid evening in San Diego.  (see map)  Folding front windows were open to the street.  It was a long and somewhat open space with brick pillars in the middle of the room.  With the exception of a family of eight having dinner at a long table and two couples seated up front by the open windows, we pretty much had the pick of where we wanted to sit that evening.  

The bar had a couple of flat panel televisions on the back wall showing the replay of an exhibition football game that was played earlier in the week.  It was a full bar with a large selection of liquor, wine and beer.  There were other flat screen televisions mounted throughout the place.  I thought it was kind of unique to have a sports bar disguised as an Indian restaurant - and vice-versa.  

We found a seat at a table opposite the bar and we were greeted by - who I figured out later on - was Surinder Singh, the owner/chef at Urban India.  He gave us a couple of menus and we ordered up a couple of tall Kingfisher beers to start out with.  

My colleague is still much more worldly and adventurous when it comes to Indian food.  He just started to order a couple appetizers - things I was not familiar with.  The first one was completely confusing to me.  I thought he had ordered papadum - the Indian-style chips made from lentil and chickpea that come with mint or tamarind chutney.  But this was something completely different from what I thought my colleague ordered.  It had the papadum chips in it, but it had some sort of a vegetable sauce on it along with fresh cilantro.  We shared half of the plate each and I'd have to say it was pretty good.

The second appetizer was much easier - onion bhaji, or basically Indian onion rings.  The batter was light and flaky, and had a wonderful taste quality.  The onions were sweet and fresh.  I liked the onion bhaji immensely.

There were so many things on the menu that jumped out at me for my main entree that evening that I was having some difficulty as to what to have.  My colleague had turned me onto Butter Chicken when I was at his favorite Indian restaurant in Montreal with him about three years ago.  (He said that it was supposed to be mild, but it ended up being pretty spicy.  I didn't mind the spiciness, but it did sort of detract from the overall taste of the butter chicken.)  I thought about getting the butter chicken with a bit of spiciness at Urban India, but I saw that they had Lamb Tikka Masala on the menu, too.   And they had Chicken Curry, as well as a spicy lamb vindaloo.  So, you can see that my mind was in a tussle with my stomach as what to order.  

I ended up getting the Rogan Josh, tender lamb chunks in a garlic, ginger and multiple spice gravy.  Surinder asked me how I wanted it, spice-wise.  I ordered it medium - and I'm glad I did.  The sauce was had a distinct spicy bite to it, but it wasn't overpowering.  

We got some garlic naan to go along with our meal and it had a great and forward garlic taste to it.  I haven't been eating much rice lately and I used the garlic naan to dip into the sauce and to put some of the tender and flavorful lamb chunks onto the bread.  I had been suffering from allergies while I was in San Diego and this turned out to be exactly what I needed in terms of a good comfort-style meal. 

My colleague went with the lamb kabobs.  Once again, I was sort of confused with the presentation as I was expecting chunks of grilled lamb with veggies on a skewer.  But it was brought out on a sizzling iron platter similar to how you would get fajitas in a Mexican restaurant.  The lamb chunks were seasoned with a chili sauce before grilling and served with onions, peppers and fresh cilantro.  While it was something that I would have never thought about ordering, he thought it was outstanding.  

My colleague and I were both very happy with our choices at Urban India.  We had passed a couple three other Indian restaurants on our walk between the hotel and Urban India, but I'm not certain if they could have been any better than what we had that evening.  My colleague and I talked up Urban India so much so the next day that another colleague took a couple guests there for dinner that evening.  Urban India was a pretty unique place - an Indian sports bar.  While it wouldn't be the first place I would think of to watch sports, it would certainly be uncommon for me to be eating Indian food while watching a football game.  But the Rogan Josh with the garlic naan, as well as the onion bhaji with a cold Kingfisher beer would be a great meal while watching sports. 

Mi Casa - Breckenridge, CO

My wife and I weren't too enamored with Breckenridge, CO.  We had made reservations to spend the night there during our trip to Colorado earlier this year, but once we figured out that we didn't care too much for the town it was too late to cancel the reservations and move on.  We decided to make the best of it and we went out for a walk trying to figure out what to have for dinner.  We saw a Mediterranean restaurant where we checked out the menu they had posted outside, but decided against it.  We saw a sign for a Mexican restaurant and walked into a building and down a hallway to check out the menu.  My wife and I both sort of shrugged our shoulders and said, "Sure!  Why not?"  And we decided to give Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant and Cantina a try that evening.  

It turns out that Mi Casa is the oldest continually-owned restaurant in Breckenridge.  Alexandra Storm opened Mi Casa in August of 1981 and brought in $737 dollars in revenue for the first evening.  A month after Mi Casa opened, a young man by the name of Dick Carleton came to work at Mi Casa as a server.  It wasn't long that Carleton worked his way up the ladder at the restaurant eventually becoming the managing partner for Mi Casa.  

Carleton - who is a city council member for the town of Breckenridge; and Storm - whose Jane Alexandra Storm Foundation is a non-profit philanthropic organization giving out grants to local agencies - opened their second restaurant - Hearthstone - in 1989.  Storm and Carleton continue to run both restaurants today.   

Through a nondescript front entrance in the hallway of a building along South Park Avenue in Breckenridge (see map) we entered Mi Casa.  We were met at the hostess stand by two young ladies who were rather indifferent when we walked in.  One of the young ladies asked if we would like to sit in the bar or in the dining room.  We took a quick look into the bar area which was kind of cozy, but also pretty loud.  We opted for the dining room.

The dining room was a long and narrow area with large windows that looked out onto a patio and a plaza area.  The hostess took us to a table that was right along one of the windows and wordlessly dropped a couple menus on the table and walked away.  My wife and I thought her attitude was somewhat callous and thought it was rather strange for a first impression of a restaurant.  

We were soon greeted by our server for the evening, a pleasant, but reserved young lady by the name of Cassidy.  We ordered a couple margaritas and took a look at the menu.  

Actually, the little patio area just outside the window where we were seated looked sort of nice.  There were a number of the trendy triangle-shaped sun shades over the patio.  But it was sort of cool outside and no one was sitting on the deck that evening.   

We started off getting a couple of margaritas with Herradura tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and agave nectar.  They had over 100 tequilas to choose from at Mi Casa and a couple of my friends who are tequila aficionados would have had a field day looking over the selection of tequila they offered.  We also had some fresh made chips that came with three different types of salsa.  There was a mild pico de gallo that had a great fresh taste to it, there was a salsa verde that had a bit of a spicy bite to it, and there was a spicy red that at first I didn't think it was all that spicy.  It was like, "Hmm...  it's not that spicy."  Then it was like, "Wait for it... wait for it... wait for it..."  And then, "BAM!!"  The spiciness really snuck up and definitely got my attention.  

The menu was an extensive mixture of traditional Mexican favorites with a modern flair.  They had items such as a mango-braised duck quesadilla, a chorizo-stuffed chicken breast, chile nut-encrusted red trout, and red chile-braised pork belly tacos.  They also had a number of vegetarian selections on the menu including veggie fajitas, sweet potato tacos, and spinach and mushroom enchiladas.  

I wasn't all that hungry as the lunch we had earlier in the day was still sitting somewhat heavy in my stomach. I thought about getting the grilled wahoo fish tacos, but I ended up getting a bowl of the pork chili verde they had at Mi Casa.  I love green pork chili and Colorado has some restaurants that have excellent pork chili verde.  And the one at Mi Casa was good, too.  I thought it was a little expensive ($9.95) for the serving size, but it satiated my appetite that evening.  

My wife was more hungry than I was and she ended up getting the chicken fajitas.  It featured 6 ounce strips of chicken breast in a smoky onion and garlic marinade, then grilled.  (For an additional $4.95, she could have gotten the 10-ounce portion of the chicken fajitas.  But she was fine with the 6 ounce portion.)  It came with guajillo chile-grilled onions, sautéed poblano chiles, and tomato wedges, along with a housemade guacamole, pico de gallo, cheddar jack cheese, rice and refried beans.  She thoroughly enjoyed the fresh flavors mixed with a bit of a spicy bite in her fajitas.  

We were happy with our food at Mi Casa, although I felt it wasn't that great of a value compared to other Mexican restaurants we've been to.  But given the tourist-town nature of Breckenridge, we really should have expected it.  The pork green chili was good and my wife enjoyed her chicken fajitas.  The chips were fresh and the salsa that accompanied them was also fresh and a couple of the sauces were pretty zippy in taste.  Even though the two hostesses showed an indifference that bordered on aloof snobbery, our server was very helpful and pleasant.  We think we made a better choice between the Mediterranean restaurant that we had considered and Mi Casa.   

Accomplice Beer Company - Cheyenne, WY

During our trip to Colorado earlier this year, I decided to head across Nebraska on I-80 to Cheyenne, WY and take I-25 south to Fort Collins.  It was actually a two-fold intent for me - it appeared to be the fastest (but not the shortest) route to Fort Collins, and it gave me another state capitol building that I could see.  (I was - and still am - somewhat of a geography nerd, and I could name all the state capitals by the time I was five years old.  Still can, too.)  As we approached Cheyenne, my wife said she thought she needed something to eat.  Nothing heavy, but just a little something.  I wasn't all that hungry, but I did agree that we could stop somewhere.  My wife looked up local brewpubs on her smartphone and she found a place that sounded pretty interesting - the Accomplice Beer Company.  After checking out the Wyoming State Capitol Building (which was shrouded in tarps and scaffolding as it was undergoing a significant renovation), we went a few blocks south to the Accomplice Beer Company.  

The Accomplice Beer Company opened in June of 2016, the fourth craft brewery to open in Cheyenne after Freedom's Edge Brewing (2012), Cheyenne Brewing Company (2014) and Danielmark's Brewing Co. (April of 2016).  A.B.C., as its known to the locals, is part of the Finally Restaurant Group which oversees the Rib and Chop House restaurants that were founded by Louisiana-native Burke Moran in Bozeman, MT in 2001.  There are 11 Rib and Chop House restaurants in Montana, Wyoming and Utah, and the Rib and Chop House in downtown Cheyenne is arguably the most popular restaurant in the city.  

When Cheyenne Brewing Company closed its doors in the historic Cheyenne Depot Plaza in late 2015, Finally Restaurant Group decided to take over the spot.  Rumors swirled that they would be opening a second Rib and Chop House in the location, but with a somewhat new brew works already in place, they decided to open a brewpub instead.  When the Accomplice Beer Company opened in the summer of 2016, they didn't have the proper federal licensing to brew and serve their own beers, so they had a number of guest brews on tap.  However, it wasn't long before Brewmaster Jerod Day was serving his specialty beers at A.B.C.

We pulled up to the historic Cheyenne Depot Plaza just before 3 p.m Mountain Time on a warm Sunday afternoon.   (see map)  We were able to find parking in a free lot on the west side of the large ornate depot.  The depot was built by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1887 nearly 20 years after the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad that went through Cheyenne between Omaha, NE and San Francisco/Oakland, CA.  In 1993, the Union Pacific donated the somewhat dilapidated building to the city of Cheyenne who started an extensive refurbishing of the building soon thereafter.  Today, Cheyenne Depot Plaza houses not only the Accomplice Beer Co., but the Cheyenne Depot Museum, an interactive display that shows historical train exhibits, as well as telling the story of how the railroad contributed to the growth of Cheyenne over the years.  A plaza in front of the building, which was designated as a National Historical Landmark in 2006, hosts a number of events year-round.  

Walking inside the Accomplice Beer Company, we found a couple of rooms with large beer tanks with the restaurant just around the corner.  The long narrow space featured a bar, and had a wonderful early 20th century feeling to the place.  High-beamed ceilings, hanging antique lights and a tile floor were the features that stood out most in the space.

There was an outdoor patio that was right next to the working Union Pacific tracks.  Passenger service to and from Cheyenne ended in 1983 and the depot was shut down at that time.  (Amtrak started a new line between Denver and Seattle in the early 1990's using a small depot south and west of Cheyenne for the official local depot.  But that service was discontinued about four years later.)  However, freight service on the Union Pacific is still an ongoing enterprise and there were a number of trains chugging through the yard next to the depot.

Accomplice Beer Company uses a "pour-your-own" system for serving you beer.  While they did have a full bar, being able to pour your own beer for either a sample taste or for a full pint is the fun part of the visit.  The drill is that when you come in, you present your credit card to the person at the front desk.  They give you back a card with a chip in it that tracks how much beer you pour.  You set the card in a little slot underneath the screen and you pour the beer.  There is a wash station under the spigots that allows you to clean your glass if you're wanting to try just an ounce or two of the different beers they have on tap.  There are 14 spigots on the wall, but that day they only had 11 beers on tap including two from the Sierra Nevada brewery, and the rest from Accomplice Brewing Co.  Some of the A.B.C. beers included the Skremin' Eagle American Wheat, the Lady Crimson English Ale, and the 6062 Amber Ale.  I tried the Nue Dogma New England IPA that was fairly hoppy before trying the Merican Ninja American pale ale that was smooth, but not as hoppy.  My wife went right for the Burro Bucker Imperial, a strong IPA with a 9.1% average alcohol content and a bitterness rating of 100+.  She seemed to like it, but switched to the New England IPA for her second beer.

(We were told afterward that they were out of their most popular beer - the Lincoln Railway Coast-to-Coast IPA.  But they had a neat t-shirt at the front counter - "Drinkin' with Lincoln" with a somewhat surreal caricature of Abraham Lincoln on the front.  My wife bought it for me.  It's pretty cool.)

The food menu at Accomplice Beer was decidedly fast casual with a number of appetizers and beer snacks such as a diced-spicy tuna tostada, poutine, chicken wings and boneless pork wings.  The menu also featured salads, as well as artisan pizzas and combo entrees such as grilled cod tacos and fries, one pound of ribs, and a locally-made beer bratwurst.  A kale salad came with the combo plates.  

As I said, I wasn't overly hungry, but my wife was needing something to eat.  She ended up ordering the hot and crunchy chicken tenders.  They were coated with a corn flake and chili powder, and served with a habanero/passion fruit sauce on the side.  There were four or five small chicken strips in the basket that the waitress brought out.  I had one just to try it and l thought they were just all right.  The crunchiness of the outer shell was fine, but I didn't think they were all that spicy.  Even the habanero/passion fruit sauce didn't help the taste of them.  I thought they were somewhat overpriced for $10.95.  

While we thought the food was pretty average for what we got at Accomplice Brewing Company, we thought the beer was very good.  The "pour-your-own" concept is starting to pop up at a handful of places I've been to and it's fun trying different types of beers before deciding upon one to have in either a pint or snifter glass.  But the ambiance of the brewpub in the historic and ornate old depot was really the nicest part of the visit to Accomplice Beer Company.   For a shot in the dark stop, this turned out to be a pretty memorable experience.  Well, other than the chicken tenders being mediocre and over-priced, this was a nice stop for us.  

Back Door Grill - Steamboat Springs, CO

When we checked into our hotel upon arrival in Steamboat Springs, we asked the very helpful front desk clerk for suggestions for lunch.  We were sort of looking for a brewpub or someplace like that.  "Unfortunately, most of our brewpubs don't open until around 4 and some have a limited menu," he told us.  But then he told us about a place that was named as having the best burgers in the United States by Trip Advisor.  Thoroughly impressed by that revelation, he gave us instructions on how to get to the Back Door Grill near Steamboat Spring's downtown area.  

(Well, it turned out that he oversold the award.  But it did turn out that the Back Door Grill WAS named one of the Top 10 burgers in the U.S. by Trip Advisor earlier this year.  Still, that's not too shabby!)   

Dave Eliason has been involved in restaurant management for a number of years.  He worked primarily in steakhouses counting Red Tracton's in San Diego and the Couloir in Jackson Hole, WY as two of the more high-profile restaurants he toiled in over the years.  When the LaRoche brothers (including former major league baseball player Dave LaRoche) decided to open a steakhouse in Steamboat Springs, they recruited Eliason to run the place for them.  Eliason's wife, Brandi, was a pastry chef at the Four Seasons hotel in Jackson Hole and he was able to get her a job at E3 Chophouse as the steakhouse's pastry chef.  (Look for an upcoming Road Tips post on E3.) 

E3 opened in late 2013 serving steaks from grass fed beef sourced from the LaRoche family farm in Kansas.  But both Dave and Brandi were missing a good ol' juicy burger, the kind where you can put different toppings on it to make it a signature burger.  They decided to open a small burger joint, but needed help in doing so.

The Eliason's initially partnered up with E3 to provide the grass-fed beef for their burgers, and with the Ghost Ranch Saloon, an event venue/bar facility with an old West theme in Steamboat that allowed them to use their kitchen in exchange for helping with catering for some events.  In an alley way next to the Ghost Ranch, there was a small walk-up window near the kitchen.  They put in some tables near the window and opened the Back Door Grill in June of 2014.  Brandi made the buns for the burgers and the breads for grilled sandwiches, and the couple used only naturally grown potatoes and onions for their fries and rings.  

Business boomed from the start and it appeared that the couple needed to keep the momentum going into the winter months.  That meant moving into a fixed building and when building housing Spostas World Sushi became available in the fall of 2014, the Eliason's jumped on that location moving in there in November of 2014.  The Eliason's eventually quit their jobs at E3 to focus on the growing business at the Back Door Grill, adding breakfast items to the menu in 2015.  (The Eliason's also own O'Neill's Tavern and Grill - an Irish pub/steakhouse - as well as the Cupcake Mini Bar - a boutique bakery - in Steamboat.  Their plan is to expand the Back Door Grill to other ski resort towns across Colorado.)  

It was just after 2 p.m. when we pulled up in front of the Back Door Grill on Oak Street near downtown Steamboat Springs.  (see map)  It was housed in a large gray stand-alone building that looked like it may have been an apartment or boarding house at one time.  There was a patio area in front of and on the side of the building.  

Entering the restaurant, we found a small area with a bar and a handful of tables and chairs.  The walls were covered with $1 dollar bills where people had written on them.  There was an upstairs dining area, but it was well past the lunch rush that we were able to get a table in a small room off to the side.  

We were met by our server, Jake, who gave us menus and asked us what we'd like to drink.  We both ordered up the Space Ghost IPA from the Equinox brewery in Fort Collins - one of the few breweries we didn't get to when we were there the previous couple three days.  

Burgers definitely rule the menu at the Back Door Grill.  They have a number of signature burgers such as the Mahalo burger that features pineapple slices, Swiss cheese and a teriyaki sauce (ham can be added to the Mahalo burger for an additional $2 bucks), the Afterburner that is topped with chili, cheddar cheese, jalapeños and sour cream, the G13 that is topped with a creamy Sriracha sauce and American cheese, and the Dirty Harry which is topped with peanut butter, a fried egg, bacon slices, hash browns, and cheddar cheese and served on a glazed donut.  (Uh.... no, thanks.)   They also have "build-your-own" burgers on the menu, as well as sandwiches such as a grilled chicken club sandwich, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich with shaved rib-eye steak and provolone cheese, and a seared mahi mahi sandwich.  

My wife got the Dennis Popper (no doubt a play on the name of the late actor Dennis Hopper), which consisted of a flat-grilled burger topped with pepper jack cheese, jalapeño poppers and an onion ring with barbecue sauce.  She asked to get the barbecue sauce on the side.  

The housemade bun was deeply toasted, but not burnt.   Back Door Grill switched to locally-raised all-natural beef when they moved to their present location in late 2014.  From the looks of char on the edge the burger patty, it appeared it was smashed on the flat grill to let it cook in its own juices.  

I ended up going with the Umami burger topped with Swiss cheese and mushrooms (and I added bacon for an upcharge).  The burger came with a sliced onion, a tomato slice and chopped lettuce.  

The burger was big and thick - and very delicious.  It was juicy and full of a great beef flavor.  The bun - which is the key to a great burger - was light and fluffy, but held together very well with the toppings and juiciness of the burger.  

My wife was very happy with her burger, as well.  She said that the poppers weren't all that spicy, but really helped enhance the taste of the beef.  She ended up not using any of the sweet barbecue sauce that Jake brought out on the side.  She said it would have detracted from the overall taste of the burger.  

For our first meal in Steamboat Springs, we couldn't have been happier with the Back Door Grill.  It was a great suggestion from the guy at the hotel and the burgers were great.  The atmosphere was a mixture of funky and cozy, and they had a great selection of craft beers from across Colorado.  The service was laid-back and casual, but also prompt and professional.  Sometimes my stomach does somersaults when I write about places we've been because the food was so good.  As I write this entry, my stomach is doing jumping-jacks wishing we could go back to the Back Door Grill for lunch today.

Kue'd Smokehouse - Waukee, IA

One of my accounts in Des Moines had a client who needed some assistance with a pair of speakers he had purchased earlier this summer.  The client lived about 20 miles north and west of Des Moines and after I had finished there, I took off to go back to Des Moines for the evening.  On the way back, I passed a barbecue place that looked sort of interesting in a strip mall along Hickman Road in the suburb of Waukee.  I turned around and went back to try out Kue'd Smokehouse.  (see map) 

It turns out that Kue'd Smokehouse has some fine Des Moines barbecue in its DNA.  Owners Shad and Angie Kirton used to be co-owners of the award winning Smokey D's BBQ on Des Moines' far north side.  (Click here to see the Road Tips entry on Smokey D's.)  Shad Kirton had grown up in Central Iowa and had gone away for culinary school.  After stints at restaurants on the west coast, Kirton came back to Iowa to run the kitchen at the Hotel Pattee, an upscale boutique hotel/restaurant in Perry, IA that quickly became a destination for food enthusiasts nationwide.  

When the hotel and restaurant fell on hard financial times about a dozen years ago, Kirton left there and got together with Darren Warth - the "D" of Smokey D's - to be the pitmaster at a small barbecue joint and to enter barbecue contests.  Warth had already won awards at a couple of the more prestigious barbecue competitions - the American Royal in Kansas City and the Jack Daniels World Barbecue Invitational in Tennessee.  But it wasn't until Shad Kirton participated in the BBQ Pitmasters reality-based competition on The Learning Channel (TLC) in 2010 that the legend of Smokey D's took off.  Kirton ended up winning the second season of the competition and a $100,000 check for his smoking of a whole pig in a traditional cinder block smoke pit in the season's final broadcast.  

With that type of success, Warth and Kirton - who already had two small barbecue places in the Des Moines area - opened their large Smokey D's location later that year just off Interstate 80 on N. 2nd Ave.  In a city that quickly became known for the barbecue offerings in the area, Smokey D's was considered by many to be the best.  Warth's wife, Sherry, and Kirton's wife, Angie were also partners in the business.  

Pictured right - Angie and Shad Kirton.  Photo courtesy Des Moines CityView.

In 2015, the Warth's bought the Kirton's shares of Smokey D's.  Shad Kirton took a year off from running a restaurant and participating in barbecue contests to concentrate on his family and to plan a new restaurant.  The Kirton's found a spot in a new strip mall in the fast growing community of Waukee and they opened Kue'd Smokehouse in March of 2016.  Earlier this year (and after my visit), Food and Wine Magazine named Kue'd Smokehouse the best barbecue in Iowa.  

It was around 7:30 when I got into Kue'd Smokehouse.  It was a pretty small place with counter service.  The menu was on a chalk board next to the front counter.  

The menu had all the normal barbecue items - pork spare ribs, brisket, pulled pork and chicken, burnt ends, sausage, chicken wings, and smoked turkey.  They had a number of house-made sides to choose from including mac & cheese, loaded smashed potatoes, and a German cucumber salad.  Their meats were all available in serving sizes of 1/4, 1/2 or 1 pound offerings.  They also had a good selection of beer including craft beers.  I got a Pseudo Sue pale ale from the Toppling Goliath brewery in Decorah, IA.

Just around the corner was the dining room with the open kitchen off to the side.  There were big smoker units along the wall and there was a faint smell of smoke in the place.  It was making my stomach jump up and down in anticipation.  

The dining area at Kue'd Smokehouse was long and narrow.  It featured a small number of two-seat and four seat tables.  There was counter/bar seating along the window and all of the two-seat tables were filled, so I took a seat there.  

It wasn't long after I sat down that my barbecue plate showed up.  I got the two meat sampler - brisket and burnt ends.  For my sides, I got the baked beans and the cole slaw - both of which were made in-house.  Two pieces of white bread come on the side with thick cut dill pickles.  They had three sauces available - a Carolina-style vinegar and pepper sauce that was very good, as well as a sweet and tangy molasses sauce, and a sweet and spicy sauce that I liked a lot.  

The brisket was cut thin, and was lean and very tender with a great smoke and spicy flavor to the meat.  The brisket was just outstanding.  But I was more than pleasantly surprised with the burnt ends.  The first few times I tried burnt ends a number of years ago, I felt they were overcooked and somewhat tough.  The burnt ends at Kue'd Smokehouse were tender and had a great smoky beef taste.  The were big and chunky, and pulled apart very easily.  They were simply some of the best burnt ends I've ever had.

The baked beans featured chunks of pulled pork and had a nice tangy taste.  I spiced them up a bit with the sweet and spicy barbecue sauce, but on their own they really didn't need much help.  The cole slaw was all right, sort of creamy and sweet, but I wasn't too enamored with that side.  

As I said, I didn't know until after I went to Kue'd Barbecue that Food and Wine Magazine had recently named them as the best barbecue in Iowa.  And from my visit, I certainly couldn't disagree with their assessment.  The brisket was lean, tender and flavorful, while the burnt ends were simply outstanding.  I really enjoyed the baked beans while I wasn't too crazy about the cole slaw.  Still, they had a nice craft beer selection to go along with their wonderful barbecue.  The dining room is a little small, but they certainly seemed to be doing a brisk business in carry-out orders.  Des Moines is fast getting a reputation for good to great barbecue joints and Kue'd Barbecue may be the best of them all.