Aspen Saturday Market

Have you ever been to a fresh farmer’s market or a Saturday market? If the answer is no, you really need to go visit one! Everything is homemade or locally grown. No preserves, no chemicals, and no mass-production. The vegetables and fruit are fresher, sweeter, and juicer. The meat is tender and fresh. The jewelry, artwork, and crafts are unique and one-of-a-kind.

One of my favorite markets is Aspen Saturday Market. One of my favorite venders is one that has tables upon tables of fresh breads, scones, muffins, cookies and tarts!!! Last time we were in Aspen, we ordered a blueberry and cranberry scone, whole-wheat oat and poppyseed bread, a magic bar, and a soft pretzel the size of a loaf of french bread! It was all very delicious!

In addition, we love the local Colorado honey. They even have samples for you to try!

Our favorite vendor… can you guess why?

Delicious and freshly baked pastries, muffins, tarts, quiches, scones and breads!

Pastries, donuts, fritters, cinnamon rolls, and cookies … yes please!

Blueberry scone (top) and cranberry scone (bottom)

Whole wheat bread

Finally, there’s this pasta vendor called Pappardelle’s Pasta. The company was founded in Denver in 1984 and had a vision to bring exquisite, fresh pastas in an array of flavors never before experienced by Americans. At that time in the United States, “plain” was the only flavor of pasta available.

What kind of flavors can you expect from Pappardelle’s? There’s mushroom; basil & garlic; chocolate & raspberry; fanciful fruit blend; Italian pesto pasta blend; Southwestern pasta blend; whole wheat chipotle lime; basil tangerine; should I go on??? See the complete list here because I’m only just scratching the surface!

Photo from: Highlands Ranch Foodie

Saturday markets are a blast, and if you live in Dallas, you’re in luck! Dallas has a great farmer’s market that has been here for the past six decades! It is called Dallas Farmer’s Market and is open seven days a week, 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, 362 days of the year (according to their website)! You can buy locally grown tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peaches, watermelons, and even flowers & shrubs from farmers living within 150 miles of Dallas.

Check it out next time you have a free weekend in Dallas!

Last night in Aspen: Jimmy’s

Jimmy’s is one of our favorite restaurants in Aspen. Therefore, we thought it fitting to eat here on our final day before heading back to Dallas. According to their website, “Jimmy’s has been Aspen’s neighborhood bar, restaurant and gathering place” since 1997. American food characterizes the menu with classics such as steaks and seafood to comforts like meatloaf and mac and cheese. The atmosphere is perfect for all occasions….special dinners, casual lunches, lively sporting events, you name it and staff is there to entertain.

The food was excellent and did not disappoint. Filing, fancy, and flavorful, we’ll definitely be back next time we’re in Aspen!

Jimmy’s menu from outside.

Each table gets complimentary soft pretzel sticks and mustard.

Jimmy’s classic mac and cheese. For the recipe, click here.

Fresh asparagus.

Dad ordered the Petite Filet which came with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Mom and I split the Jumbo Lump Blue Crab cakes served with jasmine rice and summer succotash. Click here for the recipe.

I didn’t get a picture, but my sister ordered the shrimp cocktail, which was very fresh and delicious. Matt ordered the BBQ Chicken with Mad Dog Ranch BBQ Sauce with a kick. It was also served with with a side of seasonal vegetables.

After 5 gloriously relaxing days in Aspen, now it’s time to return to the hot and humid weather back in Dallas. Colorado is definitely one of the most beautiful places on this earth, and I’m always sad to leave. With that said, I think this sign (below) is fitting.

I love this sign! It is so true.

A hole in the wall: New York Pizza in Aspen!

All of the restaurants in Aspen are great, but you sure have to pay the price! If you plan on eating out, expect to pay around $30 per person…. excluding drinks. We found an exception to the Aspen dining “norm” with this hole in the wall pizza joint called New York Pizza.

They have a wide variety of items on the menu including whole pies (with extra toppings only costing you $.25 cents each), salads, subs, sandwiches, and calzones. Like I said, the prices are very reasonable.

I love the atmosphere of this place. Walking up the red carpeted stairs, you feel like you’re leaving Aspen and entering New York City.

Literally a hole in the wall… you have to walk upstairs to find this restaurant.

Upstairs, you’re greeted with the smell of warm pizza, stainless steel ovens, and pizza-by-the slice. For less than $5, you can get a HUGE slice of pizza of your choice. Choose from pepperoni, cheese, canadian bacon and hamburger, veggie with Feta, black olives, onions, and peppers and more!

Pizza by the slice!

We ordered a greek salad to-go and all loved it! Topped with plenty of Feta cheese, extra-large mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, peppers, diced red onions, sliced tomatoes, and romaine lettuce, it sure was a winner. The dressing is some sort of vinaigrette, which I also thoroughly enjoyed.

Greek Salad to-go.

Finally, take a look at this New York pizza! The crust was thin and chewy, the toppings fresh, and the cheese savory. My dad ordered half canadian bacon and hamburger for himself, while my husband requested pepperoni.

If you’re looking for something cheap and tasty in Aspen, New York Pizza is a winner. It sure beats Dominoes, which is also located in Aspen. However, why would you eat Dominoes when you can have New York style pizza?

Large, 16 ” pizza: half canadian bacon/hamburger and half pepperoni.

Dinner at L’Hostaria – Aspen, Colorado

After hearing from both the concierge and driver at the Grand Hyatt that Aspen’s L’Hostaria was their favorite restaurant in town, we had to try it. What did we think? It was amazing and probably our favorite dining spot in Aspen!

L’Hostaria is where authentic Italian cuisine meets fresh, healthy, and homemade ingredients. We were absolutely impressed with the service and how fresh, light and gourmet the food was. L’Hostaria is the only restaurant in Aspen that makes their own pasta daily by hand, and you can definitely taste a difference!

L’Hostaria menu

The atmosphere of L’Hostaria was elegant, yet cozy. Designer Italian chairs, terracotta vases, Tuscan antiques, soft lighting and stucco walls created an ambiance you will find only in Italy. The restaurant is underground, so you can choose to eat inside the cool, comfortable restaurant, or sit outside on the underground the porch with the retractible roof letting natural sunlight peak in.

Dining inside L’Hostaria – designer Italian chairs, terracotta vases, Tuscan antiques, soft lighting and stucco walls create an atmosphere you will find only in Italy.

Everything on the menu looked good, so we had a hard time deciding what to order. In the end, Matt and I choose to split the Papparadelle alla Bolognese. The papparadelle (extra-wide pasta noodles) was spinach flavored and accompanied with a light yet filling Italian meat sauce. I say “light” because unlike a lot of meat sauces, this was NOT greasy. For garnish, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and shredded basil was added.

Pappardelle alla Bolognese – homemade spinach pasta with an Italian meat sauce

My mom ordered the Spaghettini with rock shrimp, chopped eggplant, diced tomatoes and garnished with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese in a light tomato sauce. It was excellent…. extremely light, yet packed full of flavor.

Spaghettini with rock shrimp, eggplant, diced tomatoes and fresh basil

My dad ordered the grilled New York steak with green peppercorn sauce, accompanied with a scoop of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. His steak was nicely seasoned, and even though I hate eating steaks at restaurants since they are so salty and overly seasoned, this was was very good and had a unique flavor. (Sorry, we have no picture… it was blurry!)

Since our main courses were so delicious, we thought we’d finish it all off by splitting a piece of Tiramisu four ways. The tiramisu consisted of marscarpone and cream layered between ladyfingers soaked in coffee, and topped with cocoa sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar and drizzled with chocolate sauce. It was good. If you like dark chocolate, you’ll love this! It was extremely rich and dark. I’m more of a milk chocolate fan, so you know where my preferences land.

Tiramisu dell’ ‘Hostaria – ladyfingers, marscarpone, cream, coffee, and cocoa

***We were all so impressed with L’Hostaria that my mom and I came back the next evening and ordered the potato gnocchi for take-out. We all ate our “own” dinners at the hotel that evening: Matt and my dad split a pizza while my sister had grilled chicken.

The gnocchi my mom and I split was outstanding! It was so fresh, and almost seemed to melt in our mouths. Again, the sauce was very light. The gnocchi was accompanied by freshly diced tomatoes, basil and Parmesan cheese. Yum!

What did I like best? I can’t choose…. it depends on what mood I’m in. All-in-all, all pasta dishes were homemade, fresh, and light. You’ll get full, but won’t have that miserable “stuffed” feeling like many restaurants give off from their greasy, processed food. Next time you’re in Aspen, you must visit L’Hostaria. We will be back for sure!

Potato gnocchi with diced tomatoes and basil

Dinner at Cantina – Aspen, Colorado

Dinner time in Aspen! For our first meal of the trip, we headed to Cantina – Aspen for some good’ole Mexican food. My sister and parents had eaten at this same restaurant a few days before Matt and I arrived to Colorado. They said it was great, and were game to try it again.

We were still all on Dallas time, and even though it was only 5:30, we were all starving! I think high-altitude makes me hungry, in addition to the fact that it was 6:30 PM back at home.

What did I think of Cantina? I thought it was very good. The chips and salsa were very fresh. I could see freshly diced fire-roasted tomatoes, chopped onions and sliced green onions in the salsa.

Cantina – Aspen from the street

Cantina menu

Chips and Salsa

Matt and I split the Mexican Street Tacos which consisted of chicken, diced onion, cilantro, and spicy sauce, all rolled in corn tortillas. The corn tortillas were a little tough… probably because they coated them in oil so they would not break. Other than that, it was very good. (P.S. Matt is a “double-beans guy, so no rice on our plate!)

Street Tacos Mexican – soft corn tortillas filled with grilled chicken and topped with diced onions, cilantro, and a spicy salsa

My sister ordered the chicken fajitas. The chicken was very tender, the seasoning not over-powering, and the pico de gallo was fresh and one of her favorites.

Grilled Chicken Fajitas served with grilled onions and peppers, rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa fresca, and warm corn tortillas.

My dad ordered the salmon, which had a bold, spicy sauce that really added to the flavor of the dish. I loved his! (Sorry, no picture…it was blurry). My mom ordered the chicken tortilla lime soup with shredded chicken and cheese, tortillas strips, and avocado. No complaints there!

Overall, we would return to Cantina – Aspen. However, since I’m from Texas, I’ve had better Mexican food. My all-time favorites include Mi Cocina and Anamias in Dallas, and Escalantes in Houston. For Colorado, though, I thought this was pretty good food.

Sundeck & Frisbee Golf on Aspen Mountain

Want to know my all-time favorite restaurant in all of Aspen? Sundeck!!! Sitting at 11,220 feet at the top of Aspen Mountain, it’s got incredibly delicious, hot, freshly prepared food at a relatively reasonable price.

When you come to Aspen, you must buy a gondola pass to take you to the top of the mountain. Not only do you get to eat incredible food and enjoy breath-taking views of Colorado, but they have tons of activities for kids and adults alike: frisbee golf, corn hole, ropes course, a mini tree house, digging for “gold” nuggets, rock-climbing, clowns, trampolines, yoga, ATVs, hang-gliding, guided nature walks, hiking trails… take your pick!

Anyways, take a look at the outstanding food we ordered from Sundeck below.

Sundeck – Aspen Mountain: 11,220 feet

Sundeck

Veggie burger with tahini, sliced carrots, cucumbers, tomato, sprouts, lettuce and Feta with a mixed green salad.

Turkey sandwich with bacon, sprouts (Dad omitted), cranberry sauce (Dad omitted), tomato with mixed green salad.

Grilled chicken salad with black beans, chickpeas, chopped tomatoes and curry quinoa.

We cleaned our plates!

After lunch it was time to hit the “slopes”, not to ski, but to play some 18-hole frisbee golf! We actually only played the first 9… the back 9 holes are hard! One off-throw, and you’ll be trekking down a steep black diamond slope to go find your frisbee that could either be lodged in-between scattered rocks and boulders or high up in a pine tree! (This has happened to us before!)

Frisbee golf with the family.

Matt and me.

Time to head back down to town for some relaxation. You burn a lot of calories walking up and down this mountain!

Next up…. dinner plans. Mexican food in Colorado? Stay tuned to see what we thought!

Dallas Duo in Aspen & Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Have you ever been to Aspen, Colorado? If not, add it to your bucket list, because it’s one of my favorite places on earth to visit! Last week, the Dallas Duo took a trip with the family to Aspen to enjoy the cool Colorado temperature, the gorgeous tree-lined trails, the Roaring Fork River, and of course, all the five-star + restaurants Aspen has to offer!

Before I get to the food, you’ve got to hear about our journey to Aspen…it wasn’t as easy as we had planned, but we sure made an adventure out of it!

Everything was going as scheduled as we arrived at the airport; plenty of time to spare, and even a little leisure time to spare in the American Airlines Admirals Club.

However, just 5 minutes before we boarded the plane, an announcement was made over the speaker that the winds were too strong in Aspen, and our plane was probably not going to make it. After 30 minutes of trying to figure out if they were to send us to Grand Junction or Vail or request volunteers to get off the plane, they finally came to a decision.

$500 vouchers were offered, per person, to the first 30 people who volunteered to get on another flight to Vail, Colorado. We jumped at the offer, fearful that if we stayed on the Aspen flight, we might get diverted mid-air to Grand Junction, Colorado.

If you’ve ever traveled to DFW, you know its a HUGE airport…I’ve heard the 3rd largest in the U.S., but don’t quote me. Anyways, we were in Terminal C, and the Vail flight was in Terminal B, so we high-tailed it on the sky-link tram, and 15 minutes later were sitting on a nice, big 757 ready to take off. Because of our flight dilemma, the passengers on the Vail flight had to wait an extra 35 minutes for thirty of us Aspen passengers to make the trek over to Terminal B…no one on the Vail flight seemed to complain though :).

DFW Airport

Finally, an hour later than I had hoped, we departed out of Dallas and made our trek to Vail. Shortly after takeoff, it was snack time! The glory days of free pretzels or nuts may be over, but for a few dollars, you can order a “Triple Shot” Chocolate Chip Cookie (it contained oats, cranberries & milk chocolate chips).

Oh my…. was it GOOD! It was probably one of the best prepackaged cookies I’ve ever eaten! I looked on the label, and the cookies are actually from a Southlake, Texas bakery called Cookies Crumbs and Crust. You need to try it! () I could taste the cinnamon and brown sugar in the cookie, which made it amazing! (PS…I think I’ve seen other Cookies Crumbs and Crust sweets at Neiman Marcus!)

“Triple Shot” chocolate chip cookie on American Airlines.

After a short 2 hour flight, we landed in Vail. If anyone knows my husband Matt, you know he’s a talker and very social. Anyways, we got to talking to some random people on the plane and pretty much hitch-hiked a ride to Aspen with two fellow passengers! (The rest of the Aspen passengers road in 15-passenger vans that American Airlines had scheduled for us when we landed).

The car ride from Vail was quick…about an hour and thirty minutes. The lady driving was very nice and was actually staying in the same hotel we were: the Hyatt Grand Aspen. The other lady in the car was on a business trip to Aspen to redesign the St. Regis…what a cool job she has!

Driving from Vail to Aspen.

Finally, about 3 1/2 hours later than expected, we arrived to Aspen. After nearly what felt like a full day of traveling, we had made it. Time for the relaxation to begin! Stay tuned….great Aspen restaurant reviews to come!

Grand Hyatt Aspen

Breakfast Tacos in Aspen

This past weekend, my family and I traveled to Aspen, Colorado to escape this torturous Texas heat of 110 degree F temperatures. We thoroughly enjoyed waking up to a crisp 42 degree morning, and 82 degree high in the afternoon.

Every morning, my sister, her boyfriend Colby, and I would wake up around 6:30 – 7:00 and head out to run 6 miles (Colby ran about 10 miles) along the Roaring Fork River in Aspen. After returning from our run, we would always be starving. For three days in a row, we (actually my parents…I have to give them credit) made all of us breakfast tacos. I must admit, I have not eaten sausage in over two years. Back in January of 2009, I gave food poisoning to my husband, Matt, from two week old sausage! Poor Matt, I caused him to lose 11 pounds in 12 hours. hehe 🙂 Ever since then, he has not eaten sausage, and I don’t blame him.

I thoroughly enjoyed these breakfast tacos, especially the sausage, every morning! These breakfast tacos were a weeknight “breakfast for dinner” tradition that my family and I enjoyed making while I was growing up. If you want to change up the recipe, you can substitute bacon for sausage, add cheese, salsa, and/or jalapenos if desired. We usually make these breakfast tacos just as you see here. Plain and simple…eggs, sausage, and tortilla.

Enjoy!

P.S. Our hotel, the Hyatt Grand Aspen provides spacious kitchens with Viking appliances, Le Creuset skillets and pans, Wustof knives, a complete place setting of plates, mugs, and cups, and plenty of utensils. This is our favorite place to stay in Aspen… plus it is gorgeous on the inside!