Journal of My Denver Travel - Tuesday

My third day in Denver began with a continental breakfast, complimentary with the conference. I had expected fresh fruit platter with some of my favorites – papaya, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, mangoes, and pineapple, just to name a few. To my disappointment, there were starch, starch, and more starch. Not even a single selection of meat or eggs. What is this ridiculousness!? Since I was planning to use my lunch hour for a quick swim, I decided sneak some pastries for lunch and splurge on dinner.

While trying to stay focused at the conference, my mind constantly wandered off to planning for that night’s meal. “Where should I go for food tonight,” I thought. (People could see the thinking bubble floating on my head with a loco moco inside.) I contemplated on Jose O’Shea, a Mexican restaurant I passed by yesterday when I was walking to Chad’s Grill. However, after hearing some so-so comments from the people that went, I threw that place out (sorry Jose). Finally, I decided to venture South on Union Blvd., hoping to stumble on an interesting venue.

I walked a good half mile to Cedar Street and saw a couple familiar places (Wendy’s and Chipotle), and a good handful I wanted to try, including 240 Union Restaurant, Tuk Tuk Thai, Mad Greens, and Jimmy John’s. Another place that stirred my appetite, rather apprehensively, was a small run-down Mexican restaurant at the corner of Cedar and Union, next to a gas station with a cute dinosaur statue.

I was hesitant because I imagined that one of two things may happen as I enter the Mexican restaurant: 1) jolly ol’ mom and pop come out and greet me with welcoming smiles; or 2) all the men at the bar turn around and stare at me like I was a foreigner and intruding their space. Since I couldn’t build up the courage to take the chance that #2 may happen, I ended up eating at Bruegger’s, a small sandwich/burger joint that makes its own bread.

From the interior design, Bruegger’s is a gourmet blend of Quizno’s and Starbucks. As I entered the shop, I could smell warm bread coming out of the oven. What could be better than a sandwich made from freshly baked bread, grilled to a light crunchiness on the outside but still retains the original softness of the bread on the inside? I ordered the Chicken Pesto Panini.

The shop was pretty empty so I chose a seat by the window where I could see the Mexican restaurant I was too scared to try. Honestly, I was spying on the people entering that restaurant, checking if they were mean or nice looking :) The Panini was soft and moist, and the outside was lightly grilled and crunchy. Inside the Panini was a perfect and delicious union of large pieces of juicy chicken breast, red bell pepper, and pesto sauce.

On the way back to the hotel, I passed by Mad Greens. I thought, “Oh what the heck! Might as well eat as much as I can before I leave this place.” Besides the green/purple color scheme of this little shop, I was attracted to the simple organic design of the interior space. The walls were decorated with large paintings of antique cars and furnitures, and dressed with strips of metal for their “We Do Deliver” magnets. The menu was written in the cutest MAD font.


Since I ate a full meal already (like 5 minutes ago), I ordered something light - Vegetarian Vegetable Soup (cute ya?) and a fruit salad. The soup was tomato based, and it was light and tasty. It had all kine vegetables - celery, carrots, sweet peas, and tomato.

The fruit salad was also a mixture of many ingredients - mandarin oranges, pears, apples, raisons, mangoes, and pineapples. This was especially refreshing because I haven’t had fruit since I came to Denver. Back in Hawaii, I used to eat 5 cuties (sweet easy-to-peel Clementine) a day plus strawberries, mangoes, and/or papaya. This is also the reason for my high metabolism :)

Guess what I saw while walking back to the hotel? My favorite geese buddies! They were the same ones as yesterday, the same pair. They were walking in a different parking lot and I followed them to take a picture. It was as if they remembered me because they weren’t as frightened.

It turned out that these geese came from a nearby lake. Ha ha, a lake in Lakewood, how funny.

And, they are a local resident of this little town too! What a great day.