Discover the Secret Sandwich in Aspen

House-made Macaroons

Nestled away in the Colorado mountain town of Aspen is Annette’s Mountain Bake Shop, serving a secret sandwich you will want to get your hands on.  Annette is a baking wizard that will cast a spell on you, making you crave just about every concoction she unveils in her little bake shop.

Artisan breads baked daily in house, focaccia, bagels, cakes, cookies, muffins, scones, empanadas, and pretzels made specially on Saturdays all make the list of options at Annette’s.  She even offers gluten-free options.

Open from 9 am to 9:30 pm, this is not just your morning bakery.  Annette’s even dishes out a daily soup and a notable caesar salad.  Above all, you cannot and must not miss out on the secret sandwich.  We’re not going to give the secret away, but we  assure you it is worth your time and your effort to get a taste of this secret, even if it requires a trip to Aspen.

Jimmy Mac

Drink Your Mac at Jimmy’s

No, I am not asking you to drink up your Mac computer or take down a Big Mac from Micky-D’s, but Mac, as in The Macallan.  This drink is known among tourists, locals, and celebrities alike  as the Jimmy Mac. Created by the owner  himself, Drew Levinson and Tony Abou-Ganim, the Jimmy Mac is a bitter-sweet concoction of top-notch, single-malt The Macallan Whiskey, along with herbal French liquor, Benedictine. Amaro, a.k.a. Italian bitters, orange bitters, and orange peel make this a drink Jimmy Yeager is proud to put his name on.

When you dine or drink at Jimmy’s, you will no doubt be greeted with the vibrant, never-ending enthusiasm that exudes from Jimmy and his staff. This environment is most conducive to sipping on a terrific margarita made with freshly-squeezed lime and lemon juices, a single village mezcal or a glass of wine. Jimmy’s is both comfortable and energetic, offering a neighborhood-based, casual attitude in the afternoon that transforms into a heated, rather sexy setting with Latin dancing on Saturday nights.

Enjoy great food and fabulous drinks all night with Jimmy’s meticulously crafted cocktails and welcoming atmosphere that will have you going back each year just to see Jimmy himself.

Have you had this cocktail? Let us know what you think about mixing single malt scotch with anything other than ice or a drop of water.

Jimmy’s is located at 205 S Mill St Aspen, CO 81611.  970-925-6020

Tammy Cunningham, owner of Strings

Listen in as host Becky Creighton interviews owner Tammy Cunningham of Strings Restaurant.  Strings has been in business for 26 years and still going strong.  Learn about Noel Cunningham’s philanthropic legacy, how the restaurant has changed to stay with the times, how the neighborhood has evolved long after the restaurant was started.

Eat Local is Now Drink Local

Colterra in Boulder has taken the commitment to buying local products to a whole new level by purchasing liquors produced in Colorado so that diners at Colterra can even “drink local.”  Among others, Jack Rabbit Hill’s MEII Vodka and Leopold Brother’s 3 Pins Alpine Liquor are showcased in the creative infusions prepared by Colterra’s line of skilled bartenders.

Happy hour at Colterra should, and cannot be missed for its quality and affordable price.  Colterra makes it simple with giving you the choice of a Mediterranean French Red or a classic mix such as Sangria, a Cranberry Spritzer, Sweet Tea Lemonade, or a candy flavored Watermelon Lemon Drop.  All of these are priced at  just $4, with the wine costing only $5.  Equally affordable nibbles are available, ranging from $2 to $6.  The fall vegetable and Hazel Dell mushroom ragout or the grilled pear with gorgonzola and crispy polenta are both, of course, local and delectable.

Colterra is located at 210 Franklin Street, Niwot, CO and can be reached at (303) 652-0777.

Listen in as Culinary Connectors LIVE! host Becky Creighton interviews Leah & Drew Watson, owners of Hops & Pie. Leah & Drew discuss their love of beer and pizza and why they chose to open their restaurant in Denver after living all around the country. Hops & Pie features 22 handles that are on constant rotation ensuring no beer is featured back-to-back. Currently on tap: Hops & I.P.A Strange Brewing, Imperial IPA Green Flash, 120 Minute Dogfish Head, Mountain Standard Odell, and many more. Be sure to check their website for the most up-to-date list and Beers on Deck!

All Buttered Up

As I pierce the tender, soft, luminous skin of a supple ball of Italian “burrata” cheese, a stream of mozzarella mixed with cream oozes its way out onto my plate so that I am left to form a strategy to sop this gooey, delicious mess up and into my mouth. Luckily, I have another plate filled with the specialty “House” pizza at the Limelight Lounge in Aspen.

The pizza’s roasted fennel, sausage, caramelized onions, and chiles add just the right amount of piquant edge to the rich, milky burrata cheese. Another bite and I am in awe of the Italians’ ingenuity in naming this cheese “burrata” which literally translates as “buttered.” Once I am sufficiently buttered up from the burrata, I slink into my chair next to the fire, listening to the live music, and wondering when all the skiers will arrive at this little Italian food mecca known as the Limelight Lounge in Aspen.

Limelight Lounge is located at 355 S. Monarch Street, Aspen, CO and can be reached at (970) 925-3025.

Drink Your Way to La Dolce Vita

A few drinks at Gisella in Aspen and you will be playing the part of Sylvia in the famous movie “La Dolce Vita,” wading your way through Rome’s Trevi fountain in a trance that only Italian wine and food can produce.  Perhaps this a slight exaggeration, but with an Italian wine list more extensive than many restaurants in Rome itself, Gisella restaurant in Aspen will certainly leave you singing the praises of Italian wine.

Whether you sip on an elegant, slightly tannic Super Tuscan or a more earthy and heavy Barolo, you will surely be put into a dream-like ease.  To round out your palate and please your stomach, I suggest the gnocchi al pollo off their Fall 2012 Bar Menu.  This dish comprised of potato dumplings, grilled rosemary scented chicken, sundried tomatoes, and doused in a light pink broth teaming of fresh olive oil, is just one of the many delicacies that you can enjoy at Gisella’s as you relish in the sweetness of la dolce vita-the sweet life.

Gisella is located at 415 E. Main Street Aspen, CO, and can be reached at (970) 925-8222.

Brian Freeman and Josh Chester from Grower’s Organic are the guests this week.  Learn why organic is important and who uses it and the best way to prepare vegetables.

Listen in as host Becky Creighton interviews up and coming chef Sami Mohammad of LaLa’s Wine Bar.  He takes us through his career, what he loves to cook on a cold, winter day and his secret to good pork green chili.

Dine with the family at Rosa Linda’s. 

“Healthy” and “Mexican food” do not commonly go hand in hand, but at Rosa Linda’s you will find healthy and utterly delicious traditional Mexican cuisine. Owned and operated by the Aguirre family for 27 years, the kitchen of Rosa Linda’s puts out the same wholesome, nutritious dishes that Rosa Linda herself has always cooked for her own family.

Rosa Linda’s exudes a family attitude that extends to their community as well, providing around 3,000 Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve feasts every year to the Denver community. When asked about the motive behind such generosity, one of the family members exclaimed with a smile, “This community has taken care of us, so two times out of the year we take care of them.”

The real cherry on top, though, is their endless list of award-winning dishes. Almost every dish has won an award at one time or another. Do not miss out on this hidden gem in the up-and-coming Highlands neighborhood.

Rosa Linda’s is located at 2005 W. 33rd Avenue, Denver, and can be reached at (303) 455-0608.