North Stars

Longmont, Louisville and Westminster rise up and shine with some howling-good restaurants.

 

Two Dog Diner 

645 Tenacity Dr., Longmont

303-722-2364; twodogdiner.com   

With a quirky neighborhood of homes the hues of Life Savers, groovy shops, up-to-the-minute bars and cosmopolitan java joints, Prospect New Town, Longmont’s answer to urbanized living, has a new breed of inhabitant—affluent, citified hipsters—and a new restaurant to answer their bark: the Two Dog Diner. Anyone who’s ever hung out in a room bedecked with vinyl and chrome, swiveled counter stools and Formica-topped tables will feel the down-home love of this chat-and-chew facsimile.   

The familiar trappings are all here: crimson napkin dispensers emblazoned with white stars, vinyl chairs and stools colored candy apple red and black, a stainless-steel open kitchen wafting with the scent of grease from the griddles sizzling with sausage, bacon, eggs and breakfast potatoes, and a long, white counter littered with plastic domes harboring lemon meringue pie, blueberry cobbler and cinnamon rolls. 

But while you think you’ve seen it all before, savvy owner and chef Paul Roberts, who moved to Prospect from San Francisco, adds contemporary twists on the menu to up the interest quotient. There’s the grilled prawn, pesto and Haystack Mountain goat-cheese omelet, oatmeal buttermilk pancakes, and a fabulous macaroni and cheese gooey with Gouda. The upbeat and spirited service is suited to its stylishly retro surroundings, and the playful plea on the back of the menu—“Please eat here or we’ll both starve”—proves that even in a slumping economy, humor is alive and well. 

You’ll be tempted … to pilfer the plastic pepper-mill pushers, not to mention the campy John Wayne salt and pepper shakers. But don’t stuff them in your pocket; buy them at House Gifts and Décor (2017 100 Year Party Court), which is right around the corner from the diner and owned by Paul Roberts’ wife, Pam. She carries the kitschy conversation pieces you’ll covet while simultaneously eyeing Two Dogs’ blueberry cobbler. 

Snag a seat … at the counter, banter with the locals, scour the daily newspapers and behold the gleaming kitchen, a oft-frenetic assembly line of maneuvering cooks who sling hash and don’t bat an eye when you ask for your poached eggs soft, soft, soft. 

If you’re blind as a bat … and left your reading glasses who-knows-where, you’ll be happy to know there’s a box stocked with ultra-chic and groovy reading specs in all colors and styles to make you look old-school cool while perusing the menu. 

Blue plate specials … are a big draw. Drop in on a Monday night, and the kitchen turns out buttermilk fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and corn on the cob. Tuesdays bring chicken piccata, and Wednesdays feature grilled swordfish with braised spinach and lentils. If you’re hankering for Thanksgiving on a Thursday night—any Thursday night—rejoice in the fact that you can feast on roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cranberry chutney. Swing by on a Friday and you’ll get fish tacos on soft corn tortillas. 

Morning glories … are vast and varied, but the house-made corned-beef hash is textbook perfect. It’s that good—especially when you order it with soft poached eggs, their rivers of yolk the crowning touch. 

Eating dessert first … is often the norm here. Everything from the saucer-sized chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls to the pies and crumbles are made in-house. 

 

10 Restaurants to Check out in June

 

B.O.B’s Sandwich Shop 

Louisville is on a roll—literally—with the addition of this groovy new sandwich stop, a funky place in which to loaf while inhaling the aromas of fresh-baked breads from the master baker across the hallway. The menu, a compilation of sandwiches, panini and pizzas, doesn’t aim to add spins and twists to the classics, but everything is made with passion. And the salted and skinny skin-on french fries, which come heaped on the plate, are superb. Breakfast is served on a smaller scale, but the blackened salmon eggs Benedict is worth an early-morning rise from the comforts of your slumbering quarters. 820 Main St., Louisville; 303-665-1056

 

Breakfast on Broadway

There can never be too many breakfast joints, as evidenced by this sunny-side-up oasis of all things eggs. It’s only been open for a few months, but already, weekends command 45-minute waits, with bleary-eyed patrons sliding into comfy booths, gathering at the community table or bellying up to the bar to nosh on the Cajun Benedict blanketed with Tasso ham, crawfish, poached eggs and a cornmeal-fried oyster. The Bananas Foster pancakes are diabolically rich, as are the Flying G s’mores pancakes pelted with chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. Breakfast winds into lunch (calves livers, anyone?), but the morning mainstays, including house-made corned-beef hash, are the main draw. 2901 S. Broadway, Englewood; 303-788-9998

 

Garden Asian Bistro

The former dingy space of JJ’s Chinese, relocated to 2500 W. Alameda Ave., is now an elegantly appointed dining emporium of Asian offerings that leans toward traditional Hong Kong style cuisine. Here, amid the sleek and stylish surrounds, foodniks can delve into deep-fried squid, French-style stir-fried beef, sticky rice mingling with pork sausage, and Singapore-style rice noodles. The menu, which is still in its beginning stages, is expected to triple in size, as is the libations roster. 1048 S. Federal, Denver; 303-936-0121

 

The Happy Sumo 

Tucked into a corner of the urban sprawl that’s the new outdoor Orchard shopping mall in Westminster, this cosmopolitan Japanese dining den is becoming a hot spot for raw fish fans. With its moody lighting, curved, espresso-hued booths, tasteful design scheme and rollicking sushi bar, it’s a cool space that nets wide-range combinations of sushi, sashimi, rolls (with wacky names like the “lollipop roll,” “sunomuno roll,” and “diva roll”) and cooked creations like Bengal curry noodles, coconut-crusted halibut, and Siam street noodles tussling with chicken, Thai peppers, garlic and vegetables. 14647 Delaware St., Westminster; 303-920-4400 or happysumosushi.com

 

Mexico Cantina y Cocina                                                                                                                                                                         

The ultra-modern, behemoth space—there are 300 seats—can only be described as Disneyland meets an avalanche: The tiled walls, which stretch to the lofty ceilings, are whiter than fresh powder, the ceilings are equally milky, as are the floors, offset by expansive, shimmery booths and banquettes hued chartreuse and cobalt blue. It’s not the kind of place you’d expect to encounter Mexican wedding soup, nachos, quesadillas, carne asada, fish tacos and beef fajitas, but you’ll find all that and more. 14697 Delaware St., Westminster; 720-977-7200 or eatatmexico.com  

 

Phoenician Kabob

This is the Costco of all things Middle Eastern—a one-stop shrine to shawarma, gyros, shish kabob, falafel, hummus and baba ghanouj, where everything is inexpensive and arrives in portions that feed more than one sultan. The bright and airy dining room, embellished with soothing fabrics and Middle Eastern bric-a-brac, also features belly dancers every Friday and Saturday evenings. 5709 E. Colfax Ave., Denver; 303-355-7213

 

Twigs Wine Bar

Helmed by chef Christopher Cina—whose previous gigs included Beckett’s Table, Fourth Story, Bravo! and Tuscany—this stunning wine bar marries flash (the bottom of the bar is steeped in marble), sleek furnishings (love the satin-finish sofas) and earthy elements (the herb potted plants propped on the tables) with a savory small-plates menu, sweet finales and an ever-expanding wine list that can only improve, considering the fact that Tipsy’s liquor emporium is directly next door. 5869 S. Alkire St., Littleton; 303-551-7100

 

Waterloo Icehouse

Part ramshackle roadhouse, part live music venue and part rusticated gathering place, this perpetually packed homage to familiar American foodstuffs crafts beer-poached jumbo prawns, hummus with cucumbers and heirloom tomatoes, and artisan cheese boards mingling with seasonally plucked fruits. The burgers, most notably the half-pound patty decked with hash browns, are excellent, as are the house-cut fries draped with Gorgonzola cream. 809 S. Main St., Louisville; 303-993-2094 or waterloolouisville.com  

 

Woodlands Grill at the Orchard

The bar alone, stacked in natural stone, is worth the price of admission, if only to gawk at a mini Grand Canyon. A cascading waterfall tumbles behind the hostess stand, giving way to a long, narrow dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a spacious patio, chock block with shoppers soaking up sunbeams. The predictable menu, a familiar roster of steaks, seafood, pastas, sandwiches and salads, isn’t going to introduce you to the latest food fads, but the offerings are monumental—and so are the portions. 14694 Orchard Parkway, Westminster; 303-254-6900 or woodlands-grill.com