Girl Scout cookies, pizza news, and plant-based burgers
Peyton’s Plate: Your weekly roundup of Denver food news
Hey everyone! As you know, it’s my favorite day of the week, when I get to dig into Denver’s most delicious food news and share the tastiest tidbits.
First thing’s first: It’s Girl Scout Cookie Season! Ordering opened up last weekend, and I’ve already placed my four-box request. (In my house, we’re not allowed to order any more than that due to a lack of self-restraint.) I myself am a Lemon-Ups kinda gal. My husband is a Samoas junkie. We also love a classic Thin Mint (#TeamFreezeYourThinMints). But there’s a brand new flavor hitting cookie wagons this season: Adventurefuls, an “indulgent brownie-inspired cookie topped with caramel flavored crème with a hint of sea salt,” according to the Girl Scouts. More to know: There’s been a small price increase and you can order your cookies online for doorstep delivery. Get the scoop on that and more here.
I was prepared for Girl Scout cookies — picture me, eagerly trolling my Nextdoor forum for those little cookie-selling angels — but as distracted as I was by my sweet tooth, I missed the boat on National Pizza Day, which was yesterday. (But who needs an excuse to eat pizza anyways?) Speaking of, if you’re specifically craving Chicago-style deep-dish slices from Patxi’s Pizza, you should know that the San Fran-based chain just shut down shop permanently at its Cherry Creek location. (Thankfully, there are still locations in Englewood and Uptown.)
“Due to unfortunate circumstances, our lease has abruptly ended,” a sign on the restaurant’s door reads. “Our whole team has been relocated to our sister store.”
And on the subject of restaurants closing, the foodies at 5280 are pouring a little out for the many pandemic-related restaurant casualties. I particularly have to agree with Biju’s Little Curry Shop (my favorite stop for quick and delicious Indian food), The Med in Boulder (a deeply sewn stitch in the fabric of the Boulder community), and Brass Tacks (a personal go-to for after-work happy hour).
But in the nature of Denver’s ever-blossoming dining scene, when one door closes, another one (or several!) open. The popular out-of-state plant-based burger chain Next Level Burger will make its Denver debut this summer near DU. Next Level will square off with competitors in the plant-based burger arena Meta Burger and Native Foods. Fun fact: Though Next Level originated in Oregon, founder and CEO Matt de Gruyter is from Denver!
Also expanding to new locations are some of my personal Denver favorites: ChoLon (modern Asian), Tocabe (American Indian), and Marcyzk’s Fine Foods (fresh deli eats). All three are poised to open up shop at Denver International Airport in the near future.
And one last thing: With February being Black History Month, it’s a great reminder to support Black-owned businesses (which were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic) not only right now, but all year long. If you need somewhere to start, 303 Magazine says these Black-owned restaurants are just a few that will really hit the spot.
Until next week — keep your appetite curious, Denver!
— Peyton Garcia, City Cast Denver Newsletter Writer and Devoted Denver Diner
😷 Denver lifts in-school mask mandate: Starting Feb. 28, staff and students of Denver Public Schools can leave their face coverings at home. It’s Denver county that has been requiring masks in schools since August. But some DPS leaders aren’t so sure about the new decision.
- 💬 Superintendent Alex Marrero told parents: The district will still “strongly” encourage face coverings indoors.
- 💬 Board member Tay Anderson said: He wants to make masks part of the district’s dress code.
⛽🦫 Hey Texans, what’s the deal with Buc-ee’s? This “cult-favorite convenience store” based out of Texas is coming to Colorado. Buc-ee’s reportedly boasts award-winning bathrooms, smoked barbecue, homemade fudge, more gas pumps than you could want, a world-record holding car wash, AND a buck-toothed beaver mascot named Bucky.
- 💬 Our colleagues over at City Cast Houston say:
“Buc-ee’s is Texas incarnated as a convenience store: Super-sized! Brash! Shamelessly tacky! You Coloradans may pretend to disdain it. But we here know that soon, you’ll all be driving past other gas stations, waiting for those clean, clean restrooms and that staggering array of jerky and junk food. (Beaver Nuggets!) On a road trip, everyone turns into a Texan.” — CCH Host / Newsletter Writer Lisa Gray
“They opened the first out-of-state Buc-ee’s right near my house in Alabama back in 2019. They had five bazillion gas dispensers and you *still* had to wait in line to get into the parking lot. Everyone said Buc-ee’s had the best brisket sandwich in Alabama, but I doubted any convenience store could live up to my high barbecue standards. However, I’d eat a Buc-ee’s brisket sandwich right now if I had one… and then chase it with another.” — CCH Producer Ferrill Gibbs
📚 Books, books, and more books: A new Tattered Cover location just opened in Westminster. I stopped by to pick up a few reads and was stoked with the new digs. It’s a big, beautiful space attached to the charming boutique hotel, Origin, and just across the street from Alamo Drafthouse. Most notably though, the newest TC has a handsomely stocked beer, wine, and cocktail bar.
- 🎙️ Related: Hear from our own City Cast host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi as they chat with Denver expert and Westword founder Patty Calhoun about the legacy that is, was, and will be Tattered Cover on this recent episode of City Cast Denver.
🏆 Sirota does Denver proud with Oscar nomination: Local journalist and past City Cast Denver guest David Sirota just nabbed an Oscar nomination (!!) for his contributions in creating the much-talked-about Netflix hit “Don’t Look Up.” The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, and Cate Blanchettwas nominated for best picture, best film editing, best score, and best original screenplay 👏👏👏
- 🔎 Want more? I loved “Don’t Look Up” and shared my thoughts about it here.
🎧 LISTEN: Why public sector workers want to improve Colorado labor laws. A coalition of public employees working at the Denver Public Library, the University of Denver, and Denver and UC Health are pushing for collective bargaining rights. We chatted with adjunct professor Alex Wolf-Root and library worker Liana Kiddy-Gan to break it all down.
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