Ginger Ale I love ginger ale, so much so that I recently tried making my own. Here's the issue, the store bought brands have too much sugar and are too sweet. Ginger Beer is too spicy for me and again too much sugar. I recently tried Q Ginger Ale and I love it. I plan to be buying lots of this until I can perfect my own recipe. Hats off to Q Ginger!

LaScala Trattoria - Wash Park - Denver

LaScala Trattoria
Location: Logan/Alameda
Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Happy Hour: 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Dinner: 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Pricing: Lunch entrees: $9-$13
Dinner entrees: $13-$21
Happy hour: $5 wine, select cocktails and appetizers
Parking: A few spaces out front

I believe every neighborhood should have a cozy Italian restaurant and I’m happy to announce West Wash Park now has it’s own. Happy hour was quiet, but gave me a chance to sample some smaller versions of dishes offered. The ravioli of day was butternut squash in a crème sauce with truffle oil. A plate with 3 raviolis covered with a rich crème sauce was smooth as velvet. The sauce was rich, but not heavy and combined with a ceasar salad and glass of white wine was perfect meal for me.

On a recent lunch visit, I ordered the eggplant panini and my guest chose the chicken parmigiana panini. Lunch came with a house salad of mixed greens, candied walnuts, candied cranberries and gorgonzola with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I loved the taste of the sweet candied walnuts and cranberries contrasting with the strong gorgonzola. I liked mine so much, I also ate some of guest’s salad. The generous portion paninis were presented as a large balanced sandwich with a small side of roasted potatoes. Impressive how there was rich, thick tomato sauce on the paninis, but the bread wasn’t soggy. I’d recommend a fork and knife to work your way through the layers of sauce, bread, chicken, and mozzarella.

The weather turned cold and grey and I wanted comfort food - chicken marsala. A traditional marsala with a fragrant dark sauce was served over garlic mashed potatoes, helped to warm me up and instantly improved my mood. Completed with a glass of vino – Bon Appetite! Service at LaScala is friendly and prompt. I liked LaScala and plan to go again and take some friends. You should too.

Sweet Tea with Honey and Ginger

Sweet Tea seems to be the rage. I grabbed this recipe from Southern Living and have already made three batches. I'm trying to cut down on the sugar so I like the fact its made with honey. If you want to mix it up a bit, try it with lilac honey or orange honey. Enjoy!

Sweet Tea: makes 10 cups
3 cups water
2 family size tea bags (I bought whatever brand the dollar store had - Lipton was what I used)
1/2 cup honey
7 cups cold water
1 Tbl. grated fresh ginger

Bring 3 cups water to boil - add tea bags and boil for 1 minute - turn off and honey and ginger - let sit for 10 minutes. Add cold water and stir!

A Paris Street Market - Aspen Grove - July 2, August 6, Sept. 3rd, Oct. 1st

OK, if you love Shabby Chic, you'll love checking out A Paris Street Market. I went with a friend and decided I wasn't going to buy anything, but the next day, my antique patio set was being delivered (for $10!). Some great deals and especially if you're looking to add something for the outdoors - lots of great plant stands and things to put in the yard. Funky clothing and hats were in quite a few of the booths - I thought these catered more to the 20 year old crowd but still some cute stuff if you were under a size 8.

Larkburger

Larkburger
Location: Logan/Alameda
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily
Pricing: Burger, fries and large lemonade - $12.05
Parking: Available out front
Other: Outside seating


When I told my friends in Boulder there was a Larkburger opening down the street from me, they replied their teenagers love the place and might actually come down to visit just for that reason! It used to be the only smell assaulting you as you passed by Logan and Alameda was Chinese food, but now there’s Larkburger. I went on a Saturday at lunch time and decided to join the 40 patrons that were in the restaurant to see why Larkburger is so popular.

I ordered the 1/3 lb. Larkburger with cheese, fries and large homemade lemonade. Though busy, my order was delivered in less 10 minutes. I have a habit of ordering my meat well done so it will come out medium, but was glad to see the terms for rare/medium/medium well/and well done were defined on their menu. I took a chance and ordered medium. The burger was delivered wrapped in paper and cut in half. You could see the juice running out of it, along with the crisp onion and lettuce I had requested on the burger. The burger was cooked as I had ordered and looked yummy. More surprising was the amount of string fries that accompanied the order. Reminder to self – next time split order with someone or do an extra workout. The fries were crispy, hot, and just salty enough to make you want more. I have friends who tell me they are addicted to their fries and I could easily understand this comment. The burger was juicy, messy and 100% Black Angus beef goodness. It was a perfect combination of beef, bun, lettuce, onion and tomato. The 1/3 lb burger was huge, so I was glad to see they offered a smaller version called the Little Lark.

For those who don’t feel like meat, don’t worry. You can have your choice of a turkey burger, tuna burger, grilled cheese or a field green salad. If for some crazy reason you don’t want fries, or truffle and parmesan fries you can order soy beans. Beer is available also, so I could imagine sitting at the outside tables on the nice day with a beer in hand.

Larkburger prides itself on being eco-friendly. All stores are 100% wind powered, oil is recycled, and the plastic cups and salad containers are made from a biodegradable product.

As for me, I’m going back to check out the rest of the menu and recommend you do too!