Vegan Eating Out- Pizza Fusion, Denver CO

Pizza Fusion
Denver, CO

 Let me first say, that as a vegan here are the things I love most about a menu:
1) Clearly labeled VEGAN options. This restaurant has clear markings as to which things were Vegan, and which items were Gluten Free.
2) A Veg/Vegan section of a menu.
3) A statement, like the above "We can make any pizza Gluten Free or Vegan. Just ask." Cool.

Pizza Fusion is a small pizza restaurant in downtown Denver that not only is veg-friendly, but also practices good economic ideals, has sustainability practices, and is a rehabilitation and training center for the city's homeless population. And if you haven't been to Denver lately, I'll let you know that their homeless population is on the rise.

We were greeted right away upon entering, and the staff was clean and polite. The restaurant, while small, was tidy and inviting, and they were accommodating to our large party and requests.

Mia and I went halvsies here. She decided to veganize the BBQ chicken pizza, which came with gardein chickn and daiya vegan cheese. I went with the spinach and artichoke pizza, also with they daiya, but made my crust whole grain. A personal pizza came with four slices (as shown) and was plenty of food for a filling lunch.

Mia and I also got a vegan brownie to take back to the hotel for later, which was quite moist and sweet.
Everyone enjoyed their pizza, and I would return to this restaurant.

Vegan eating out- City O City, Denver CO

 I have posted about the glories of City O' City before.
Here: http://questingadventures.blogspot.com/2013/07/vegan-eating-in-colorado-and-other.html
and Here: http://questingadventures.blogspot.com/2014/01/photographic-evidence-11414.html

Yeah, we go there whenever we are in town. What can I say? Once you've had one of their savory vegan waffles I DARE you not to dream about them. It's that good.

Anyway, we flew into Denver last Wednesday, and immediately headed over for lunch. We started off for some seitan wings- half BBQ, half buffalo. Yum. I've had my share of vegan seitan wings, and theirs are the best.

Mia got the savory waffle, because that is what she gets every time. Sometimes she talks about getting something different... but she always comes back to the savory waffle. She loves it, and I think, it loves her in return.

I went with the WOW- the vegan waffle of the week, which was a savory nacho black bean waffle. Huh. How can you not order that? It was really good. the only downfall was that I went halvsies with Rob, and when I split up the waffle, I took the vegan spicy aioli off the plate, and FORGOT about it. And it was good, too.

Rob ordered my favorite brunch item, vegan tofu biscuits and gravy. I am such a sucker for biscuits and gravy. My folks used to make (non-veg) biscuits and gravy as a quick meal when I was growing up, and I always feel so comforted by the idea of it. It was the first recipe I ever figured out how to make vegetarian, and then totally veganized all by my onsie. Nowadays my gravy is all speckled with veggies, carrots and celery and mushrooms and dill. And my biscuits are full of flax, but the idea is the same!

Jeff's meal was accidentally vegan, so I had to test his out, too. He got a peanut butter waffle with grapefruit jam that was topped with potato chips! A grown up version of a melted PB&J!

Speaking of which, while we were in Copper, at one of the cafes on the mountain, they had a grilled PB&J station, and people LOVED it. My mom and I were shocked with how much people were raving about it. My mom used to make me grilled PB&J sandwiches all the time growing up, and her mom used to do the same for her, but these folks on the ski slopes had never heard of it, and though my mom should be cashing in on some royalties! Did you ever eat that stuff as a kid? I always loved the Peanut Butter when it got warm, and kind of oozed off the bread....

Vegan eating in Colorado (and other adventures along the way)

We traveled out to Colorado for a family reunion, and here are some gathered thoughts and musings from the trip:

• Rob and Mia are two of the coolest people I know.
• Denver is a really neat city. We stayed downtown, and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Our hotel was inexpensive,but recently remodeled. The staff at the front desk was super nice.

• City o City is a fantastic vegan restaurant. So good,in fact, that we ate there twice! The neighborhood was very urban. When I had tried to go there in the past, my folks were concerned about the location and the locals. There were no concerns this go-round. In fact, we were very comfortable walking there.

• Ordered for dinner: We started with cocktails and buffalo seitan wings. I ordered the BBQ tofu plate, which came with Mac and cheese and greens. Rob got the Summer Kimchi Stew, and Mia got the vegan Savory waffle topped with veggies and vegan cheese fondue. Rachel got the don noodle bowl, and Jeff got the El Jefe veggie burger. City o City is a vegetarian restaurant, and Mia, Rob and I all had vegan meals.

• The next morning, we wanted to go for a run, and the front desk clerk gave us directions to Cheesman Park, which was a gorgeous run!  We earned breakfast at City o City and returned there.

• Some of us started with Bloody Marys, which included skewers of pickles, peppers, and brussels sprouts.  Mia had another waffle- this one being carrot cake in flavor, with icing and candied carrots on top.  I had the biscuits with vegan tofu gravy, Rob had the City Relleno with tofu.  All in all, this was one of my favorite restaurants ever to eat at, and I will absolutely return there.

• Heading out of Denver, we decided to make a few adventure stops along the way.  First up, the Hammonds Candy Factory, where we passed on the factory tour, but bought lollipop provisions for the trip.
• We went to Golden, Colorado, to the Coors Brewery, but there was an hour and a half wait.  Am I kidding?  You might think so, since it was a THURSDAY, and it was COORS, but no.  So we passed on that, too.
• We stopped in Boulder, Colorado, at the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory, and after sampling their teas in the tea room,decided to give that tour a go.  It was fun and interesting, and the Mint room was absolutely refreshing.

• In Boulder, we had a late lunch at Native Foods.  This is a chain out of Southern California, that has restaurants in a number of states out west.  It is all vegan, but you wouldn't think it just popping in.  A lot of the dish descriptions read meaty, if you know what I mean.  I ordered the Sesame Kale Macro Bowl (incredibly healthy- wonderful tempeh), Mia had the Classic Deli Reuben (deceptively vegan- it looked and tasted like a real reuben according to the table's meat-eaters), Rob got the Indo Noodle Salad (my favorite of all that we ordered- great peanutty sauce), Jeff got the Portobello and Sausage Burger with sweet potato fries, Rachel got the Baja Blackened Tacos, and we HAD to try the mac and cheese, so we split a side of that.
• When we went to leave, I ended up talking with one of the chief executives of the chain who was there interviewing new employees.  She told me that they are planning on opening 4-6 Native Foods restaurants in the DC area in the next few years!
• Finally, we ended up in Estes Park, Colorado, at the YMCA of the Rockies where we spent the weekend with family. 

• A group of us ran the first morning, and running mountains (steep + high altitude) is TOUGH.  Then we did an hour of yoga, and topped it off with a 4 mile hike.  After that we decided we could either run OR hike, but not both.
• We hiked each day we were there, one day doing a 9 mile hike with Jeff & Rachel, the next (because our legs were sore) a much shorter hike with Tim, Jess, Niki & Ryan.
• Rob, Tim, and Josh did that same 9 mile hike the day before us, and saw a BEAR.  I am so jealous.  We really wanted to see a bear, but only saw what it left behind...
• Climbing that trail, though, was incredibly gratifying- when we arrived at Sandbeach, it was one of the prettiest sights I'd ever seen.  
• Hiking DOWN a mountain is much easier than hiking UP.
• Vegan eating at the Y was not overabundant.  There was fruit and soy milk available each morning, and a salad bar each afternoon.  Two nights we were there I requested an additional item to be made, and each night it was tofu.  The first night, it was served with asparagus, the second with curry and sirrachia.

• After the 9 mile hike, I wanted something just a little more vegan friendly, so a group of us went out to Poppy's Pizza and Grill in town.  It was a neat little pizza place on the river, with a number of vegan options on the menu.  I chose the Hummus pizza, which was incredibly tasty.  It may have been the hike, but I thought it was great.  The best part about this restaurant was the incredible swiftness that they were able to seat and serve our party of 12.  Kudos to Karen, our waitress.
• We had a fantastic time- great food, great exercise, but the best was the company.  I love being able to spend time with my family- especially with my brothers and their families.  The only thing that would have made this trip better was if my folks were able to come.  I missed them!