The Way We Did September
Why you should Call Your Mother, a waterfall hike, and hitting Snooze on french toast.
Towards the middle of September we finally released our grasp on summer, and embraced autumn in full force. We went leaf peeping in the Rocky Mountains, scoured birding hot spots during Colorado’s fall migration, and fueled most mornings with Starbucks’ latest concoction - all while methodically prepping our truck camper for another grand road trip out west.
Restaurants
Snooze A.M. Eatery is a Denver-based restaurant with a cult following. Their menu consists of all things breakfast, ranging from classics to indulgent seasonal creations like their fall pumpkin pecan pie pancakes. All locations have a funky diner vibe with their signature orange umbrellas acting as a beacon for breakfast outside its door.
Snooze was actually one of the first places we tried when we moved out to Colorado over a decade ago, and it’s been on constant rotation ever since. We also rarely stray from our usual dishes. Dave’s go-to is a buttermilk pancake and a half order of the Bella Bella Benny. It’s toasted ciabatta layered with thinly sliced prosciutto, Italian cheese, a poached egg and arugula, drizzled with hollandaise and a balsamic glaze. I get their French Toast Neat: brioche topped with whipped mascarpone and seasonal fruit. Snooze has been my all time favorite french toast spot from the day I tried it… until our recent anniversary brunch crawl, when a restaurant in Denver slid into first place. In case you missed it, you can read who took out Snooze here.
Link: Snooze A.M. Eatery
If carbs are your love language, then you’ll want to make a trip to Call Your Mother Deli. Located on a colorful corner along Denver’s popular Tennyson Street, their menu is packed with bagels, sandwiches, latkes, and pastries. They describe their bagels as somewhere between a classic NY-style bagel and the sweeter, Montreal-style bagels. While Dave and I are partial to a toasty, more savory bagel, what keeps us coming back are the cinnamon babka muffins. They’re soft and gooey, with not-too-sweet icing - basically a miniature cinnamon roll made to perfection.
Link: Call Your Mother Deli
Dave and I knew this spot as Pizzeria Locale before it was recently rebranded by Frasca, the Michelin star restaurant next door. It has since relaunched as Pizzeria Alberico, with an expanded menu of southern Italian dishes and a lengthy wine list. Even the imported wood-fire pizza oven got a make-over with a fresh paint job in Naples Blue.
Since it was our first time dining at Pizzeria Alberico, we tried a bit of everything. For starters we ordered the Arancini and Charred Asparagus topped with cheese, prosciutto and horseradish. I was a little skeptical about the arancini ball because the mozzarella wasn’t completely melted on the inside; but the rice and breading were so incredibly flavorful, it quickly became one of the best arancini I’ve had to date. We did enjoy the asparagus, but weren’t quite sure it was worth such a steep price.
Now on to the main event, the pizza. I ordered a classic Margherita and Dave the Funghi, which consisted of oyster mushrooms, scallions, mozzarella, pecorino romano, and taleggio cheese. I’m usually not a huge fan of mushroom pizza, but theirs was so garlicky and topped with the perfect cheeses that I enjoyed it as much as my Margherita. Although there were no leftovers to bring home, we somehow had room for dessert, and ordered the Saltimbocca Con Nutella; warm pieces of pizza dough covered in powdered sugar with a nutella dipping sauce. It was pretty heavy, but nonetheless a tasty way to end the meal.
Link: Pizzeria Alberico
Hiking
Maxwell Falls is a popular day hike in Evergreen, Colorado. It’s a 45-minute drive from Denver, and has three different trail options in varying lengths that all lead to a cascading waterfall.
Let me first set the scene. The town of Evergreen is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It’s one of the few areas that has maintained its charming small-town feel, and is completely surrounded by untouched national forest - of which the trail to Maxwell Falls travels through.
We opted for the Lower Maxwell Falls trail. It was four miles roundtrip, and traveled through more of the surrounding lush valley. It also followed Maxwell Creek, with several bridges crossing over it. Overall it was a moderate hike, with a steep section over a ridgeway covered in lodgepole pines. Since it was late in the season, Maxwell Falls wasn’t as full as we’ve seen in photos. In fact, we nearly walked right past it! Though our timing was a bit off, it was still a serene little spot in one of Colorado’s most beautiful suburbs. But maybe this time don’t follow the way we did it, and wait until spring to see the waterfall in its full glory.
Link: Maxwell Falls