Carnitas Street Tacos
Tacos Aya Yay, 1206 Centaur Village Drive, Lafayette
The street tacos at Tacos Aya Yay are brilliant. Double corn tortillas hold together a healthy portion of meat (in our case, carnitas) garnished with fresh onion and cilantro. We got the works, which also included pickled jalapenos and a light sprinkling of fresh tomato and habanero pepper, adding a fiery kick to each bite. Choose a salsa from the plentiful bar in the small restaurant, usually packed and standing-room-only during lunch. With quick and friendly service, and customers debating what salsas to use, how many tacos to get and whether or not to mix it up and get a burrito instead, we’re sure to visit again soon. $1.50 each.
Brooklyn Bridge
Moe’s Broadway Bagels, Various locations in Boulder County, moesbagel.com
Moe’s rotates coffee and bagel sandwich specials throughout the week, and we were fortunate enough to stop into Moe’s Broadway location in Boulder on a Thursday to get the Brooklyn Bridge. Served on your choice of bagel (we went with the Italian, or everything), the sandwich is loaded with fresh eggs, corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. Eating the Brooklyn Bridge is a robustly flavorful way to start your day, and the components meld together to create one satisfying bite after another. $6.95.
Machiato
Amante Coffee, Various locations in Boulder, amantecoffee.com
Amante has special coffee. Their coffee supplier in Northern Italy has been roasting beans in the traditional Italian method for three generations, and it shows in Amante’s espresso, coffee and other drinks. We opted for a macchiato recently — espresso with a dash of foamed milk — and were blown away with the rich, nutty, earthy flavor the capable Amante barista was able to produce. $2.85.
Earl Grey and Shortbread Ice Cream
High Point Creamery, 2669 Larimer St., Denver, highpointcreamery.com
If the onset of winter stops you from enjoying ice cream, let us encourage you to shift your perspective with a trip to one of High Point Creamery’s three locations in Denver (Hilltop, RiNo and Berkeley neighborhoods). High Point has 14 signature flavors on the menu all year, one of which is the lavish Earl Grey and Shortbread flavor. Earl Grey is one of the most recognizable tea flavors in the world, so High Point had quite the legacy to live up to. With just a hint of bergamot orange, and finely ground pieces of shortbread laced throughout, you’ll find yourself looking for the tiered tray of cucumber sandwiches and scones because clearly you’re enjoying high tea out of a plastic pint. Cheerio! $6.50.
