Saturday was the second official day of the conference, but since I had to be at the airport around 11A the next day, it was the last day of the conference for me. I had not been as disciplined with getting up early enough for the catered breakfasts provided up to this point and decided I should probably do that before the whole thing was over. The breakfast was fabulous-a thick egg quiche pie topped with baked spinach and a feta-like cheese with marinara sauce and potato wedges. It was delightful. Unlike previous conferences that were catered by Wolfgang Puck, this splendid meal came from the hotel‘s restaurant (or so I was told).
The lunch meal was provided by the same people in the large conference area. We were treated to not only a great meal but a cameo appearance by two of public radio’s biggest stars, Click and Clack (Tom and Ray Maggliozzi) from Car Talk. The food consisted of two small cuts of steak topped with a light seasoning on top of two lumps of mashed potatoes and strips of carrot. Desert was a fruit mix with yogurt. Delightful!
The big event of the day was a trip to the ball park, as our PRPD group reserved a whole section at Coors Field for us to watch the Colorado Rockies play the San Francisco Giants. I’m not much of a baseball fan, but this season both teams are playing for a spot in the playoffs. The Rockies had just lost 5 in a row, and this game was a make or break for them. I wrote more in-depth about the game itself in a previous post, so I won’t go into more detail about the game itself. I will say however, that I have a little tradition I do at baseball games, and that involves eating the hot dog of the ball park. My all-time favorite is no longer in existence-The Dome Dog with Chili, the prized fat hot dog from the now closed Astrodome. It hasn’t gotten better than that. Since my days as a kid eating dome dogs, I’ve now consumed hot dogs at Ranger Stadium, Minutemaid Park (the current home of the Astros), various little league and high school game dogs, and now the dogs of Coors Field. And although the dog stand was our of hot dogs when I got up to the front, they did have foot-long brats, which I dove into. Covered in chilis, and not the chili I’m used to eating on a dog, it added the right amount of flavor that I didn’t need to add mustard or any other condiment to the brat. It was very tasted, and held my nighttime hunger off long enough for the game to end and us walk back for further dining options.
That last meal came around 11P at the hotel bar. My friend Victor had been telling us about the great food at the hotel bar, and I had observed his great rapport with the staff, we had to try this out. So Robert, Victor and I grabbed a very small table in the corner and ordered a round along with our dinner. I had the Wynkoop, which came from a King Tut looking tap. It was sweet and savory, with a hint of some flavor I couldn’t pinpoint, but tasted like Christmas (it was so good I eventually had another). It came in a glass that had the statement “Take pride in your beer” across it. I agree. I ordered the Bison Burger, because on this trip I wanted to enjoy the Bison as much as possible. It was served with a healthy dose of thin cut fries. They were the best fries I’ve had in a restaurant, served and tasting similar to McDonald’s, but with much less grease and much better taste. I think I finished off the fries before I had really tasted the burger. Both were excellent, coupled with tasty beverages and great conversation with new friends. What a way for me to end the conference experience. But that didn’t end the dining experience. My last day in Denver eating great food is coming up in the conclusion of the Denver Dining Experience (Part 7). Stay tuned.