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Tapas & Wine Flights

Tonight’s post will be short. It’s nearly midnight and I just piciked up youngest daughter Maria from Denver airprot and once back in Fort Collins, we decided to have a light and yummy dinner at a new cafe and wine bar in town. Monday night, and the place was nearly full. Saturday night, the place is packed. Not hard to see why. They have an extensive menu of yummy tapas (appetitzers) and an excellent selection of wine flights for white and red wines. I love wine flights, because it gives me a chance to try three different wines I might not be familiar with. I’m a sucker for variety.

I think the popularity of wine and tapas bars and cafes is exactly that: variety. You can dine like queens/kings and try all sorts of delicious appetizers and fine wines and feel completely satisfied—but not full. And that’s another benefit. I don’t know about you folks, but I have to constantly watch what I’m eating and continue to work out, or the pounds pile up. So, I’m really happy to find new dining experiences.

Of course, this particular cafe, Cafe Vino, was created when an old bed-and-breakfast property was bought and totally remodeled. They kept the original layout of the gracious old home, but added rich interior details like hickory floors and beaten tin ceilings. Of course, all those cozy seating areas that fill the sprawling cafe add a special intimacy. It’s a welcoming place, whether you’re there with friends or just your laptop. Either way, it’s inviting.

What are some of your favorite cozy cafes in your town?

16 Responses to “Tapas & Wine Flights”

I live in a town where people do not eat. Or at least not well. We have the usual Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Friendly’s; we have a collection of dark dives with pool tables. We even have a place that serves mashed potato and bacon pizza (it’s better than it sounds). But “nice” food? Forget it. I have to drive at least twenty-five miles in any direction for creative, interesting food.

Is it any wonder I’m addicted to every television food show that comes along? Rescue me, Gordon Ramsey! Take me with you, Tony Bourdain!

by Sheila Connolly on April 8th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Wow, I’d like to eat at that place! We have a steakhouse that offers wine flights, but it’s so expensive we only go there for special occasions. I do love this local Japanese place that offers a Businessman’s box lunch. For a mere $9.95 you get soup, salad, and a partitioned box containing fried rice, six California rolls, five pieces of vegetable tempera, a meat entree, and an orange half. I love the variety and the artistic display. And for once, I can feel hip.

by JB on April 8th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Sheila,
What part of the country are you in?

by JB on April 8th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
In the midst of the cranberry bogs of southeastern Massachusetts. I can tell you about great restaurants on Cape Cod or Boston or Cambridge–just not here. Maybe if the Wampanoags build that casino…

by Sheila Connolly on April 9th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Maggie, sounds like a lovely place! I hope you’re enjoying the time with your daughter!

Sheila, I grew up in Weymouth! A little more suburban, but not much…

by Heather on April 9th, 2008 at 9:21 am
I have to confess to a fondness for Dunkin Donuts.

lol

by Cozy Crime on April 9th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Wine & tapas - my favorite kind of meal. I much prefer a variety of tasty bites over a big meal. BTW, if I’m a little late to the party, I just found this blog. Very cute!

by Kathy Holmes on April 9th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Oh, Sheila—-now you’ve got me curious. Where do you live? What are the larger cities close by?

by Maggie on April 10th, 2008 at 1:14 am
JB—I love those boxes, too. Suddenly the name is disappearing—-uhhh, Banto boxes? Kudzu boxes? No, that’s the green stuff that grows all over everythiing. Remember the old joke? Kudzu, the vine that ate the South. Uhhhhh, let’s see. . .Geisha boxes. . .no, no that’s definitely not it. Okay. I give up.

by Maggie on April 10th, 2008 at 1:19 am
I’m having a great time. We’ve just come from two—TWO straight days of shopping in Denver. Maria even used her Mariott super preminum reward points to get us a fantastic hotel room in a Downtown Denver Mariott so we could stay overnight Tuesday and get an even earlier start Today, Wednesday.

Boy—-ta;ll about shop till you drop. Maria is unbelievable. Plus, we’re “staying in the flow” so she’d getting some great sales and prices, too.

by Maggie on April 10th, 2008 at 1:28 am
Ohhhhk, Dunkin Doughnuts. Everybody’s downfall. And to think they’re now all over Mahnhattan, just like the Starbucks. I mean. . .I don’t need to pass by those stores will all those yummy doughnuts inside. Realy, I DO not need that.

by Maggie on April 10th, 2008 at 1:31 am
Welcome to the party, Kathy! Glad to have you. You’ll find we’re a free spirited bunch here. Fun-loving and relaxed. We could talk about writing novels one time and our favo television shows, the next. And then—periodically, I love to do updates on the movies I’ve seen recently and see what others think. I’m a “flic freak.” Can’t help it.

Jump on in anytime.

by Maggie on April 10th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Wine and Tappas, sounds heavenly. I’m seriously going to have to do a girls night out one of these days and hit some of the eaterys here in St. Louis. I hear some of them are amazing. But for lunch I try to stay in the office and eat my 4-6 point WW lunch. So why did I just eat two handfuls of potato chips when I got home? Hunger, probably not.

Donuts? Not much of a fan, although I will eat them if they are here. I really love the big bagels, plain, no cream cheese. We had just got our first Krispy Kreme at home before we moved. I stopped once. Now Starbucks for a mocha? More of a habit.

On our way to Las Vegas next week we are stopping at the Big Texas Steak House in Amarillo. Looking forward to it.

by Lynn on April 10th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Oh, my gawd, Lynn! I know that Big Texas Steak House in Amarillo. We used to drive thru Amarillo from Colorado on our way to West Texas. Talk about a big steak—-

Isn’t that the place where they serve you some ginormous steak like a 2 lb steak with all the trimiings (baked potatoe, etc) and if you eat it all in a certain amount of time, it’s free? Isn’t that the place? My ex and I stopped there a few times for steak dinner (regular dinner) on the way back and forth from Colorado to Texas and vice versa.

by Maggie on April 11th, 2008 at 12:55 am
Thanks for the review on Cafe Vino–every time we drive by it I say I want to go in…guess I actually have to turn the wheel to park. We hit Taste of Loveland the other night–not bad and has the potential to be a huge event in the next few years….it was fun deciding who had the best food/wine - that’s where the lines were. But Albertson’s deli? Naw…….there’s other places in town with great cheeses that will ‘learn ya ’bout ‘em”. Oops- that’s the Texas comin’ out Hmmmm…have to try the Big Texas Steak House on our next trip to or from Dallas.

Have you made it to Wildrock Cafe yet? They were a sponsor for our faculty/student basketball game last month…supposed to be quite good.

by Susan on April 11th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Sorry for delay in reply, Susan. Burrowed into taxes. No, I haven’t eaten at Wildrock cafe yet, but I did stop in to look at menu. They’ve got some intresting and yummy sounding breakfast dishes. I may start with that.

by Maggie on April 15th, 2008 at 12:15 am

Tapas & Wine Flights

16 Responses to “Tapas & Wine Flights”

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