by Amber Hayes on February 27, 2010
I think I can truly say that the restaurant Bang! in the Highlands has been the most surprising dining experience I have had in Denver. For starters, the name threw me off completely. Hearing a word like Bang! most likely would make anyone think of vibrant, spicy food. In reality Bang! is know for it’s Southern style comfort food such as hush puppies, country fried chicken, and meatloaf.
After discovering that Bang! is famous for its meatloaf I was sure it was not the place for me. I grew up eating meatloaf that was made exactly like my mom’s famous Italian meatballs, which is a coveted secret recipe by anyone who has tasted her cooking. Knowing that this was one of Bang’s specialties, we decided to order the meatloaf that comes with a side of mashed potatoes and Bang’s own ketchup. With my nose still turned up a bit when our food came I sliced off a piece of the meatloaf, made sure I had a good amount of ketchup on it, and sampled the feared dish. Well, as they might say it in the South, “that is some fahn meatloaf.” I will also admit to being a bit of a ketchup snob knowing that nothing really beats Heinz, but Bang’s ketchup was a great addition.
I was also surprised to find that Bang! is located in an old house where you don’t enter through the front door, but you squeeze through a narrow passageway to the back. You then enter through the patio in the backyard. It is a small house, filled with local artwork for sale on the walls and tables and chairs situated in little nooks and crannies. With painted walls and interesting artwork, I do have to say that Bang! fits the eclectic, artsy-fartsy atmosphere of the Highlands.
I highly recommend taking a trip to this restaurant. It is quite the surprise, which I guess is the true meaning of the word Bang!
Tips and Info:
- Bang! has been featured in Denver’s 5280 Magazine.
- If you are heading to Bang! be sure to take the time to enjoy the uniqueness of the Highlands. It is a charming area filled with boutiques, privately owned coffee shops, used bookstores, and some of Denver’s trendiest places to eat. Check out the Highlands website to find out about the street fair.
Take a look at the simple Bang! website to preview their menu.
by Amber Hayes on February 26, 2010
Tucked away in Denver’s most swank-ified area is a get down and get greasy, hole-in-the-wall burger joint and bar known as the Cherry Cricket. The Cherry Cricket is located in Cherry Creek, an area known by Coloradoans and even people outside of the state to be upscale and pricey. It is a land where Neiman Marcus reins supreme and people valet park their Ferraris at the mall.
However, don’t let this land of wealth stop you from taking a trip into its heart to have a burger at the Cherry Cricket. The first time I heard about the Cherry Cricket was last July, from one of my favorite shows on the Travel Channel called Man Versus Food. I do have to say that there is nothing like walking into a restaurant that I first learned about on the Travel Channel.
We headed to the Cherry Cricket for a late lunch anticipating that the crowd would die down and our wait would be minimal. Lo and behold, upon arriving at 1:30, there was quite the group of hungry people waiting outside in the cold and snow. Knowing it would be worth the thirty minutes we were going to have to wait, we zipped up our coats, pulled on some mittens, and checked out the menu they had posted outside.
Surprisingly we did not even wait thirty minutes before we were welcomed into the relaxed atmosphere of the restaurant. Several people were crowded around the bar watching sports and others were playing pinball, pool and darts in the back. Each table was filled and I felt like we had just stepped off Rodeo Drive and into a classic, small town bar.
Because we had already spent ample time pouring over the menu outside, we knew right away what to order. At the Cherry Cricket you choose your burger size and it comes with the basic toppings. The menu includes a good-sized list of unique toppings you can add to customize your burger. Each of those toppings range from $0.75 to $1.00. Although I am sure I could eat a larger burger, I knew I should probably stick to the quarter-pound Little Cricket. Jim ordered the half-pound Cricket Burger. Because we were there with another couple (Jim’s brother and his wife who also happened to hear about this place on Man Vs. Food) we decided to order a basket of fries to share between the four of us. We topped it all off with a Diet Coke.
When our food came I was very glad that I had decided upon the quarter-pounder. It was pretty big. After much anticipation and waiting, I grabbed my burger with two hands and dug in. It definitely had that great, old-fashioned taste and was quite the little grease factory. (Just as a true burger should be). I hear that singers often eat greasy food before they perform and I am thinking I was ready to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl after this one.
So, the Cherry Cricket now resides on the Hayes’ list of favorite places to eat in Denver.
Visit the website for the Cherry Cricket and don’t miss out on checking out the menu and reading about the restaurant’s history.