by: Janet Day

Colorado’s culinary history starts with whatever could survive the state’s climate and terrain of semi-arid plains, snow-covered mountains and cold valleys: game, cattle and sheep, grains, and hardy vegetables or legumes.

A couple hundred years later, Colorado is expanding its mark on the culinary map with innovative chefs turning out eye-popping meals in Denver’s trendiest restaurants (Table 6, Mel’s); small producers niche-marketing everything from organic meats to artisanal cheeses (MouCo soft cheeses, Haystack Mountain goat cheese); and beverage masters creating lush red wines, microbrews and organic spirits.

Any Colorado food adventure begins in Denver, where hot chefs are at work in the trendy LoDo section of downtown, stylish Cherry Creek neighborhood and vibrant west side, including the funky streets of the Highlands. For some fun Asian/Mexican fusion and cutting-edge cocktails, head to Zengo in the new Riverfront area. The tiny space on East 6th Avenue that is Fruition has become one of the top restaurants in the U.S. West. Across the South Platte River, the Highlands Café almost single-handedly turned that neighborhood into a must-go restaurant stop and spawned new neighbors such as the nouvelle Italian trattoria, Stella.

But the old west isn’t lost. The Buckhorn Exchange has been serving up traditional Colorado fare in downtown Denver for more than 100 years – the menu’s heavy on game dishes and beef. The Fort also offers elaborate game dishes (try the buffalo hump or elk chops) in its historic building in the foothills southwest of Denver. For a history and taste of Rocky Mountain oysters – sliced, fried bull’s testicles – head up to the tiny town of Severance and Bruce’s Restaurant.

The vast area east of Denver will give you a good idea of where your food comes from, but for great ideas about how it can taste, head west.

Boulder holds tight to its college town and hippie roots with a variety of natural food restaurants, but also offers some of the region’s best-rated, high-end event dining (L'Atelier, Frasca). Nearby Louisville prides itself on its Italian railroad and mine-worker history, a past that shines through in the community’s many Italian restaurants.

Heading west on Interstate 70 to the dozens of ski resort towns provides a choice of luxurious mountain dining options, including Beano’s Cabin at Beaver Creek, Sweet Basil in Vail, and dozens of top offerings in the Aspen area.

Farther west, Colorado’s wine industry is taking off. Once home only to fruit-based wines or small vineyards, the Palisade area has become known for its growing wineries and complex reds. The Grand Valley, as the area is known, is a great summer stop for some of the sweetest peaches in the west, apricots, berries and, in the fall, crisp tart apples to rival Washington State.

Beer plays a big role in culinary Colorado. There’s the Coors Brewery in Golden, of course, and a Budweiser facility near Fort Collins – both offer tours and tastings. But the state’s pioneer spirit took over in the early 1990s with a micro-brew boom. Denver’s current mayor, John Hickenlooper, founded the Wynkoop Brewpub, one of the nation’s original micro-breweries. Today, dozens of brewpubs dot the state.

Colorado’s southwestern corner draws from Mexican influences for its food, and with its warmer climate grows a cornucopia of produce. The high San Luis Valley on the New Mexico border grows almost as many potatoes as Idaho and is one of the nation’s only quinoa-growing areas. Dove Creek, in the far southwestern corner of the state, calls itself the Pinto Bean Capital of the World. And Olathe, south of Grand Junction, celebrates its candy-like Olathe Sweet Corn crop every summer.