In 1986, I went moose hunting in the Kuskokwim Valley in west Alaska. Had a lot of fun with a well known professional guide and bush pilot, Chet Clark, and a couple of other guys. Wanted to harvest a moose. Got lucky and found a big bull. Shot him and, over eight hours, we packed him out. Shipped some of the meat back to my restaurant in Denver and hosted a Moose Steaks & Moosehead Beer Night. Had a ball. Shipped the rack and cape and had it mounted. I recently got together with Tim Haas, owner of the Garden of the Gods Trading Post in Manitou, and we decided it would look terrific in his store. It is a beautiful, impressive mount. Stop by and check it out. Hundreds of people came to the Trading Post in May and took pictures while enjoying a Lunch Bunch of buffalo burgers with fries and homemade chips.
See him in the Garden of the Gods Trading Post in Manitou
More culinary: Johnny Nolan finally got his N3 Taproom open in Colorado Springs. Enjoyed a wonderful Caesar salad and aioli burger. Hosted a Supper Club at Rocco’s Italian Restaurant. Robert always does a nice job with the Italian dishes, and the fresh racks of prime rib. Big crowd.
Amanda served me a great Caesar salad and Aioli Burger at N3 Taproom
Rocco’s: A nice, fresh piece of prime rib at Rocco’s Italian Restaurant
The last month or so also included a fabulous event at the Olympic Training Center: the Taste of Hope. Thanks to BooDad’s, winner of the Judge’s Award, Applebee’s, winner of the People’s Choice Award, along with Tucano’s Brazilian Steak House, PF Chang’s, Biaggi’s, Colorado Smokehouse, Dickey’s Barbecue, L & L Hawaiian, and many, many more for supporting this wonderful charity event.
Taste of Hope: Judging with Teresa and Dan at the Taste of Hope
Exploring Camp Amache, a sad moment in our history
Finally, in search of a Godfather’s Pizza, I drove to La Junta and enjoyed a pie. Also had a wonderful Mexican lunch at Mission Villanueva in Lamar and then went to the Amache Japanese Relocation Camp near Granada. From 1942-1945 over seven thousand Japanese were interned there to prevent, unnecessarily, them from becoming a security risk to the United States during World War II. Southeastern Colorado: easy to get to, lots of history, and plenty of good places to eat. Contact me if you need some more tips.
Books: Lost City of the Monkey God, about a lost city in Honduras, and Shantaram, a story (a LONG story) about India. Both were fabulous and painted vivid pictures of their respective areas. Oh, and, as I do at least once a month, I enjoyed the Indian buffet at India’s Castle.
Movies: Going in Style with Alan Arkin, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. Light, funny. A listener suggested Remember. Downloaded it. Great story about former prisoners at Auschwitz and their attempt to find a collaborator. Some good twists and turns.
