15 Weeks

Baby is the size of an: APPLE

Mama looks like:

Yes, this week I gained 4 pounds and my belly exploded. It was such a shock, rolling out of bed to find a tummy, that for the first two days I just felt really fat. Now that I can feel baby #3 making little movements, I'm feeling less fat and more pregnant.

Steamworks

I am notorious for my forgetfulness, and love to eat out. To keep from accidentally eating twice at a place that I didn't like, I decided to start "reviewing" the restaurants we visit while we're here in Colorado. If you're ever passing through, maybe we can take you to one of our favorites :) 

Saturday, before Stake Conference, Mike and I went to Steamworks Brewing Co. Thank you, Bayfield Young Women, who volunteered to babysit at the church for all of us going to the adult session!

Steamworks reminded me a ton of Mackenzie River Pizza in Butte, Montana. Steamworks has a menu full of sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, and pasta (as well as a very large selection of house-brewed beers, which is what they're known for, but we didn't imbibe). We started with the Queso Dip. Normally it comes with one pita bread round and a basket of red, blue, and white tortilla chips. Since Mike doesn't handle food coloring well, I asked for more pita bread and they were great about getting us several more, at no extra charge. The queso was very spicy, and left me wishing we'd gotten their Artichoke-Spinach Cheese dip instead. However, it was a good flavor, and Mike loved it (I just don't need heartburn to add to my pregnancy discomfort right now). We toyed with ordering a regular size Pepperoni Za' pizza and an order of their Missionary Ridge Pasta (which I will try the next time we go there), but ended up just ordering a large Pepperoni Za' (with pineapple, cuz I love it that way) for the sake of time. The pepperoni's on the pizza were thinly sliced and much larger in diameter than any pepperoni I've ever seen before. The crust had herbs mixed into it, and the sauce was really good. It had the perfect "cheese to sauce to crust" ratio. It was too bad that we ordered the large, because Mike could only finish one piece (although he had eaten most of the Queso Dip). I was able to eat two and a half slices, and am happy to have the rest as leftovers. Steamworks wasn't really a place I'd go on another date-night, but it has a nice, laid-back atmosphere that would be great for taking the kids to, or for doing a group get-together. I'm looking forward to trying their pasta and their Pastrami Rueben.

Serious Texas Bar-B-Q

I am notorious for my forgetfulness, and love to eat out. To keep from accidentally eating twice at a place that I didn't like, I decided to start "reviewing" the restaurants we visit while we're here in Colorado. If you're ever passing through, maybe we can take you to one of our favorites :)


Eating at a joint that calls itself "Texas BBQ" while existing only in Colorado and New Mexico felt a bit like a joke, but Mike insisted that we go there. I'm not the biggest meat-eater, but I've got to tell you, I LOVED their smoked turkey. Serious Texas Bar-B-Q is less of a sit down, date night restaurant than many of the others I've blogged about, but it's definitely worth checking out. The interior reminds me more of a small town diner, or a place to have a picnic. They sell their smoked meat by the quarter pound, served with a side of their signature bbq sauce. Mike loves their beef brisket, and I can't get enough of their turkey. The sauce is addictive. We haven't eaten there in awhile, and I'm thinking it might be time to. Tomorrow, maybe.

Ore House

I am notorious for my forgetfulness, and love to eat out. To keep from accidentally eating twice at a place that I didn't like, I decided to start "reviewing" the restaurants we visit while we're here in Colorado. If you're ever passing through, maybe we can take you to one of our favorites :)

Last night Mike and I joined a bunch of his coworkers for dinner at the Ore House. They're primarily a steak house, and not an inexpensive one. I was disappointed they only had one chicken dish. They did have half a dozen seafood dishes, but I'm not a fan of seafood (especially when I'm pregnant and can't verify the source of the fish). Also, if you're like me, and you like to check the menu online before going to a restaurant, be aware that their online menu isn't current. I got myself all worked up about a Spinach and Wild Arugula salad on their online menu (it said it was made with candied pecans, strawberries, chevre, aged balsamic, and olive oil). Well, they didn't have it on their physical menu. Oh it just makes me sad and hungry thinking about it. That is my BIGGEST pet peeve (for restaurants, anyway). It feels like false advertising.


Anyway, because we were eating as a group (there were 15 people in our party), we ordered quite a bit of food, some of which I tried. The sides ordered were Asparagus with a béarnaise sauce, Crab Macaroni & Cheese, and regular Macaroni & Cheese. The asparagus was very tenderly cooked, and the sauce was good. I didn't try the crab mac, but Mike said it was yucky - expensive for no good reason. Because Mike was unimpressed with the crab mac, neither of us tried the regular mac. But really, who wants to pay $7 for a small serving of homemade mac and cheese? Mike ordered his signature virgin mojito and was so disappointed. For a restaurant that advertises a full bar, it's unthinkable that they used mojito mix instead of fresh mint and lime. Mike didn't even finish his mojito (which is saying something). I also ordered their loaded baked potato. It was good, served with a generous amount of butter, sour cream, white cheddar cheese, crispy crumbled bacon, chives, and green chiles. I didn't put the chives or chiles on it, and it was very good. You can never go wrong with a baked potato. However, I don't think it was worth the $7 it cost.


The majority of our group (13 people) ordered a steak of one kind or another, one person ordered the lobster, and I ordered a chicken breast stuffed with artichoke, parmesan and sundried tomatoes, topped with a cream sauce. I can imagine it's very difficult for a chef staff to prepare 15 meals (each with different "done-ness" and preparation) and still get the meals out all at the same time. I was really impressed that we were all served at the same time. Unfortunately, the consensus was that none of the meat was done the way it was asked for. Each steak was off in done-ness by a mark or two (for example, Mike ordered medium-rare and his was medium, and our host, Sebastian, ordered his medium and was served a medium-well steak) and my chicken was very over cooked. I'll admit, I would prefer it over-done than under-done, but when I have difficulty cutting through my chicken with a steak knife, it's a problem. That said, the filling of the chicken was delicious, as was the sauce. From what I overheard, it seems as though the flavors of each of the steaks was satisfactory.


Dessert made an attempt to redeem the meal. I ordered the Butter Pecan Rum Cake, which was good enough to finish even though I felt full. Mike ordered the Crème Brûlée Duo - two ramekins of crème brûlée, one Irish Creme flavored, the other Chai Tea flavored. Mike really liked the Chai Tea flavored one because it tasted like pumpkin pie. I liked the Irish Creme flavor because it was a very delicate flavor, not too overpowering.


I don't think we'll choose to go back to the Ore House on our dime, but it's possible that if you're looking for a flavorful steak and you're solo or on a date, the Ore House may work for you.

East by Southwest

I am notorious for my forgetfulness, and love to eat out. To keep from accidentally eating twice at a place that I didn't like, I decided to start "reviewing" the restaurants we visit while we're here in Colorado. If you're ever passing through, maybe we can take you to one of our favorites :)


For Valentine's Day, we went to East by Southwest. I was surprised they didn't have a special Valentine's menu, but it just makes deciding whether to go back or not that much easier. You know, 'cuz we ate from the real menu, so we know their food is *always* tasty. Spoiler alert: it is, and we will go back. East by Southwest is a Japanese fusion restaurant with great sushi. Of course, you'll have to take Mike's word on that, since I don't eat raw fish, regardless of pregnancy. They did have a delicious vegetarian roll, which I got, and will get again.

Vegetarian sushi platter

Sashimi platter

We started with Edemame, with a Seaweed Salad for Mike and an Organic Greens Salad (greens, wasabi peas, daikon radish with miso sesame dressing) for me. And Mike got his virgin mojito. He says they are some of the best mojitos he's had. And he's had a lot. Lush.

I ordered Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken for my main dish, and Mike got the Nigiri Sushi and Roll Platter. He chose the Spicy Tuna Roll, which he really liked. The fried rice was full of flavor, the chicken was well cooked, and it was beautifully served in half a pineapple. The leftovers were great too. As we were enjoying our dinners, Mike decided he really wanted an East by Southwest Roll (which is a California roll wrapped with white fish, broiled with dynamite sauce finished w/ sweet soy, sesame seeds & scallions) and I decided I'd try their Thai Veggie Roll (which has peanuts, peanut sauce, inari tofu, asparagus, takuwan, yamagobo, cilantro, & Thai sweet chili sauce). Both were delicious! I haven't talked much about Mike's meal, the sushi, because when I ask him he says it was great. Great is fine - but for a better idea of whether their sushi is worth it, know that ANY time we want to go out to dinner, and ANY time he gets to make lunch suggestions at work, he chooses East by Southwest.

We will definitely go back, and maybe next time I'll be brave and try some (cooked) sushi rolls.

*All the pictures in this post are from East by Southwest's website.

Ken & Sue's

I am notorious for my forgetfulness, and love to eat out. To keep from accidentally eating twice at a place that I didn't like, I decided to start "reviewing" the restaurants we visit while we're here in Colorado. If you're ever passing through, maybe we can take you to one of our favorites :)

For our date in January, Mike and I went to Ken & Sue's. We went without reservations and were lucky we got a table right away. I'm slowly learning to make reservation everywhere we go. I got comfortable in Houston just showing up at restaurants because there were so many that were rarely at full capacity. I had picked Ken & Sue's on a whim, not really seeing anything I loved jump out at me from their online menu, but I'm glad we went. Prepare yourself for an over-abundance of love - almost everything we got was flavorful and fantastic, and our server, Dana, was so attentive on a busy night. We went on a Friday, during Snowdown, so you can imagine how crowded and crazy it was. Our actual table that night:

We started with the Ginger Chicken Potstickers and Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps, both of which were phenomenal. I loved the orange-honey dipping sauce for the potstickers, and the spicy sauce on the lettuce wraps was amazing. Mike, of course, got a virgin mojito, and said it was great. It better have been great, he got three of them. I got their Baby Greens Salad, which came with gorgonzola, apples, walnuts, and tobacco onions in a shallot vinaigrette, and ate it all before remembering I'm not supposed to eat soft cheeses during pregnancy. I dream about that salad. SO good. Mike's main dish was Pistachio Crusted Grouper with mashed sweet potatoes and a vanilla rum butter sauce (YUM!) and my main dish was Angel Hair Pasta with oven-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic. I waffled between that and the Herb Seared Chicken stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, and goat cheese in a roasted garlic sauce. I should have gotten the chicken. The pasta was good, the portion was HUGE, but the flavor was a little too mild for me. I also got a side of their Potato Lasagna (really just potatoes au gratin) and was really disappointed. It needed salt, or a more flavorful cheese. It was well cooked, and very creamy, but tasteless. The dessert I got, Banana Foster Creme Caramel, was absolutely delicious, like a caramel flan with banana slices fanned around it. Mike got the Molten Chocolate Cake (make sure you order it with dinner because it takes 20 minutes to cook). His came with a coconut ice cream that was the perfect complement to the rich dark chocolate.

I'm, obviously, really looking forward to going back to Ken & Sue's!

Mutu's Italian Kitchen

I am notorious for my forgetfulness, and love to eat out. To keep from accidentally eating twice at a place that I didn't like, I decided to start "reviewing" the restaurants we visit while we're here in Colorado. If you're ever passing through, maybe we can take you to one of our favorites :)

One of our first dates here (without the kids!) was to Mutu's. Despite their food being great, our experience left a bad enough taste in my mouth that we haven't been back. The weekend we went, the hostesses and wait staff were extremely unorganized and inattentive. We were told by the hostess to just "find a table on the patio" and proceeded to wait 45 minutes for a server. When one never showed up (no one even came by with water), I loudly protested (that's saying it nicely), stood up, and we started to walk out. The manager stopped us, and with much persuasion convinced us to stay. Most of you know my temper (or if you haven't seen it, have heard fantastic stories about it), so rest assured it took MUCH PERSUASION for me to sit back down. To the manager's credit, he bent over backward to try to make it right (although offering complimentary alcohol didn't impress us like he had hoped) and explained Mutu's had recently gone under new management and the transition was not as smooth as he would have liked. Hopefully he has since trained better employees.

On to the food. We started with the Beef Carpaccio and the Antipasto Plate. I'm not normally a fan of raw-ish meat, but I tried it and was impressed with it's flavor. The Antipasto was delicious: toasted bruschetta with salami, prosciutto ham, roasted peppers, mozzarella and provolone cheese, assorted cured olives, marinated artichoke hearts and mushrooms. It was big enough it could have ended our meal, but after waiting for so long, I was hungry and wanted to get the most out of my time there. I ordered the Deep Dish Lasagna (cheese, not sausage) and Mike got a virgin mojito (like I said, the antipasto was big, and he was full). The lasagna was large and tasty. I ended up taking half of it home and eating it the next day for lunch - it even reheated quite well. Mike says his virgin mojito was "completely unmemorable" (it's kind of his signature drink, and gets it everywhere we go). We took home the Pistachio and Chocolate Cannoli. It was gross. It tasted processed, and I wouldn't be surprised if they'd bought them from Costco's freezer section.

I love Italian food, but I've been really reluctant to go back, for fear of poor service again. Mike has been back for business dinners and hasn't had a problem, so maybe when my craving for pasta reaches an all-time  high, we'll chance it.