Amber Alston & Jill McKay
Amber Alston
I grew up as a picky eater. I hated it when my food touched, and was known to beg for a divided plate (oh the humanity Thanksgiving dinner with all your gravies!) Thankfully I had parents that had traveled the world and encouraged me to try new things. My mom and dad were both great cooks. My mom specialized in healthy yet yummy, and my dad owned the weekend with amazing cookouts and brunches. As a teen, when an extremely busy school/sports/social schedule combined with a parental death, I consumed my fair share of easy foods like Tuna Helper and boxed Mac & Cheese. I’ve always been a foodie at heart though; during my deeply budgeted college days I used a talent to pick up flavors to make recreations of my favorite foods and drinks. I even would mimic the popular presentation style of stacking food (thankfully I outgrew the prison plate). As an adult with a better budget I love having the opportunity to revisit favorites, discover new restaurants with friends, and enjoy the many amazing craft breweries here. Behind every big food milestone in my life, there was a great guide, the friend that showed me I really do like sushi (now love), the sommelier that showed me I really do like wine (now love), and brewmasters in places like Portland and Denver that helped me discover how amazing beer can be. Hopefully this blog can guide you to a new favorite as well. Although my budget is bigger now, I’m still very value conscious, and I’m still committed to finding good tasting, healthy food in addition to awesome splurges. I still love to cook, and I make my own infusions, like limoncello. I consider myself a (not-always-strict) Pescatarian, so I’ll leave the reviews of the steak dinners to Jill.
Favorite foods: Sashimi, nigiri, curries, a great spinach salad, pasta, cheese, bread, herbed sauces like brown butter & sage, chocolate, nutty flavors like almond and peanut
Least favorite foods: Cooked carrots, peas, grits, and coleslaw
Jill McKay
I grew up in a family where my mom cooked us a meal every night from scratch. Only when I got to college, did I discovered crazy foods existed like Hamburger Helper and canned mushrooms. When I was saving for a 2-month trip to Europe, all I ate for 4 months was bean and cheese quesadillas. Once I got more of a budget after college, I realized how exciting the Denver restaurant scene is. I remember my first foodie experience was at Palette’s, Kevin Taylor’s restaurant in the Denver Art Museum. I was at a company Christmas party with my sister, surrounded by people I didn’t know, and asking to finish the food off their plates because everything was so delicious and the flavors were so deep. I love discovering new restaurants, and going to happy hour, brunch, bars, breweries, wineries, etc. with friends and family. After years of people asking for restaurant recommendations for particular occasions, or asking my opinion on this restaurant or that, I decided to start this blog and asked Amber to be my partner in crime, since she goes to tons of breweries and restaurants, and is the greatest expert on the fun things to do in Denver every weekend. Our hope and vision for this blog is to elevate the Denver restaurant scene even more—highlighting local places and providing Denverites with a little more knowledge on dining and drinking around the city.
Favorite foods: Pasta, salmon, pork tenderloin, cheese, anything with a good sauce, creme brulee, anything almond
Least favorite foods: Broccoli, asparagus, and I’m just getting ok with raw tomatoes, oh, and chocolate isn’t my favorite
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