What's Behind Door # 222?

You'll be surprised to find the swanky Door 222 in downtown Loveland. You'd think you were in FoCo's trendy Old Town for a meal, but I am really glad they came to Loveland, instead. This place is very gourmet, with a seasonal menu, with lots of words on it that you probably do not understand. The ambience is awesome -- the interior is created from recycled parts of old buildings and cars, and they are proud of this "green" approach to their dining room. Large windows front the 4th Street sidewalk: try to score a window seat for some people watching.

But, it's really about the food. I am not usually in for fancy-schmancy, fru-fru food. I usually tend towards simpler offerings and places. BUT, everything here just tastes wonderful. The flavor combinations are inventive and unique -- pretty much each menu item is an adventure for your palate. So now one of my favorite places to eat in Loveland.

They used to be called Next Door, but they were unfortunately sued by a Boulder restaurant for names and logos too close to theirs. The new name, since 2015, is Door 222, which refers to their address, #222 E. 4th Street. The previous name indicates that they are located Next Door to a restored arts/concert locale, the Rialto Theater, in Loveland.

Up above we have their lunch special: two tapas and a salad. This is the first place I've ever had tapas, which is Spanish for appetizer. Literately means a cookware lid or pan top. Anyway, folks call it tapas when you eat just appetizers for a meal. Up above we have cheese-stuffed, bacon-wrapped peppers, mac & cheese with pulled pork, and a spinach salad. Hard to describe the flavor explosions in there, you will just have to go there and try these for yourself. Open a new Door, you will not regret it.

Wok This Way

Here's the China Wok, serving cheap, plentiful, fresh, hot Chinese food in SE FoCo. It's located near Safeway on E. Harmony. DO NOT go here for ambience -- note the absence of fine china in the photo. This place is really mostly set up for take-out and deliveries. There are only a few tables, and it looks like a recycled retail dry cleaner's counter. Consider take-out or delivery on cold days: the door is right there next to you and every customer enters with a cold breeze. You serve yourself water from the fridge in a styrofoam cup.

Do take a wok on the wild side, however, if you want a fresh (you can watch the cook stir fry your meal from your seat) Chinese lunch, in a hurry, for not a lot of cash. You get a choice of soup and a lunch entree (Hunan Beef above) for about 7 bucks. Hard to beat that deal anywhere in FoCo, and the portions are generous. Yes, it's a hole in the wall, but the food and the prices will bring you back.

π Day, Every Day

The lunch bunch celebrated Pi Day, which is 3/14, by eating pie. One of the best places to do that in NoCo is the Village Inn, with 17+ varieties of the round pastries to choose from. Up above we have their Key Lime pie with breakfast for lunch -- a spinach and bacon omelette with a side of hash. Yes, your grandmother likes to eat here. Kinda like an old school diner. But I enjoyed it.

The Inn is another CO success story. Started in Denver in 1958, today they have over 200 locations in 20 states. That means wherever you are, a VI is probably a short radius away from your location. They will certainly add to your tummy's circumference. So how do they do it?

Well, "it takes a village".

C.B. is Yer Handle, Come Back?

Another local success story is C.B.& Potts, started in FoCo in 1974 as a "Deluxe Tavern", now with 10 locations in CO. Above is their take on a Cuban with a side salad. Good stuff, great atmosphere, kinda pricey. They are (or were?) part of the hot microbrewery scene in FoCo. They have 2 great locations currently in FoCo, one on the city's Collindale Golf Course and another as part of the new Foothills Mall. The original location near the CSU campus will soon be new student housing, part of the shifting real estate issues around town. What a great idea to partner with a local restaurant to be resident on a local city course! Much better than most public golf course food -- usually a soggy hot dog and some stale chips.