The Best Thing Caitlin Ever Ate - Part II: "Ham"burger

First of all, it felt weird to put quotes around the word ham (I'm going to actually talk about my favorite veggie burger, being a pseudo-non-meat-eater myself) when hamburgers don't include ham. I just learned, thanks to Wikipedia, something I probably should have already known: they're named after location of origin, not content.

Semantics aside, I have always loved a good burger. For the first 23 years of my life, I was completely non-discriminatory about hamburger quality (Does anyone remember those frozen hamburgers --with bun-- that came in red boxes? Couldn't find anything online) though extremely picky about toppings-- only plain for me, thank you very much. That's right, drive-through person, I want a meat patty, cheese, and that is it. If there are pickles and sauce on there, I'm coming back through so you can spit on my condiment-less replacement.

After becoming a semi-vegetarian (for a while I would break my veggie diet for a good meatball sub or pepperoni roll; today I break it for something interesting like reindeer mac and cheese), my tastes became a bit more refined and also more open. Is that a possible combination? I think so. Anyway, my favorite burger is a bit more exciting than a frozen bun on white bread.

It is...drum roll please...the even better burger at Meadow Mountain Cafe.

Meadow Mountain Cafe is so much more than good food. It is one of only three restaurants in Allenspark, one of my favorite places in the whole world, the home of Highlands Presbyterian Camp and Retreat Center and the gateway to many awesome hikes in the Rockies.

So, yes, it has a special place in my heart. It is where camp staff hangs out. It is where you can talk to the locals. It is where you can sit on the porch and enjoy the view.

But even if none of that were true, I would still fight my way to get an ever better burger, fries, and a shake at Meadow Mountain. They are amazing. The veggie patty itself is made with sunflower seeds and I think 3 different kids of cheeses. It is then topped with lettuce, tomato, bean sprouts, avocado, and cream cheese. Oh. My. Word.

Okay, so here is the part where people who spend/spent way more time at Meadow Mountain then I can critique and correct my explanation...did I forget something in the toppings? Did I call it the wrong thing (Is that actually the name of the hamburger and the veggie burger is called something else)? I couldn't fact check as there is no website for Meadow Mountain. Let me know, peeps.

For the rest of you...find this place. You won't be sorry. And maybe try hiking Long's Peak while you're there.

What's your favorite burger?


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The Best Thing Caitlin Ever Ate - Part 1: Dessert

So this blog is about running but since

1. the posts are few and far between and

2. my love of running goes hand in hand with my love of food (hint: you can eat more when you run!)

I figured I would handle the problem in 1 by talking more about my love of food mentioned in 2.

With me?

About the same time Chrissy and I decided to take on 50 in 50 by 50, she introduced me to one of my favorite food shows (yes, I have more than one favorite food show), The Best Thing I Ever Ate. In fact, it was the dessert episode of that show that made us decide on a September race in Baltimore.

So I thought it would be fun to do sporadic special installments about the best things I've eaten...and invite you to chime in!

We'll just start with dessert. The show has some great options and I've now traveled to two places just to try them out. But for the sake of interest, I won't allow myself to use desserts featured on the show.

Not counting the Toasted Marshmallow Shake and the CMP, my favorite dessert is the caramel pretzel shake at Burgatory.


That thing is seriously good. Chunks of pretzels, combo of salty and sweet...oh, it's heaven. They say so, right on the menu. Hmm...I guess that's why they call it Burgatory.

My friend Alex liked her Monkey Business Shake too

What's the best dessert you've ever eaten?