Cafe 180

A friend had spoken highly of Cafe 180. Today, they celebrated their 6 year anniversary. Seemed like the perfect time to check the place out! I was pleased.

The first impression, walking in, was already quite good. The place has lots of gigantic windows, letting in plenty of natural light. There is a clear view of the entire kitchen, which looked organized and clean. A variety of seating arrangements is available: by the window, on the patio, at tables... The restaurant appeared immaculate.

More importantly, I'm excited about the driving force behind this restaurant: everyone, that's right - everyone - can have a good meal. People who cannot afford to pay a monetary amount for a meal can donate some time at the restaurant.

Meals are made from fresh ingredients.

And, employees are hospitable and kind in working with food sensitivities and allergies.

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When I went today, we needed to avoid gluten, dairy, and nuts.

Instead of getting frustrated stares, David, one of the kitchen managers, was determined to come up with stuff we could eat.

I ended up ordering two things, minus some ingredients -

1.  the Mediterranean salad, without feta cheese; and,

2. the pesto chicken pizza, using gluten-free crust; minus the pesto (which has dairy in it) and cheese.

Both items were quite good. The salad had plenty of flavor. All five of us were pleasantly surprised by the tastiness of the pizza, despite the missing ingredients. I liked combining the flavors from the salad and pizza.

There are only two paid staff persons working full-time at this location. These two lovely people pictured here: Sonia and David.

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Cafe 180 is extraordinary, striving to feed everyone well, using fresh ingredients and serving with kindness and love.

If you are craving a good meal but can't afford to pay for it, eat here.

Or, if you want to kill two birds with one stone: partake in a hearty, fresh meal and pay-it-forward; eat at Cafe 180.

Cafe 180 needs volunteers to continue reaching out to the community. For those who are itching to help out in the community, here's a great place to go!

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Disclaimer: I am not a chef, by training or occupation. But, I do enjoy good food.

Another disclaimer: No one is offering me perks or incentive to speak here. I'm speaking of my own accord. I'm simply super excited about what I had today and the idea behind this restaurant.

Authentic, Exquisite, Sustainable Taiwanese Food: Zoe Ma Ma

This place, Zoe Ma Ma, is amazing.

Not the stereotypical hole-in-the-wall, anything-but-real, crap. Not one bit.

This particular Zoe Ma Ma location (there are two restaurants, one in Denver and one in Boulder) is right next to Union Station, in the heart of Downtown Denver. This area is buzzing with people taking the light rail to or from the airport, locals, just about anyone.

The ambiance is bright and inviting. Inside or out.

This restaurant has typical food that's sold by street vendors in Taiwan, but elevated. The food is authentic and delicious.

These pearl meatballs might seem a bit pricey but so flavorful and tasty (and gluten free!!).

I substituted rice for the rice noodles (just because) in this Ma Ma's Chicken Soup Noodle (also gluten free!). So good, even on a hot Denver day. Rich (full bodied) but not heavy.

On to the sweet treats. I purchased a couple of gluten-free options:

The Goji Berry & Raisin Rice Cake is steamed with sticky sweet rice, goji, and raisins.

The Sesame Ball with Red Bean is deep fried sweet comfort food. So, so good (even though it's deep fried).

It's worth pain of wading through downtown traffic and finding parking (or, taking the light rail) to go to Zoe Ma Ma. It's great to support a family business  AND enjoy amazing food.