INSIDER EATS: Get your grill on
Way back at the dawn of human time, our homo sapiens ancestors discovered how to make fire, and it’s likely the first thing they did was throw a big hunk of meat on the flames to char.
OK, so they might have warmed their hands first, perhaps caused an accidental burn or two, but the raw meat was certainly soon to follow.
As our craniums grew larger and our technology improved, fire became more than a tool used to make raw meat palatable. Grilling in its modern form is a revered art. The cross-hatched grill marks on a well-cooked (meaning medium-rare, for me) steak. A crisp crust breaking beneath the teeth to reveal the juicy treat inside its seal. Ah, carbon, the flavor-filled carbonization of meat in all its various forms.
And the Pikes Peak area boasts a wide range of those forms, varying by ingredients, nationality and by price from upper crust to pocket change. In other words, if you want to get your grill on, we can tell you where to turn.
31 N. Tejon St., 277-7333,
Of all foods, a juicy steak might look the most familiar to our prehistoric ancestors. But a steak at The Famous is one of the most refined and luxurious grilling experiences in town. The ambience is classic steakhouse, with live piano music, cocktails mixing in drink shakers behind the bar, and plush, private, round booths.
You’ll pay a premium for a rib-eye: a 12-ounce lunch for $19.95 and 20-ounce dinner for $39.95 — and that’s without sides. But it’s expertly timed by the wait staff to arrive perfectly on temperature, buttery rich and crusted with thickly ground pepper. Every bite bursts with flavor that you have to close your eyes to savor.
Lest you think beef reigns king alone at The Famous, try the fresh organic salmon filet ($14.95 lunch, $32.95 dinner). The more delicate fish is handled with care to create the same skillful, peppery crust while retaining the salmon’s moisture and fork-tender flakiness. Mine sat in a savory/sweet mango sauce, topped with chopped mango.
7790 N. Academy Blvd., 598-4044
5843 Constitution Ave., 574-6647
Whereas The Famous is a local, independent legend, HuHot Mongolian Grill is a well-known national chain. But the fun methods of combining fire and meat are worthy of note.
The centerpiece is a giant, circular millstone of a grill. First, wind through the salad bar of ingredients including frozen (so as to be super thinly sliced) meats, chopped and sliced vegetables, and other toppings. Ladle your sauce of choice into your bowl, and the cooks will then throw the custom creation on the grill, rotating around it as the orders roll in. One cook is usually following behind, cleaning the grill in clouds of steam with a scraper the size of a forearm.
The deliciousness of your meal is totally up to you. Udon noodles, chicken and Black Thai Peanut sauce is a simple Asian choice, but spicy sausage, mushrooms and potatoes coated in Mongol Mustard was an unexpected, almost Cajun treat. Tentative diners might want to choose one of the “recipe” cards available on each table.
Because HuHot is all you can eat ($8.49 weekday lunch, $8.99 weekend lunch, $12.99 dinner, $4.99 kids 4-10), it’s a great restaurant for families.
Salsa Brava Fresh Mexican Grill
9420 Briar Village Point, 955-6650
802 Village Center Drive, 266-9244
Featuring the fresh flavors of Mexico, Salsa Brava’s grilled offerings are geographically closer to home, but they’re far from ordinary. Again, throwing meat on a sizzling-hot surface has been common since the stone ages, but Salsa Brava’s house marinades for chicken and beef fajitas are masterpieces in moisture-retention.
Served traditionally on a sizzling iron skillet, both meats were perfectly seared to a dark, golden brown on the Fajitas for Two combination ($29 for combo or steak, $27 for only chicken), giving them a crisp, rich crust that showed the skill of a practiced grill hand.
With the solid house guacamole and some salsa (I recommend the warmer, smoky version) in one of the homemade, palm-size tortillas, these fajitas can teach you why simple grilling is so popular and long-lived.
Chicken, steak and combination are also available for one ($15.99, $15.99 and $14.99), and more interesting choices include Fajita Magnifico with ribs, shrimp and chicken ($15.99) and Fajita Portobello with mushrooms, zucchini, squash, peppers and onions ($14.99).
15 E. Bijou St., 477-1777
2810 S. Academy Blvd., 391-1777,
Taste of Jerusalem is a long way from The Famous.
Well, the downtown location is actually quite close, but in terms of type of dining, Taste of Jerusalem is a lot closer to the street. By that I mean, it’s closer to street food, the type of often portable eats you pick up on the fly.
The authentic Middle Eastern restaurant has long offered shwarma/gyros, hummus and falafel, but the kebabs are a newer addition. The menu description of meats “grilled to perfection” is totally honest advertising. Therefore, though service might take a little time when dining in, I don’t mind because I can hear the hiss of my order hitting the grill, cooking fresh just for me.
The chunks of lamb served on the kebab plate ($11.99) and in the kebab sandwich ($6.99) are massive — golf-ball-size or larger quality cuts — that are hot, glistening, still pale pink in the center and juicy. The main attraction is the marinade and spice mixture, which is intoxicating. The blend of flavors is hard to nail down: garlic, cumin, cinnamon, pepper. Is there a hint of mint?
The staff won’t give away the secrets of the flame-kissed treat, of course. Customers will just have to keep eating and keep guessing.
