Paramount Cafe and Common Grounds

Common Grounds website: http:\\www.commongroundscoffeehouse.com
1550 Wazee Suite 110
Denver, CO

I ventured into Denver, braving below-freezing temperatures, to attend an English language meetup. I go to return the favor to foreign language speakers who help me learn their native languages. We met at the Common Grounds coffee shop, the usual location. This cafe has always been welcoming to our large group. It's a great place to meet up and it's just quiet enough that you can hear the conversations. I had a delicious cafe mocha and an everything bagel with cream cheese. It helped wake me up since the meetup was taking place at an earlier hour than usual.

I enjoyed a conversation with two Lybians. We covered a wide variety of topics including new year celebrations in the U.S.

Paramount Website: http:\\www.paramountcafe.com
519 16th Street
Denver, CO 80202
303.893.2000

Afterward, I went out to lunch with a Texan and a Mexican. We took the shuttle down 16th Street and ended up in front of the Paramount Cafe. The Texan's inability to withstand cold decided our lunch location for us. I had been to this place once before at night but I had never tried their food.

The atmosphere was not very cheerful because the cafe is lit by dim, pink lights. The ceiling is also very tall since the location is in an older building. The walls are covered with pictures of smiling customers.

We managed to snag a booth and peruse the menu. Everything I saw looked good to me. I was torn between about five different choices. I ended up choosing a burger since I hadn't had one in a long time. I ordered the BBQ Elk Burger. This was: Colorado elk, applewood smoked bacon, jack cheese, grilled onions, house BBQ sauce, and roasted garlic aioli on a challa bun. I didn't taste much of a difference between the elk and normal ground beef. It did have really good flavor, though. My absolute favorite part was the garlic aioli. It tasted like happiness on a bun. I ordered fries as my side. I was only able to eat about half of the burger.

Despite the dim lighting and the shouts of the fevered football crowd, I would go back for the food. I have my eye on the Shrimp Po' Boy sandwich.