Kombucha, Bamboo Bicycles, Juicing, oh my! – BambuCycles

 

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Check out BambuCycles in the Highlands – stop in and slam a green one for us, Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Mar 2014

Healthy, scrumptious things to consume and cool bicycles are two things that Denverites go bananas over; it’s not hard to see why Denver, Boulder, and the Loveland areas made top 10 on a recent study’s slimmest cities! Check out this local business that’s helping us reach such lofty fitness goals – Stop #2 on the March 2014 Denver Dishcrawl, BambuCycles.

 

Using a masticating juicer (that means no blades, my friends) the fruits and veggies juiced by the guys at BambuCycles leave nearly all of the vitamins and nutrients in tact, extracting all of the pulp and fiber; the process uses a slower, crushing and squeezing method than other commonplace juicers. Another cool fact: BambuCycles in LoHi succeeds at extracting about 90% juice instead of the typical juicer’s 60% return. They make our Jack LaLanne juicer look like a joke! Check out the differences between masticating (more expensive) and centrifugal (more common, less expensive) juicers here for an easy run-down on the two.

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BambuCycles doing what they do best! Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Mar 2014

The guys at BambuCycles juiced two, glorious samples for us- one green, and one made of fruits including pineapple, cantaloupe, and watermelon. Ever wondered about how juicing works, or wanted to take advantage of the many health benefits juicing provides? Stop in and chat with Angel and the guys; not only a wealth of knowledge, the staff are happy to assist you with customized juice orders, detoxes, and cleanses.

 

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Bright and full of flavor – The Mexican Salad at BambuCycles. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Mar 2014

Some of the fruit was saved from juicing and chopped into small salads with a spicy twist (pictured above).

Try a rendition of this vibrant, flavorful melon salad:

  • Take your favorite melons (cantaloupe, watermelon, etc), and chop into 1” chunks – we like to fill a standard dinner-bowl full of the fruit to split between two people.
  • Drizzle lemon juice (to taste). We prefer a TON of lemon juice simply because the tangy and sweet combination of the lemon juice and the fruit is incredible.
  • Dust some cayenne (we prefer) or chili pepper throughout the salad – be careful! (also, to taste)
  • Sea Salt (to taste).
  • Mix the fruit, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne / chili pepper together, making sure each piece of fruit gets this crazy combination of ingredients for the best variety of flavors in every bite. Seriously, it’s like a party in your mouth.

 

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Another great experience provided on this Dishcrawl stop? Kombucha on tap! If you’re not familiar with Kombucha Tea, let us explain: Happy Leaf is a well known Kombucha producer, pulling from multiple types of tea in their brewing: green, white, and black. Benefits of Kombucha per The Food Renegade:

#1. DETOX!

 

#2. Helps with those pesky joints

 

#3. Digestion & Gut Health

 

#4. Boosts the Immune System

 

Check out The Food Renegade for more great info on Kombucha.

 

 

BambuCycles offer a stylish ride that stands out in a crowd. Not only are they cool looking, but they also provide natural shock absorption that simply can’t be replicated by other machined bikes. Stop in and check out these sweet rides!

 

Alright, alright… juicing, healthy & delicious snacks, Kombucha, AND bamboo bikes? Does BambuCycles NOT do anything awesome?

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Annelise, enjoying some juice and Bamboo Bikes. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Mar 2014

The answer is obviously no. They offer some serious benefits to the LoHi community, and definitely have a blast doing it. We look forward to stopping in again soon and learning more about their interesting business.

 

 

 

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OneSpark – Day 1 & 2

We’re having a blast here in Jacksonville, Florida, promoting our CitySpeax expansion project. If you haven’t visited our project on OneSpark and registered to vote for #20643, please do! Your vote helps us get NOTICED and, hopefully, funded. 

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Steve manning the booth at OneSpark! This was before our banner was created / hung as well as our signs created. Watch out our booth evolves over the next few days – we’re learning new things each day!

 

At OneSpark, we hope to expand the “speax” branded websites to CitySpeax, one brand that supports all of the “speak” city websites promoting small business through features, recognition, offering of small business solutions including advertising, social media, and consultation.

With the CitySpeax brand, we  can support small businesses and strengthen communities as we have through our separate websites for Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Denver

Check out our project, Creator #20643, here, and vote for us!

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Hemming Plaza in Jacksonville, FL – check out the traffic around all of the cool Creators. You can see all of the projects by clicking on tho photo and visiting OneSpark.com. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Apr 2014

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Beautiful Sunset at the end of Day 1 at OneSpark. Click on the photo to check out project and vote for us! Credit: Kirsten Ebey, April 2014.

 

Exploring the Highlands – The Matador

The Highlands of Denver is a place we haven’t ventured to very much as of yet; but last Friday, we changed that! Denverspeax decided it was time to go on our first, dedicated Highlands adventure. This is where we found a quaint, down-to-Earth part of town chocked full of thriving, small businesses. Our first stop was for lunch at The Matador, located at 32nd Ave in the Highlands.

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Warm and Inviting, the Matador in the Highlands. Fisheye lens. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2013

The Matador was one of the places we visited, and, boy, we’re glad we did! Like we were regulars, the bartender greeted us immediately as we walked in. Sitting at the bar, he helped us with drinks, suggested chips and salsa for a starter, and grabbed menus for us to peruse as soon as we sat down.

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Homemade chips and salsa at Matador. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2013

In addition to the appetizer, Steven and I purchased a Carnitas Taco Plate to split; the meal included two tacos on flour tortillas with shredded pork, shredded romaine, garlic sour cream, and Guajillo chili sauce along with large portions of black beans, rice, and spicy pico de gallo for added spice and flavor. We were told that their tortillas are one of the only products that are not made in house, from scratch.

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Carnitas taco plate from the Matador – check out other mouth-watering, Tex-Mex cuisine by clicking on the picture above to be taken to their menu! Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2013.

True to the Tex-Mex style of cuisine, both American and Mexican influence is present within their Carnitas. The burst of garlic in the sour cream compliments the sweet and tangy shredded pork; the chili sauce grouped with the pico adds that Mexican kick, welcoming a cold, limed and salted Pacifico on draft. Steve and I split the above plate, and were completely stuffed. We cleared the entire thing, and honestly, could have stopped there…but we found ceviche listed in the appetizers section of the menu. Please note, if ceviche is on the menu, we will order it. We gravitate to ceviche, and have to try any and everyone’s!

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Delicious ceviche by Matador. Click on the picture to be brought to their menu! Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2013

The ingredients are so incredibly fresh, and grouped with the saltiness of the homemade chips makes for a fantastic pairing. We finished every tart, chunky bite while draining another bowl of chips.

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Check out the tequila bar – there are so many different premium bottles! Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2013.

Aside from great food, Matador offers a large variety of tequilas. Many of which are on display behind the bar, reflecting light from the sunshine outside. Sounds like a place for tequila connoisseurs, carrying over 120 superior tequilas.

Be sure to stop by and check the Matador. Whether you’re looking for a snack, a full meal, a tequila sampler, or just grabbing a beer in the neighborhood, The Matador will satisfy your craving. Check them out on Facebook to learn more.