What an amazing day we had in Denver yesterday. It started out with our tour of Hammond's Candy Factory. We had seen the factory on a Food Network episode of "Kid in a Candy Store" and thought it looked like fun so we checked out their website and found out that they have two tour options. The first is free and is their regular group tour - a movie, looking at the candy making behind a glass and a few samples. It sounded like fun but, when we read farther down the page, we saw that a second tour was offered. For $35, you could take a behind-the-scenes tour. Only 8 people would be put in your group and you would have the chance to see everything up close and even get to make some candy. This sounded like an adventure we would welcome so we signed up.
When we got to the Factory, we found that we were the only people in our group so it ended up being a private tour. For almost two hours, we got to see every step of how Hammond's makes some of their famous candy canes, sour balls, ribbon candy, caramels, marshmallows and more. They are already preparing for Christmas so there was lots of beautiful candy being made. Our first attempt involved coiling candy to make lollipops. This is definitely not as easy as it looks. The woman working on the line seemed like she could do it blindfolded - deftly coiling the hot candy before it hardened. We managed to make several but they weren't as beautiful as hers. A couple of mine were more oval than round and had some finger indentations! We then tried making candy canes which was much easier. Our final hands-on experience was kneading, smoothing and shaping candy which would later be stretched and made into candy canes. The candy is very heavy and difficult to knead. You have to work quickly or it will harden.
We developed a respect for everyone that works in that factory. The work is difficult and the room has to be kept warm so it is pretty uncomfortable. That, apparently, didn't affect the workers. They were all incredibly friendly and truly looked like they enjoyed what they were doing. They took such pride in their work as well. Each person we talked to was happy to share their story. One woman had worked in the factory for 29 years!
At the end of the tour we were let loose into the retail store. We really didn't need to purchase anything because, along with the candy we had made ourselves, we were given over $100 worth of candy from throughout the factory. We have hard candy, ribbons, caramels, marshmallows, candy canes, taffy and more. However, we happened to be there the one day of the year that they hold their "garage sale." There were boxes of candy for only $5! I wish we could have brought more home but we knew that the chocolates wouldn't make it in the car for the rest of our trip. We did buy a huge box of hard candy that we'll be able to use for our son's wedding later this year. This was an experience not to be missed. Even if you take the regular tour, you'll enjoy it, but we highly recommend spending the money for the behind-the-scenes experience. You'll be happy that you did.
After a morning of candy making, we were ready for some lunch. One of our readers told us that we had to go to the Buckhorn Exchange, Denver's oldest restaurant, dating back to 1893. It is a small building next to the light rail and very close to Coor's and Invesco fields. The interior is packed (and we do mean packed) with a taxidermist's delight with all manner of game up on the walls. Definitely not the spot for an animal activist! We didn't sample the alligator tail, rocky mountain oysters, rattlesnake, bison or elk, but we had some good soup and sandwiches and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Could we possibly want more food? Not really but there was a place in Denver I was determined to visit. We had heard about D Bar Desserts from the Food Network as well. It's owner, Keegan Gerhard, is a judge on the Challenge programs and we thought it would be fun to get something small to go. The restaurant is very small with several tables inside and out. If you can, grab a seat at the bar where you will be able to watch the desserts being made. A group ordered a banana split and we saw the waitress brulee the banana for the sundae...yummy! We ended up staying and I'm so happy we did. Keegan was actually at the restaurant and he very kindly agreed to take a picture with me. I am an incredible fan of the Food Network so, for me, this is like meeting Madonna! He spent some time talking with us and we found out that he was born in the town where we live -small world. Now, back to the dessert. We ordered their donut holes. Calling them that really doesn't do the dish justice. They freshly make the holes, some shaken in cinnamon sugar and some in powdered sugar and all warm and delicious. They are served with six different dipping sauces, each one better than the one before. We could have skipped the donuts and just eaten those sauces with a spoon. We were good though, and brought home half of the holes. OK, not so good. We also got a tart to go. This little gem should be on everyone's Denver to-do list. They have a small menu of savory food so it would be a good place for lunch or a late night snack.
We were done with food for the day! We made a quick stop at the Hard Rock to pick up a shot glass for my son (a must for every Hard Rock city we visit) and then went to Shabbat services at Temple Sinai where our friend, Bryan Zive is the Soloist. It was a lovely end to a spectacular day.
Today we're taking a break and just doing some shopping and picture taking. We're off to the Jewish Festival in Boulder tomorrow and then leave for Wyoming.
Be sure to check our Facebook page for pictures of Hammond's and D-Bar. We'll be checking in once we reach Wyoming.
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