Fired Up About Fired Up Pizzeria.

Fired Up Pizzeria

741 Main Avenue
Durango, Colorado, 81301

Phone: (970) 247-0264

Email: info@fireduppizzeria.com

Website: http://www.fireduppizzeria.com/

The best way I can give a good assessment of Fired Up Pizzeria is by posting their "Mission and Vision Statement" which is located on the homepage of their website.

"Fired Up Pizzeria is dedicated to the ingredients, quality and traditional methods of producing authentic Neapolitan pizza. Our pizzas are created with handmade dough, fresh mozzarella, and hand crushed tomato sauce. We focus on using high quality imported and local ingredients needed to produce a great pizza and support a great community. We do this with the conviction that when you pour your heart and soul into what you love, excellence can be achieved. Come and enjoy."

Entering Fired Up, expect to be warmly greeted; seating available is indoor and outdoor, but if you want to watch the pizza chef at work, pick indoor - front.  The menu lists appetizers, salads, artisan sandwiches, "build your own" pizza, specialty pizza, desserts, drinks, alcoholic drinks, and a kid's menu.  After ordering, we watched the pizza chef and he let me take photos of him, and a pepperoni pizza fresh out of the wood burning oven.

We ordered two "build your own", an 8-inch Margherita with meatballs and a 12-inch Margherita with Kalamata olives, red onions, red bell peppers and diced tomatoes.  Within 20 minutes we were chowing down on deliciously scented and tasting, crispy pizzas; NO!  there was not one slice left over.  Surprisingly, we were not overstuffed and decided to try one of the desserts...cannoli.

8 inch Meatball

12 inch Olives, Red Onions, Red Bell Peppers, Diced Tomatoes



Crispy Crust!

The Cannoli were two waffle cookies, known as Pizzelle, rolled and filled with a lemon zested mascarpone cheese, vanilla glaze drizzled over top.  Talk about dying and going to dessert heaven; the lemon, vanilla and mascarpone worked perfectly together; and to our surprise, was not overly sweet.  The Pizzelle were light and crisp; skip the spoon, use the fingers and give yourself a great excuse to lick them clean.


Fired Up Pizzeria is definitely the place to go when in the mood for pizza and cannoli; then again, it's a great excuse to go back and try the sandwiches and salads too.

Mary Cokenour


Menu

Honeyville is a Sweet and Friendly Place to Visit.

Honeyville

33633 Hwy 550
Durango, CO 81301

Phone: (800) 676-7690
Fax: Fax: 970-403-0022

Website: http://www.honeyvillecolorado.com/

On Route 550, north of Durango, is one of the sweetest shops in the area...Honeyville.  This small shop is packed full of products made from wildflower honey such as jams, jellies, sauces, whiskey and wine aka mead.  The staff inside are just as sweet as their products and go out of their way to help you make perfect selections; a taste sample is not out of the question.  In the back of the store is a viewing area of the processing room.  I was recently informed that approval was given for Honeyville to expand, so more luscious honey products can be made available!

Honey Bourbon Whiskey





Honey Wine aka Mead

Throughout the shop are recipes cards to give you great ideas on how to use Honeyville's products.  Can't get to the shop, go to their website and shop, or order a catalog.  Never say never, Honeyville has something for anyone.

 

Mary Cokenour

Durango Brewing Company is a Real Pub Experience.

Durango Brewing Company

3000 Main Ave.
Durango, CO 81301

(970) 247-3396

Website: http://www.durangobrewing.com






In 1886,  the "Durango Beer and Ice
Company",  changed its name to "Durango Brewing Company, and is now the third oldest microbrewery in Colorado. It is a small establishment; the type of place where you are treated equally whether a local or a visitor to Durango. There is no pretentiousness, and none of that, "you're not a local, so we can't be bothered to serve you" which is definitely what we experienced at another Colorado establishment in Dolores.  We stopped by at around 1:30 pm on a Sunday, there were a few people in the patio area and inside; when we left around 3pm it had become quite busier.  We seated ourselves, but a waitress came over immediately to take our drink orders.  My hubby had a "Durango Dark" which he said was smooth, rich, creamy, a slight hint of chocolate, not very hoppy and absolutely delicious.  The only non-alcoholic beverages are bottled iced teas or Zuberfizz sodas, and water of course.






The food menu is not large, and that ends up being a very good thing; what they do make is great!  We began with the Buffalo Wings; deep fried, not baked with celery sticks and ranch dressing (bleu cheese also available).  A perfect start off for wing lovers!







The waitress was very down to earth, pleasant and answered all our questions; again whether a local or visitor, she treated everyone well and checked to make sure we were all happy.  At first I was going to order a burger, but spied the "Brew House Brat" on the menu.  An El Dorado Cattle Company bratwurst made with Amber Ale, served with sauerkraut and pub chips.  Oh my goodness, I ate the whole thing!  The brat snapped when you bit into it and so juicy; the sauerkraut was fried up, not cold; the pub chips were out of this world...crispy on the outside with a soft center, no ketchup needed!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it!





Hubby ordered the "DBC Pub Burger", a 1/3 pound burger made with Texas Longhorn beef from the El Dorado Cattle Company (all DBC's meat menu items are from there) which comes with lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion and your choice of cheese (hubby chose Cheddar); extra toppings can be purchased.  This is a "Wow" burger; large and in charge, juicy, perfectly cooked (medium-well), not dry and packed with charcoal flavor from the grill.  The kitchen is small, so we were able to see the flare up of the grill at one point, so knew when the menu said "char grilled" that that was no lie.  A choice of side salad or pub chips comes with this burger.




Durango Brewing Company is a place where you can go with family and/or friends, have a drink or two, eat very good pub style food, and simply relax.  There are some game machines in the pub and they do have Wi-Fi.  Check it out!

Mary Cokenour

Saddle Up for the Bar D Chuckwagon.

 

Bar D Chuckwagon

8080 County Road 250

Durango, CO 81301

 

(970) 247-5753

 

 

                                               Website: http://www.bardchuckwagon.com

 

The easiest description I can give of Bar D Chuckwagon is FUN!!!  The atmosphere rustic and serene; the staff are so, so friendly; the cowboy food is hearty and filling; and the entertainment ranged anywhere to sentimental to fall on the floor funny.   The drive along Route 250 is beautiful; we saw two young Elk grazing, but unfortunately there is no real shoulder to pull off on to take photos.  To get to Route 250, make a turn onto 32nd Street in Durango (City Market side); follow to the 250 junction and turn to the left; keep on following the road till you see those welcoming gates to the Bar D; follow the paved road to the parking lot.

 

 

 

 

Once you park, head on over to the train station to purchase your tickets.  The price includes the meal and the show; the tickets have assigned table numbers, so the earlier you get there (it opens at 5:30pm), the closer to the stage you are).  There is a train ride for the children; also a wedding chapel for ceremonies.

As you continue walking around, you'll see the Record Shop where CDs and DVDs of the Bar D Wranglers can be purchased.  There are many more shops, and there is bound to be something that catches your eye; or your taste buds like at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Shop. 






The outside decor ranges from historic to simply fun.

The back area of the property contains the dining section with wooden, picnic style tables and benches; all with numbers that correspond with the tickets.  The kitchen area doubles as the stage once meals are done with.  The backdrop for the entire area is a beautiful forest and towering formations of stone.

 

 

 

Dinner begins at 7:30pm and Bar D is not chintzy with the food items; your cowboy plate is full.  For those with really large appetite, if there are extras available, they will be offered after everyone has gotten their firsts.  Lemonade, coffee and water are served in metal cups; remember this is a cowboy dinner and you're going rustic.  Choices in meat range from BBQ Beef, BBQ Chicken, Combo of both or Ribeye Steak; beans, baked potato, biscuit, applesauce and spiced cake are included too.  See, told you they were not cheap on the grub.

 

 

Bar D Wranglers

 

Matt Palmer and Richard Lee Cody
 

Gary Cook and Joel Racheff
 

Bar D Wranglers are the entertainment for the evening and they are, not just very talented, but absolutely wonderfully fun to listen to.  The Western songs vary from sentimental to hilarious; for instance, their updated version of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" to "Low Riders in the Sky".  At any moment I was expecting Gabriel Iglesias to walk on stage yelling, "Martin!!!" 

 

 



Cy Scarborough
 

One of the original founders and owners of the Bar D came out on stage to sing about opossums; Cy Scarborough started this Chuckwagon rolling along in 1969.  He helped to end the evening with a patriotic medley of the United States, and it was hard not to stand, put your hand over your heart and sing along.








If you're visiting Durango, whether spending a few days, overnight, or going home the same day; make sure to plan for an evening at Bar D Chuckwagon.  Get along little doggies.

Mary Cokenour