I know, I know, I shouldn’t have gone to this place since I am not a fan of cinnamon rolls and this place is renowned for these. BUT I’m not one to let “shouldn’t” stop me and in this case I was glad I didn’t. The mini cinnamon rolls I picked up to bring to the training I was attending ended up being much better than I could have possibly hoped for. They had a multitude of choices to include original, zesty orange, Irish cream, mountain maple, English toffee and pecanilla crunch. The rolls weren’t super sticky like a Cinnabon (thank god since I really don’t like Cinnabon) but were instead like a cross between a flakey croissant and a cinnamon roll In other words they made a believer out of a non-cinnamon roll kind of girl. They also had savory swirls with bacon and cheddar, house roasted tomato, hame and Swiss with honey mustard, and spinach, tomato and provolone. I didn’t try any of those but I imagine they are fantastic as well. 
There were several breakfast sandwich options and I got the “Bakin Sun” which was bacon, cheddar cheese, avocado, scrambled eggs with chipotle mayo served on Duffey’s signature rosemary ciabatta roll (with the option of a pesto wrap instead). It was good but not fabulous but was large and I could only eat half. 
The dulce de Duffy coffee was okay but not fabulous. I’m glad I checked this place out despite my misgivings and lack of love for cinnamon rolls. More than worth the trip, though recommend sticking to the various flavors of sweet and savory rolls instead of going for a scramble sandwich.
Month: February 2018
Sassafras American Eatery – the Holy Grail of Breakfast Restaurants
We almost didn’t end up going here because I’m not a huge fan of southern food and I didn’t know what a southern breakfast was other than biscuits and gravy, of which I am not a fan. Luckily I didn’t listen to my oh so hungry gut with an attitude and instead listened to the reviewers and my love of beignets which I found on the on-line menu. I hate to think of the hole that would’ve been left in my life without me even realizing it if I’d skipped the Sassafras American Eatery. 
There are a couple locations and the one we went to was in Jefferson Park. It just looks like someone’s house with some outdoor seating and people milling about (the giveaway this is not grandma’s house is that there’s a huge sign that says Sassafras in the front yard). 
We were told there’d be a 45 minute wait so wandered over to the grocery store nearby and promptly got a text saying our table was ready (less than 20 minutes after we’d checked in). We ran back to the restaurant giddy with stomachs rumbling and ready for a feast. We started with beignets and I’ve only had the ones from Cafe Du Monde so I have no idea what they taste like from any other place. 
They were good, quite tasty in fact, but they fell a bit short of the world famous beignets in New Orleans. Not to worry though, what came next was better than anything I could’ve even imagined (and I’m quite imaginative). I ordered the Fried Green Tomato Benedict with jalapeño cornbread and a side of potato casserole (wow!). 
my sister ordered the pimento chicken biscuit with eggs sunny side up 
and my mom ordered creamed spinach and artichoke, scallion grit fries, fried oysters, sunny side up egg, cracked pepper and goat cheese grits.
My brother in law won the breakfast lottery by a landslide. He ordered something from the grits section described as local beef brisket braised in spicy tomato ragout also with collard greens with pork and goat cheese grits which I thought sounded unpleasant at best (except for the goat cheese – always a fan of that) but which instead turned out to be the winner that morning for best breakfast. The meat was tender and the seasoning was scrumptious. Even the kale tasted good and I’m generally not a fan of that veggie.
We all happily stuffed our faces barely taking time to talk between mouthfuls and thoroughly enjoying the meal. We traded bites and as I said, the vote for best meal was my brother in law’s braised beef and grits, by a landslide. Sated with tummies full we all leaned back and began our praise-fest for the restaurant. 
I couldn’t help but notice, despite my already full and happy belly, there were some phenomenal looking desserts including really yummy and different flavored milkshakes (Capt’n Crunch, Banana Cream Pie, or Orange Dreamsicle milkshake anyone?) as well as a butter gooey cake. I decided that since this would likely be my last chance at this restaurant that we could all find some space in our bellies for a bite or two of the cake. It was even more magnificent than I could’ve hoped for. It looked innocuous enough but it had super powers and knocked our socks off (you can check, they are probably still there under the table). 
Sassafras American Eatery was my absolute favorite restaurant in Denver (and that includes some pretty great dinner places too). My search for the holy grail in Denver was now complete…
Travel Eat Rinse Repeat 