This post was originally published on May 27, 2015.
This weekend’s Bloody and brunch journey brought me to Fooducopia near Washington Park in Denver. Focused on organic food from small producers and local sources, Fooducopia is an eatery and market with a homey, neighborhood feel. When you first walk into the market area, there are a few baskets of fresh produce along the walls, while various, locally-produced food products are scattered throughout. The restaurant is adjacent and is categorized by small wooden tables and a bar/kitchen area that looks like it could be in your family’s summer cottage. I loved the cozy vibes inside. In the summertime, they open their patio for dining….. but I heard you can’t drink alcohol out there 😦
After we were seated, our waitress came to take our drink orders. My friend and I ordered Bloody Marys and were very, very sad when our waitress came back to tell us they ran out of Bloody mix. We put on our faces of despair and– voila!– delicious Bloody Marys arrived five minutes later. And man… They were good. You can read the review of Fooducopia’s Bloody Mary below (I ordered mine with Mile High Spirit’s Elevate Vodka). For my meal, I ordered a wild mushroom omelette made with four varieties of local mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and chevre, with a side of well-done breakfast potatoes. This is the first time I have ordered an omelette from a restaurant in a while and it did not disappoint; the mushrooms were luscious and the chevre was a nice compliment. Everything about Fooducopia was so.. Colorado. And I loved every second of it.
AT A GLANCE 19/20
Fooducopia’s Bloody Mary just looked delicious when it arrived at our table. The garnishes were picked perfectly– your classic garnishes (nice, leafy celery, two olives, lemon, and lime), a briny pickle, and BACON. A Bloody Mary garnished with a pickle and bacon will forever steal my heart (the appearance will, at least!). The colorful garnish complimented the nice, red color of the cocktail and spices were dispersed evenly throughout the drink. A clean appearance was also prevalent.
GARNISH 18/20
The garnish ingredients were very fresh (probably because Fooducopia purchases their food from small, local producers) and palatable. Each ingredient tasted wonderful– the bacon was perfectly cooked (that nice middle ground between crispy and softer bacon), while the pickle was sweet and spicy with heavy notes of vinegar. The olives and celery were good, as well– the celery almost had a sweet flavor to it. The placement of each ingredient was on point. Although Fooducopia used pretty traditional garnish ingredients, the pickle and bacon stole my heart. I also love olives.
SPICE 20/20
Fooducopia’s Bloody Mary was spiced perfectly. There were hints of spiciness and citrus with every sip of freshness. Horseradish notes rang as I nearly chugged the drink– it was so refreshing, well-balanced, and hearty that I couldn’t hold back.
TEXTURE & ACIDITY 20/20
The texture of the drink was ideal and it went down easily. There were a few little chunks of horseradish, which gave the Bloody Mary sustenance. It was not acidic at all, even though the drink was a bit citrusy.
UNIQUENESS 17/20
Although Fooducopia’s Bloody Mary was made with classic garnish ingredients, I really haven’t seen many other locales include all of these ingredients in a minute (most notably the bacon and pickle), so that garners creativity points. The flavors were unique and the drink was so fresh and delicious– making up a creative cocktail garnished with original, but high caliber ingredients. I liked how Fooducopia used local, organic ingredients, along with a Colorado vodka (Elevate!) in their Bloody Mary.
FINAL SCORE 94/100
Check out Fooducopia here. Fooducopia is located in the Wash Park neighborhood at:
1939 E. Kentucky Ave., Denver, CO, 80209