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Tonight we decided to check out a newer restaurant near our house here in Fort Collins called Maya Cove. The Maya Cove website (which could definitely use a facelift) describes the restaurant as contemporary Caribbean/American cuisine in a relaxing Island atmosphere - I would say that this is a quite accurate description of the place, except that it also features a bar. The menu is diverse, with a range of sandwiches to steaks and pastas, most with a slight tropical spin. The atmosphere is very laid back, with a selection of wooden barstool-height tables and relaxed patio furniture to sit in, as well as tropical decorations and signs on the walls. The atmosphere was almost too relaxed, seeming more like a bar and grill than a sit-down restaurant. The food on the other hand was delicious and diverse, and definitely gave Maya Cove back some of it’s true restaurant credit. The Island atmosphere is successfully implemented, but some of the decor seemed a bit cheap.
To start out, we shared an artichoke dip appetizer ($8), which was pretty tasty. The dip came with freshly-fried tortilla chips that were very crunchy, as well as fresh vegetables. The dip didn’t stand out as anything unique, but tasted good. We ran out of chips well before the dip was gone, unfortunately. Crystal ordered a french dip sandwich ($8) for her entree, which was served with french fries and a pickle wedge. She enjoyed the french dip, citing it’s quality meat, and she particularly liked the french fries. I ordered a Buffalo Shrimp Po’Boy sandwich ($10), which contained 4 buffalo-sauce-dipped tiger shrimp of pretty decent size on a sandwich with lettuce, ranch, and tomatoes. The tomatoes were fresh and juicy, as were the shrimp. The sandwich as a whole was delicious, but very messy to eat (shrimp kept flying out of my sandwich, and my hands were nearly constantly covered in either buffalo sauce or ranch dressing). I had never had shrimp on a sandwich before this Maya Cove offering, and I was pleasantly surprised at the result. They also serve fish tacos, something I haven’t been brave enough to try in the past, but might have to return to Maya Cove for in the future. My sandwich was also served with french fries and a pickle wedge. We unfortunately didn’t sample any of the tropical drinks being offered on the drink menu this time around. We also didn’t have any desert, as they didn’t seem to offer any.
Our service was great, which wasn’t a surprise, as there were very few customers around. The bar area had a few patrons, hanging out to watch hockey and basketball, but our server, Chris, had enough time to check on us multiple times, as well as tend the bar, and keep everyone happy. He seemed to really enjoy hanging out at the restaurant, and knew many of the coming and going customers by name. I definitely enjoyed the friendly and relaxed atmosphere created by the staff and other customers - maybe a true extension of Caribbean ambiance?
Overall, we were a bit surprised by the atmosphere of Maya Cove, but we enjoyed the relaxed feel, as well as the food. The pricing wasn’t cheap, but couldn’t be considered expensive either, and I was happy with the variety of choices on the menu. The great service and friendly staff definitely made us feel welcome. I recommend Maya Cove Restaurant to anyone looking for a unique dining experience in Fort Collins.
Maya Cove Restaurant (Fort Collins, CO): 
4/5
4/5
Have you eaten at Maya Cove? What do you think about their menu choices on their website?
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For Valentine’s Day, Crystal and I celebrated by dining together at East Moon Asian Bistro here in Fort Collins. We had reservations at 8:30 pm, and therefore had almost no wait time once we arrived at 8:15, despite the crowded waiting area. Never having been to East Moon before, I was a bit surprised at the small size of their dining area, but our table was large, not squashed in with other tables, and seemed private enough, despite the abundance of people seated around us. This restaurant would likely benefit from a larger establishment - but as it is, it does feel quaint. I like the modern artsy decorations found in East Moon, a nice break from the cheap (and dare I say corny?) decorations often found adorning other Asian restaurants. The lighting is nicely done, a bit moody but not too dark, and I found the atmosphere to be very pleasing.
Our service was moderately good. There were a few minor communication difficulties with the staff. Our waitress seemed very high strung, yet somewhat cheerful and energized at the same time. This combination caused her to speed through everything, including taking our orders. It was entertaining to watch her go, but her hurry did cause her to make a few minor mistakes. For example, Crystal ordered a virgin Piña Colada but instead ended up with a normal rum-included drink. Luckily, the alcohol was not very strong, and the drink tasted just fine, but I think we would have rather paid the cheaper alcohol-less price. Despite this, we decided to not bother our waitress with the problem - she was likely too hurried and singularly focused for us to catch her attention anyway.
The food turned out quite well. We ended up ordering some sushi as a starter, we were also served a house salad with our entrees, and we each ordered something somewhat unique that we had never tried before off of the menu, just to try out a few new things. Unfortunately, neither of us happened to have our cell phones or cameras with us, so I was unable to take any pictures of our food or the restaurant for this review. If I return in the future, I will make sure to get a few pics to share.
We ordered two six piece sushi rolls, an Unagi Maki (eel and cucumber) and an East Moon Maki (shrimp, avacado, and cucumber), very reasonably priced at $4.50 each. Both types were tasty, but as I am not a sushi buff in any respect, I can’t say much about the quality compared to other restaurants.
As an entree, Crystal ordered Shitake Mushroom Duck, and I ordered Saigon Soft Shell Crab. Both entrees were pricier than most of the menu at about $12-$13 (most other entrees didn’t exceed $10 for dinner). The Duck dish was very tasty, with a lot of duck meat, and good mushrooms. The Soft Shell Crab was a bit odd, as it was fried crab meat which had been mostly shelled, but not entirely, so I had to be careful not to eat pieces of shell but still find all of the delicious crab meat. The crab was laid on a bed of very thin cold noodles (not sure what they are called), salad, and vegetables, which all seemed somewhat decorative, but rounded out the meal at the same time. The chile-lime sauce that came on the side of my crab meal was really tasty, but only in tiny proportions, as it was very spicy. We had both entrees substitute fried rice for steamed rice, and the fried rice was basic but delicious as well. Both meals were presented very nicely, with their own style, including unique serving dishes and food arrangements. We didn’t end up eating any dessert.
Overall, our dining experience at East Moon Asian Bistro turned out well, despite my ‘interesting’ entree. I definitely didn’t leave hungry, and as an added bonus, Crystal was presented with two pink roses along with the traditional fortune cookies and check once we were done eating. The atmosphere was inviting, and unique, and the staff was cheerful and definitely tried hard to serve us well. I hope to return to East Moon at a later date, to try their rendition of more familiar (and less expensive) dishes.
East Moon Asian Bistro (Fort Collins, CO): 4/5
4/5
Have you ever eaten at East Moon? What did you think? What’s your favorite Asian restaurant? How about your favorite Asian dish?
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Today I had the pleasure of eating at Jay’s Bistro in downtown Fort Collins. It was an incredibly convenient place to eat lunch, because I happen to work in the offices next door. My boss and I decided to eat there for a lunch meeting - but we also decided that it might as well count as our “holiday party” too (it’s still quite a small company). This was my first dining experience at Jay’s, but I have heard a lot of positive things about them in the past, so I had high expectations. I was surprised by how many people were dining there for lunch, and the crowd made for a good atmosphere - the people gave the restaurant a warm, inviting, and energetic feeling.
We sat in a booth in the back corner of the restaurant, and even though there were plenty of people seated around us, it felt more private than most restaurant booths, and we were able to carry on a conversation without really hearing other people’s conversations. The atmosphere in Jay’s is very stylish, and they went a little overboard with their Christmas decorations (think formally dressed dolls), but it was warm and welcoming.
The staff were all very nice and polite. Our server gave us excellent service, he checked on us regularly to refill drinks and find out if we were doing well.
We were served freshly baked bread as an appetizer, and it was very soft, fluffy, and enjoyable. Included with the bread was a tray with plain butter, some sort of spicy butter, and what I think was a fruit jam. I tried the spicy butter and it was pretty good, but I didn’t try the jam.
The menu had a great variety of choices, so many good things in fact that I seriously had a hard time deciding between 2 or 3 different dishes, but I finally settled on “The New Yorker” ($9). The New Yorker is a sandwich described on the menu as, “Our popular Seasoned Corned Beef Reuben with Housemade Sauerkraut, Gruyere Cheese on Pumpernickel with Russian Dressing and Fries” (check out the website menu). 
I believe my sandwich had marble rye bread, and not pumpernickel, but it was delicious anyway. The corned beef was seasoned very well, and tasted great. Although I am usually not a fan of sauerkraut (even on ruebens), it was the perfect compliment to this sandwich, and it had a unique taste. The gruyere cheese was very melty and added a lot to the sandwich, as did the russian dressing. Overall, this sandwich was the perfect combo of quality ingredients, and every bite was scrumptious. The fries were a good compliment to the sandwich, they were seasoned well, and didn’t even require salt. I ate everything on my plate, and even though my appetite was satisfied, I was left craving more.
My boss ordered Linguini with Clams, which she described as, “very, very good.” We decided not to get any dessert, as we were both too full to eat any, but I would love to return to Jay’s sometime in the near future to try their famed chocolate raviolis.
This isn’t necessarily a cheap place to eat for lunch, all the entrees ranged from $8 to about $13, but it was definitely worth the experience, especially since the business paid for my meal :) I plan to go back to Jay’s in the coming months to experience their dinner menu as well, and I will give you all an update when I do.
Atmosphere: 4/5 (would be a 5, if the creepy christmas dolls weren’t sitting above my table)
4/5 (would be a 5, if the creepy christmas dolls weren’t sitting above my table)
Service: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Price: 3/5 (slightly pricey for lunch)
Overall Rating:
Have you ever been to Jay’s? What did you think? Have any restaurant recommendations for me?
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This afternoon I had the pleasure of once again eating at Consuelo’s Mexican Restaurant here in Fort Collins. Consuelo’s is a well known local restaurant with a successful green chile & Enchilada Sauce side-business, as well as booming “breakfast burrito” sales. I have personally not had their bottled sauces or breakfast burritos, but I have eaten at the restaurant a number of times.
Today I ordered a “deluxe” beef, bean, and rice burrito - the deluxe choice means that it comes smothered in green chile (mild for me, I’m a wuss), topped with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and guacamole. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of my meal, so instead I have decided to supply you all with a picture I found on Google images that doesn’t really resemble my burrito, but you get the idea :) The burrito was very filling, presented well, and delicious. The green chile in particular was very tasty. Unfortunately, they didn’t put a whole lot of tomatoes on top, and the sour cream wasn’t the highest quality, but overall it was tasty and well assembled.
The atmosphere in Consuelo’s isn’t anything exciting or fancy, and I don’t expect a lot, but I would like to comment that it is unusually dark in this restaurant, making it feel a bit drab and gloomy. They could do with some individual table lights, or a better lighting scheme overall.
The service wasn’t exceptional, but the server did all she needed to do to make sure our meal was good. We weren’t offered dessert.
Food: 4/5
4/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Service: 4/5
Overall Rating: 
What’s your favorite Mexican restaurant?
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