Wednesday, August 25, 2010

MICAH: The Archive Room

The Archive Room
Olde Town Arvada, CO Justify Full
This is another newish place in the 'hood that we frequent. Some time ago, it picked up where The Arvada Grille left off and frankly, it's doing a much better job at handling the prime corner it landed on.

Todd and I have eaten just about everything on the menu. I usually opt for the chips & dip platter which comes with homemade queso, guacamole, salsa, and endless tortilla chips. They recently changed the salsa recipe to be more of a salsa verde and since the salsa is the base for the guac, that changed as well. Let me tell you, it's better than ever! I can't get enough of that guac! I wonder if they'd let me just get three dishes of guac instead of the queso and salsa? Might be worth asking about...

I'm also in love with the baked brie. It's a hard item to screw up, to be honest, but Archive does a better job than most. The appetizer comes out in two baked "bricks" drizzled in a raspberry compote. I fell in love the first time I ate it.

For main courses, I really love the wraps and the build-your-own burgers. I do wish that they offered more toppings (cough cough, the guac). Right now, they offer several types of cheese, sauteed onions or mushrooms, bacon, that sort of thing. I would like to see them offer guacamole, jalapenos, maybe green chilis, barbeque sauce, and other such toppings. But until then, I'm pretty happy with the burgers I get there. Also, the sweet potato fries (which can be added to any entree for an extra $1.00) are the best I've ever tasted. Nice and crispy...ranch or honey mustard makes a good dipping sauce. Or do what Todd does and make your own fry sauce (mayo, ketchup, and a dab of mustard).

The best thing about Archive, however, is the happy hour...definitely the best one I've seen in a long time! Not only does it happen during normal hours (4p -7p and again from 10p - close Monday through Friday), it's one of the most cost-effective places to have some great beers! All house wine, well drinks, and draft beers are BOGO. Todd and I can usually get out of the for about $10. So if you go there for happy hour, try to get Megan in the bar and tip well! She's worth it! Management switches out the tap beers from time to time which is a nice way to mix it up. I've tried every white wine offering they have and haven't been impressed with any of them, but the beer selections and full bar make up for that.

The ambiance of the restaurant is also super fantastic! The walls are covered with vintage TIME Magazine covers; even the menus have vintage ads strewn about. The front of the restaurant boasts a sitting area with big wingback chairs, a leather sofa, fireplace, and one of about a dozen fla-screen TVs. Archive Room is a great spot to grab lunch and some beers while watching the game (Todd and I spent many an afternoon there during the World Cup).

All in all, with some wanted additions to the menu, Archive Room is a place we're happy to be "regulars!"



Archive Room on Urbanspoon

MICAH: Scrumptious Ice Cream & Candy Shop

Scrumptious Ice Cream & Candy Shop
Olde Town Arvada, CO

This is my new favorite local hang out. Since the store opened early-summer 2010, it's been packed to the gills nearly every night! Scrumptious is run by two young guys who grew up in Arvada and spent time querying the local Olde Town shops trying to figure out what was missing from the area. A vintage ice cream shop was just the answer!

The store boasts no less than 12 different flavors each day, with new flavors rolling out every couple of days. Every flavor has been amazing, but my personal favorites are:
Elvis (banana ice cream with peanut butter and honey swirled through...just like the King's fave sandwich)
Whiskey Vanilla (how can you go wrong with Jameson and ice cream?)
Cotton Candy (nice and light)
Chocolate Birthday Cake (including sprinkles, as every good cake would)
Blueberry Cheesecake (the first flavor I ever tried)
and my absolute favorite, Cinnamon Cookie Dough (real cinnamon, not that fake cinnamon bear crap)

What I love about the ice cream is that it's as 100% natural as you could ask for. I hate banana flavor, but the banana ice cream is actually pureed bananas so the flavor is real, normal, and edible. The guys are constantly on the look-out for new, delicious flavors (I hear they have a Pumpkin Cheesecake coming up) so the menu changes rapidly. That's probably why Todd and I have been in there about four times a week since they opened.

And while the ice cream is the best thing you'll ever taste, the attitude and atmosphere inside the shop is what really draws me in. It's a family-run business, so wives and mothers are often serving ice cream or running the register. The "ice cream guys" are some of the friendliest you'll ever meet...and are huge CU Buffalos fans, to boot! They even have a giant faux buffalo head on the wall that they recently motorized (hilarity ensues whenever a kid sees it for the first time).

On top of that, Scrumptious is a real live candy land...more than half the store is filled with just about any kind of candy you can possibly imagine, from Bubble Tape and Big League Chew to Jelly Belly's and individually wrapped circus peanuts to my favorite part of the store (aside from the ice cream), a wall of vintage safe deposit boxes filled with candy bars! Oh, and don't forget to check out the soda cabinet...made with real sugar, these sodas are not to be missed!

Olde Town has been my haunt my entire life and for too long, it was the part of Arvada that everyone avoided. Run down, shabby, generally in a state of disrepair. But thanks to the "ice cream guys", Scrumptious, and several other well-run restaurants and stores in the area, Olde Town is a place I love to go and can't wait to get back to!

Scrumptious is perfect anytime, any day. We've been there on Tuesday and on Friday...it never disappoints!

Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 9pm-ish
Sunday Noon - 6pm-ish
Closed Mondays (give the guys a break...they work hard!)


Scrumptious on Urbanspoon