while on a mid-winter vacation to see my sister & her family in Denver we ate at an encased meat emporium called Biker Jim‘s.  The decor is industrial and the doors were garage doors and although it was mid-January they were rolled up to let in a 65 degree day breeze.  Kind of an alternative city crowd in that Denver way.  Mid-week and late for lunch it wasn’t too busy so we took our time and perused the menu for a while because it was covered with exotic and far-fetched toppings such as I have not seen on dog types I have not eaten.  You start with your protein, be it elk (Z) or bacon wrapped beef (me) or other options like linguisa, buffalo, duck or vegan and top it as you wish.  Z went with harissa roasted cactus, malaysian jam, scallions and onions two ways…  for me…wasabi aioli, caramelized apple and shaved irish cheddar.  Complicated flavors altogether but very balanced.  The apple on mine was a kind of baked dry appley, not gooey sweet but richly so.  The cheddar a good counterpoint of salty complexity.  It was enjoyable in an ‘I’m eating a hot dog kinda way.’  We shared a side of hand cut potato chips – at the same time thick and very light.  At some point in our meal I noticed Xena, Warrior Princess, staring down at us from the balcony-unnerving.  Fun thing they had was Boylans instead of Coke or Pepsi in their fountain so I had root beer with my dog which was a perfect complement to the apple.  It was a nice wrap up to our Denver trip and memories.  Have I said I love hand-held food?  I so do.