All photos by Jenn Wohletz.

A one-topping jalapeno pizza from Marco's Pizza.I had one of those accidental TMI conversations right in front of the guy ringing me up at Marco's Pizza. My boyfriend and I were discussing Game of Thrones (and by discussing, I mean I was going on for minutes while he was pretending to listen and care) and I was lecturing him on the character change from book to show without realizing that I was describing a male appendage in a bit too much in detail.

Then I realized it, and there was a moment of awkward silence. I totally apologized to the cashier for overshare -- but he just laughed and said it was cool. I gave him a good tip.

Restaurant staffers with well-developed senses of humor are a real treat in a world of sour, cranky customer service -- and the pizza, salad and wings at the newly opened Marco's Pizza weren't bad, either.

See also:
- Marco's Pizza -- no, not Marco's Coal-Fired Pizzeria -- is coming to Stapleton
- Exclusive first look: Live Basil Pizza opens Thursday in south Denver
- Photos: Crowds now snarfing burgers at Snarfburger

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J. Wohletz

The beauty of a taco.

I had one of my first real New Mexican meals in New Mexico, at the Little Anita's location in Albuquerque...and I hated it. I was astounded that people would dump alternating layers of boiling-hot green pepper sauce and equally steaming, nose-running-hot red pepper sauce on everything and suck this stuff down like it was gold juice. My plate was a tar pit of smoldering sauces that I had to excavate my enchiladas from, bite by bite, with watering eyes and a singed mouth, and I left swearing that New Mexican food was the devil. I worried that I might starve living in the land of enchantment.

See also:
- Little Anita's chile no longer vegetarian -- for now?
- Reader (and owner): Veggie green chile back at Little Anita's
- Now you can take a seat at Little Anita's

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J. Wohletz

The pecan mini "center of the roll."

I spotted the Schlotzsky's sandwich shop as I was driving up Colorado Boulevard, but the stand-alone Cinnabon next door was the reason I stopped. Turns out, the cinnamon-roll store is connected to, and has partnered with, Schlotzsky's -- an arrangement that has to be far more favorable on the sammie shop's side. Poor Schlotzsky's isn't anyone's first choice for a sandwich -- it's like the Burger King of fast-food burger joints or the Taco John's of Mexican fast food -- and now it's resorted to using a wingman to woo customers.

See also:
- Subway's missing inch: Five reasons the footlong lawsuit is ridiculous
- Burger King brings back the California Whopper -- and rolls out Cinnabon
- Five McBites that McDonald's should introduce next

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There is a thin line between self-indulgence and being a dickhead, a line that any bartender could draw for you. On especially busy nights at any watering hole, there is always at least one person who decides to order some outdated or ridiculous beverage that takes up valuable bartender time, makes everyone else wait for their drinks, and earns the irritating imbiber the unofficial -- or official, if you are at some bars -- title of dickhead.

Friends don't let friends drive drunk -- or be the drunk who orders any one of these five cocktails. Because deserving a "bar mat surprise" drink is not something to brag about.

See also:
- Six lovely bubbly-based cocktails
- Sipping and sampling from Ace's 64 happy-hour cocktail combinations
- Best Contemporary Cocktail Bar - Squeaky Bean

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All photos by Jenn Wohletz.

I'm not at all sorry I missed being an adult in the 1970s. There were terrible fashion trends with bell bottom pants and clogs with heels, and worse hairstyles with that feathered look; the porn was all sweaty and hairy, and the food trends were...well, Irma Rombauer's Joy of Cooking came out and fondue was a thing, so maybe the entire decade wasn't all bad.

Colorado's own Beau Jo's Pizza was born in 1973. When I learned that it was celebrating its fortieth anniversary in April, I decided to get a taste of the pies that managed to survive both the Watergate era and Billy Joel's good recording years.

See also:
- Beau Jo's celebrates its fortieth anniversary with $19.73 pies and free pizza for a year
- Beau Jo's Colorado-style pizza includes dairy-free cheese and other veggie options
- Best Pizza -- Colorado Style - 2003: Beau Jo's

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Like everyone else who eats and drinks, I have a list of certain grubs and sips that are so foul that I won't go near them, and it is a constant source of curiosity for me that other people would -- to the point that some of the grossest edibles are actually quite popular.

Here are five more terrible foods and drinks -- and how we got stuck with them.

See also:
- From Oreos to margarine: Five terrible foods -- and how we got stuck with them
- Eating a dead horse: Five reasons why horse meat isn't such a terrible tragedy
- Terrible tacos and Chocolate Overlord Cake: Denver's new Jack in the Box

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Every once in a while you really want a taste of some old-fashioned, old-time favorites (that someone else has to cook, and then clean up after) like pot roast, meatloaf, mashed potatoes made with actual potatoes, fried corn and squash casserole, chicken-fried everything...and even a nice plate of fried liver and onions. Black-Eyed Pea has all this and more.

Including plenty of old-timers who love that old-timey food.

See also:
- Five fast-food meals to stimulate your 4/20 palate
- Jenn in Chains: Wahoo's Fish Taco: No meat, no gluten, no problem
- Colorado-based Tokyo Joe's is a fast-food chain that needs to slow down

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Here's the good stuff.

Tomorrow is April 20, which means that you are smoking your "4/20 Eve" stash today in preparation for smoking even more tomorrow. In order to properly pay homage to this greenest of green holidays, you should stay hydrated, stay stoned -- and keep the munchies fed with the best possible eats if you are cruising fast-food restaurants for fuel. The well-stoned palate is not particularly difficult to please, but there are definitely some foods that will stimulate THC taste buds better than others. So in advance of this year's 4/20 celebration, here are five fast-food meals to stimulate your 4/20 palate.

See also:
- Ask a Stoner: What's the deal with 4/20?
- Where to party in Denver on 4/20
- A new juice bar at Ace, 4/20 parties and more on the menu this week

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J. Wohletz

Grilled white fish tacos from Wahoo's.

I have great sympathy for folks who can't digest gluten (as opposed to fakers who affect gluten allergies for attention), as well as those who can't or don't eat meat -- because they face very limited menu options if they dare to dine out. That makes Wahoo's Fish Taco a rare fish in the fast-food sea: It not only has a decent-sized roster of wheatless and meatless items, but they're actually good. And the signature fish tacos are a real treat this far from any ocean.

See also:
- Wahoo's Fish Taco High-octane margs fuel enlightenment.
- Best vegetarian burrito Wahoo's Fish Taco
- The Truffle's Rob Lawler on Spam musubi, brains, glutards and his favorite cheese

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J. Wohletz

The "Yo" salmon roll at Tokyo Joe's.

Fast-casual Japanese food like rice bowls, udon noodles and simple sushi rolls at cheap prices, served in a compact bistro environment that encourages come-as-you-are, quick-service dine-in or even faster carry-out: That's a golden dragon of a concept. But the unfortunate reality I saw while recently having lunch at Tokyo Joe's was a mall food-court mess of noise, confusion and litter, with food that was barely at mall-food standards. The owner/operators of Tokyo Joe's need to slow down and take stock of how and why this Colorado-based chain got so popular so fast -- or risk getting unpopular just as quickly.

Tokyo Joe's was started in 1996 by former pro-skier Larry Leith, who wanted to create a healthy, fast-food alternative by offering simplified, inexpensive, nutritious Americanized Japanese items (effectively birthing the anti-McDonald's). The first two locations in the southern suburbs were so successful that today there are 24 Tokyo Joe's stores in Colorado. And that could be at least two too many.

See also:
- Best Chain - 2007: Tokyo Joe's
- Tokyo Joe's has Denver turning Japanese.
- At at Joe's...Tokyo Joe's

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