So just yesterday I posted about how much I love Snooze’s Bella! Bella! Benny - a really tasty prosciutto Benedict on ciabatta topped with cream cheese hollandaise and balsamic vinegar. Well guess what? Snooze is a chain.

They’re so overwhelmingly popular that they had to open a fifth Colorado location on Boulder’s Pearl Street. AND they’re moving to San Diego, which makes no sense to me whatsoever but hey, good for them. And so, according to my chain definition (4 or fewer locations, can’t cross state lines - food extradition can’t possibly be a good thing), Snooze is now officially a chain. Hopefully the quality won’t be affected, but it’s hard to oversee 6 locations (including one 1,000 miles away) with the same zeal given to 1 or 2. We shall see, Snooze. We shall see.

The lovely Denver area food blogger Eat It, Denver! had this to say about Snooze, a fine anecdote:

Couple of weekends back I got an early morning text from my niece. She likes a proper, traditional breakfast but hadn’t found many great spots in her ‘hood and was seeking suggestions. I typed back Snooze.

Haven’t heard from her since Sunday. Chances are she’s still in line.

Sadly, Eat It, Denver! was only slightly exaggerating. Snooze gets lines upwards of 3 hours on the weekends and, even on seemingly innocent Monday mornings, will still tell you to sit your ass down outside for an hour until they deem you worthy of one of their retro-cool orange tables.

And yet we wait. Why? Because the food is good. Why else would one wait for a restaurant? The pancakes - in flavors like red velvet and pineapple upside down - are works of sweet, sweet art on their own. You can’t go wrong with something called sticky bun french toast. But it’s the benedicts - specifically the Bella! Bella! Benny - that have me waiting for hours outside, like some kind of desperate poached egg stalker.

The BBB subs prosciutto for ham, toated ciabatta for English muffins and adds taleggio cheese, cream cheese hollandaise and, the crowning jewel, a balsamic vinegar reduction on top. It’s a damn good breakfast. Even if it’s 2 o’clock by the time you get to eat it.

Tucker Shaw, Denver Post food editor, ran a great piece today on the explosion of the Denver dining scene. I’ve been pretty overwhelmed with all the new openings (independent, of course), but it’s great to see that our community can support all this food. But at this rate, I wonder how long we’ll stay the fittest city in the country…

Have I written about these before? Maybe, maybe not, but if I were to devote an hour each day to trying to capture the virtues of these Asian-tacos-but-so-so-much-better in words, it still wouldn’t be enough. Frank Bonanno is somewhat of a local celeb in these here parts, but in my opinon his crowning acheivement isn’t Mizuna (called the best restaurant in Denver for years and years) or his appearances on the Food Network. It’s the steamed buns from Bones, his fourth Denver restaurant.

Available stuffed with either suckling pig (die little piggies, die!) or pork belly (the second best cut, following cheek), you can’t go wrong with either. I may be prone to hyperbole, but friends, these are like tasting Jesus. They make me want to kill my husband and run off with hoisin sauce.

but just look at this photo. LOOK AT IT!

That, my friends, is a brownie stuffed with an Oreo AND a Reese’s peanut butter cup. It’s a Breeseo and it’s amazing. Nothing to do with chains, but surely this is of interest to everyone on the planet. Find out more about the sure-to-be Nobel Prize winning recipe here.

It may not get as much attention and press as Denver Restaurant Week, but First Bite Boulder is equally appetizing. And it’s 40 cents cheaper per person ($52 per couple, as opposed to $52.80). As Boulder got selected as the Foodiest Town in America by Bon Apetit magazine, there are definitely restaurants worth checking out. The Kitchen, Terroir and Colterra all deserve a reservation, but see the complete list of participating restaurants and their menus here.

OK so it may be more a drink than a dish, but the pumpkin caramel spice latte from Rooster & Moon is just as satisfying as anything you’d chew. Not to mention better than a certain other pumpkin latte that gets lots of attention this time of year.

If you’re admiring that lovely photo of owner Bode crafting said latte, it’s from Scoutmob, where you can get 50% your Rooster & Moon fare. Cheers!

The Denver metro area has quite a few Pasquini’s pizza franchises. I’ve never been a huge fan, but then again I never went to the original. Having learned that even small chains with just a few franchises can mean sub-par food, Tony Pasquini is taking back control of his namesake restaurants. Read more here in today’s Denver Post about how lax franchises ruined the food that made him a Denver name.

Because I’m a sucker for trivia, here’s a little chain restaurant quiz. Match these restaurants to the state of their origins:

1. Subway                                     a. Florida

2. Hooters                                     b. California

3. Pizza Hut                                   c. Kansas

4. KFC                                          d. Connecticut

5. Taco Bell                                   e. Utah

Don’t cheat.

Don’t cheat.

OK here are the answers. The first Subway opened in Bridgeport, CT in 1965 under the name Pete’s Super Submarines. Hooters is from Clearwater, FL and has expanded to 22 countries. Pizza Hut hails from Wichita, KS; not bad for two brothers who opened the joint with a $600 loan from their mom. As for KFC, it’s kind of a trick question. While Colonel Sanders’ original restaurant was, indeed, in Kentucky, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken opened in South Salt Lake City, UT in 1952. Taco Bell is from Downey, CA.

I go nuts for anything pumpkin, and Boulder’s Tee & Cakes, while not exactly knocking my costume off with their cupcakes, really impressed with their pumpkin whoopie pie. Then again, how could a pumpkin whoopie pie not impress?