La Frieda Hamburgers for a Limited Time at Ignite!

Posted on March 21, 2013 by valerie

La Frieda HamburgersLa Frieda Burgers Being Served at Ignite!

There are burgers, and then there are Pat LaFrieda Burgers. LaFrieda hamburgers are so highly regarded that many restaurants, like us,  proudly display “La Frieda” on their menus. La Frieda is known throughout the country for custom burger blends that are made fresh daily from whole cuts of meat and never trimmings. In fact, they make over 75,000 delicious hamburgers a day.

Just how delicious are La Frieda custom blended burgers? We’re positive you will taste the difference in every juicy and delicious bite – so much so, you can eat this burger “naked”. Yep, no toppings, sauces or spreads are needed to dress this burger up. It’s perfect “as is.”

So what are you waiting for? Come into ignite while they last – La Frieda Burgers will be available only for a limited time.

 

 

 

 

 

Cast Iron Cooking Benefits Your Health at Ignite

Posted on March 20, 2013 by valerie

Cast Iron Cooking at IgniteLately there’s a lot of information floating around about what foods are good for you, which diets are the best, and if what we’re eating is actually good for us based on where it comes from. Whatever doctrine you chose to believe, we have some hard facts – clad-iron hard – on a simple cooking method we use everyday at Ignite that benefits your health: using cast iron pans. It turns out, not only will cast iron withstand our 700 degree ovens, but it also infuses itself into the food, elimates the need for teflon or other harmful chemical-based non-stick surfaces, and reduces the need for a lot of oil.

Reason #1: Fortifies food with iron

The act of cooking can actually leach vital nutrients and minerals from food, but this isn’t the case with cast iron. In fact, cooking with cast iron actually releases certain nutrient into your food- iron to be exact. For example, cooking certain foods in cast iron, especially acidic foods like tomato sauce, can actually increase your food’s iron content by as much as 10-15 times. This is a very good thing, particularly for women, because we’re more likely to become iron-deficient. And iron deficiency can ultimately lead to health problems like extreme fatigue when working out and even weak, brittle nails.

Reason #2: Chemical-free cooking

Another benefit to cast-iron cooking is that you’ll avoid harmful chemicals found in common, every day cookware. Ever heard of perfluorocarbons or PFC’s? They’re the very effective repellent coating that keeps food from sticking to Teflon and many other types of nonstick pots. Unfortunately they’re also a very harsh chemical that’s been linked to diseases like cancer. And if you want to limit exposure to PFC’s concern you, one very easy way to do it is by cooking with traditional cast iron.

Reason #3: Cooking with less oil

As I mentioned before, one very cool thing about cast iron is that it just gets better and better with age. And here’s another bonus to cast iron: when seasoned properly, cast iron will become non-stick- which means less oil when cooking! Sweet! Just make sure you properly season, clean and store your cast iron. And last but not least, have fun cooking on it. Because the more you use it, the better cast iron gets, and non-stick cooking will still be easy-breezy.

Ready to try some Cast Iron Specialties from ignite? We recommend the Wood-Roasted Chicken with Oven Roasted Veggies or the Boneless Pork Chop  with Whipped Butternut Squash. To Your Health!

Opening Day

Posted on February 26, 2013 by valerie

Rockies Opening Day rooftop partyQuite possibly the best day of the year in Denver’s Ballpark Neighborhood… when the Rockies kick it off with their first game. Some would say it’s a Denver Holiday and with the record high temperatures we’ve been having, this 2013 might be another great one. Whether you can find Rockies tickets or not to the game at Coors Field, the most important thing is to find a great sports bar…those businesses with a sunny rooftop would make it ideal. (No Shameless Gloating Here!)Sun, beer, baseball and delicious burgers. Most likely a cue to what’s to come this summer. We hope to see you at ignite’s rooftop for your Opening Day Rockies Party this 2013!

Meet the Magic #2

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Ignite Denver

With the staff-given nickname, “pretty boy,” Andrew Martin brings a certain shine to the bar at Ignite!  With a contagious grin, a flare for witty banter that you may, or may not, care to hear, and mad cocktail concocting skills, Andrew adds to the exceeding charm of our amazing service staff.

He landed in Denver via Rapid City, South Dakota just two short years ago and has made a name for himself in the Mile High City, bar tending at Chloe on the weekends and gracing us with his presence at Ignite! on Tuesday nights and Wednesday afternoons.  He has been resilient with his duties as “bar keep” since he began his tenure at Ignite! eight months ago.  This meat and potatoes guy would prefer a day of “leisure” with Hugh Heffner if given the opportunity to meet with any celebrity…Our guess is he’s more interested in the “scenery” than the conversation with the Playboy.

An aspiring helicopter pilot who is beginning his training at present, Andrew claims he is “just a country boy trying to find his way in the big city.”  He is searching for a trophy wife who will succumb to his dream of moving back to Durango to live a fulfilling ski bum life style…While also flying helicopters.

“Pretty,” as we lovingly call him, loves to make new acquaintances at Ignite!  So, if you’re “flying” solo on a Tuesday evening, stop in and say hello to one of the men behind the magic.

Fall is Falling

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Ignite Denver

Photo courtesy of my Dad! Somewhere outside of Steamboat Springs.

As the calming chill of fall in Colorado settles over the city of Denver and the brilliant annual golds and oranges of the Aspen leaves begin to light up the mountainsides, the stirrings of a new season begin to brew in the Mile High City.  The Rockies have played their last home game and the Broncos have begun their four month stretch at Mile High Stadium.  We are slowly beginning to put our bicycles and bathing suits away and brining out our skis and snowboards for what looks to be a great winter on the slopes.

Per usual, the city radiates with each new season.  Fall festivals are in full swing and farmers markets are beginning to change their wares from salsas and strawberries to apple butter and butternut squash.  We, at Ignite!, are changing with the seasons as well.  Our new Sous Chef, Hunter Shepard, and Executive Chef, Jeff McCleary are busy working on new menu items to sustain a heartier appetite.  We are working on new cocktails behind the bar that will warm you from the inside out.  In the coming weeks, we will give you a sneak preview here of new menu items that will turn your heads and keep you coming back for seconds and thirds.

At the moment, the staff is preparing for another weekend of Denver Oktoberfest.  At 5pm today, Larimer Street between 21st and 22nd will be flooded with free music, beer steins, bratwurst eating and costume contests and comradery amongst the residents and businesses of the Ballpark Neighborhood.  In the spirit of the new season, at 5pm today we will be tapping a keg of Goose Island’s Harvest Ale, a copper colored ESB made with Cascade hops and the richest Midwestern malts.  Stop by in your stumbling around the festival for a hot meal, some amazing service and a pint of fall deliciousness.