We recently joined R & R Coffee Cafe for a tour of its new food and drink menu. The Black Forest fixture has overhauled its offerings, from the coffee counter to the bakery case, and the kitchen, thanks to a Matt Wilcoxson-lead menu makeover, dominated by local ingredients. Now let’s dive into breakfast and lunch.
The new choices for breakfast include a trio of omelets that come with delectable garlic and thyme home fries. The Fresh Garden is filled with marinated vegetables, roasted garlic and herbed cream cheese. The Just South of Denver opts for chorizo over traditional ham, with bell peppers, caramelized onions, cilantro and cheddar jack cheese. And appropriately, the Black Forest comes with ham, Swiss and ‘shrooms.
If you want to really up your brunch game then go for a Breakfast Burrito, topped with fresh pico de gallo with optional house-made sausage gravy, green chili or their new red beef chili. We’re embracing the season and encourage you to smother yours Christmas-style, half and half. The BBQ Pork Burrito is filled with 20-hour, slow-roasted, pulled pork, scrambled eggs, home fries, onions, peppers and cheddar jack all rolled up in a sun-dried tomato tortilla.
Need it between two slices? For lunch their most recent addition is the Cuban Pulled Chicken Sandwich with spicy chicken, a generous serving of pickles, Swiss cheese and ham on a honey wheat hoagie.
Or if deciding between breakfast and lunch is just too hard (which we totally get) then go for the T.A.B.L.E Sandwich, a B.L.T made with their signature coffee cured bacon with avocado, mustard Hollandaise served on a homemade cheddar biscuit with house potatoes. Take it one step further with the All Day Club, chicken breast, bacon, ham, Swiss, spinach, tomato, onion, avocado, a fried egg with lemon vinaigrette on a Gouda onion bun.
For lighter lunch alternatives there are satisfying salads using greens from Daily Harvest Aquaponics on Markscheffel Road.
“When we order lettuce it’s normally picked within three hours of them dropping it off,” says Wanner.
The new Blue Apple Salad has crisp greens, tart apples, pecans, blue cheese crumbles, and a sweet, savory, warm coffee and bacon vinaigrette. The kicker? Red onions marinated in a mix of vinegar and Horsetooth Smokestack Lightning hot sauce, then breaded and fried (you’ll also find them hiding in the BBQ bacon burger.) For a protein kick you can add chicken, more bacon, ham or avocado.
R&R also aims to bring more attention to their “from-scratch bakery” highlighting their selection of breads, cakes, pies, and pastries courtesy of Melanie Kunau. Plans are in place to have their killer, giant cinnamon rolls available on the hour. Now though, with every order you also receive a basket of complimentary buttermilk biscuits.
Wanner ensures that “there will never be a drive-through window” and if you’re in a rush, you’re circumventing the goal R&R hopes to achieve. But, if you’re looking for an opportunity to slow down and enjoy a home cooked meal while relaxing in the beauty of Black Forest, cup of joe in hand, R&R is giving you a excuse to step outside of city limits.
[Images: Dionne Roberts]
