Fort Collins Favorites

I’m just back from a field trip to Fort Collins (AKA the beer-and-bike capital of Colorado) with an armful of new favorites. Old Town presents a charming stroll that includes a coffee shop, an ice-cream parlor, a spice store and even an artisan olive oil purveyor. I liked the side-by-side trifecta of The Perennial Gardener, a bursting-at-the-seams, indoor/outdoor garden shop; Sense of Place, a gift-giver’s dream; and The Elegant Pear, an upscale home-furnishings store with interior design services.

But the best part of my trip was a visit to Jessup Farm Artisan Village, an open-air mix of newly restored buildings featuring a home store, a barber shop, a brewery and, perhaps most impressively, The Farmhouse, a recently opened eatery highlighting progressive, healthy, sophisticated cuisine in a rehabbed 133-year-old building. My favorite bites: the shareable Pea & Fava Hummus, the Spring Burrata Salad, and the Grain Bowl Salad topped with fried chicken. Everything is farm fresh, local, house made and extremely flavorful. After lunch, I popped into the adjacent Bindle Coffee for outstanding single-origin joe, and I was set for the drive home. downtownfortcollins.com