The longer days and better weather of spring invites travel and experiencing all the state of Colorado has to offer. A day trip to one of Colorado’s other fantastic cities and towns is a great way to expand your knowledge of the state and the its culinary landscape. Fort Collins, the home of Colorado State University, located about an hour-and-a-half drive from DU, contains a wealth of tasty and relatively inexpensive dining options to satisfy the college crowd. One such establishment is the Waltzing Kangaroo, which provides the Fort Collins populace and anybody else who ventures out in the city with an array of Australian specialities.
The shop, located in a nondescript strip mall right off of CSU’s central campus, is a bustling cozy space that smells of delicious baked goods and freshly roasted coffee. Its interior is warm, decorated with calming tones and a modernist aesthetic. It features some beautiful wood countertops and a hardwood floor.
Displayed prominently, perpendicular to the shop’s beautiful jet black espresso machine, is a giant display case showing off the store’s range of pastries and pies. Kangaroo makes an arrange of wrapped delicacies, such as sausage rolls, custard tarts, spinach & andouille sausages, quiche and apple turnovers for $4. But the pride and joy of the shop is the very pinnacle of the Australian culinary pyramid, the humble yet spectacular meat pie.
Kangaroo offers 11 different types of beautiful, savoury meat pie. Options range from the classic steak and gravy ($6) to chicken and thai peanut sauce ($6). I had a chicken, bacon and avocado pie, which was a heavenly treat that helped soothe my morning-after headache. The pie itself was a delicious and flaky treat, baked to golden brown perfection. The steaming fillings of chicken, a large quality of bacon and perfectly ripe avocado combined with the pie crust to form a moist and savory dish.
To help with the morning after going out blues, Kangaroo offers a wide range of locally roasted coffee selections. Well-represented are Australia’s contributions to the global coffee scene, the long black and the flat white. The long black is basically an Americano, produced with Australian style open air roasted beans. The flat white, Australia’s signature coffee drink, is a velvety, slightly sweet espresso drink similar to the style of a cafe latte, but with a higher proportion of espresso to milk. My flat white was perfectly prepared, better than any other flat white I’ve had in Denver or Colorado in general.
DU and Denver at large can sometimes be a bubble. Colorado is a big state, and the other cities and towns peppered throughout it can provide amazing opportunities for new culinary experiences. Getting out and about and trying new places in the state is one of the best ways to enjoy the spring in Colorado. Waltzing Kangaroo, the hundreds of other amazing food spots and the entertaining and vivid college scene make Fort Collins a great weekend getaway.
