I visited the Golden Europe Restaurant in Arvada, Colorado, while in Denver to see family this week. It's owned and operated by a family who emigrated from Prague decades ago and is very popular with the Central/Eastern European community here. My students in Bratislava last fall were surprised to hear there is a large immigrant community from the former Czechoslovakia in this western American city. My sister's electrician emigrated from Bratislava in the 1960s and returns to visit every year or so.
Here is the neatly tended restaurant on 6620 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003 [(303) 425-1246]. Arvada is a suburb on the western side of Denver.
The interior features the traditional lace curtains so familiar in Bratislava, along with decorative beer steins and color photographs of central Europe. That's my sister Janet, who kindly drove me over to the restaurant. The menu features dishes familiar in the Czech and Slovak Republics, Poland, Austria, and Germany -- schnitzel, bratwurst, cabbage roll, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and dumplings, with chicken, duck, pork, and beef. I had a fabulous apple struddle (strudla in Slovak), with layers of flaky pastry and a whipped cream topping. My only disappointment was the American-style coffee - pale, watery, tasteless. They didn't serve any of the fabulous lattes, cappuccinos, or espressos that I so enjoyed in Europe.
Here I am on this very hot, dry August day in Denver, by the welcome sign at the side entrance to the restaurant. NOTE: Click on any image in this blog to see it full-size.
