After a serious session of cocktails involving local, hand-crafted spirits and wine tasting with our gracious host, Bennet Price, our group decided food was in order. A short walk led us to the Palisade Cafe and Grill in the heart of downtown Palisade.

When "the cafe" opened several years ago it quickly gained a reputation for excellent breakfasts. When a breakfast place has actual, real maple syrup available for pancakes, etc. they are on the right track. One of my favorite meals there was a Parisian-style cheese omelet accompanied by a green salad and paired with a glass of crisp local Chardonnay. I enjoyed the place, but hadn't been out that way during breakfast or lunch hours, their operating period, in a long time.

I had heard the cafe was under new ownership and now serving dinner as well as the established breakfast and lunch. When we walked in the dining room was nearly full, but the staff quickly rearranged tables and seated our party of six. While they worked on the table, I took a seat at the bar and had a quick chat with the bartender, who was my former student, Denny. By the time I took my seat the rest of the group had more or less decided we would share an assortment of appetizers:

• Cuban pulled-pork quesadilla with a sweet-spicy barbecue sauce. This was a real stand-out, a delicious blend of gooey cheese and smoky tender pork wrapped in a crisp flour tortilla. The sauce was a perfect complement, balanced and complex with a variety of spices.
• Sweet potato French fries, crisp and tasty, accompanied by a garlic aioli.
• Mediterranean appetizer platter: hummus, taboulleh, cucumber-yogurt dip, and olives served with pita bread wedges. Everything was bright and fresh tasting, and authentically prepared. Our good friend Miranda talked the waiter into bringing us some falafel along with it (they are usually a side dish to one of the entrees,) which were particularly good.

Our sampling gives an idea of the eclectic choices available on the menu. The wine list features some of the local wines, of course, and the beer menu leans heavily towards tasty Belgian beers (Belgium is to beer making what France is to the wine industry) with the local Palisade brews on tap.