With 27 restaurants participating, Fort Collins’ Great Plates is not nearly as big as Denver’s restaurant week, but with specials for $18.68, it’s a chance to try something new up north. Why $18.68? Fort Collins was founded in 1868. Organizers of the fourth annual event March 1-14 encourage diners to leave their change for the Food Bank for Larimer County. It costs as little as 25 cents for the food bank to create a meal for one person, and a $10 donation would provide 40 meals. In 2008, Great Plates raised $8,000 for the food bank, and the need is greater this year. Kristen Browning-Blas
College Avenue
The Crown Pub
Before anyone heard the term “gastropub,” this popular locals hangout aimed as high with its food as it did with its booze. With the pub’s more than 30 single-malt scotches and 36 beers, the food had to rise above burgers and wings. The Crown is famed for its beer-battered cod and chips, and new chef Doug Lewis has brought a Pacific Northwestern sensibility to the menu, using more fish and making his own ricotta and mozzarella.
You won’t find Lewis’ Great Plates specials (appetizer, entree and dessert, $18.68 per person) on the regular menu, though. He created all-new dishes, including eggplant- wrapped tofu, fried caprese salad, duck confit and grilled barramundi. The house-made desserts, tiramisu and chocolate mousse surpass most restaurant sweets.
The Crown Pub, 134 S. College Ave., Fort Collins, 970-484-5929;
East side
CooperSmith’s
CooperSmith’s has expanded the menu on the “Poolside” part of the brewpub to include salads, appetizers and sandwiches, but this place is about three things: pizza, beer and billiards.
Poolside is sticking to its winning formula with a beer-and-pizza special. Try “Troy’s ‘zza,” topped with spicy cream cheese, pepperoni, red onions and black olives, or “El Diablo,” with smoked chicken, roasted garlic potatoes and chipotle sauce on a black-pepper crust. Or design your own. The $18.68 special includes wings or nachos , a large pizza and a pitcher of beer or soda, a $33 value.
Over on CooperSmith’s “Pubside,” you’ll find some great deals, too, namely two New York strips for $18.68
No. 5 Old Town Square, Fort Collins, 970-498-0483;
West side
Taj Mahal
The owners of Taj Mahal come from the Punjab region of northern India. They opened in 1996, serving dishes common in their part of the country, generally milder than southern Indian food.
Manager Didar Singh says five or six vegetarian and an equal number of meat-based entrees will qualify for the Great Plates special, including tandoori chicken, sag paneer, vindaloo, vegetable korma and channa masala. Each comes with rice.
Most of the entrees run at least $10, so the two-for- $18.68 special is a bit of a bargain.
148 W. Oak St., Fort Collins, 970-493-1105
