Welcome to the Grand Junction area! While you’re here, it’s my job to make sure you eat and drink well. With that in mind, here are my recommendations for three days of mouthwatering indulgence:

Noon – Have lunch with my students. I am admittedly biased, but I think we have the best lunch value around. Chez Lena, the student-operated dining room of Western Colorado Community College, offers a menu that features a blend of classic French bistro fare and regional American cuisine, all prepared and served by culinary students.

1:30 pm – Do some culinary shopping. Your first stop, not far from our campus, should be Goodwill. (Yes, that Goodwill.) An attractive new store rivaling that any retail outlet introduced the Grand Junction area to Goodwill in 2008. Head to the back corner to peruse books, including a good selection of cookbooks, and grab a decent cup of coffee. The kitchen wares area has also been known to stock high-quality tools including Waring juicers, VitaMix blenders and Forschner knives. On your way out, be sure to add a bag of Goodwill’s fine coffee to your purchases.

Across the street from Goodwill is Farmhouse, a small gourmet shop. Their signature item is fresh, local beef, but they also stock fresh fish, pork and chicken, deli meats and cheeses, spices and marinades, and produce including local products in season.

Head to downtown Grand Junction to round out your culinary shopping experience. As you walk around Main Street you can enjoy the sculptures and these fine food-related establishments: the deli counter at Il Bistro Italiano, where you can stock up on meats, cheeses, olives and condiments for a wine tour picnic tomorrow; Alida’s Fruits for dried fruits (don’t miss the Snow-Covered Cherries), jams, syrups, and fresh fruit in season; Main Street Bagels for artisan bread; and Enstrom’s Candies for their deservedly famous hand-crafted almond toffee.

7:00 pm – Sushi may not be the first thing that comes to mind when dining out in Colorado, but a dinner at No Coast Sushi could change your mind. Creativity abounds here, from the bar to the kitchen to the practice room for Loaded .45, No Coast’s resident punk rock band. Behind the bar, John carefully selects the tastiest spirits to stock his limited space and makes his own mixers from fresh juice. At the sushi counter, Chris and his crew constantly create new presentations of fresh fish flown in from Hawaii. If raw isn’t your thing, there are many great hot food selections as well. Make reservations, as it is often packed. Don’t miss the Mai Tais, Salmon Poke and Braised Short Ribs with Kimchi Slaw.

7:00 am – Get an early start with breakfast at the Stray Horn Grill in Loma, five miles west of Fruita. Attached to the new livestock sale barn, the Stray Horn features an attractive Western dining room and some of the best cinnamon rolls around. (But get here early as they go quickly!) If you’re lucky you might catch a sale in progress, but don’t scratch your ear or you may be taking home more Colorado beef than you bargained for!

10:00 am – Tour the Palisade wineries. One good approach to wine tours is to focus on a particular varietal. Cabernet Franc, usually reserved for blending, has been showing well as a standalone varietal in the Palisade area. Good structure with balanced fruit and mineral make it a great food wine. Sample Cabernet Francs from Canyon Wind, Garfield Estates, Plum Creek, Grande River and others. Be sure to make time for a stop at Carlson Vineyards to try their excellent fruit wines, award-winning Gewurtztraminer and the rare Lemberger. Canyon Winds has a beautiful setting under Mount Garfield to enjoy your picnic lunch.

5:00 pm – After a day of wine tasting, my palate is ready for a change of pace. Fortunately Palisade is home to a brewery and a distillery, and both offer refreshing alternatives to wine. Palisade Brewery offers several beers on tap, including Red Truck Ale and Farmer’s Friend Irish Ale. If you are at the limit of your alcohol intake, they also serve old-time flavored sodas including root beer and huckleberry. Just across the parking lot is Peach Street Distillery featuring Goat Vodka, Jackalope Gin and brandies made from local fruit. They serve authentic Moscow Mules in copper cups and Bloody Marys with enough garnishes to deserve consideration as a food group.

7:00 pm – Stroll down Main Street in Grand Junction to catch a second glimpse at sculptures along the sidewalk, then take your pick of many great restaurants. Choices include Italian food at Dolce Vita, Colorado pub fare at The Rockslide Brewpub, steaks and seafood at The Winery, Nepali and Indian cuisine at Nepal Restaurant, Sushi and traditional Japanese entrees at Suehiro, modern American cuisine at 626 on Rood, and New Orleans seafood at La Louisiane on Colorado.

9:00 am – After sleeping in, have breakfast at Lois’ Place. This is where the locals gather on a daily basis, and for good reason. The food is straightforward and prepared with care, the waitresses treat everyone like family, the coffee is hot and your cup never goes empty, and the prices are from some distant past. Gimme hash browns topped with green chiles, grilled onions, cheese and two over easy, please. That’s when I know it will be a good day.

11:00 am – Pick up some fruit to take home with you. On Sundays, downtown Palisade hosts the Palisade Farmers’ Market. Other days of the week you can stop at one of the many fruit stands around the area, which features the nation’s finest peaches in mid-summer. Earlier in the season you can find cherries, plums and apricots, with the late season bringing apples and pears.

So it’s time to go, but we’ve sure enjoyed having you around. When you get back home don’t forget to start planning your next trip to Grand Junction. We’ll have the table all set!