FIND MORE FOOD & DRINK COVERAGE AT WESTWORD.COM/RESTAURANTS CAFE Pot Luck! PODCAST HOST KIP WILSON SHARES HIS FAVORITE LOCAL MUNCHIES FOR 4/20. BY MOLLY MARTIN “I quit my day job to smoke pot and eat food,” says Kip Wilson, a Mississippi native who moved to Denver in 2011 and started the Stoned Appetit podcast in 2018 with friend and co-host Chris Byard. In early April, Wilson offi cially left his corporate job in tech sales to focus on the podcast’s mission full-time. “What I actually felt was that the social media infl uencers in our community were doing a disservice to the independent res- taurateurs and small-business owners,” he explains. “Seeing folks do Federales reviews... when we have local entities and people who have fought through COVID, who lost their jobs and started their own companies in their kitchens. And then we have pricks that are real estate agents from Chicago come in, and now because a PR company gives you free tacos, you suck their dick online. It drove me crazy.” With its growing audience, particularly on Instagram (@stoned_appetit), Wilson is now ready to expand Stoned Appetit’s reach by telling more stories about independent small businesses in Colorado in both the hospitality and cannabis industries. “I’m afraid the social media scene has gotten pretty absurd, so we’re going to correct that,” he adds. Last August, Wilson shared ten of his favorite stoner eats in town with Westword. Now, just in time for 4/20, he’s serving up ten more of his most recent fi nds across the metro area. “These aren’t in the regular stratosphere,” he says. “A lot of people go out to eat downtown or in RiNo, so I tried to get off the beaten path and give folks some gems in other areas.” Because whenever or wherever the munchies hit, you need to be prepared. Here are Wilson’s ten favorite stoner eats right now: El Zarandiao Chambers Road and East Colfax Avenue, Aurora 720-500-3139 instagram.com/elzarandiao “It was the best taco I’ve had in Denver. It was revolutionary,” says Wilson of the shrimp taco at this food truck owned by Cristian Lutz, which you can fi nd Saturdays and Sundays at what’s known as Aurora’s “fl avor corner” in the VASA Fitness parking lot. Fresh tortillas handmade in the back of the truck are topped with a layer of griddled cheese, and then Lutz and company “fi ll it to the brim” with shrimp, pico de gallo and a spicy sauce that Wilson calls “banger sauce.” The area is packed with vendors of all kinds, making a stop here a full- on, budget-friendly stoner outing. “I bought a soccer jersey, a Gucci handbag and fi ve shrimp tacos for $20, and I was like, ‘I’m winning! I’m winning!’” Wilson recalls. Yacht Club 3701 Williams Street yachtclubbar.com Industry pros Mary Allison Wright, husband McLain Hedges and brother John David Wright opened Yacht Club next door to Bras- serie Brixton in December, where they’re serving more than just (really, really good) cocktails, natural wine and boozy shaved ice. “You get the classy and the cocktails, and then you get this guilty-pleasure, glutton- ous little snack,” Wilson says of Hollywood Frank’s, Yacht Club’s in-house hot dog op- eration. There are several topping options — “Most are cold, but they’ll heat up some chili for you,” Wilson notes — and each of the dogs is served with a bag of Lay’s. “It’s just a fun, casual eat,” he notes. “A perfect stoner snack if you want to have a nice, fun frozen banana daiquiri and a hot dog on their patio as it gets nicer.” Brasserie Brixton 3701 Williams Street 720-617-7911 brasseriebrixton.com You don’t have to venture far from Yacht Club for Wilson’s next pick — French eatery Brasserie Brixton is so close, the two share an address (though they are separated by a wall). Being high only heightens the fun of fi ne dining, and here, one dish in particular won Wilson over: the porcini mushroom toast. “This is the dish for our vegetarian stoners,” he offers. “It’s got a creamy sauce that keeps it all together, and then it’s on fresh fucking bread. And the bread is obviously great — you can order it with butter, and I’m a bread slut, so I do — but when they top it with decadent mushrooms, it’s possibly one of the best things I’ve eaten in 2022.” After that shrimp taco, he adds. Farmhouse Thai Eatery 98 South Wadsworth Boulevard, Lakewood 303-237-2475 farmhousethaieatery.com “This is a place that’s going to blow your socks off if you’re looking for the heat. Any- thing above a two...,” Wilson says, laughing. “It’ll knock your dick in the dirt. It’s so spicy, it’s so delicious.” With a friendly price point and options ranging from curries to a pine- apple fried rice with a sweet edge to counter the heat, Wilson says you can’t go wrong at this casual spot. “It made my brother cry,” he recalls. “He was crying-laughing, saying, ‘It’s just so hot, it’s so good!’” El Zarandiao’s tacos are a stoner’s dream. Samosa Shop Pop-Up samosashop.co Chef Dave Hadley has made appearances on television shows Chopped and Supermarket Stakeout, but fame hasn’t stopped him from cooking up stellar eats at his Samosa Shop, which has been popping up at farmers’ markets and other events since the summer of 2020. “He makes all kinds of samosas and other great dishes, but his Buffalo chicken samosa is a stoner’s delight,” Wilson says. “It’s almost like a hand grenade of fl avor. It’s coated in Buffalo sauce, but on the inside is like a creamy chicken buffalo dip. And Dave’s done some work in the stoner kitchen scene as well, so he knows how to channel those tastebuds. Heavens!” Zoe Ma Ma 1625 Wynkoop Street 303-545-6262 zoemama.com Its original location is in Boulder, but Wilson loves the Union Station outpost of this fast- casual spot from James Beard-nominated restaurateur Edwin Zoe. “It’s perfect for a commuter snack, if you’re about to puff tough and get on the train,” he suggests. The Denver location’s been open since 2014 and can sometimes get lost in the mix of the ever- changing neighborhood, but it’s a spot that deserves to be frequented for favorites like dan dan noodles and bao buns. “Grab a little chili oil on your way out,” Wilson adds. Zoe is opening Dragonfl y Noodle on the 16th Street Mall possibly as early as May, so soon there will be two spots in the Mile High to enjoy his tasty eats, whether you’re high or not. Blazing Chicken Shack II 5560 East 33rd Avenue 720-596-4501 blazingchickenshackii.com While 4/20 is now celebrated all over the globe, its roots are in the U.S., and Wilson’s paying homage to that with a spot that spe- cializes in some American classics: Blazing Chicken Shack, his current go-to in Park Hill. “They have fried catfi sh that are the size of your forearm, and their fried chicken is ex- ceptional,” he says. “The two ladies behind the counter are as sweet as can be, and they’re spitting out dank soul-food Americana eats. When you get high, you want that soul-food, lay-in-the-couch kind of snack.” Split Lip 3560 Chestnut Place splitlipeatplace.com “I think most folks know that Number Thirty Eight has a killer outdoor vibe,” says Wilson of the RiNo venue where pandemic startup Split Lip serves its crave-worthy eats. The crew behind Split Lip began slinging Missis- sippi slugburgers — “Shoutout to my OGs,” says Mississippi na- continued on page 22 21 westword.com | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | WESTWORD APRIL 14-20, 2022 KIP WILSON
