Our first night out in Downtown Boulder began with dinner at Centro Latin Kitchen and Refreshment Palace located in the heart of the city at 950 Pearl Street.
We were greeted promptly upon arrival and seated at a spacious booth in the rustic dim lit dining room. As we were lead past the bar I noticed these these exotic looking infusions.
We wasted no time ordering drinks and cheersing to the start of a great weekend together in Colorado.
So our toasts usually end up becoming more of a lets all hold our glasses up in the middle of the table and take pictures. Drinks in the mix included a Grapefruit Margarita, Red Wine Sangria, a local beer on tap and my Mojito! They have an impressive drink menu of vast proportions, offering something for everyone.
We ordered chips and salsa to kick off the meal. The salsa was a light brownish-green concoction which I thought was unique in color and in flavor. It was spicy and addictive. My dinner was absolutely fantastic. I couldn't eat the Garlicky Griddled Shrimp Soft Tacos piled high with pickled red onions, green peppers, fresh shredded and grated cheese, radishes, jalapenos and lemon aioli fast enough.
The toppings overflowed onto my plate with each bite. The long rows of achiote rice and black bean refritos made for a fun presentation and also tasted delicious - though I barely ate any until halfway though the meal as I was all consumed by the tacos. 
Also on the plate was their house made buttery smooth sour cream, some of the freshest I have ever tasted. I snapped a pic of Erin's Chicken Thigh Enchiladas and that is Ashley's Caesar Salad in the distance.
Oh and here we are.
Best travel companions ever! Do we look like we have been drinking on and off since 1:30pm?! Yikes. Here are the lovely ladies across from us.
Dishes at Centro proved to be soulful and innovative. I was definitely impressed with my first meal out in Boulder.
Our next stop on Pearl Street was the West End Tavern.
This bar is home to over 50 types of Bourbon. It has menus listing tasty brews on draft, creative specialty drinks, margaritas, and of course Bourbon cocktails. I don't fancy myself a Bourbon drinker but got pretty excited about this bar filled with exquisite bottles of the stuff and much more.
I decided to try Not Your Grandma's Bourbon and Ginger ($7) 
It was a potent blend of house infused vanilla spice bourbon with fresh ginger, organic agave nectar and soda water. This was just the pick me up I needed after stuffing my face full of shrimp tacos.
The two floor tavern was bustling with activity. We had ourselves a great time!
They serve cheap beers. I had a Red Stripe for $3.50 and a Rolling Rock for $2.50.
The back of the space is filled with every bar game imaginable. We played Big Buck Hunter,
Skee Ball
and Air Hockey!
There are also pool tables and Foosball!
Walrus played the jams - even music that we recalled dancing to at UNH in our beloved dive bar basements. It only made us miss college even more! But I wouldn't trade where I am in life with the friends I made there for anything.
Last but not least, the bar has a large barrel of peanuts for the taking.
It's a throw the shells on the floor type of place. I snagged a handful for the walk home.
Which included a photo shoot with this statue.
Channeling UNH yet again, as a somewhat similar shot was taken at Homecoming Weekend 2007. (With Corinne! but minus Eden and Ashley.) I am in there too but I all you can see is my arm.
It feels so amazing to be here; finally experiencing where Laura has lived for the past 8 months and exploring a super cool city with some of my favorite people. 
Can't wait to fill you in on our first official day in Boulder! Stay tuned!
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