The Secret to Skinniness?

Denver is the skinniest city in the United States, with an adult obesity rate that's just under 13%. (FYI: The national adult obesity rate is around 25%.) This fact is slightly intimidating because I envision lean, toned and tan tri-athletes running or biking to the nearest organic cafe where they dine on spinach leaves and protein shakes. Not my idea of a party, although I am excited to make bike-riding a part of my life again (bye-bye beach cruiser, hello mountain bike!).

So, I was surprised to discover that Denver (and CO in general) is known for it's buffalo meat, which is served in various forms at almost every restaurant. There is buffalo filet, buffalo prime rib, buffalo burgers, buffalo meatloaf, buffalo chili... and many other buffalo varieties that I haven't heard of yet.

Although I have a real soft spot in my heart for the talking buffalo head at Disneyland's "Country Bear Jamboree," I decided I needed to try a slice of these fuzzy beasts for myself. Tom had a buffalo burger when we ate lunch at Wynkoop Brewery, which is one of Denver's best-know brew pubs. Wynkoop is owned by Denver's mayor, John Hickenlooper. (I know - that's a totally make-believe, elf name.) I decided to save my buffalo appetite for a more hard-core venue.

The Buckhorn Exchange is the oldest restaurant in Denver and its upstairs bar boasts Colorado's first liquor license. But it's probably best know for its crazy taxidermy - animal heads hung from every inch of wall space, stuffed birdies and snakes and other critters inside glass cases... if it can be hunted, it's collecting dust somewhere in the Buckhorn Exchange (see above photo). Oh, and there's also a huge gun collection. Welcome to the Wild West!

Anything you can find on the walls of this restaurant is probably also on the menu. Tom was adventurous and had a sampler of ostrich, yak and quail (and we started with rattlesnake dip, which was basically artichoke dip with rattlesnake meat instead artichokes), but I played it safe with the buffalo tenderloin. Um, hello tender yumminess! This buffalo business is one of my favorite Denver discoveries so far!

Could buffalo meat be the magic elixir that's keeping Denver slim? Well, buffalo supposedly has 70-90% less fat than beef, and it has 50% less cholesterol. Plus, it's higher in protein and iron. Hmmm... buffalo diet, anyone?