Sister's Pizza & Mussels (& Boulder Canyon chips)

Getting to downtown Loveland, CO from Fort Collins without a car is a bitch. It took me two transfers and a solid hour on the buses one way, and that was just the travel time alone. Consider that buses only run once per hour (luckily, the wait between transfers is minimal), miss one bus and you're screwed until the next hour. I might have done better biking.

I was in Loveland for an internship interview, and found myself leaving the building just after my bus was scheduled to pull away from the curb. Having already wandered most of the downtown area before the interview (I arrived an hour early so that I wouldn't be late), I gave myself the task of figuring out where to get something to eat. Just in front of the bus stop, Sister's Pizza & Mussels caught my eye.

A place focused on both mussels and pizza seemed an unlikely business model, but I was game. Inside, the place was empty and had the air of a takeout joint. Mussels were mainly featured as part of pasta dishes, and not wanting to tussle with a forkful of spaghetti while sitting outside at the bus stop, I opted for the classic portable meal, a plain slice.

It was surprisingly good. The bottom of the thin, chewy crust was crisp without being cracker-like, and the cheese, sauce, and dough all seemed well balanced.

One slice is pretty slim, however, so I supplemented my meal with a bag of chips. I'd seen Boulder Canyon Natural Foods chips all over Colorado—it seems to be the local brand of choice—and I was eager to check out their Spinach & Artichoke flavor because I have a fascination with oddly flavored crispy snacks. These kettle-cooked chips were hearty, with good potato flavor and the perfect amount of salt. The added seasoning seemed to be a nod toward spinach and artichoke dip, which made the chips taste like a better version of sour cream and onion. Yum.