Typically, when you think of “stoner food” you think about pizza, or ice cream, or really anything with enough grease on it that if applied to a brick wall, you could see through to the other side. Now these are all certainly staples of the “munchied” world that should never be overlooked, but who’s to say that those of us who indulge in cannabis don’t also enjoy the occasional healthy meal.

That’s why I decided to let the good people of Colorado know about a place that I frequent on the regular. A place called “TAG | RAW BAR.”

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It was the ‘90s when I first set foot inside India’s. I grew up on the eastern plains of Colorado and didn’t come to the “big city” that often when I was a kid. When we would venture to Denver, India’s was almost always a favorite destination for my family. I remember the excitement my brother, sister and I all felt when our parents would announce to us that we were going to India’s. We’d start daydreaming of garlic naan (which is a delicious flat bread), onion salad and a mango lassi (a popular beverage from India made with yogurt), and could never wait to get out of the car when we arrived in the parking lot.

Nowadays, being a resident of the Denver metro area, I frequent India’s as often as I can. Just thinking about the amazing balance of delicate flavors that grace my tongue every time I dine there immediately makes me salivate. And now, in an interesting twist of fate, whenever my family comes to visit, it’s one of the first places suggested when the inevitable question arises, “where should we eat?” I have eaten there dozens of times and never, not once, have I ever been disappointed with the food.

Previously I might have said that I had to travel all the way from Wash Park to downtown/Lower Highlands in order to find a suitable sandwich, but oh how that has changed. A friend of mine recently turned me on to a place in west Wash Park called Vert Kitchen, and I can very gladly say (for both my stomach and my gas mileage) that I have become a repeat guest.

The very first thing that you see when you walk in is a sign that reads; “Vert Kitchen is about real cooking and healthy eating.” Now this is something that I can take in one of two ways: One, I am going to turn around and run out the door to the nearest place selling any type of fried pork, because odds are, when someone goes out of their way to tell you that their food is healthy, it usually just means that it tastes somewhere between a cardboard box and a handful of Bermuda grass. Or, two, maybe these guys are actually on to something. Judging from the fact that everything made at Vert is 100% organic and locally grown, I’m truly hoping for the latter.

But first thing’s first.