Dine & Dash: Good vibes and good health 🍽
Mini reviews of One Love Island Bar & Grill and Toastique downtown
One Love Island Bar & Grill
One Love started as a cottage business that bumped up to a food truck, and now a sit-down spot after several years. Four months ago they took over the longtime former Bernie’s Place dive bar at 1106 N. Circle Drive (across from Cheers Liquor Mart). It had very briefly been Circle Back Tap from the Carefree Bar & Grill folks; a pretty mural on one wall remains from that turnover (the giveaway being the Native American symbols in it).
Interestingly, or oddly, or however you’d describe it, One Love continues to cook from its truck, parked outside, shuttling food into the bar. I grab some to-go and see several other people stop by for pickups too. I don’t grab a drink, but there’s a generic cocktail list of rum punch, piña colodas and other beach-y drinks plus bottles of Guinness (including their N/A version) and Sorrel-flavored Red Stripe alongside other options. I notice flyers for everything from open mic nights to ladies’ night to deejay evenings, plus daily happy hours from 3-6 p.m.
I’ve ordered what amounts to $32 worth of food (post tax and tip) with my jerk chicken ($16), rice and kidney beans (included as one side) and cabbage and plantains ($5 each). That feels pricey for the portion (which you can see in the above photo), even in today’s marketplace, so weigh that as you will. The flavors are generally on-point for what you’d expect, but all textures (minus the rice) are a little mushy, like par-cooked food that’s steamed for a while and been brought back to temp. (Which would make sense on the truck.) I’d rate it middling compared to other Jamaican options in town; but in fairness that’s after one dish, so returning sometime for oxtail or curry goat or wings or whatnot might lend another opinion.
Toastique
I had been to the Ridgeline Drive Toastique location in Northgate shortly after it opened in mid 2022, but I still hadn’t ducked into the separately owned downtown C. Springs location since it launched right around the turn of 2023. There’s three other locations in state in the Denver area, 37 currently around the country and another 20-plus listed as opening in 2025. So yeah, it’s a chain, which you know I often gripe about (as helping destroy local/independent culture), but the redeeming factor is it’s locally owned, meaning there’s some community buy-in (and we saw many franchises step up during the pandemic to act local).
All that aside, I dig the healthy focus and several products utilized on the menu are legit superfoods — think: hemp seeds, cacao nibs, nut butters, etc. — so this isn’t just a sugary smoothie bar. Sure, you can go down the sweet road with cold-pressed juices and an array of smoothies and fruit-based bowls, but the toast options offer savory selections that can skip the blood-sugar spike. This location also sources locally-roasted coffee: a staffer says it’s from Switchback but I also spy a Building Three bag behind the counter. And for those coffees made with syrups, at least there’s organic Holy Kakow brand for several selections.
I also dig the bougie presentations on wood blocks with heavy, gold-colored utensils that make simple toast look like fine dining. (Plus, eating with plastic ware sucks for cutting bread.) My Tuscan Tuna toast, for a fair $13 in today’s market considering its size, comes on rustico bread; I ask if it’s made locally but the staffer didn’t know, so I’m gonna guess not. No biggie, it’s quality wherever it’s from. The first notable topping (above a thin lettuce layer, usually Bibb; mine’s arugula because they’re out) is super-thick cut tomatoes, which would be awesome if they were heirloom and tasted like anything, but they’re the commercial variety that bear virtually no flavor (because that’s been bred out to prioritize color and yield and other factors, and many are picked prematurely), so they almost act as a flavor sponge to the tuna topping. The fish gets mixed with capers, scallions, and sundried tomatoes (none in a significant quantity, so more for background tartness and salinity) then heavily drizzled with a thick herb vinaigrette and even sappier balsamic glaze. It’s a somewhat wet affair, better than dry, no doubt, garnished with a few whole Kalamata olives and a lemon twist.
After a workout (as I’ve come from climbing), it’s a satiating pop of protein. I pair it with one of the ice collagen lattes, not to be confused with a coffee drink. These are made with almond milk, collagen and sometimes fruit or a syrup or spice agent. The beet latte, which I choose, is made with the house Recharge juice, comprised of beet, carrot, apple, orange, and ginger. The beet component colors it a pretty pinkish-red, and I order a little matcha in mine, too, craving a touch of caffeine and its flavor. It seems half my cup is filled with foam and some ice cube chunks, so I wish there were more actual liquid to sip for $5-$6. Still, the overall flavor satisfies, with faint earthiness from the beet, faint bitterness from the tea and ample sweetness from the juices and almond milk (which I suspect isn’t the sugar-free variety). Toastique is a good option if you’re seeking a lighter breakfast or lunch downtown and can overlook the minor flaws.
What are the other Jamaican options in town that you prefer?