A couple weeks ago, I watched the documentary Food Inc., and now I'm all messed up in the head.

Backstory: I was a vegetarian for five years throughout my late teens and early twenties, the initiative ignited when I learned about factory farming and the disgusting disrespect for animals throughout the process. I didn't really have a plan, I just stopped eating red meat and poultry indefinitely. The longer I went, the better I felt. The more I learned, the less interest I had in returning to my old habits.

Eventually, though, the same problems caught up with me that people struggle with every day - ones laid out in the Food Inc. documentary. We live in a weird world, one whose food industry fosters the illogical reality where a burger and fries is cheaper than a salad. It was not only expensive to be a vegetarian, it was exhausting at times, and I suppose I just ran out of gas, preferring the simplicity of packing a turkey sandwich that would fuel a 10-hour work day to the creative process that constructing a vegetarian meal can become. I still kept the healthy habits I had learned from the experience, but I was back on the sauce, so to speak.

Any thoughts I had of returning to the veggie-lifestyle were erased when I got into travel writing. There is no doubt a niche out there for vegetarian eating when it comes to travel, but my thoughts were (and still are) that it would limit me in my writing, in my quest to experience all the world has to offer. You can't exactly say no to barbecue in the south, salmon in Alaska, or gumbo in New Orleans and expect to get the full flavor of the area.

Watching Food Inc. (and similar documentaries) is healthy because it tells you things you already know but don't want to think about: Where the food in your grocery store comes from, how it's grown and/or processed, the effects of its production on your health, how those who have benefited from large-scale food production were appointed to government positions by lawmakers, etc.

I used to joke with people who shopped at farmer's markets by asking them if they enjoyed overpaying for produce, and now I'm going to do everyone a favor and willingly stick my foot in my mouth. I don't expect anyone to uproot their lives overnight, however I do think we all need to take a look at our habits and analyze the behavior of industries that our dollar will end up supporting and reinforcing.

There is currently a big farm-to-fork movement in Colorado (and in other cities across the country), and I think the support for this concept is something we can all agree on, both as travelers and locals. Does the restaurant do its best to buy ingredients from local suppliers and farmers?  If nothing else, this is a good starting point for everyday consumers - choosing restaurants that support organic, ethical food production.

Last night I went to such an establishment in the Highlands called Root Down. Owner Justin Cucci believes the greenest thing is something that already exists, a mindset that is immediately backed up by the restaurant's location in a space formerly occupied by a gas station. Whatever produce and herbs they don't get from their on-site garden is purchased from farms throughout Denver, and they even give a shout out to their local suppliers on the menu and constantly update the "organic percentage" of the food they offer. It was 75% when I went, and I appreciate the hell out of the transparency.

Veggie-burger sliders, mussels in a Thai red curry sauce, sun-dried tomato pizzetta with prosciutto and pineapple, and organic sweet potato fries with lime curry sauce were our choices from the rock-solid happy hour menu. Cocktails that are typically $9-$10 will run you $5 from 4:30 - 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Those dishes, along with this rant, serve as an appetizer for my culinary adventure to Columbus, which I will preview tomorrow. Hope you're hungry - lots of food chatter on the way.

My relationship with traditional Italian restaurants over the years has been constantly conflicted by my Italian upbringing, one in which my grandmother and mother would have simultaneous heart attacks if they found out I went to a restaurant for spaghetti, ravioli, or gnocchi.

Fact: A man from an Italian family is never going to have anything better than a mediocre experience at a family-style Italian-ish restaurant, plain and simple. I know I'm not alone in bearing this cross - millions of people endure the suffering that stems from a culinary-endowed family tree. I'm being a smartass, but it's true: Sometimes our mamas just spoil us, and for years I passed on opportunities to dine out at Italian restaurants. Why spend the money when it's better at home?

Contemporary Italian food has really allowed me to start venturing back out to the tables, however, as going out for Italian no longer means putting a stranger's version of gravy up against the family brand. Restaurants now seek to build off and transform the traditional recipes, creating new flavors and well-presented, colorful dishes. A quick side-by-side look at the traditional bowl of spaghetti and today's pasta plates clearly shows the great differences between "now" and "then," see some examples below.

Interestingly enough (although completely coincidental), my two most recent contemporary Italian meals were both in downtown Denver. Back in April, I enjoyed the award-winning egg ravioli at Prima Restorante in the Hotel Teatro, and last Thursday I decided to give its competition a chance - Panzano in the Hotel Monaco.

Executive Chef Elise Wiggins was also spoiled by her mother, growing up in Louisiana eating gumbo and later attending the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver. After stints in Central America and Puerto Rico (where the restaurant received a AAA Four Diamond award during her tenure), she returned to Denver in 2004 and started at Panzano. Wiggins was unfortunately out of the restaurant when I visited last Thursday, but from the chef's table I was able to take in all of her beautiful dishes.

While some chef's tables can be private or secluded, sitting at the one in Panzano is as if you were sitting at the bar of a nice restaurant, except instead of seeing liquor bottles, you see the chefs preparing every meal. They're approachable and willing to answer questions about what they're making - an awesome perk - and the visual experience kept my attention the entire night. I could see all phases of the process - pasta put into the water, a fried egg placed on the Carbonara Piadina - and the sight, smell, and sound of the preparation was an appetizer in itself.

Assistant General Manager and Wine Director Jason Gordon helped us to pair each course with a glass of wine (a 3-glass flight will run you $16), and the list features many “Tre Bicchieri” award winners from Italy. It was somewhat of an education for me, sampling glasses ofLambrusco, Chianti, and Brachetto.

For $55 a person, you can enjoy a 5-course tasting menu that changes each night. Whatever you decide to order, I would recommend requesting a seat at the chef's table (it is open to everyone and is no extra charge) and settling in for a slow-paced meal. It is in this sense that the old-school Italian traditions are revealed amongst the contemporary cuisine: Many courses, good wine, and long conversation with great food at the heart of the evening.

I'll have more on Panzano in an upcoming Famtripper.com feature - for now, enjoy these photos from the restaurant in downtown Denver: