Sad news on the sandwich front. The Deli Zone franchise at 955 Lincoln, my favorite local sammie joint, has closed for “economic reasons,” according to a handmade sign on the front door that was addressed to “loyal customers” (me). I reviewed Deli Zone’s Chrysler Building (pastrami, Swiss cheese and mustard…
Isolation Ale Odell Brewing Company Fort Collins Isolation Ale is one of several local winter warmers – Avery’s Old Jubilation, Boulder Beer’s Never Summer and Breckenridge Brewery’s Christmas Ale among them. But this traditional English-style strong ale is lighter and easier to drink than some of the others. It’s a…
Traffic sucks, and as Colorado grows, it just seems to get worse and worse. Some people leave earlier to deal with the jams, or move closer to their offices. Others pick up their bicycles or take the bus. Still others speed, run red lights, curse their fellow drivers or silently…
Double Bastard Stone Brewing Company Escondido, California Double Bastard, made by one of my two favorite breweries in the country, packs a punch — and feels no guilt about the violence. This beer, highly alcoholic (more than 10 percent), highly sought after, rich in flavor and texture, is one of…
Last year, my wife wanted to stay at a downtown hotel with our kids to watch the annual Parade of Lights, so she looked for an overnight package deal. She never found one, so we ended up creating our own fun by packing hot chocolate (with Baileys for the adults),…
I don’t have fond memories of my high school physics teacher, Mr. Woods. Although he was funny, quirky and endearingly curmudgeonly, I was terrible at physics, and for this he had little patience. Furthermore, he once accused me of having cheated on my homework, which wasn’t true. I cheated in…
Christmas Ale Anchor Brewing Company San Francisco Like other spiced beers, this one hides the malt and hops, but in this case, it worked. The usual pumpkin pie-like suspects — like cinnamon, ginger and clove — were there, as well as what I believe was a touch of myrrh. (By…
It was hard to tell if the three homeless men gathered outside the brand-new Argonaut Wine & Liquor this morning were waiting for the store to open to the public or for Mayor John Hickenlooper, who was scheduled to arrive for the grand-opening ceremony. Either way, they got what they…
Alaskan Winter Ale Alaskan Brewing Company Juneau, Alaska Get ready for something different when you drink one of these, something different and something delicious. Although I normally don’t like fruit-flavored beers, pine needles are a different story, and that’s what the company says goes into this ale. The distinctive taste…
It’s a thought that haunts the over-stimulated, over-movied imagination: a school of hungry piranhas eating you alive. And while our Café writer Jason Sheehan would have preferred that fate to the time he spent at the restaurant inside the Downtown Aquarium (see “Finding Nemo,” his 2005 review), staff writer Joel…
Winter Warlock Bristol Brewing Company Colorado Springs Winter Warlock offers a complex mix of sweet caramel and roasted chocolate flavors that really jumps off the tastebuds. Pouring black with a thick head of foam, it is a solid, well-done stout that I look forward to drinking again. And again. –…
Naming bank robbers is an art, and the boys down at the FBI’s Rocky Mountain Safe Streets task force in Denver hold the paintbrushes. Their latest is the JV Bandit, so named because he was wearing a varsity or letterman-style jacket during one of his robberies. The jacket is…
Today in Backbeat online: Gregory Alan Isakov is working on a new album. We play Christmas on Mars: the video game. Last night’s Freddy Rodriguez Sr. and the Jazz Connection show. Today in Cafe Society: The Veggie Girl is MAD for Greens. The rise of the great red beet…
Santa’s Little Helper Port Brewing Company San Marcos, California Port Brewing Company doesn’t mess around. The company, which began as a pizza place in Solano Beach and now owns a large brewing facility in San Marcos, makes unbelievably big beers. And like Stone Brewing, their Golden State neighbor to the…
Greeley Mayor Ed Clark has strong opinions, and the people of Greeley have strong opinions on him as well – just ask the University Middle School girls who’ve been scrawling death threats against Clark on the bathroom walls there. The former police officer and head of security at the…
It’s a far stretch from Rockefeller Center, but restaurateur Jesse Morreale goes all out for the holidays at his pair of hipster cantinas, Mezcal and Tambien, by decorating both rooms in true Mexicano holiday splendor that adds – we swear it – an additional sparkle to those already glowing signature…
The news hasn’t been good this holiday season. The world is at war, travel is expensive, companies are canceling Christmas parties, and the economy, well, you know… But Loews Denver Hotel, 4150 East Mississippi Avenue, which is making a habit of turning bad financial news on its head, is…
Notice something red in your greens lately? Beets have been showing up on lots of Denver menus, mostly in salads, decorated with goat cheese and nuts. Gelman’s Restaurant serves a version with green beans and onions, Jonesy’s Eat Bar lets the red and gold beets shine without too much…
Perhaps you are in a fowl mood this morning. Too much turkey, pie and pinot noir has made your stomach sour and your head hurt. Well then, don’t even consider how much worse things would be if you had to get up a 6 a.m. to feed your cluckin’ chickens…
Oh, the wonders of that balky contraption Al Gore invented, the Internet. It’s only taken fifteen years or so, but government agencies are finally figuring out how to make their cyber presence a little more useful. While certain state websites continue to suck glistening giblets — we won’t mention any…
I’ve been reviewing some the best holiday beers available on local liquor store shelves, from Colorado favorites like Left Hand’s Snowbound Ale to out-of-state greats, like Deschutes’ Jubelale. But on December 2, at 7:30 p.m., the Falling Rock Taphouse, address, will host its 12th Annual Christmas Beer Dinner. Some…
I got a letter from the government the other day. Well, not the government, specifically, but the esteemed law firm of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP, who claimed to be working for the City and County of Denver in the capacity of leg breakers. It appears I was cited…
