Uncork at Four Mile Historic Park tonight

Four Mile Historic Park will host the sixth annual “Colorado Corks and Cuisine” from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. today, May 14 in Grant Hall at the park at 715 South Forest Street. Tickets are $30, $25 for Four Mile members, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the…

Send North High’s principal to detention

School Daze Against all odds, Michael Ballez will be graduating from North High School this year. Those odds include: the classmates who’ve dropped out, one by one, until only a handful of the kids he started with as a freshman remain in school. The pressures he’s faced — and fought…

Colorado Public Employee Appreciation Week lasts a day

Shortly after midnight on Saturday, May 9, all state employees received this e-mail from Julie Postlethwait in the Department of Personnel & Administration: “This past Wednesday, Governor Ritter took time out of the last week of a busy legislative session to acknowledge all you do for our State; he officially…

It’s World Cocktail Week! Drink up with Jared Boller

World Cocktail Week ends today. So let’s raise a glass to Jared Boller, the award-winning mixologist who represented Denver in a recent article in USA Today that profiled a handful of alcohol alchemists around the country. Boller will be behind the bar at TAG, Troy Guard’s restaurant that opens in…

Wake-Up Call: Late for the party

At 12:34 a.m. on May 9, an e-mail from Julie Postlethwait, PIO for the Colorado Department of Personnel Administration, arrived in the in-boxes of all state employees: This past Wednesday, Governor Ritter took time out of the last week of a busy legislative session to acknowledge all you do for…

Get happy tonight at Irish Snug

“Happy on the Hill,” a monthly celebration of the stretch of Colfax that heads east from the Capitol, will convene at the Irish Snug, 1201 East Colfax Avenue, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 13. The Snug will have snacks and drink specials available; for details, call 303-839-1394. Across town in…

Wake-Up Call: Salazar needs to stay put

Timing is everything. Early on, as president-elect Barack Obama started filling his Cabinet, Ken Salazar’s name kept surfacing — but so did word that what the first-term senator and former Colorado Attorney General ultimately wanted was a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, and in the meantime, he was perfectly…

Party down with Bob Schaffer’s margarita

Did you miss this weekend’s Cinco de Mayo festivities in Civic Center Park? You can still get a taste of them by picking up a bottle of Coyote Gold Premium Margarita — the margarita that former U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer’s wife, Maureen, is marketing along with her Fort Collins…

Wake-Up Call: Hit the road

Governor Bill Ritter is heading down to Colorado Springs today, where he’ll host a town-hall meeting and sign a number of bills. And along the way, he’ll no doubt pass a handful of unauthorized signs along I-25, all asking, “Why does Ritter hate El Paso County?” Why indeed? I asked…

Frasca dinner with Bodegas Muga wines

On Monday, May 11, Frasca Food & Wine, 1738 Pearl Street in Boulder, will offer a wine dinner with Steve Lewis of Giuliana Imports presenting the wines of Bodegas Muga. Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey will be on hand, and chef/co-owner Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson will cook a four-course seasonal menu. The…

The mother of all food weekends

This weekend, it’s all about Mom. Take her to the Denver Public Library, 10 West 14th Avenue Parkway, from 10:30 a.m. to noon today, May 9, for a free tea-service demo. To make a reservation, go to www.denverlibrary.org. And before you take your mother to brunch on Sunday (check with…

Pizza Republica opens today

After a few delays and some dark days, Pizza Republica is finally opening at 4 p.m. today at 5375 Landmark Place in Greenwood Village.Here’s how the Jet Entertainment Group, which also owns the Jet Hotel and Nine75, describes its latest restaurant on the company’s website: “Pizza Republica focuses on homemade…

Room for one more Mo’s

Went to Mo’s last night. No, not Mo’ Tacos, which is right next to Mona’s at 123 South Broadway. And not Moe’s Original BBQ and Bowl, further down the strip at 3295 South Broadway, right by the Gothic Theatre. And not any of the three Moe’s Broadway Bagel outposts in…

Wake-Up Call: FU, Senator Brophy

According to state senator Greg Brophy’s blog, “he’s been called one of the most conservative members of the legislature and a Prius driving, bicycle riding, eco freak. You decide.” But first read this, and you might come up with a couple of other descriptors. On April 24, he recounted the…

Chocolate and beer — what more could you need?

The Colorado Chocolate Festival returns to the Denver Merchandise Mart this weekend, starting with a Friday Night Gala from 7 to 10 p.m. tonight; the regular show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow. Tickets to the gala are $12, regular admission is $7 adults, kids 5-12 are $3,…

Now you can get in the swim at Casa Bonita

Joel Warner, who recently wrote a Casa Bonita survival guide as a public service for anyone headed to that bastard child of Disneyland and Tijuana in the heart of Lakewood, has news for fans of the colossal Mexican restaurant/amusement park. Casa Bonita is looking for a new recruit for its…

Wake-Up Call: Mason Tvert on the money

If the Colorado Legislature can tie a debate on the death penalty to the dismal economy, no reason California can’t do the same for a discussion of legalizing marijuana. “Well, I think it’s not time for (legalization), but I think it’s time for a debate,” Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday…

What’s cooking? Events at cooking schools

What’s cooking? Mise en Place Cooking School, at 1801 Wynkoop Street #175, is hosting the kick off of LiveWell Colorado’s five-year plan to end obesity in Colorado today. At 9:30 a.m., Dr. Collins, the “Cooking Cardiologist,” will offer a cooking demonstration, followed by speakers at 10 a.m. For more information,…

James Mazzio set to open the Icehouse Tavern

The action is heating up at the Icehouse, 1801 Wynkoop Street, where the Icehouse Tavern could open as early as June 1. It’s another project by the Momo brothers, who’d owned Via, the previous occupant of the space, and run Cucina Colore in Cherry Creek. And James Mazzio, Via’s last…

Wake-Up Call: Charles Cousins made his mark

It’s impossible to travel through Five Points without thinking of Charles Cousins. His signs are everywhere — offering this property for rent, announcing that his company manages another. But Cousins, who passed away Monday morning at the age of 91, left his mark in so many other ways. The history…

MiniBAR mini-opening; grand opening this weekend

miniBAR opened on Cinco de Mayo, serving specials and drinks, of course. “We are ramping up throughout the week,” promises miniBAR’s e-mail announcement, “serving food and our full menu starting this Friday.” The grand opening is May 8 and 9 — and since this spot tucked under the old Village…

Frasca finally opens for lunch — for two days only

For the first time, Frasca Food & Wine is opening for lunch — but only on Friday and Saturday, May 8-9. Although the schedule change is to accommodate people in town for graduation ceremonies at the University of Colorado, you don’t need to know a student to sign up for…