I am no fan of Starbucks. Certainly not now that I have had to kick my lifelong coffee habit, but even when I was putting down several pots of coffee a day, it took an event of truly apocalyptic proportion to get me into any of the estimated 4 billion…
Although Lola was built into the retrofitted Olinger’s mortuary building, it looks like it was created to support the patio, a deck that offers a stunning view of downtown. Although an in-the-works loft project could change that view, it’s unlikely to affect Lola’s popularity: Since the day it moved from…
The people planning the Democratic National Convention are making a video showing the ten places that visitors shouldn’t miss in Denver — and today, they were filming at the Buckhorn Exchange. It’s tough to imagine a more worthy tourist trap, since the Buckhorn is Denver’s oldest eatery (founded in 1893)…
What an overachiever! The Rudbeckia Denver Daisy, a Plant Select specimen chosen to commemorate Denver’s 150th anniversary, is supposed to take twenty days to germinate, but this seedling (center, above) popped up five days early. In the process, though, it left all its potential siblings in the dust. Literally. I’d…
Almost since the day Mark Tarbell, one of the darlings of the Arizona restaurant scene, opened The Oven in Belmar, there have been rumors that he would soon open a second restaurant in Denver. There have been “Coming Soon” ads, stories about plans and promises. There have been suggestions of…
Denver is a city built on great neighborhoods, filled with characters and coffeehouses. I fell in love with Stoneman’s Row when I first moved to Denver and would take frequent trips to the original Muddy’s, just so I could detour past these eight ancient stone houses standing sentinel over the…
On June 6, Denver will see its last Thirst Friday — because this summer, one of Colorado’s biggest cultural assets will also become a liquid asset. As of July 1, the state can start issuing art-gallery permits that allow galleries to serve (not sell) alcohol for four hours a day,…
The cover of Dizzying Heights, “the Aspen novel” by Denver attorney/author Bruce Ducker, shows a lovely chocolate cake — an apt illustration, because this book is a completely delicious, acidic-yet-sweet romp through Aspen and all the affectations that plague not just that high-priced town, but modern society. An Aspen reviewer…
Colfax Avenue may be the longest main street in the world, but the most important stretch today is just a couple of miles long, from east of the State Capitol to Colorado Boulevard. “We’re just getting people out of their houses to play on Colfax — the same old thing,”…
Colorado hosts two graduations with major policy speeches today: one by a current president looking back and one by a (possible) future president looking forward. Barack Obama will host an invitation-only town hall meeting at 11:30 a.m. at Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts (MESA) in Thornton, where he is…
Summertime, and the living is breezy. Denver diners and drinkers are obsessed with patios — and restaurateurs are obsessed with giving them what they want. Whether it’s just a couple of chairs stuck out on the sidewalk or acres of elaborate decks, almost every joint in town has an outdoor…
A story in today’s New York Times — and previewed yesterday by Matt Drudge — details Denver’s problems raising money for the upcoming Democratic National Convention. “So far, the Denver host committee is about $15 million short of the $40.6 million it must raise by June 16,” the Times reports…
I can be bought for an easy smile and a pint of sweet tea. When someone has their grill going in my neighborhood, I will sometimes sit out on my porch just to smell the air. My wife has often told me that I’ve never met a barbecue restaurant I…
It’s really surprising, the number of food items that are illegal to import into the United States. What’s maybe even more surprising (and no doubt troubling to the food police) is how easy it is for a crafty gastronaut to lay hands on most, if not all, of these proscribed…
Biker Jim Pittenger runs the coolest hot dog cart in the city: Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs. A trained journalist and former repo man, ex-resident of the great state of Alaska and proud biker, Jim now makes his living slinging Denver’s best dogs from his Cadillac of carts on the corner…
May 18, 2007, was a tough day on the job for Lieutenant Mike Gross of the Glendale Police Department. The sometime spokesman for the department was playing the john in a sting operation at the Staybridge Suites in Glendale, entertaining a series of women he’d found in escort ads. Tatiana…
Celebrity-starved Denver has a new star — and he didn’t arrive empty-handed. Pastry chef and Food Network personality Keegan Gerhard and his wife, Lisa Bailey, moved to Denver earlier this year, and today they’ll unveil D Bar Desserts, their jewel-box of a bakery/dessert bar at 1475 East 17th Avenue, right…
Move over, Ohio and Florida. As John McCain and Barack Obama plan stops in Colorado next week, it’s clear that nine little electoral votes out West will hold the keys to the door of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Long decreed a “purple” state by optimistic Democrats who’ve seen the area trending…
All aboard for the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad, dubbed the “scenic line of the world” in the 1870s, about eighty years before the route took a fifty-year hiatus. But the line has been back on track since 2006 and is introducing some innovations in its third season, which starts today…
The day after my review of Gemelli’s hit the stands, I got this missive from a reader: After reading your excellent review, my friend and I arrived at 11:10 this morning (Fri), drooling over the thought of the shrimp scampi …There was an 8 top that had walked in immediately…
Lots of good food for good causes at two upcoming charity dinners — one at Luca d’Italia, the other at Vesta Dipping Grill. On June 2 at Luca d’Italia (711 Grant Street), Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno (owners of Luca, along with Mizuna and Osteria Marco) are throwing a benefit for…
From my spot at the sushi bar, I can’t see outside. The windows are frosted, decorated with pictures of geishas and stalks of bamboo. I can’t hear anything from the outside, either, because they have the radio tuned to some kind of Asian soft-rock station—Tokyo’s version of Kenny G toodling…
