LoHi Steakbar is a convincing home away from home

Happy Place: LoHi Steakbar, 3200 Tejon Street, 303-927-6334 The Hours: Daily from 4 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight. The Deals: $2 Budweiser drafts, PBR, and Coors bottles; $3 house margaritas and well drinks; $5 wines by the glass; $5 sliders. Were we happy? Flip the page to…

Last call! Colorado Cocktail Contest entries due at midnight

Sean Kenyon has issued the very last call for entries in the Colorado Cocktail Contest: Your entry must be received at bartender@westword.com no later than midnight tonight. Once again, the rules: * The base spirit (at least half of the spirit in the cocktail) must be a Colorado spirit –…

Does La Loma make Denver’s best white-trash margarita?

We tasted a lot of house margaritas in preparation for our Best of Denver 2011 issue, and the marg at El Camino was hands down the Best House Margarita, as well as one of the most simple, true to the classic roots of this Mexican cocktail. At most American Mexican…

Earthy delights make us happy at Forest Room 5

Happy Place: Forest Room 5, 2532 Fifteenth Street, 303-433-7001 The Hours: Monday through Saturday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Deals: $2-3 beer; $5 wine and sangria; $5-6 specialty cocktails; $5-8 appetizers. Were we happy? Flip the page to find out…

First Look: Ale House at Amato’s

Ale House at Amato’s, the latest venture from the Breckenridge Brewing Company, opened at 11 a.m. today with a gorgeous view of the Platte Valley, the Denver skyline and the Rocky Mountains. The highly anticipated LoHi-area beer bar and restaurant is located in the former Amato’s statuary store, at the…

Boulder Beer finally opens on Saturdays

One of the biggest oddities in the Colorado beer-drinking world will be remedied on April 2 when The Pub at the Boulder Beer Company finally opens for business on Saturdays. Until now, the pub, which is located in a Boulder business park and serves sandwiches, salads, burgers, burritos and the…

Ask the Bartender: One last round of Colorado Cocktail Contest entries

Sean Kenyon knows how to pour out both drinks and advice. A third-generation bar man with almost 25 years behind the bar, he is a student of cocktail history, a United States Bartenders Guild-certified Spirits Professional and a BAR Ready graduate of the prestigious Beverage Alcohol Resource Program. You can…

Three more old-world wines worth checking out

Last week I threw down a challenge: taste an old-world wine next to its new-world counterpart and judge for yourself whether old world wines truly deserve their reputation as best in class. Even though I screwed up and included tasting notes from a Rhône wine instead of the Burgundy I…