“These are my peeps,” proclaimed Mayor John Hickenlooper, the geologist-turned-brewpub-owner-turned-politician. He gestured to the crowd of brewers and other beery folks who’d gathered at the Wynkoop Brewing Co., the brewpub that Hick and a hearty crew of entrepreneurs started in LoDo more than twenty years ago. The Mayor is no…
The Great American Beer Festival begins a week from today. If you want to be ready (and believe me, we are soooo ready), you’ll need to check in here every afternoon for some lowdown, some insight and some tips on how to do it right. Last year, I dissed on…
Denver is really reaping the benefits of Harvest Week. Chefs aren’t the only ones doing wonders with local produce; bartenders have gotten into the act, too. Last night I had the most glorious smoked Colorado bass with heirloom tomatoes, green chile goat cheese, pepitas and peach dressing at one of…
Vince Martinez of Maloney’s Tavern nabbed first place at the Hpnotiq bartender competition Tuesday night at Suite Two Hundred, beating out eight other local bartenders. Each had to create a drink that featured Hpnotiq, a liqueur made from a blend of vodka, cognac and tropical fruit juices. Martinez got top…
The Summit, a longtime steakhouse that knows how to sell the sizzle as well as the steak (it puts a pat of butter on the steak sizzling on a hot, hot platter) has redecorated and renamed the bar portion of its space at 2700 South Havana Street in Aurora. The…
The Colorado Mountain Winefest kicks off today and continues through Sunday, September 20, in Palisade. Head to the hills for workshops, competitions, grape stomps, tours, jazz concerts, artisan booths, a bicycle tour of the vineyards and much more. For more for information on the festival, and to see just how…
I smell fall. I know the temperature is still in and out of the ’80s, but it’s Harvest Week in Denver and the scent of roasting green chiles fills the air, so fall must be just around the corner. I can’t wait for the cool nights and those marvelous mornings…
I HEART Harvest week. If there’s one week to go out to eat, it’s this one. The harvest menus available at your local independent restaurants are exceptional — and the cocktails are great, too. In fact, the cocktail in the above shot was so good that I actually forgot to…
I took my judging job seriously during the DeKuyper Mix Master Bartender Contest at Saturday’s Denver Food & Wine event, tasting eight cocktails. Really tasting eight cocktails, since these were complex concoctions (a DeKuyper product had to be part of the mix) that demanded my full attention. The ultimate victor:…
With entrees like coffee-rubbed Kurobuta pork chops and horseradish crusted salmon, 1515 Restaurant, located at 1515 Market Street., has long been one of Denver’s premier fine dining establishments for New American cuisine. But don’t forget about the wine.1515’s wine list has received Wine Spectator’s “Award of Excellence” nine years in…
Don’t let the camera angle fool you. That’s a GIGANTIC margarita, made with well tequila and sweet and sour straight out of a gallon jug. Is it delicious? Nope. Not even close. But this venue has been serving these golden jugs for years. And the crowds can’t seem to get…
Holly Hartnett has been a fixture on Denver’s restaurant scene for a long time, working at Table 6 and its previous incarnation, the Beehive. Last October, she finally opened her own place, Venue, at 3609 West 32nd Avenue, and with that came a new set of challenges for Hartnett, including…
Denver is playing host to the Olympics of beer games this month — and it could be a historic one if the city’s fortieth annual Oktoberfest also turns out to be its last. Larimer Associates, the real estate company that owns Oktoberfest as well as Larimer Square and numerous other…
At 8 p.m. tonight, Suite Two Hundred, the upscale club up in in Larimer Square, will be the site of a bartender competition hosted by Hpnotiq — you know, the blue, 35-proof liqueur made from vodka, cognac and fruit juices. ‘Tenders will compete for their drink to become the official…
El Grito — the day when Mexicans across the world commemorate that country’s independence from Spanish rule — isn’t until September 16, but Richard Sandoval, chef-owner of Tamayo, La Sandia and Zengo, is getting an early start on all the celebrations. Beginning today and continuing though Sunday, September 20, all…
For proof that summer’s scorch is coming to a screeching halt, all you have to do is look to Tambien, the Cherry Creek Mex in the city at 250 Steele Street that’s been turning out rockabilly and ribs to the faithful every Sunday since April 26. This was one of…
Judge Nancy Levine, at your service. The bartending competition will come to order! Bartending competitions are one of the many things I love about the spirit industry (you don’t see busboy competitions, do you?). And I particularly love judging them, watching bartenders perform their magic within the limitations of the…
It may be in the mid ’80s today, but it will be winter before we know it. So guess which patio I’m sitting on, enjoying the last of summer and a delightful peach, plum and nectarine infused martini?…
“Oh, we have to leave,” Brian says, not thirty seconds after stumbling into Swanky’s and finding me alone at the bar. “Immediately.” Brian is wearing a vintage Chicago Bears sweater, the white version of the blue one Mike Ditka sports in the now-infamous middle-finger photo. Swanky’s is a Green Pay…
Late last night, after hitting up a party where the only beverage being poured was vodka (a poison I avoid at all costs), I stopped for a glass of wine at one of my favorite neighborhood bars, a spot with a fantastic late-night happy hour and more than one rose…
Anika Zappe is on a tear. Yes, she still has her band, Hemi Cuda, although its last show is coming sometime this year. “Had to make more time for cocktology,” she says. Zappe has been Root Down’s bar manager since the restaurant opened in December 2008, and the bar is…
The cocktails that the original Mad Men drank are back. Classic cocktails are the new, new thing — and the fact is, these old standards generally taste better than all those contemporary cocktails. They taste more like alcohol and less like bananas, pomegranates and apples; they taste more sophisticated. Depending…
