Las Margaritas Uptown

I typically pack a just-in-case deck of cards as a preventive measure when I’m trying out a new bar or restaurant — just in case the service is slow, or just in case the music/crowd/vibe sucks but we’re in no hurry to go home. Tonight, however, I pack my blue…

What’s All the Buzz on Agwa?

Last Friday, my friend Greg got an e-mail from a buddy in L.A. who was all excited about a new liquor he was planning to try that weekend that’s made with cocaine — sort of. Greg and his girlfriend got online to research this European concoction that’s been compared to…

Broadway Melody: Delite

Technically, Delite does not have a patio — but the front of this brand-new, storefront bar consists of garage-style doors that open wide on these beautiful nights. And thanks to alert management, smokers are kept far away from the front door, guaranteeing that the night air coming through that open…

Meat and Greet: Sullivan’s Steakhouse

Grab a seat on Sullivan’s sidewalk patio and prepare to meat and greet. On weeknights, this stretch of LoDo can be relatively quiet, if you want a more intimate summer evening. But on weekends, both the bar inside and the neighborhood surrounding Sullivan’s are really jumping. Adding to the action…

Life’s a Beach: Emerald Isle Restaurant

Driving back up Parker Road after a long, hot day on the southestern plains Saturday, the temptation to brake for the Emerald Isle was almost overwhelming. Not just because the bar itself is such a classic roadhouse — but because the patio behind it may just be the closest Denver…

East Angels Drink for a Cause on Colfax

They spent their high school years taking classes off Colfax Avenue, watching its endless parade of people and eating at its restaurants, and on Saturday, about 125 East High School alumni gathered at 5 p.m. at Senger’s on the Fax for the second annual Angels on Colfax pub crawl. And…

French twist: Aix Restaurant & Wine Bar

What? You’re still at your desk? Get up and get over to Aix, the charming French bistro on 17th Avenue, which has a lovely patio and an even lovelier happy hour. From 5-7 p.m., you can order from a list of five different small plates and five different speciality drinks,…

A Pizza the Action: Marco’s Coal-Fired Pizzeria

When Mark and Kristy Dym set out to turn a decrepit 1883 building into the very sleek, very modern Marco’s Coal-Fired Pizzeria, they didn’t stop at just completely rehabbing the interior. They also tucked a brand-new patio onto the back of the building, a hide-out that could be the perfect…

La Vie en Rose

I was in France a few months ago, and just about choked when I discovered the cocktail I’d ordered cost $40. At that moment, I decided that I would not go back to Europe until the dollar is significantly stronger against the euro. Fortunately, we’re lucky to have a little…

Pasquini’s Pizzeria Uptown

“Dude’s having trouble keeping up,” I tell Greg when he joins me at Pasquini’s Pizzeria Uptown (1336 East 17th Avenue) and sits beer-less for five minutes. I’m referring to Josh, the lone bartender responsible for the bar, restaurant and fifty-plus-person staff party just starting on the back patio. Dude’s working…

A Shore Bet: McCormick’s Fish House & Bar

People in Denver set their watches by McCormick’s Fish House & Bar. At 3 p.m., seven days a week, the bar portion of McCormick’s starts its happy hour — offering the best $1.95 cheeseburger you’ll ever find, as well as an assortment of other discount treats. The deal ends at…

Pleased to Meat You: Fleming’s Steakhouse

It’s a long drive down I-25 to Inverness — but suburb-dwellers deserve good patios, too. In fact, they may need them more, because their front porches don’t afford nearly the see-and-be-scene opportunity of your average Wash Park or Highland bungalow. And there’s plenty to see from the out-front patio at…

Thank God It’s Friday: La Fiesta

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…

Mall in the Family: Earls

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…

The Remy Sidecar

Several of my friends are known for their favorite cocktail. There’s Matt, who drinks Ketel One and still water — and drinks it so often that we’ve named it the Keeney-tini. There’s Ellen, who drinks Cosmos made with Stoli Ohranj, no lime and no lime juice. And then there’s Deb,…

Kiva Restaurant

It was everywhere, the puppy piss — puddling up on the concrete beneath our chairs, flowing toward the unaware flip-flops and purses underneath the crowded patio tables. Try as we might to soak it up with napkins, the current of devastation could not be abated. So we left, but not…

The Sky’s the Limit: Moon Time

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 Garden of Eatin’: Gemelli’s

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…

You’re a Good Patio: Charlie Brown’s

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…

In the Ballpark: Meadowlark

If you’re tired of the downtown crowd or simply looking for a mid-show break from the Larimer Lounge, the Meadowlark’s patio is a true urban oasis. It’s big and dark and often quiet, and coming here is like slipping away from a party and into someone’s back yard to share…

Get to the Points: Kiva Restaurant

After a one-year hiatus (and some lackluster years before then), Juneteenth is coming back to Welton Street this year. A celebration of the day when African-Americans in Texas learned that they’d been freed — more than a year after Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation — Juneteenth is observed around…

Beer Cheaters Pour It On

The Wall Street Journal on Saturday, June 7, got to the soggy bottom of a problem that has people across the country hopping mad: short pours, or the practice of using smaller than pint-sized beer glasses in bars and restaurants or glasses with thick bottoms and rims. Or even –…