Party Arty

Denver may be a cowtown at heart, but we hold our own when it comes to producing creative people. Just take a look at Artopia, the Westword-produced party that joins live music, a fashion show, poetry, dancing, painting and whatever other surprises are being cooked up this year — plus…

Cove Story

Dolphins are among the most intelligent creatures on the planet. But dolphin-human interaction isn’t exactly all Flipper and Sea World antics. In fact, Ric O’Barry — the man who captured and trained the five dolphins used in the Flipper television series — had a change of heart after getting to…

Tell Me a Story

Norma Moore, the artistic director of Stories on Stage, is “a crazy reader,” notes executive director Abbe Stutsman: “She reads hundreds of short stories a year. She’ll then try to find a theme that courses through different stories. Norma’s quite brilliant.” That should be evident to anyone who’s ever patronized…

Have a Ball

Candy Smith, the woman who created the Tuaca Body Art Ball, says it all started with her identical twin sister. “She was the executive producer of the Art House, a theater house in Dallas,” explains Smith, “and it was going broke. So we had one last-ditch effort for a fundraiser…

Today: Eat out for the Boulder County AIDS Project

Eat out for a good cause today, when both Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant, 2010 16th Street in Boulder, and Aji Latin American Restaurant, 1601 Pearl Street in Boulder, will donate 15 percent of the day’s sales to the Boulder County AIDS Project…

Culinary calendar for the week ahead: Fat Tuesday, brews and tequila

There’s plenty going on this week for Fat Tuesday, but if you don’t feel like abstaining for six weeks until Easter, don’t fret; we’ve got all the indulgent food-and-drink events to keep the debauchery going for as long as you please, including Wynkoop’s 2010 Beerdrinker of the Year brew. Here’s…

Today: Happy birthday, George Washington!

We’ve got a lot to thank George Washington for, and now you can add something else to the list: Celebrate his birthday today at Randolph’s, 1776 Grant Street, where when you purchase a drink, you can buy an appetizer for just a buck. Thanks, George! For information on dozens of…

Today: Abraham Lincoln’s birthday means cheap eats

Happy birthday, Abraham Lincoln! But you’ll get the gift if you bring a $5 bill to Randolph’s Restaurant and Bar, 1776 Grant Street, today and ask for the Lincoln’s Birthday Special: You can trade in that bill for a large cheese pizza and a soda. Get all the details at…

Tonight: Characteristic wine dinner at Opus

Opus, at 2575 West Main Street in Littleton, has teamed up with the Infinite Monkey Theorem to produce a different sort of wine dinner tonight: The menu has been constructed to mirror common characteristics of many wines. Here’s a taste of the courses:…

Today: The Chocolate Lounge opens for business

Wine and chocolate: Two great tastes that taste great together. Peaks Lounge in the Hyatt Regency Denver, 650 15th Street, opens its chocolate lounge today; the lounge will be open through Valentine’s Day, and features four wine stations at which you can taste an array of wines paired with many…

Go Fat

Can’t get to the Big Easy for Mardi Gras? You can still find plenty of beads, music and debauchery in Denver if you head to the Wynkoop Brewing Company, which has been hosting a Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Celebration for the past fifteen years, helping revelers cut loose and really…

We Love You, Conrad

There’s a lot to be said for Lauren Conrad. Like the fact that she practically owns MTV and at least had the sense to dislike Spencer Pratt back in the pre-Speidi years, when poor Heidi Montag had just started dating the douchebag. Conrad’s got a clothing line, has been on…

Today: Aaron Kennedy discusses how he uses the old noodle

Aaron Kennedy, founder of the Denver-based Noodles & Co., is the keynote speaker at the annual Cherry Creek Chamber luncheon that starts at noon today at the JW Marriott, 150 Clayton Lane. Kennedy will no doubt discuss the “Eureka” moment he experienced in 1993, when he decided to start a…

Tonight: Conscious Eating discussion at the Mercury Cafe

“You are what you eat” — we’ve all heard that one before. But writers and activists such as Michael Pollan have brought the issue of conscious eating into the forefront. And tonight, the Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street, will serve up “Conscious Eating: Food Choices and the Natural World,” a…

Tonight: Vertical stout tasting at Southern Sun

It’s Stout Month at Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery (and at Southern Sun Pub and Brewery and Vine Street Pub, Mountain Sun’s two satellite locations), and the company is celebrating with numerous events, including tonight’s vertical stout tasting at Southern Sun, 627 South Broadway in Boulder…

Tocabe hosts U.S. Census blessing today

It’s that time of the decade again — time to stand up and get counted by the U.S. Census. But this round, the federal agency is doing something a little different with its Native American outreach/road tour. It’s braking at Tocabe, where it will hold a reception today. “We did…

Tonight: Say It With Chocolate at the Tattered Cover

If you missed this weekend’s Chocolate Affair in Arvada, never fear: There’s enough cacao-infused yummy goodness to go around for everyone today at the Tattered Cover LoDo, 1628 16th Street, where Say It With Chocolate runs from 4 to 7 p.m…

Tonight (or tomorrow): Enjoy a discounted cocktail on the Nuggets

Randolph’s, 1776 Grant Street, is giving you a little extra incentive to cheer for the Denver Nuggets this month. Through February 28, the restaurant is promoting Denver Nuggets of Gold: Within 24 hours of a Nuggets win, visit Randolph’s and enjoy a vodka or gin martini (with real gold flakes)…

Brian Rocheleau dishes on Boulder Blind Cafe

Brian Rocheleau — aka Rosh — was touring through Reyjkavik, Iceland, when he stumbled across a blind cafe, the first he’d ever seen. “I’d been contacting people all across Europe, where I’d travel to people’s homes and stay with them and do concerts in their living rooms,” he says. “It…

Tonight: Haitian food and culture for a cause

There are many local events benefiting Haiti in the wake of the recent earthquake; you can find our round-up here. But while most of the fundraisers include music or some other cultural aspect that tie them to Haiti, none have gone as far as the Tribute to Haiti, starting tonight…