Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I loved the Hot and Cold Margarita at Cielo. I don’t remember much else about the restaurant, since the food and service were forgettable — yet for years I couldn’t find a suitable replacement for that cocktail. Plenty of places have infused tequila, but…
“Oh, my gawd, I’m going to die!” exclaims the brunette seated to my left, the one with the new-haircut glow, probably from Stun! next door. It’s pretty dark inside Barry’s on Broadway (58 Broadway), but from where I’m sitting, the cut looks good — a little short in the back,…
“Is that going to be okay with you?” challenged the barman at Pint’s Pub, located at 221 West 13th Avenue. He wasn’t so much asking if we would be amenable to drinking their “real ales,” as much as he was curtly warning us that others hadn’t been okay with drinking…
What’s with cash-only establishments and their insincere apologies? “We don’t take credit cards,” read the signs. “Sorry for any inconvenience.” But is anyone on the other end of the cash register or profit-and-loss statement really sorry? If these places were more honest, wouldn’t their signs read: “Welcome to (Name), where…
I wanted to love PS Lounge (3416 East Colfax Avenue). Really, I did. I wanted to love the cash-only policy for its antediluvian charm. But when I returned from trekking down Colfax for cash and the bartendress wouldn’t keep a simple drink tally for me (even though I was nice…
Meg is a childhood friend, and some days I believe that I learned everything important from her. She has been a force in my life since we met at West Middle School. We’ve experienced a lot together — everything from dating and dieting to divorce and death. One of my…
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There’s a bit of man-wisdom (folly?) that goes like this: All women are crazy. You just need to find one with the kind of crazy you can deal with, and then marry her. Well, if knowing immense quantities of information about brewing really good beer could be considered a “kind…
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Go ahead and burn my cool card. I’ve learned to accept tattoo sleeves and tramp stamps, but I just can’t understand why people put tattoos on places they can’t hide, like necks and faces. Didn’t they learn anything from hickeys? As I said to one of my friend’s children: “Do…
Tim Harris — or Timmy, as I like to call him, shouting it out like they do on South Park — has a passion for creating delicious things for his customers at Jax. But he isn’t a chef in the traditional sense. His creations are liquid, because he’s a “bar…
When Jäger Bombs first became popular, bars served them Irish Car-Bomb style, with four to six ounces of Red Bull arriving in a pint glass or lowball and the Jäger showing up in a shot glass. After all, half the fun was dropping the shot into the pint, making a…
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It has been a Colorado rite of passage for decades. Turn 21, then head to Golden for a guided tour of the Coors brewery and, most importantly, the three free beers that come with it. But that changed on Friday when Coors, now called Molson Coors, unveiled its shorter, self-guided…
I’ve got a secret — and I’m not even the governor of New York. I use Elway’s in Cherry Creek like a prostitute. Truth is, Elway’s is dependable, gives good service, and I know what I’m going to get there. Yes, the bar crowd may be a little long in…
My sister once had a moody boyfriend who, once he had a few drinks in him, would transform like a true alcoholic into a ray of smarmy sunshine and say, “Just needed to put a little primer in the tank.” Minus the bit about being a manic, sycophantic inebriate, this…
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Absinthe, that naughty green elixir that was banned in the United States for 96 years, is back on the shelves in Denver — as reported by Westword here and here. Supposedly hallucinogenic, the wormwood-laced alcohol was a favorite of Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and Vincent van Gogh — who some…
Back in October, I called local beer man Marty Jones of Oskar Blues fame (left) to talk about the Great American Beer Festival. When Jones asked me what kind of beer I preferred, I felt slightly ashamed to admit that, actually, I don’t like beer. He was beside himself. “We’re…
Some neighbors were confused last year when Café Caliente, a Highland Square coffee shop, began serving wine: The business, they knew, didn’t have a liquor license. But the issue was sorted out when Paul Bonacquisti, owner of Denver vintner Bonacquisti Wine Company, 4640 Pecos Street, told them he’d pulled a…
Heaven must be missing an angel — because after one visit, I’m sure Phil’s Place came straight from heaven, the answer to my prayers. I went there for green chile but wound up staying for the unbelievably entertaining happy-hour crowd. I initially started chatting with “Greedy,” who showed me that…
There’s considerable difference between a competent songwriter and a talented musician. Having never received formal training in any instrument, and with no ability (or interest in learning) to read music, I must humbly hang my hat on the former hook. But then, I rarely wear hats. I’ve been playing the…
