Old Saigon at ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro

My strange aversion to the smell of some Asian restaurants dates back to my glamour days as an advertising exec in Manhattan, when I was barely eking out a living and my lifestyle was a lot more like Dick Whitman’s than Don Draper’s. I lived with three roommates in a…

Ask the bartender: What’s the perfect Old Fashioned?

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…

Four fantastic, not-so-spooky Halloween wines

Let’s be honest: Halloween is not a holiday that typically conjures up images of wine drinking. Visions of miniature Snickers bars, pumpkin-flavored beer and slutty costumes? Absolutely. Still, as any serious wine lover will assure you, not even the omnipresence of glowing jack-o’-lanterns needs to get in the way of…

Dads & Dudes Breweria sets opening-day plans

Dads & Dudes Breweria, a new pizzeria and brewpub in Aurora, 6730 South Cornerstar Way, is planning to open on November 1, after having to push back its first day by a week. Once it opens, the father-and-son team of Tom and Mason Hembree will toss pizza made from the…

Check, please: Rack & Rye’s happy hour falls abysmally short

Happy Place: Rack & Rye Gastropub, 1320 15th Street, 720-620-4920 The Hours: Monday through Saturday, from 3 to 6 p.m. The Deals: $4 house wine and cocktails; $2-11 draft beers and pitchers; $5 Washington caramel apple shooters; $2-4 small plates What did we think? Flip the page. The Digs: “We…

Old Chicago drinks from the mug of craft beer relevance

Fifteen years ago, Old Chicago was the place to go in Denver if you wanted to try unusual beers. Known for its World Beer Tour, the restaurant — a part of what is now the Colorado-based Rock Bottom empire — offered unusual and international brews. And while the craft-beer scene…

Blue Moon beers complete your Steven Slater Halloween costume

Don’t be surprised if you see a lot of male flight attendants on Halloween. Costumes making fun of Steve Slater, the JetBlue steward who cussed out passengers before grabbing a couple of beers and sliding down the emergency exit chute, could be very popular this year. Hell, there’s even a…

Beatrice & Woodsley picks up bartender Mike Henderson

A few months ago, award-winning bartender Mike Henderson left his gig at TAG to spend a couple of nights a week behind the bar of Colt & Gray, 1553 Platte Street, while he irons out the details of his own project. Those plans are still moving forward, but now, in…

Five stellar New Zealand reds under $20

New Zealand produces some damn fine wines, and it’s high time you started drinking them. Surely by now you’ve consumed more than your fair share of Australian red wines, right? Plenty of big, fleshy shiraz, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, each of which bears the telltale signs of an Aussie sipper:…

East Seventh Avenue’s restaurant row could get some Cold Comfort

Four business partners have applied for a liquor license for a former carpet warehouse located behind Colorado Lace at 200 East Seventh Avenue. Aside from the cleaners, the large building is currently gutted inside. The location is just a block from East Seventh Avenue’s restaurant row — a stretch that…

Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey: Straight or on the block?

Is Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey for sale? If you believe the bar talk, it’s already a done deal. Jess Graber, managing partner and co-founder of Stranahan’s, says he’s been getting a lot of questions from people who have heard the rumors. But he won’t confirm or deny any of them. Still,…

Drunk of the week: An energy-shot newbie chugs it down at Jackson’s

Next to the two-dollar tubes of cherry-flavored Chapstick, above the eight-dollar packs of Parliament Lights and Marlboro Reds, and beneath the one-dollar bags of Sun Chips sit three, maybe four rows of 5-Hour Energy bottles. Berry-flavored. Two ounces for three bucks. Before tonight, I’d never tried the trendy energy shot…

Ask the bartender: How to break into the business

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…

Get fresh with fresh-hopped beers this weekend

It’s Friday afternoon. Do you know where your fresh-hopped beers are. If not, then here are two suggestions. All 27 Old Chicago locations began pouring Colorado IPA Nouveau this week. It’s a limited release that was made especially for Old Chicago by Tommyknocker Brewing in Idaho Springs. The beer uses…

Oskar Blues does it The Old Chubway

The Oskar Blues Brewing Company has expanded its empire of oddly-named eateries yet again, adding The Old Chubway: Expeditious Chow Dispensary in Lyons. Oskar Blues already runs its original Grill & Brew in Lyons, the Tasty Weasel Tap Room in Longmont and Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids and Solids, a full-service…