Sushi-and-Sapporo Quest 2008 begins when I suggest to Noel that we go to Parallel 17, since I’d scootered by there a few hours earlier and noticed that all the umbrellas on the patio bore the welcoming Sapporo insignia. But I’d been duped. Despite those casual umbrellas, Parallel 17 is a…
It is not yet noon, and already we’re thinking about escaping for the day. But not just escaping from the office — escaping to a very specific spot, our go-to spot when we know we want to meet friends, and don’t want to bother negotiating where that meet might be…
Rarely have we received a more maudlin missive than this napkin, on which Drinking Guy outlined his need for a decent Bloody Mary. He needs your help! Anyone know of a great Bloody Mary bar — preferably where Drinking Guy can make his own Mary?…
Yes, Panzano is a hotel restaurant (it’s tucked into the Hotel Monaco), but chef Elise Wiggins has also made this a favorite go-to spot for locals, who rely on it both fast business lunches and long, leisurely special occasion meals. But the daily happy hour (from 3-6 p.m.) featured in…
It was hot, really hot, and heading to a nearby patio for some nice, cold beers and maybe a margarita on the rocks, or two or three, seemed like the only reasonable course of action. But our go-to spot by the office was unexpectedly closed — for air-conditioning work, ironically…
Sign of the times: The hot evening of July 6, that fateful day when Colorado liquor stores could finally open on Sunday, the lines were much longer outside Little Man Ice Cream than they were at Tejon Liquors, just a block away. And with temperatures slated to hit triple digits…
Billy’s Inn is now open, and looks to become as popular with this generation of northwest Denver dwellers as it was with seven decades of previous regulars (you can find their mugs here). But unlike the last incarnation of Billy’s, this one has a kitchen (the last one closed in…
The neighborhood at the edge of Highland, now dubbed LoHi, could change its name to LoHot, with so many bars and restaurants popping up seemingly overnight.And then there’s Rosa Linda’s Mexican Café, which has held down the corner of 33rd and Tejon for more than twenty years. You’ll often find…
Since it opened six months ago, Fuel has become not just a regular meeting spot for those with offices or business in the Taxi development but also a go-to destination for anyone who wants to see a project fueling Denver’s growing reputation as a hipster hangout. While owner/chef Bob Blair…
Sitting down for a late Sunday brunch on the patio at Hamburger Mary’s, I hear the cute boy next to me say, “My penis isn’t curved — in fact, it’s the only straight thing on me.” And instantly, I realize that I’m at the center of the universe for extraordinary…
The food doesn’t get any more local than at Gaia Bistro, especially in the summertime, when greenhouse gardens in the back yard yield produce for the table. And it only seems natural to eat out admidst the growing stuff — which is easy to do on the cozy patio at…
As the Democratic National Convention approaches, and the presidential election after that, everyone is thinking Oval Office politics — even beer makers. To “celebrate the last day in office of our current Commander in Chief and welcome in a new one,” Avery Brewing Company in Boulder has created Ale to…
South Pearl Street has a string of fine restaurants, including the legendary Sushi Den, but none is more astonishing than Sushi Den’s year-old sibling, Izakaya Den. The menu is an amazing mix of sushi, Japanese classics and fusion from around the world — and somehow it all works. The interior…
The Black Pearl marked its third anniversary last week with a big bash that proved this polished place hasn’t lost any of its luster. In fact, the restaurant has come into its own over the past few years, losing some of the self-consciousness that marked its early days and settling…
South Pearl Street is suddenly full of new restaurants — India’s Pearl, Izakaya Den, Gaia — but for patio dining it’s tough to beat Pearl Street Grill, the oldest surviving restaurant on the block, and a classic neighborhood joint, complete with a Bloody Mary bar on the weekends that you…
When I heard that the owners of the Candlelight Tavern had taken over the Kentucky Inn, it reminded me of The Parent Trap, the movie about identical twins who are separated shortly after birth when their parents divorce, meet as teens at summer camp, and begin plotting to reunite their…
No sooner does the level of my Great Divide Samurai bottle dip below the top of the label than Carol, the bartendress at the shiny-new Jonesy’s EatBar (400 East 20th Avenue), asks if I’d like another. It’s been less than five minutes since she served it to me. “Oh, I…
The Fourth of July is past, but Cafe Berlin will be waving the flag for the next week. In honor of the sixtieth anniversary of the Berlin Airlift of 1948 – the Luftbruske — Cafe Berlin will serve a free beer to anyone in the military — whether he or…
My Brother’s Bar is the oldest bar in Denver — city directories show that this spot at the corner of 15th and Platte streets was an operating tavern before the 1880s — but there’s plenty of life left in the joint. For starters, it keeps late hours for such an…
The block of Broadway just below Ellsworth is suddenly my favorite block in town. Last month, Delite opened next door to Deluxe, quenching my thirst for a wonderful, comfortable bar where I could continue the evening after a great dinner. And then Beatrice & Woodsley sprouted next to Delite. From…
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…
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…
