Email Author Jonathan Shikes

2008 Stories by Jonathan Shikes

• Stranahan's named best hooch

  published Dec 10, 2008

  We've known about the delights of Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey for a couple of years now, awarding it Best Colorado Distillery in 2007 and enjoying its warming company on other occasions. But now Men'... More >>

• Grilling in a winter wonderland

  published Dec 10, 2008

  Black is the new black, forty is the new thirty, and you know whatr Winter is the new summer. Yeah, you heard me. Effin A. I didn't grow up with a barbecue grill in the back yard (well, there was tec... More >>

• Mermaids Bakery and Pie House

  published Dec 09, 2008

  Maybe it's because I'm landlocked that I wonder about the magic of the sea, the rush of the waves and soft sand between my toes. Now, don't go trying to take away my Colorado native pass, because&nbs... More >>

• Beer and Cheer: Ten FIDDY Imperial Stout

  published Dec 09, 2008

  Ten FIDY Imperial Stout Oskar Blues Lyons Ten FIDY is a big, bad mutha. Almost completely black, it looks like motor oil when poured out of one of Oskar Blues's unusual black-and-silver cans. But it t... More >>

• Party on at the Loews Denver Hotel

  published Dec 09, 2008

  The results are in from the Loews Denver Hotel's Scrooged contest -- in which workplaces that can't afford an office party could submit three-minute videos to YouTube featuring their boss and the re... More >>

• Beer and Cheer: Big Shot Seasonal Ale

  published Dec 08, 2008

  This beer was a welcome change of pace from a multitude of sweet, dark, heavy beers. But it wasn't exactly light - more like a brown than an English strong ale, with thick head and a lighter, red hu... More >>

• A tough cut at Deli Zone

  published Dec 08, 2008

  Sad news on the sandwich front. The Deli Zone franchise at 955 Lincoln, my favorite local sammie joint, has closed for "economic reasons," according to a handmade sign on the front door that was addre... More >>

• Beer and Cheer: Isolation Ale

  published Dec 05, 2008

  Isolation Ale Odell Brewing Company Fort Collins Isolation Ale is one of several local winter warmers - Avery's Old Jubilation, Boulder Beer's Never Summer and Breckenridge Brewery's Christmas Ale a... More >>

• You have the right to remain a Shmuck

  published Dec 05, 2008

  Traffic sucks, and as Colorado grows, it just seems to get worse and worse. Some people leave earlier to deal with the jams, or move closer to their offices. Others pick up their bicycles or take th... More >>

• Beer and Cheer: Double Bastard

  published Dec 04, 2008

  Double Bastard Stone Brewing Company Escondido, California Double Bastard, made by one of my two favorite breweries in the country, packs a punch -- and feels no guilt about the violence. This beer, ... More >>

• Slumber Party

  published December 4, 2008

  Last year, my wife wanted to stay at a downtown hotel with our kids to watch the annual Parade of Lights, so she looked for an overnight package... More >>

• Parsley drops physics

  published Dec 03, 2008

  I don't have fond memories of my high school physics teacher, Mr. Woods. Although he was funny, quirky and endearingly curmudgeonly, I was terrible at physics, and for this he had little patience. Fur... More >>

• Beer and Cheer: Anchor Christmas Ale

  published Dec 03, 2008

  Christmas Ale Anchor Brewing Company San Francisco Like other spiced beers, this one hides the malt and hops, but in this case, it worked. The usual pumpkin pie-like suspects -- like cinnamon, ginger... More >>

• Argonaut toasts its new store

  published Dec 03, 2008

  It was hard to tell if the three homeless men gathered outside the brand-new Argonaut Wine & Liquor this morning were waiting for the store to open to the public or for Mayor John Hickenlooper, who wa... More >>

• Beer and Cheer: Alaskan Winter Ale

  published Dec 02, 2008

  Alaskan Winter Ale Alaskan Brewing Company Juneau, Alaska Get ready for something different when you drink one of these, something different and something delicious. Although I normally don't like fr... More >>

• Don't swim in this Aquarium

  published Dec 02, 2008

  It's a thought that haunts the over-stimulated, over-movied imagination: a school of hungry piranhas eating you alive. And while our Cafe writer Jason Sheehan would have preferred that fate to the ti... More >>

• Beer and Cheer: Winter Warlock

  published Dec 01, 2008

  Winter Warlock Bristol Brewing Company Colorado Springs Winter Warlock offers a complex mix of sweet caramel and roasted chocolate flavors that really jumps off the tastebuds. Pouring black with a th... More >>

• The FBI names another bank robber

  published Dec 01, 2008

  Naming bank robbers is an art, and the boys down at the FBI's Rocky Mountain Safe Streets task force in Denver hold the paintbrushes.   Their latest is the JV Bandit, so named because he was we... More >>

• The Westword.com blog shortcut, November 28 edition

  published Nov 28, 2008

    Today in Backbeat online: Gregory Alan Isakov is working on a new album. We play Christmas on Mars: the video game. Last night's Freddy Rodriguez Sr. and the Jazz Connection show. Today in C... More >>

• Beer and Cheer: Santa's Little Helper

  published Nov 28, 2008

  Santa's Little Helper Port Brewing Company San Marcos, California Port Brewing Company doesn't mess around. The company, which began as a pizza place in Solano Beach and now owns a large brewing f... More >>

• Mayor of Shmucktown

  published Nov 28, 2008

  Greeley Mayor Ed Clark has strong opinions, and the people of Greeley have strong opinions on him as well - just ask the University Middle School girls who've been scrawling death threats against Cla... More >>

• Night & Day update: Get lit for the holidays at Tambien

  published Nov 28, 2008

  It's a far stretch from Rockefeller Center, but restaurateur Jesse Morreale goes all out for the holidays at his pair of hipster cantinas, Mezcal and Tambien, by decorating both rooms in true Mexica... More >>

• Office party contest at Loews

  published Nov 28, 2008

  The news hasn't been good this holiday season. The world is at war, travel is expensive, companies are canceling Christmas parties, and the economy, well, you know...   But Loews Denver Hotel, 4... More >>

• The rise of the great, red beet

  published Nov 28, 2008

    Notice something red in your greens latelyr Beets have been showing up on lots of Denver menus, mostly in salads, decorated with goat cheese and nuts. Gelman's Restaurant serves a version with... More >>

• Cluck-raking journalism

  published Nov 28, 2008

  Perhaps you are in a fowl mood this morning. Too much turkey, pie and pinot noir has made your stomach sour and your head hurt. Well then, don't even consider how much worse things would be if you ha... More >>