Readers: Dixons Downtown Grill served up memories as well as meals

On Friday, we posted our "Restaurant roll call for June," a compendium of the town's recent openings and closings -- some of them quite surprising, including Squeaky Bean (looking for a new home, this one with a kitchen), Baur's Ristorante (Robert Thompson of Argyll will turn the space at 1512...

By Patricia Calhoun

July 5, 2011

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On Friday, we posted our "Restaurant roll call for June," a compendium of the town's recent openings and closings -- some of them quite surprising, including Squeaky Bean (looking for a new home, this one with a kitchen), Baur's Ristorante (Robert Thompson of Argyll will turn the space at 1512 Curtis Street into Le Grand Bistro & Oyster Bar), and the Northwoods Inn -- which is now a swingers' club! Dixons Downtown Grill isn't yet closed -- the restaurant will stay open until early September -- but last Thursday's announcement that the fourteen-year-old downtown institution would not renew its lease was the biggest dining-scene surprise of June.

Several national chains are looking into the 9,200-square-foot space, which includes a private dining room and an expansive patio.

In the meantime, Dixons regulars and employees -- many of whom have been offered jobs at sibling restaurant Racines -- are already mourning the loss.

From Tracey McCormick:

Worked the DNC there. So cool, all these power types all day and night. It felt like New York.

From BayleeJayne:

I spent an amazing four years working at Dixons. The friends and memories I carry from Dixons will last a lifetime.

And from former customer Patrick Kelly:

Dixons was one of my very favorite places to entertain friends when I lived in Denver....I am sad that it is closing but happy that Racines is still there. Should I ever dare to visit Denver again, I look forward to breakfast at Racines....something I did often. I got to show my art there a couple of times, and that was a good time. I remember Lee [Goodfriend] and her wonderful generosity of friendship and, of course, food.

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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