Subject: Denver

• Denver's own superhero, the Wall Creeper, unveils his manifesto

  The Wall Creeper.​It's been a while since we've heard from the Wall Creeper, Denver's very own, real-life superhero. Recently, however, the crime fighter sent me a manifesto out of the blue. Maybe he sensed the good citizens of this fine city were in distress, or maybe he needed to get something off his very mysterious chest. Either way, you can read the masked man's words in their entirety below.

  October 23, 2009

• Ask the Critic: A great Italian restaurant is not just a matter of taste

  ​Last week, we posted a list of Denver's ten best Italian restaurants -- in our (meaning my) not so humble opinion. This was followed almost immediately by a ruckus in the comments section over who, exactly, got to decide what "best" meant (again, me) and what qualified, say, Cafe Jordano to be on the same list as Frasca. The quote/unquote qualifications were precisely this: places I wanted to eat at during the time that I was writing the list. Places I remembered fondly enough that the mere

  October 26, 2009

• SMA Solar to convert Denver into Sunny Island

  Sunny Island isn't much of a vacation spot.​You know the decision of a business to relocate is a big deal when the state's governor offers to serve as a de facto publicist, as Bill Ritter did yesterday during the announcement that the German firm SMA Solar Technology AG will be opening a plant in the Denver area that's expected to create 300 fulltime jobs. These workers will be making solar inverters that turn direct current from solar panels into alternating current: DC/AC, as opposed to

  October 27, 2009

• Emily's Gourmet-to-Go is gone

  ​After two owners, two locations -- first at 1555 Champa Street, then at 1543 Champa, in the circa 1889 Odd Fellows Hall (right) -- and one Best of Denver award, Emily's Gourmet-to-Go is finally a no-go. Chef/owner Victor Miller, whose soups had snagged the Best Soup award in the Best of Denver 1999, had sold his spot to the former owners of Vietnamese To Go in the Tabor Center -- but now they're all gone.

  October 27, 2009

• Wake-Up Call: John Hickenlooper, Mayor of the (really) Mile High City

  ​"Rocky Mountain High" is getting quite a work-out as national media outlets run stories on the booming medical marijuana business in Colorado. With both city and state officials talking about reining in the industry with new regulations, I put calls into both Governor Bill Ritter and Mayor John Hickenlooper on Monday, asking for their thoughts on this new, really green, really growing field. I'm still waiting to hear back from the governor's office. But Hickenlooper, who first came to th

  October 28, 2009

• Stella Cordova is gone, but Chubby's endures

  October 29, 2009

• The Skyline Surrender

  October 29, 2009

• From the week of October 29, 2009

  October 29, 2009

• How medical marijuana regulations could turn the wild West into the mild, mild West

  October 29, 2009

• Freeloader: Win tickets to see Fu Manchu tonight at the Larimer Lounge

  ​Update 11/02: Last week's Fu Manchu show, which was canceled due to the band's difficulty navigating the roads into Denver, has been rescheduled for Monday, November 9 at the Larimer Lounge. We'll have tickets up for grabs next Monday, so be sure to check back.Can't speak for the entire city, obviously, but the metro area roadways seem to be pretty decent right now. Although the winter conditions have prevented Combichrist from making its way to Denver, Fu Manchu is in route and ready to brin

  November 2, 2009

• Gourmet hot dogs and sausages coming soon to Broadway and Larimer

  Squeeze the sausages​Just got off the phone with Bill Feid, a Denver entrepreneur who's never done a restaurant, but has firm plans in place to open Billy's, a gourmet hot dog and sausage shack, at 2445 Larimer Street in mid-November. According to Feid, this isn't going to be your average dog house. Instead, he explains, his namesake joint will peddle "healthy, high-quality non-processed hot dogs and sausages" that are free of preservatives and light on the salt. "We're really going to try t

  October 29, 2009

• The Denver housing market: All better now?

  This beauty on South Franklin will only set you back $2.3 million.​This week, we learned that in August, home prices in the Denver area rose for the sixth straight month, and the average was down just 1.9 percent from the same month last year. Given that catastrophes in the housing sector are largely responsible for our long-running recession, do the August digits mark a return to normalcy? Mark Trenka, president of the Denver Board of Realtors, doesn't try to sell this line -- but he sugg

  October 30, 2009

• Train/Uncle Kracker show tonight postponed

  ​Looks like the inclement weather we've been experiencing for the last 72-hours has forced yet another show to be postponed. As such, Train and Uncle Kracker fans expecting to see those two acts at the Ogden Theatre tonight don't have much to, uh, smile about right now. Evidently the roadways into Denver from Salt Lake City, where the group was slated to play last night, still aren't that passable. On the brightside, there's still tons going on tonight to entertain you and the temperature and

  October 30, 2009

• Cafe Society: Week in review

  Sausage king​What you might have missed this week on Cafe Society while you were counting the minutes to Zolo Southwestern Grill's 105 days of tequila. While we locals aren't pleased that the Rockies blew another season of baseball, we understand that not everyone is a fan of the purple and black (or any other Denver sports team color scheme, for that matter), which is why our listage of Denver's best bars at which to root for your favorite sports team should make all you Denver sports

  October 30, 2009

• Guess where I'm eating?

  It's like it comes with its own soup...​ Denver has about a million places where a man of little means can find himself a big-ass burrito swimming in some sort of chile. I wouldn't say that Denver was necessarily built on big burritos (because, as everyone knows, Denver was really built on moonshine, whores and the good fortune of old-timey prospectors), but burritos have been a fixture here for long enough that the burrito, rather than the odious Denver Omelet, ought to be the one food

  November 2, 2009

• A clarion call to all Rocky Mountain a cappella groups

  There's no denying that Denver's cachet as a top music city is quickly becoming recognized across the country, but in case any lingering doubts remain, we just received word that the Harmony Sweepstakes, one of the world's top a cappella music competitions, has once again chosen Denver for it's 2010 regional competition. The annual international competition routinely draws hundreds of the top vocal groups from around the world, who compete in musical styles ranging from pop and rock to gospel

  November 3, 2009

• Kenny Be's Hip Tip: Denver 2026 Winter Olympics mascot

  "Prebles" will be jumping at the chance to lure the 2026 Winter Games to Colorado. It'll be the fiftieth anniversary of the city's historic 1976 Olympic snub, and Denver no longer feels mousey about the future! ​

  November 3, 2009

• Denver's top ten dive bars

  The Rustic Tavern meets all the qualifications of a dive -- and then some.​Sample one of Denver's best dive bars at 8 p.m. Thursday, November 5, when Club 404, 404 Broadway, hosts a launch party for Westword Drunk of the Week columnist Drew Bixby's Denver's Best Dive Bars: Drinking and Diving in the Mile High City. A true dive can't be manufactured. It can't show up one day on Colfax or Broadway and expect to possess the ethos of a joint that's served drinks through multiple wars and to m

  November 4, 2009

• Westword's hunt for a pot critic makes the talk-show circuit

  November 5, 2009

• From the week of November 5, 2009

  November 5, 2009

• The Skylark doubles your pleasure with twenty beers

  November 5, 2009

• Staffing Up: Goin' south at Mojitos

  Bad name, worse timing, but still a good idea​ Buchi Cafe Cubano is a great Cuban restaurant. Step inside Cuba Cuba on a good night, and you need an oxygen tank (or a powerful constitution) because the air in the bar is like breathing muddled mint and rum. But while Denver has some Cuban restaurants, what this city does not have is enough Cuban restaurants -- because, really, no city can truly have enough until there is one every fifty feet or so, all serving Cuban coffee and sandwiche

  November 4, 2009

• Denver Blogs: Broncos chalk-talk a good game

  "A play? Actually, I'm just kinda doodling."​No need to fear the local blogosphere. Following a massive breakdown of this Monday's Broncos-Steelers contest, Mile High Report's Steve Nichols predicts: "Denver wins (fingers crossed and nervous as Hell)." Right there with you, Steve. Alan Gottlieb at Education News Colorado says that a bad decision or two by Denver's school board could doom Colorado's chances to collect federal Race to the Top funds. The reward isn't good grades; it's cash!

  November 6, 2009

• Do you have a passion for food and restaurants?

  ​ Does reading this blog make you hunger to write? Westword is expanding its Cafe Society coverage, and we're looking for a great freelance writer with a passion for food and restaurants, as well as the ability to produce stylish and knowledgeable news and opinion pieces about the Denver dining scene. This is not a restaurant critic position. We have one of those already, and Jason Sheehan's not going anywhere. A background in reporting is highly desirable. So are interviewing skills. An

  November 12, 2009

• Free Ukulele Loki album for limited time

  ​Every instrument, no matter how lowly, shall have its day. And the ukulele's day has arrived, at least locally. From Danielle Ate the Sandwich using the tiny instrument to accompany her big voice, to the Inactivists' distorting it and putting it front and center in their humor-riddled, weirdo rock, Denver digs the uke. And at the forefront of the ukulele movement is a guy so into it he incorporated it into his name -- Ukulele Loki. Loki's been pimping the guitar's wee cousin for some t

  November 9, 2009

• Hundreds of Frontier Airlines jobs flying away from Denver: Read John Hickenlooper's statement

  ​ Signs that Republic Airways Holdings, owner of Denver-based Frontier Airlines, might move jobs from Colorado to either Milwaukee or Indianapolis have been unavoidable for at least month. Note this October 9 blog, in which Denver Economic Development Corporation executive director Tom Clark sketched out problematic tax issues, as well as "a hangar available at virtually zero occupancy cost in Milwaukee." It's no surprise, then, that Republic will reportedly put down roots at Milwaukee's G

  November 10, 2009

• One of Denver's Most Wanted rappers is now, uh, evidently, wanted for real it seems

  ​Whether they admit it or not, all artists crave notoriety. With that in mind, file this item under: Be careful what you ask for. As true as the maxim can be about there being no such thing as bad publicity, a local rapper is gaining the type of notice that he'd no doubt just as soon avoid. This morning, Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson sent out an alert asking for help in identifying an MC named Gorilla, who was allegedly involved in an armed robbery. According to Jackson, "Two armed gun

  November 10, 2009

• Chefs for the Cause canceled

  Sergio Romero will not be cooking dinner at Chefs for the Cause -- and neither will anyone else.​Chefs for the Cause sounded like a philanthropic foodie's delight -- six of Denver's top chefs creating delicious food to help raise money for the Denver affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. James Mazzio (of Cucina Colore and Via fame, now executive chef of Le Chateau), Justin Cucci (Root Down), Jeromy Krug (Ling & Louie's Asian Bistro), Sergio Romero (Argyll Gastropub), Bill Osoolund (Bou

  November 10, 2009

• Q&A with Thomas Turner of Ghostland Observatory

  Chad Wadsworth​After turning their hometown of Austin, Texas upside down on several occasions, Thomas Turner and Aaron Behrens continue to electrify audiences around the world as Ghostland Observatory with its vibrant stampede of symphonic blips and driving rock. We caught up with one of the group's masterminds, Thomas Turner, who talked about running Trashy Moped, the act's label, the balancing act of being a parent and being on the road, and how, to him, it sounds like the band sounds is pla

  November 11, 2009

• 100 Favorite Dishes: Chicken-fried steak at Lola

  ​As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com. No. 100 Chicken Fried Steak from Lola You do not expect to find a great chicken-fried steak at a coastal Mexican restaurant. But from the moment that Lola started offering chicken-fried steak on its weekend brunch board, it's been a favorite with chicken-fried fans, a constant through a series of menu changes, big a

  November 11, 2009

• Xiren hopes to translate his recent radio success into more local notoriety

  November 12, 2009

• LMFAO

  November 12, 2009

• Denver buskers fight with tools

  Is it us, or does it seem like some Denver street musicians are more talented and creative than buskers in other cities? Seriously. Now, don't get it twisted: They're not all worth writing home about. God knows we've been treated to our fair share of woeful mediocrity over the years, a seemingly endless parade of guy-with-a-guitar singing songs he has no business singing in a key that doesn't even exist. But every now and then we've witnessed flashes of unexplained brilliance. There's a pair o

  November 11, 2009

• Part two: Chef and Tell with Lance Barto of Strings

  Lori MidsonLance Barto, executive chef of Strings​ This is part two of my interview with Lance Barto, exec chef of Strings. You can read part one of my interview with Barto here. Best food city in America: Northern California. Right, I know that it's not a city, but the whole northern region of California seems to have such a connection with what's seasonal, organic and renewable. The restaurants there have a great mindset. I'd love to see Denver continue in that same direction. Favorite Ne

  November 12, 2009

• Colorado is fourth happiest state -- despite all that stress!

  A Flickr photoSee: even our puppies are happy!​The barrage of apparently contradictory surveys continues. Just last week, we told you about American Psychological Association survey that showed Denverites are more stressed than Americans nationwide. Now comes a roundup from the Gallup Organization's Well-Being Index declaring Colorado to be the fourth happiest state, in a tie with Minnesota. We're behind just number three Wyoming (who wouldn't be happy with Dick Cheney watching the fort?)

  November 12, 2009

• Backbeat Readers Unite! Let's get The Hollyfeld's Kate a new smile.

  Vote for me! Denver's music fans are blessed with an absurd amount of local talent, and we have an opportunity right now to show our appreciation by making a huge difference in the life of one of our best local musicians. All you have to do is click that Vote for me! link beneath the video above. Kate Grigsby, one of the two beguiling vocal talents in The Hollyfelds, has a hereditary condition that causes her teeth to discolor, crack and ultimately fall out. She's too busy making awesome music

  November 13, 2009

• 100 Favorite Dishes: Jonesy's Mac-and-Cheese Fries

  ​As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com. No. 98 Big bowl of Mac-and-Cheese Fries from Jonesy's EatBar I dream about these fries. I yearn for them when I find myself sitting somewhere, facing down some other young chef's daring take on strangled squab in Styrofoam demiglace with a side of abused carrots. When I occasionally find myself drunk with the s

  November 13, 2009

• Catch the CacheFlowe vs. Haxademic experience in Co. Springs Saturday

  Not that there's any shortage of things going on here in Denver this weekend, but if none of those appeal to you and you don't mind a little road trip, or you're one of our friends in Colorado Springs reading this, this weekend offers a chance to check out something special. CacheFlowe is performing one of his new AV sets, billed as CacheFlowe vs. Haxademic, at Bassphrodesiac, a dance music event at the Phil Long Expo Events Center. In case you weren't aware, Haxademic is his custom VJ softwa

  November 13, 2009

• The List: Top ten way-south-of-the-border restaurants in Denver

  Denver has lots of great Mexican restaurants, a few good Latin American restaurants, and not many South American restaurants. But Fogo de Chao, which opened this summer, would be a great restaurant on any continent. Here are Denver's ten top way-south-of-the-border restaurants. ​Aji Latin American Restaurant 1601 Pearl Street, Boulder, 303-442-3464. Aji bills itself as a Latin American restaurant, and its menu is a postmodern fusion of Peruvian, Mexican, Argentine, Cuban, Brazilian, Salva

  November 13, 2009

• 100 Favorite Dishes: Soft egg ravioli from Prima

  Lori MidsonNo. 97, the soft egg ravioli from Prima ​

  November 16, 2009

• Breadhead alert: Udi's is rolling out dough in Arvada

  ​Udi's Bread Cafe, which already has locations in Stapleton (7357 East 29th Avenue); Louisville (185 South 104th Street); Aurora (12700 East 19th Street); and north Denver (101 East 70th Avenue), officially opens its fifth location today at 7600 Grandview in Olde Town Arvada, directly across the street from Archive Room, which opened last Wednesday. The breadery was doing heavy trade last Friday during a trail run, and while the board was limited (and the kitchen had run out of the French di

  November 16, 2009

• 100 Favorite Dishes: Pho from Pho 95

  Lori MidsonPho at Pho 95​ As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com. No. 97 Pho - any pho -- from Pho 95 There isn't a day that goes by where someone doesn't ask me what my favorite restaurant is. It's a question I struggle with -- and rarely answer -- because I don't have a "favorite" restaurant. My restaurant-of-the-moment is wholly mood dependent. That sai

  November 17, 2009

• Serious Eats chimes in on Denver's "unique food trends"

  ​Denver got a shout out last week on the eminent food blog Serious Eats, where they listed what they believe to be four unique food trends in our fair city. Our fast casual chains, micro breweries, green chili, and Beau Jo's all get mentions. While we appreciate that they resisted mentioning Rocky Mountain Oysters, and that they recognized some tasty green chili, we have to ask: are these really trends? Maybe when Frank Bonanno and Mark Dym start serving honey with their pizzas we can talk, bu

  November 17, 2009

• Skills Like This, a love letter to Denver, arrives on DVD

  It's been a busy couple of weeks for Denver film. For starters, we're smack in the middle of the Starz Denver Film Festival. And last week, the locally filmed cult fantasy INK received a huge publicity boost after it popped up on various torrent servers, which probably won't make a ton of money for its filmmakers but will definitely spread the word about this unique film in one of the best possible ways. Now, another Denver-based film has a chance to reach the masses. The local flick Skills Li

  November 17, 2009

• Ride the Rails

  November 19, 2009

• The Last Dance

  November 19, 2009

• From the week of November 19, 2009

  November 19, 2009

• Fork you: John Hickenlooper serves up Anthony Bourdain

  The fork to the city​ The last time Anthony Bourdain passed through Denver, on a 2002 loop hyping A Cook's Tour, he found nothing in this town to recommend a return trip -- and said so, loudly.Still, he got a warm welcome when he returned yesterday for "An Evening with Anthony Bourdain" at the Buell Theatre, which turned into a real cooks' night out with restaurateurs using the event as an excuse to celebrate their profession, if not Bourdain's earlier opinion of Denver.And Mayor John Hickenlo

  November 19, 2009

• Tweetup for tots tonight

  ​The holiday season is in full swing, and even Denver's monthly Tweetup is getting in on the action. The November meeting of the Twitter faithful is pairing up with the Denver Santa Claus Shop for the latest event, to help ensure a merry Christmas (or other culturally appropriate winter holiday) for less privileged families. The organizers behind this particular event are going all out: In addition to the usual Tweetup activities of cheap drinks and cheaper socializing, this one also has

  November 19, 2009

• 100 Favorite Dishes: Larkburger cheeseburgers

  ​As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com. Number 94: Cheeseburgers at Larkburger Denver might be a steakhouse kind of town, but let's not forget that this was also the town where the cheeseburger was (arguably) invented. There are a lot of great burgers in the area today, but only a few rank in the city's best dishes. And that picture above? That's a s

  November 19, 2009