Photos: A Holiday Shoot With Suzanne Heintz and Her Mannequin Family

Photographer Suzanne Heintz shoots a family Christmas card just like any self-respecting matriarch would, but with a difference: Heintz’s happy family is made of plastic — husband, snowflakes, flocking, stocking caps and all. Photographer Danielle Lirette joined Heinz for a holiday photo shoot Sunday at Kanon Collective; read on for…

Four Things You Should Know About Opening for Famous Bands

Photo by Clever Cupcakes via FlickrAs close as a typical opening band might get to meeting KISS.By Chris Lane Your band has been playing shows for a while and seems to be getting popular. Perhaps you’re still just rising stars on the hometown circuit or have hit the road a…

The Twelve Best Concerts in Denver This Week

It’s another big week for live music in Denver. Be sure to catch Esme Patterson at the Bluebird on Wednesday, and head back the next night for Minneapolis rapper P.O.S. The rest of our picks follow. See also: 50 Ways to Support Your DIY Music Community…

Does The Source Have Denver’s Biggest Bathroom?

The Source was jumping yesterday, but even so, we’re not quite sure it needs a bathroom with room for 185 people. Or does that sign refer to the capacity for another space in the converted warehouse? To clear up the mystery, we went straight to the source: Source developer Kyle…

100 Favorite Dishes: Curry Puffs at Suvipa Thai Food

No. 59: Curry Puffs at Suvipa Thai Food 1015 South Federal Boulevard 720-379-6038 Suvipa Thai hasn’t been open long, but the kitchen is already going strong, serving up some of the brightest and most flavorful Thai dishes we’ve dug into recently. While the standards — pungent pad Thai that’s not…

The Eighteen Best Shows in Denver This Weekend

Another huge weekend in Denver, including the second and third sold-out Shakey Graves shows at the Bluebird. Elsewhere, pop god Fleetwood Mac plays the Pepsi Center and doom hero Pallbearer is in town on Sunday. The rest of our picks follow…

Tengu Quietly Dishes Up Ramen in River North

Tengu opened earlier this week with almost no advance notice, no website and not even a sign with the ramen shop’s name on the outside of the building. Tucked into the back corner of the Industry development on Brighton Boulevard, it would be easy to mistake it for a loading…

DIA Still Flying High as Spot for Healthy Eating

For the second year in a row, Denver International Airport has been named one of the top ten airports in the United States for healthy options by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. DIA ranks seventh, with a restaurant lineup that “features an array of…

Movies Podcast: Here’s Why We Love Chris Rock’s Top Five

We begin this week’s Voice Film Club podcast with a Thomas Pynchon story, before hosts Alan Scherstuhl and Stephanie Zacharek of the Village Voice, and Amy Nicholson of LA Weekly, move onto Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie adaption of his novel, Inherent Vice. It’s “in some ways a godawful mess, indulgent…

The Ten Best Hotel Restaurants in Denver

Whether you’re traveling for work or vacation, there’s nothing more depressing than the standard hotel restaurant. Kept in business by expense accounts and timid tourists, most offer little more than tired bar fare designed to appeal to the masses. Hotels can get away with 3 a.m. room-service club sandwiches, but…

Photos: Krampus Nacht Celebrates the Darker Side of Christmas

Krampus, the horned anti-Santa of Alpine folklore, is said to handle the naughty children Santa leaves behind by throwing them in his sack and carrying them off to some unimaginably hellish place. Denver’s first Krampus Nacht transformed the Oriental Theater into that den of iniquity on Saturday night, and Scott…

Photos: December’s First Friday Nightlife in the Art District on Santa Fe

Though the First Friday of December traditionally collides with the Parade of Lights, art-lovers still flocked to Santa Fe Drive, despite interfering downtown gridlock. Read on to see photographer Danielle Lirette’s images from the art district’s monthly gallery stroll. See also: Laura Goldhamer Brings Stop Motion to Gregory Alan Isakov…

Cafe|Bar Becomes Grey Cactus Cocina Bar

Dane Huguley closed Cafe|Bar a little over a month ago, but with a promise to reopen the neighborhood eatery with a new name and identity. His idea was an inexpensive, neighborhood taco joint with striking murals and simple food. Huguley’s new restaurant, Grey Cactus Cocina Bar, is now open and…

Photos: Old World Treasures and Warm Treats at the Christkindl Market

If you’re looking for Old World charm and a really big pretzel, the Christkindl Market is open for business in Skyline Park daily through December 23, with vendors, twinkling lights and a beer garden. Photographer Ken Hamblin brought back these images and more from the miniature German Christmas village. See…

100 Favorite Dishes: Sesame Balls at Vinh Xuong Bakery

No. 60: Sesame Balls at Vinh Xuong Bakery 2370 West Alameda Avenue 303-922-0999 The Vinh Xuong Bakery in the Alameda Square shopping center sits in sharp contrast to its parent on Federal Boulevard. While the older store is cluttered and close, the newer version is bright and airy. Comfortable chairs…

Photos: Beefcake and Babes Strip Down for the Santa Speedo Dash

Ladies and gents alike flashed a little flesh on Saturday at the annual Santa Speedo Dash, a Highlands Square holiday tradition that involves skivvies-and-Santa-hat-clad lunatics running down the street in the dead of December. But it’s all for a good cause — raising money for Life is Better Rescue, a…