Best Capitol Education While Noshing | | Wolfe¹s Barbeque 2003 | Wolfe's Barbeque | Best of DenverĀ® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Capitol Education While Noshing

Wolfe¹s Barbeque

Wolfe's Barbeque

Wolfe's Barbeque, a jewel-box-sized restaurant on Colfax, feels like a Southern lunch place. But head cook and bottle washer Louis Wolfe is a Kansan by birth and a Denverite by choice. So much so that his walls are lined with collectible postcards of area buildings that date back to the 1900s -- and he can tell the story of each one. The Section 8 housing at Colfax and Grant used to be the Grand Argonaut Hotel, for example, and Temple Emmanuel was stunning in its early glory. As Wolfe gives his colorful and entertaining history lesson -- served up with a slice of great pecan pie -- you can stick your head out the door and still see the remains of what he's describing.

Best Dive

Rodney's

Appropriate, isn't it, that the best dive in town is a subterranean spot? When you walk down the stairs into Rodney's, you know you're really going somewhere. This place is a landmark, the sort of joint that Charles Bukowski was talking about every time he opened his mouth. Rodney Utz, who opened his namesake spot over twenty years ago, makes sure the lights are dim, the drinks are strong, the steaks are cheap, and all those folks settled in around the rectangular bar are treated well. Although Rodney's may not be the place to bring a date, it's the perfect spot for forgetting how long it's been since you've had one. If you want to spend a little time with the beautiful, the bungled and the botched, look no further.

Best Dive

Rodney's

Appropriate, isn't it, that the best dive in town is a subterranean spot? When you walk down the stairs into Rodney's, you know you're really going somewhere. This place is a landmark, the sort of joint that Charles Bukowski was talking about every time he opened his mouth. Rodney Utz, who opened his namesake spot over twenty years ago, makes sure the lights are dim, the drinks are strong, the steaks are cheap, and all those folks settled in around the rectangular bar are treated well. Although Rodney's may not be the place to bring a date, it's the perfect spot for forgetting how long it's been since you've had one. If you want to spend a little time with the beautiful, the bungled and the botched, look no further.

Best Place to See Lawyers Behaving Badly

The Palm

The Palm

The Palm, the Denver link in a chain of classic steakhouses, is ground zero for watching the city's legal establishment (those members who don't mind being watched, at least). Attorneys from the city's top firms hold down reserved tables, where they entertain clients and keep tabs on their rivals. Seeing a legal eagle in an Armani suit make the rounds at the Palm is both fascinating and horrifying -- but always entertaining. Extra points to the Palm for good food, a well-stocked bar, and wall-hung sketches of Palm regulars, which give this place something lawyers aren't always known for: a sense of humor.

Best Place to See Journalists Behaving Badly

Denver Press Club

The venerable Denver Press Club -- one of the few journalism organizations in the country with its own building -- has been lubricating the lips of Denver's ink-stained wretches since 1905 and received a much-needed makeover last fall. But while the new bar (complete with martini glasses featuring the likeness of late Rocky Mountain News columnist Gene Amole), restored fireplace and updated dining room are lovely, they haven't changed the antics of the press club's patrons one iota. Notorious hacks and flacks alike gather to swap stories, trade lies and occasionally take a swing at each other. If only the publications they put out were as lively!

Best Place to See Journalists Behaving Badly

Denver Press Club

The venerable Denver Press Club -- one of the few journalism organizations in the country with its own building -- has been lubricating the lips of Denver's ink-stained wretches since 1905 and received a much-needed makeover last fall. But while the new bar (complete with martini glasses featuring the likeness of late Rocky Mountain News columnist Gene Amole), restored fireplace and updated dining room are lovely, they haven't changed the antics of the press club's patrons one iota. Notorious hacks and flacks alike gather to swap stories, trade lies and occasionally take a swing at each other. If only the publications they put out were as lively!

Best Place to See Politicians Behaving Badly

Cherokee Dining on 12th Avenue

Every Monday night after Denver City Council adjourns, you can see your city government at work at the Cherokee, a longtime hangout in the Golden Triangle (it even predates the neighborhood's nickname). Councilmembers, their staff and assorted lobbyists head for the bar or order late-night suppers, sulking after a losing vote or offering up a victory toast as deals are made or unmade, coalitions cemented or taken apart. Politics rules at lunchtime, as well, when the place is filled with city officials and bureaucrats. If you want the inside story from inside City Hall, grab a stool and get an earful.

Best Place to See Politicians Behaving Badly

Cherokee Dining on 12th Avenue

Every Monday night after Denver City Council adjourns, you can see your city government at work at the Cherokee, a longtime hangout in the Golden Triangle (it even predates the neighborhood's nickname). Councilmembers, their staff and assorted lobbyists head for the bar or order late-night suppers, sulking after a losing vote or offering up a victory toast as deals are made or unmade, coalitions cemented or taken apart. Politics rules at lunchtime, as well, when the place is filled with city officials and bureaucrats. If you want the inside story from inside City Hall, grab a stool and get an earful.

Best Place to See Athletes Behaving Badly

Denver ChopHouse & Brewery

Sports bars come and sports bars go, but the Denver ChopHouse remains the hands-down favorite for professional athletes' post-game

dining and drinking, the place to celebrate big wins or drown their sorrows. Of course, booze and athletes (and their groupies) can be a volatile combination. More than one tipsy Avs player has gotten himself in trouble at the bar, and Broncos players commiserating over lost games have been spotted crying in their beer. One starter, gathered with a group of players following a big loss, pointed to a vat filled with the ChopHouse's own microbrewed beer and uttered these immortal words: "See that big tank? That's exactly where I'm headed."

Best Place to See Athletes Behaving Badly

Denver ChopHouse & Brewery

Sports bars come and sports bars go, but the Denver ChopHouse remains the hands-down favorite for professional athletes' post-game

dining and drinking, the place to celebrate big wins or drown their sorrows. Of course, booze and athletes (and their groupies) can be a volatile combination. More than one tipsy Avs player has gotten himself in trouble at the bar, and Broncos players commiserating over lost games have been spotted crying in their beer. One starter, gathered with a group of players following a big loss, pointed to a vat filled with the ChopHouse's own microbrewed beer and uttered these immortal words: "See that big tank? That's exactly where I'm headed."

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