Denver may be totally landlocked, but even so, a tropical storm blew into town this winter when Gumbo’s opened in LoDo and began serving its potent Hurricane. According to legend, the bright-red cocktail was created during World War II when brown liquors, such as whiskey, were in short supply; in…
It’s been almost two years since I’ve had decent Italian food. I’ve just recently come north from the culinary hinterlands of New Mexico, where a good red sauce is as hard to find as a cloudy day, a competent driver or a virgin bride. There were nights when I would…
Just so you know: I’m Jason Sheehan, your hot-off-the-press, brand-spankin’-new restaurant critic and gustatory point man, and I’m co-opting this week’s column for a little self-serving rant. I always promised myself that if I were ever given the chance to start fresh in a city where I was entirely unknown,…
If the folks at the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council had their way, you’d already know that July is National Hot Dog Month and July 24 is National Hot Dog Day. If Coe D. Meyer had his way, every day would be a hot-dog day. From his office in…
With the mountains and plains of Colorado drier than a tinderbox, the best way to get Rocky Mountain high this summer could be to sip a Blue Sky Martini inside the cool, cavernous Blue Sky Grill. Made with Skyy Vodka and Blue Curacao and served straight up with a lemon…
A trip to the Buck Snort Saloon is legendary, an outing in itself, a day’s itinerary for out-of-town visitors. My own memories of the place always start with trying to get there in a substandard car — the International with the haunted carburetor; the Baja bug missing a lug nut…
Liquid assets: The building that for many years housed the Highland Bar (2532 15th Street) is even older than the Buck Snort Saloon (see story above). And its history is just as colorful: The space started out as a firehouse in 1879, then became a grocery store, and for the…
If you’re on a hot date and looking to score, take her to Hapa Sushi and show off your sensitivity by sipping a naughty pink G Spot. The word “cocktail” has never sounded more appropriate than it does at Hapa Sushi, a swank Cherry Creek sushi grill and sake bar…
My Hungarian stepfather was a fussy eater. He wasn’t a gourmet. He was just following — rigidly, as he did almost everything — dietary restrictions imposed by various bodily ailments and psychological quirks. He had a weak stomach, he said, so he couldn’t eat garlic, onions or cabbage. Heart problems…
To market, to market: A few years back, the town of Minturn — a little slice of reality between the never-never lands of Vail and Beaver Creek — decided to grow its summer business with the Minturn Market. “It started as a real grassroots effort,” remembers Liz Campbell, who’s worked…
Cyd Szymanski grew up on a chicken farm, but she’s still chicken. “I’m the Egg Lady, and I’m terrified of chickens,” confesses Szymanski. “I am really phobic about them. I think I just got pecked too often when I was little.” Even so, she’s managed to scratch out a living…
The classic remedy for soothing the pain of a bee or wasp sting is to apply a cold compress and baking soda. But if you’re stung by one of the nasty little buggers this summer, the contemporary treatment is to head to the Hornet for a medicinal Rum-O-Rita. Served on…
Barry Fey has braved the LoDo crowds still celebrating Colorado’s victory over the Yankees — “I hate Coors Field because of what the scores have done to baseball,” says the concert promoter and sports fan — to try the town’s latest steakhouse. Self-professed steakhouse, that is. “This is not a…
What’s in a name? The fact that Denver already had a Keg — Ron and Dan’s Keg Lounge, a classic dive at 1851 West 38th Avenue, was apparently no obstacle to the Canada-based chain opening a Keg Steakhouse & Bar in town (see story above). And truthfully, there’s not much…
John Stubbs likes to smoke. That’s not surprising, given his line of work: He’s a fireworks expert. And at the Putting Green Pub, 7785 West Colfax Avenue in Lakewood, he’s allowed to indulge his habit. Stubbs — known in the bar’s trivia contests as “Pyro” — cradles a cigarette in…
If Mexico isn’t in your travel plans this summer, be transported there via El Cantarito, an authentic Mexican drink rarely served north of Tijuana — but available at Aztec Sol. A friendly little storefront saloon in northwest Denver, Aztec Sol boasts over 200 types of tequila, the agave-plant liquor first…
In front of me sits a small cube of perfectly cooked salmon. Its pink flesh is accentuated by a pale-green bed of frisée, and shades into the red of a raspberry vinaigrette topping. There’s also a sauce: a deeper-red pomegranate reduction. The elements on the plate are beautifully designed, and…
Up our alley: For many years, the Oak Alley Inn (1301 South Pearl Street) was the watering hole of choice for residents of the West Washington Park/Platte Park neighborhoods, blue-collar strongholds in the days before the word “yuppie” was invented — and, obviously, long before that particular species overwhelmed the…
In Grease, the Pink Ladies ruled the school. Denver gals who want to follow their lead after work should snag a table on Rialto Cafe’s patio and order up a Pink Diamond Martini. Named for a legendary 1920s silent-movie palace, the Rialto is the coolest spot to see and be…
Amy DeWitt calls herself “a little Miami Jewish girl” who was drawn to the Cuban culture early in life. “I started learning Spanish when I was ten years old,” she says. “When I got to Boulder, I missed Cuban coffee so badly. It was so white here, so barren of…
Telluride may have more publications per capita than any other place on Earth. It may also have more tender egos. And when the magazine 8750 (named for the town’s altitude) entered the crowded market back in January, it immediately carved out a niche for itself by running restaurant reviews that…
Denver Water Manager Chips Barry — Hamlet J. Barry III, for those seeking the pedigree, which extends back through various jurists including a Colorado Supreme Court justice — considers his empty water glass. Unlike his Shakespearean namesake, there is no hesitation. “I guess I’ll have some of yours,” he says,…
