Winter Wine Festival | Celebrating Colorado's Other Craft

You may not think rolling fields of vineyards when you think of the Colorado landscape, but unbeknownst to most CO residents the precious grapes have been thriving here since before prohibition era. And this past Friday we paid tribute to our boozy grape enthusiast ancestors in true Two Parts fashion. From sweet rose to full and inviting red blends, the Winter Wine Festival covered all of our favorite grapes and was an eye opening introduction to Colorado's second favorite craft to harvest. 

This sold-out event took place in the newly remodeled McNichol’s Building and was spread over two levels. The first hour saw a line of young and old alike waiting out to the street, but once you made it inside the festivities began as you were greeted with a glass of Molly’s Spirits Cider. From there you went upstairs and began wine tasting!

With an open mind and an empty glass, we began to make the rounds to each station. There were of course a few favorites, a few we had to skip because of their long lines, and a couple of go-to tables. #UltraTip: Grab a cup of cider before taking on the long wine lines, they were quite tasty and came with a larger pour - definitely made the wine lines less begrudging to wait in. The ciders and wines were all Colorado-based as promised and showcased the variety of flavors our state can create, from deep reds, to Rose’s, to whites of all types. In fact, one of our favorite white wines wasn’t even made with grapes, but with our famous Palisade Peaches. A sweet treat!

With all that wine you do need/want food no matter how much you already ate for dinner. Luckily there were savory snacks and sweet treats to quell our cravings and without much of a wait, if any! We noshed on breads, cheeses, meats, chocolates, doughnuts and pie while we sipped wine and listened to Fresh Noise play live. 

Wine tasting is an intimate outing, normally accompanied with harrowing tales of the grapes and the winemaker's jigsawed vision of the libation. The long lines and beer festival setting made it a bit difficult to get a clear understanding of the wine or a taste of all their different grapes. But what the festival did accomplish is a broad and captivating view into the expansive wine of Colorado. We had no idea what was being grown on the outskirts of our four-cornered state. We cannot wait to school our dates this Valentine's Day with our newly garnered wine knowledge. 

Cheers to Colorado! A state dedicated to transforming their inhabitant's drinking habits into bonafide hobbies!

Treat Yourself this Valentine's

Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, we can turn our/our s.o.’s attention towards Valentine’s Day! No matter your “status”, it’s a great excuse to treat yourself, and we like to do that with a night out at a new restaurant. Valentine’s is next Tuesday and many Denver restaurants are offering special dinners, menu items, or events. Here are a few on our radar that showoff the delicious diversity of the Denver dining scene. Cheers love bugs~

Ace Eat Serve is offering a luxurious prix fixe meal for two for $100 Friday, February 10 – 14th. Or if you’re looking for a more affordable, fun vibe, consider entering the weekly Tuesday ping pong tourney on Valentine’s evening, or simply gather a group to play a few rounds for fun (Ace has 11 ping pong tables). Plus, the $1 spicy Asian BBQ wings, $5 Bulleit Bourbon specials, and $20 bottles of Prosecco are the perfect pairing.

Beatrice & Woodsley, the beautiful wooded restaurant on Broadway, is throwing the ultimate Galentine’s Day dinner party for 16 guests, below the main dining room in their private wine cellar. Along with a cupid piñata filled with secret gifts and treats, bubbles and delicious food will be bountiful at this female-only, community-style dinner! For $48 per person, guests will enjoy a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception at 6:30, followed by a three-course prix fixe menu, with optional wine pairings available. Reservations are required (303) 777-3505.

11th annual Wine & Chocolate Weekend at Bonacquisti Wine Co, February 11th, 6p-9p and Feb. 12th, 1p-4p. 2016. The pairings include:  Sparkling Riesling with Cashew S'more Toffee
[d] RED with Jamon Serrano and Manchego Cheese Truffle
2015 Cabernet Sauvignon with Manhattan Truffle
Sangria with Sangria Truffle

Tickets are $30 ($25 for Wine Club members). https://www.bonacquistiwine.com/collections/frontpage/products/2017-wine-chocolate-weekend

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House is celebrating Friday, Feb. 10 – Feb. 14 with Oysters & Pearls For Two, $48 Chilled Oysters on the Half Shell, Caviar Mignonette paired with 2 Glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne or Grey Goose VX Vodka. Or Chateaubriand For Two,  $130 Roasted & Sliced Tenderloin, Butter Poached Lobster, Green & White Asparagus with Hollandaise, Peppercorn Sauce and Bordelaise.

Guard and Grace downtown is offering a full weekend of Valentine’s Day features February 10-14. Specials include an extravagant 45-Day Dry-Aged Ribeye with Périgord black truffles & sauce perigueux and for dessert an Aphrodite’s Sphere with macadamia pecan brownie, milk chocolate mousse, passion fruit cream, chocolate five-spice ganache, and caramel.

Infinite Monkey Theorem GALentine's Day! Ladies will receive 20% their tabs all night long 4-10pm. So grab your gals and head down for a little “Valenwine”. The following night, IMT will be holding a “Wine & Cheese Me” night, February 15th. 6:30-8:30pm. The Truffle Table will be there to host a wine and cheese pairing of 5 wines and 5 cheeses at $35/person. Reservations are required - email or call 303-736-8376 x4 to reserve your spot.

Jax Fish House in Glendale is offering a romantic prix fixe menu of sustainably-caught seafood specialties. Dinner begins at 4pm and is $65 per person for 3-courses, and an a la carte menu will be available at the bar as well. In addition, Jax will offer 25% off bottles of wine $50 or over.

Jax Fish House in LoDo is also offering a special prix fixe menu for the evening showcasing some of the finest delicacies of the land and the sea, with raw bar selections and an optional wine pairing. The 4-course dinner is $75 per person and the wine pairing is an additional $35.

La Sandia Northfield and Park Meadows Valentines Day 4-course modern Mexican dinner $32 each or ala carte option. Includes soup or salad, tuna tartar, tamales, pollo, steak, and a Mexican cheesecake or chocolate mousse to savor.

La Guera, Richard Sandoval's new gastro-cantina, is having an anti-Valentine’s Day special, with all drinks buy one get one free and $2.00 tacos.

LOLA is making date night all the more romantic this Valentine’s Day with a complimentary glass of bubbles and chef’s specials like Whole Maine Lobster Zarandeado, Lover’s Parrillada, and Mexican Chocolate Covered Strawberries (ordered in advance). Dinner reservations start at 5:00 p.m. and are not required but are strongly recommended. An abridged version of the regular menu will also be available. And the Saturday night before LOLA is hosting a Singles Salsa Mixer 9:00 -11:00 p.m. with DJ Joseph Snowhawk spinning some spicy Latin tunes for guests to get down to, cover free.

Los Chingones locations in RiNo and DTC have created a Valentine’s Day feature called Aphrodisiac Valentines Taco. It has seared swordfish, artichoke & smoked Fresno chili puree, fresh arugula salad tossed in rose water/pomegranate/honey vinaigrette, and chili-spiced pepitas for $5 each.

Mister Tuna, trendy new cocktail bar and Hawaiian-influenced restaurant by Troy Guard, is offering a 4-course prix-fixe menu for $69pp or $99pp, with beverage pairings. http://www.mistertuna.com/

Nocturne Jazz invites you to celebrate Valentine's Day in proper fashion with a special four-course tasting menu set to the music of Nat King Cole performed by the Paul Musso Trio. Tickets/Reservations required and you can choose between an early 5:30pm set or a late 8:30 pm set.

Postino Wine Café will have $5 glasses of Mercat Sparkling Rosé and Ioppa Rosé of Nebbiolo, from open ’til close (11 a.m. – 11 p.m.). Got a date? From 8 p.m. on, take advantage of the Tuesday night Board and Bottle special: a bruschetta board and bottle of wine for $20. It’s easily to fall in love with a deal that good!

Punch Bowl Social is a great escape from a dull night with darts, wall size scrabble, giant foosball table, ping pong, skee ball and bowling! Try out the featured February punch, Shot Through the Heart, made with Old Forester Bourbon, strawberry cinnamon shrub and Teakoe pear tea. Don’t forget to grab a photo in front of the famous I Love You wall.

Retrograde Speakeasy & Frozen Matter Ice Cream are a dynamic duo, scooping up sweet treats in front and crafting cocktails behind the freezer door in one dynamic space.  If you haven’t heard of this place yet, it’s a great date spot and they’ve made a special batch of ice cream for February. Rose Tyler has rose water, elderflower liqueur and vanilla. And/or you can get a bottle of wine or two cocktails of choice and an ice cream sundae for $45.

Vesta has been named the “Most Romantic Restaurant” or “Best Date Night” spot in Denver year and again. This year, new Executive Chef Nicholas Kayser has cooked up a menu of sure-fire romantic dishes perfect for sealing the deal along with their special craft cocktails.

Denver Is Stronger Together: Women's March 2017

Last Saturday will forever remain one of the most powerful, uplifting and hopeful experiences in my life, as I’m sure it will for an abundance of people globally. For two weeks I’ve been trying to find the right words and to form adequate sentences, to try and piece together every positive occurrence, pertaining to the largest collective, international protest the world has ever seen. Disturbed by Donald Trump and his administration's looming agenda, on Saturday January 21st, 2017, women across the world marched, however long, however far, in however many numbers, for equality, for women’s rights, for their children’s future and for our nation’s future. 

Image from: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/01/19/womens-march-against-trump-turns-global-day-action

Sister marches in large international cities such as Madrid, London, Montreal, Sydney, Dublin, Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam all showed their support in large numbers. Even more awe-inspiring were the small, but still significant, protests that expanded over all seven continents. 15 women in Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia, marched down a local highway and with them Kenyan citizens in the capital of Nairobi, a small fishing village in Esterillos Oeste, Costa Rica, 30 people on a small expedition ship in Antarctica and my little home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. They were all among hundreds, if not thousands of Women’s Marches around the world. They stood tall with their signs and chants, holding the hands of their children, partners and friends to send a message to the world: Our voices are strong but stronger united. 

Here in Denver, I had been watching the Facebook event’s numbers grow with anticipation for weeks. I had no idea the size and attention of the protest as initially I clicked “interested” on my invite back in November. Denver’s numbers grew from 2,000 to 10,000 to Facebook’s final event numbers at almost 50,000. As we know, those numbers still don’t properly reflect the size of the attendance that day. The Denver Post is now estimating more than 100,000 women, men and children marched on our city. No wonder I couldn’t find any of my other friends! 

Rebecca Shook, 60-year-old Hawaiian resident, is the powerful initiator behind this historic movement. She was, like a many other women November 8th, 2016, devastated with the election results. She called into question if women could march on Washington on Inauguration Day as she expressed her anger and frustration on a Facebook post. With the help of her friends, she created a Facebook event. Shook was unaware of how receptive people would be to her idea. Shook’s event was shared on popular intersectional feminism, LGBT, racially and religiously inclusive secret Facebook group “Pantsuit Nation.” That got the event the media attention it needed to spark the fire. 10,000 people confirmed their attendance in less than 24 hours. Over the last couple of months, the fire traveled: Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Denver and Seattle were among the largest other U.S. cities in attendance. 

Denver’s crowd was lively and emphatic from Civic Center Park up 15th Street, Glenarm to 17th, 17th to Champa, Champa to 14th and back to Civic Center Park creating our 1.5 mile loop. All the while, our voices filled the streets and bellowed through the crowds, “Love not hate, makes America great!” “All four years, we’ll be here!” “This is what Democracy looks like!” “Her body, her choice! My body, my choice!” Police lining the streets appeared almost bored as the march was 100 percent non-violent. From local office windows and restaurants, messages and posters displaying love, equality and resistance were seen throughout the march route. One construction worker held a sign of “Peace” 10 stories high in an unfinished apartment complex as we all waved our appreciation in return. The amount of love and unity was astounding to say the least. Strangers complimented each other’s messages and art, friends and lovers shared hugs and kisses, and generations stood together, fighting for their family’s future.

Denver, I know a lot of us are hurting. A lot of us feel scared and deceived, powerless to the fate of ourselves and our nation. There’s still a lot we can do to increase and expand awareness, and to remain positive and proactive. Call and email your senators and representatives. Senator Cory Gardner, Senator Michael Bennett, House of Representatives members Ken Buck, Jared Polis, Ed Perlmutter, Scott Tipton, Mike Coffman, Mike Lamborn and Diana DeGette, have all of their contact info listed in the link below. 

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/24/how-to-contact-colorado-congressional-delegates/

Contact our state legislation and let them know what issues are important to you. 

http://www.cairco.org/legislation/colorado-legislators

Create, and/or sign petitions to express and voice your opinion on what you believe in. There are many petition websites currently: Change.org, Petitions.whitehouse.gov, iPetitions.com, act.credoaction.com, etc. 

Join one of the many peaceful protests and events happening in our great city. Check Facebook for the latest organized petitions and gatherings. Upcoming events this week include: “STOP Colorado’s 3 Anti-Choice Bills” this Thursday February 9th. Protesters will meet to voice their disapproval of the three new anti-choice bills in the Colorado General Assembly. This Saturday protesters will join at Skyline Park to show their support for Planned Parenthood outside Senator Gardner’s office in the “Colorado Stand With Planned Parenthood” event. Saturday, February 18th is the “Defend Our Constitution March” at Civic Center Park where protesters will stand united for our rights and against hatred. Also February 18th is the “One Billion Rising Denver: 2017 March & Rally” at the Denver Pavilions. One Billion Rising is a global movement to end violence against women. Monday, February 20th is the “Rally for Justice,” where you can speak up in the fight for integrity in education. 

Next month on the 25th is the “Women’s Day of Service Denver.” Volunteers can choose a daily task that contributes to the community including refugee assistance, feeding the hungry, community gardening, and helping low income women, families and youths. 
The link to register is listed below. 
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Xp-W_HGsKNniIW5taoQ7bE13wXfF7FVosV26e3psoZk

This Earth Day, April 22nd the “March for Science - Denver,” will march for evidence-based policies for the common good of the public and to include all individuals in the education and career paths of science. 

These are just a few of the organized upcoming gatherings to get involved in. Be sure to keep up with happenings in our city on your Facebook events page. 

You can also donate to organizations you care about and need your support. 

Planned Parenthood: https://secure.ppaction.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20109b?df_id=12913&12913.donation=form1&s_src=Evergreen_c3_PPNonDirected_shorturl&NONCE_TOKEN=1A40821157A3B351A95453895C10B536

ACLU: 
https://action.aclu.org/secure/donate-aclu

Green Peace: https://secure3.convio.net/gpeace/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app367a?df_id=3241&3241.donation=form1&s_src=header&NONCE_TOKEN=BFA6E0CE20C3A686B7CD8B705423B1EF

350.org: 
https://act.350.org/donate/build/

The Human Rights Campaign: https://give.hrc.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1954&ea.campaign.id=51848

National Immigration Law Center:
https://nilc.z2systems.com/np/clients/nilc/donation.jsp?campaign=15&

The many speakers at Denver’s rally urged us to run for office and control from within. If you or others deem your voice powerful and have good intentions, run for your local office, be a leader in your community, start an awareness group on topics you feel strongly need to be discussed and given attention to, join or create a student organization group on campus, or just spread goodness in your community. Hold open the door for the person behind you, compliment a stranger in line at the grocery store, express your appreciation to your barista when you get your morning coffee. Help others, appreciate others, empower others, praise others. Of course a lot of us already to these things in our daily lives. As Coloradans, we’re some of the kindest, compassionate and tolerant people in the nation. Keep doing good. Goodness changes attitudes. Good attitudes generate hopefulness. Spreading love and kindness with small, daily actions is the easiest way to create empathy and to spread ripples of change in your local community. Where there is empathy and compassion, things like racism, sexism and intolerance are diminished.

Whether you were a supporter of the marches or not, you can’t deny their numbers. Women of the world have come together to not only support their sisters, but also people of different races, religions and sexualities from themselves. This unity is a powerful force and one that can awaken the world to change the course of history. We’ve shown those in power that our voices will not be silenced, we are not afraid and we will not disappear. If you were as stirred by the Women’s Marches of the world as I was, hold onto that feeling–now is the time to act. If you’ve experienced fear that your rights are in danger, or sadness or outrage at the world around you, hold onto the strength you felt at the march and do not sink back into complacency. Fellow marchers, I still stride forward with you. Saturday, January 21st I was so overjoyed with unity and hope in this community. I love you, Denver. Stay awake. 


Cited Sources:

●    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/womens-march-world-cities_us_58836f38e4b096b4a231ee64
●    http://fortune.com/2017/01/21/womens-march-photos/
●    http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/01/21/womens-march-on-washington-antarctica/96882184/ 
●    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/21/world/womens-march-pictures.html?_r=0
●    http://www.vox.com/identities/2017/1/21/14346500/women-march-world-photo
●    http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/01/21/womens-march-on-washington-antarctica/96882184/
●    http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/22/trump-inauguration-latest-womens-marches-held-around-the-world-in-solidarity-with-dc-demonstration.html
●    http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/01/19/womens-march-against-trump-turns-global-day-action

A Newer Generation Of Athletes Ushered In The Latest Installment of The Winter X-Games in 2017

Another edition of the Winter X Games descended upon Aspen, Colorado this past weekend. With record crowds and an abundance of some of the best musical acts around. Aspen/Snowmass was the place to be seen and heard. This edition of the games will be known for the youth movement taking over. Hailey Langland all of 16 years old became the first woman to land a cab double cork 1080 in competition. Others such as 17 year old Marcus Kleveland landed the first-ever quadruple cork in competition on the big air course. Kelly Sildaru who last year at the age of 13 became the youngest athlete to win a Gold medal was at it again as she captured her second Gold in Women's ski Slopestyle.

Some of music's best know artist also took residency as Bassnectar, Anderson .Paak and The Free Nationals, and The Chainsmokers played unforgettable sets in between competitions. 

All images courtesy of Austin Voldseth (All Rights Reserved)

Winter X-Games Ready To Takeover Aspen January 26-29

Jubilant fans enjoy some of the sights and sounds during X Games in Aspen, Colorado

X Games returns to Aspen, Colorado's Buttermilk Mountain from January 26-29 for the world's best action sports, music and festival experience -- on snow! All sport competitions are free and open to the public. All musical performances will take place at the stage at Buttermilk Mountain. There will be many different type of ticketing options this year see Ticketing Information Here.

Here are some of this years storylines:

Olympics: This is an Olympic qualifying year and we’ll have more than 100 Olympians competing this year including Big Air, which will be an Olympic discipline for the first time in Pyeongchang.

Rising Stars: The Next Generation of Athletes – Up and coming competitors like Chloe Kim, Kelly Sildaru, and Marcus Kleveland are all less than 20-years-old and taking the slopes (and pipe) by storm.

Local Athletes: Torin Yater-Wallace and Alex Ferreira have pushed passed the clutter in their hometown to prove themselves in the limelight.

Siblings: Darcy and Cassie Sharpe, Mark and Craig McMorris, and Arielle and Taylor Gold have all kept it in the family – with medals all the way around.

Five Years of Music: With performers Bassnectar, The Chainsmokers, Anderson .Paak and The Free Nationals, and G-Eazy, this marks the fifth year of X Games music, creating a true festival experience at Buttermilk Mountain.

New Sports: This year, X Games Aspen features the first Ski Big Air at a U.S. event, snowmobile freestyle, and a Snow Bikes, a crossover discipline featuring popular Moto athletes.

Winter Wine Festival Feb 10th

Twenty Colorado wineries will gather for the second annual Winter Wine Festival this February 10th from 6-9pm at The McNichols Civic Center Building. The Festival pairs wine tastings and gourmet bites with local vendors and great music for an approachable and delicious night. Event Company Two Parts has gathered a wide range of Colorado's best wines for the Festival so guests can try everything from big, bold reds to crisp, dry whites and all that's in between! And staff from the wineries will be available to tell you all about their vineyards, grapes, wines, and can even sell you a bottle to take home right then and there.

Tickets are on sale for $50 and includes unlimited pours, small bites, wine tote and commemorative glass. Last year’s event sold out, but this year's location at the McNichols Civic Center Building will provide more room for attendees and vendors, about 700 tickets are available this year! Ticket sales benefit the Colorado Association of Viticulture and Enology (CAVE), Colorado’s only trade non-profit that supports the wine and grape growing industry. This event is also sponsored by the Grand Junction Visitors Bureau, to support wine tourism in Colorado. It's always more rewarding to drink to a good cause, so don't miss out this year on all the great wines, bites, music and fun. 

Fresh Noise, a funky, jazzy collaboration between vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Joseph Lamar and keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Mikey Smith will be performing during the festival. The local restaurants and vendors will be announced as the event gets closer. The Colorado wine scene is growing and this event is a great way to sample everything that Colorado has to offer and grow your own repertoire on the fancy grape drink. Cheers~

Allis Ranch Winery
Augustina's Winery
Avanti Winery
Balistreri Vineyards
Bijou Creek Winery
Black Arts Cellars
Black Forest Meadery
Bookcliff Vineyards
Byerscellars Wines
C Squared Ciders
Carlson Vineyards
Catriona Cellars
Climb Hard Cider
Colorado Cellars/Rocky Mountain Vineyards
Colorado Cider Company
Cottonwood Cellars/The Olathe Winery
Creekside Cellars
DeBeque Canyon Winery
Decadent Saint Winery

https://www.twoparts.com/event/winter-wine-festival-2017/

La Güera | High End Eats Meet Low Prices

You probably know by now the Ultra5280 staff loves tacos and that we also love delicious but affordable food. While there are many great places in Denver for tasty tacos, mile high nachos, and cheesy quesadillas, there aren’t as many that serve it in style and at a great price.

This Mexican beauty is internationally known chef-restaurant owner Richard Sandoval’s newest culinary venue, La Güera. It’s styled as a casual gastro-cantina with an order up counter by day, perfect for short lunch breaks, but transforms come 5pm into a more swanky, sit down, full-service restaurant. However, no matter the time from 11am-11pm the affordable, a la carte menu remains. The prices get even better between 3-7pm Monday through Friday during Happy Hour though, when you can get the quesadillas, nachos, tacos, margaritas, beers and wine for a fine $4!

Starters at La Güera include Crispy Bacon Guacamole and Tortilla Soup, which we had to try. The bacon guacamole is fully loaded with bacon crumbles, onion, pico de gallo, cilantro and cotija cheese, to the point where every one of those ingredients are in each scoop you take. The Tortilla Soup was thick, flavorful and not spicy, which really surprised us that it didn’t have cream added. Instead it was all just hearty, healthy chilies! Taking the soup to the next level is shredded chicken, avocado chunks, crema fresca and tiny tortilla strips. This soup is a must get, and for $3 I seriously don’t know where you could find a better soup, at this size, at this price. Really, I’ve been on a soup hunt since our first dusting of snow. 

Antojitos are the main courses here and display the inventive cuisine for which Sandoval has become famous, yet in the form of favorites you crave when heading to a Mexican restaurant. You’ll find Carne Asada Sopes, Chicken Flautas, Enchiladas, Nachos and seven types of tacos.  We tried the veggie taco with roasted peppers, guacamole, and smoky seasoned pumpkin seeds. It was a delicious dish with winter warming flavors. The chicken enchilada was also good, but not drenched in a red or green sauce like you usually see. Instead it had pickled chilies and a light dollop of sour cream, cheese and salsa on top. The chicken flautas were also tasty and topped with chopped romaine and pico de gallo that added some healthy freshness to chicken wrapped in a deep fried shell. We also thought it important to try one of the less traditional Mexican dishes on the menu, perhaps a Sandoval original, the Tlayudas. This was described as a Mexican pizza, and while it comes close in appearance it’s very different in taste. Instead of dough it has a crispy, thin corn base then bean puree is spread on and topped with Oaxaca cheese, pico, salsa, and avocado. You can also add on spicy shrimp, chapulines, or chorizo. Sandoval displays his creative talent yet again with this Mexican pizza.

While at first glance the menu may seem small, that’s really just the size of the paper fooling you. The menu covers all the bases and leaves room for the sweet stuff with a couple of homemade desserts and Aguas frescas, Café, cocktails, craft beers, wine and more than 200 tequilas! And if all this isn’t reason enough to go, the interior ambiance of the place is really inviting, comfortable and fun. Inspired by the streets of Mexico, La Güera features hand painted murals from local artists, Mexican blankets on the booths, and other thoughtful touches. All of these qualities were important to Sandoval in creating La Güera as a place people could come to relax and transport themselves away from their busy days, whether it just be for quick lunch or for a leisurely dinner or drinks with friends. We definitely recommend you go try La Güera, as it offers many great eats one would find at a refined Mexican restaurant with ambiance to match, but with prices you’d expect at a hole in the wall. Viva los tacos!

http://www.richardsandoval.com/laguera/

Tiffany Candelaria

DCPA's "A Christmas Carol" | A Classic for All Ages

The holiday season is here, the time of year where we celebrate with friends and family, drink champagne and eggnog, and see the city covered in twinkly lights! There are so many delightful things about the holidays, which for some include listening to Christmas music, watching holiday movies, or seeing “The Nutcracker” or “A Christmas Carol” performed for the twentieth time. In fact, this is the 24th season for Charles Dickens’ famous story “A Christmas Carol” at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) Theater Company, that was first published December of 1843. It has managed to really stand the test of time thanks to the Theater Company’s diligent work and because the story’s themes still ring true to both children and adults today.

Over the years the DCPA production has gone through many changes, some big like venue spaces, sets, and script, and many small changes to keep the audience interested and entertained, and they do a great job (watch out for that trap door!). This year marks a couple of noteworthy changes with a new director, Melissa Anderson and a new main actor as Scrooge. Sam Gregory now plays Scrooge after having played six other roles in this production and is 26 years younger than the past years’ Scrooge. This younger Scrooge brings new life into the character and the story’s message can live longer through Scrooge now that he is younger when he learns his lessons. However, despite age, Gregory says, “We want to focus on the fact that this is a really incredible play about redemption and how anyone can be redeemed and can change at any age into a better human being.”

Gregory does a great job in his new role portraying the grumpy, greedy businessman and then slowly shows the audience signs his cold heart is melting as the Ghosts of Christmases past take Scrooge moment by moment through events of his life. By the time the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge his likely future, Scrooge/Gregory has displayed a whole array of emotions on stage. By Christmas morning (spoiler alert) Scrooge is a changed man and he sets out to change the lives of his fellow townspeople for the better as well! Gregory is a dynamic actor who, alongside a fantastic cast of characters dressed in exquisitely crafted classic costumes, makes this show a worthy tradition of Christmases past and Christmases yet to come.

“A Christmas Carol” plays through December 24th at the DCPA’s Stage Theater with multiple show times and is great for all ages. There are a few startling parts, and ghosts, so if you’re bringing young children I don’t recommend sitting too close to the stage. . . you’ll see!

By Charles Dickens. Adapted by Richard Hellesen. Music by David de Berry. Directed by Melissa Anderson. Runs approximately 2 hours, plus a 15 min intermission.

https://www.denvercenter.org/shows/specific-series/Get?Id=de96942d-2f07-401c-8622-ad726f693b4f

Reviewed by Tiffany Candelaria

"SantaLand Diaries" | A Snarky Holiday Show

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) has a whole slew of shows lined up over the holidays, from Christmas favorites we've known since childhood to very nontraditional shows, and stories you have to see to believe! This December's performances include "A Christmas Carol", "An Act of God", "Finding Neverland", "Hedwig and the Angry Itch", "Rudolf" and "SantaLand Diaries".

"SantaLand Diaries" is one performance that is difficult to categorize. While the story itself revolves completely around the Christmas holiday, it doesn't quite fit into the cheery and warm Christmas themes because of it's nontraditional, super snarky, offbeat and angsty tone. And that's exactly how the story's main character Crumpet the Elf feels during his time working in SantaLand. The story is based on a job satirical writer David Sedaris took on one winter in a desperate attempt to make some extra money over the holidays.

This is a one man show is played by Michael Bouchard, who has received multiple honors for his acting here in Denver, and chronicles Sedaris' season as a Macy's Elf in all of it's cringe worthy, agonizing, hilarious glory. He goes from a respectable looking man in the opening scene to a humiliated Elf in fluffy polyester from head to toe, that must go through interviews, tests and training just to get the un-glamorous position. Once elf-ed, his roles vary between getting everyone from families to unexpecting foreigners into line to see Santa, guiding guests along and keeping them entertained once in line, acting as right hand man to Santa filling him in on the child's name about to enter, that half the time Santa is too old to hear correctly, and cleaning up messes and the frequent vomit that happens with kids' excitement or fear that overcomes them when they finally meet Mr. Santa man himself.

Audience members get a good glimpse of how the Holidays can drive people to do crazy things and the capitalism surrounding it all. In the end though, Crumpet learns some valuable lessons about people, life, love and all that warm, fuzzy Christmas stuff this show leaves out until the very last scene. And that's what makes it an awesome alternative to the typical Holiday stories. 

Off-Center Theatre Company
The Jones Theatre
1101 13th St.
Denver, CO 80204
(303) 893-4000
www.denvercenter.org

Perfect Pairings at Stem Cider

While Colorado holds the wonderful title of craft beer leaders, we are also home to many local wineries, cideries and coffee houses. The Ultra5280 Lifestyle section has had the privilege to try almost all of our state's staples and we will continue to do so long as there are more to try! Tuesday night we took it upon ourselves to branch outside of our white IPA and saison obsessions and taste some local apple inspired hard cider. We ventured into RiNo for Stem Cider's weekly Tuesday's Cider & Sides featuring four ciders paired with four pies from Long I Pie downtown.

Stem Cider opened January 2014 with just three ciders on tap and now have over 20 ciders that they rotate weekly based on the season. In addition to great hard cider, they host fun events like Trivia nights, bluegrass bands and special tasting events. Stem Cider's Tuesday night pairings are different each week, matching hard ciders with sides such as cheeses, pizza, macaroni, pie, etc. from different local eateries. For $20 patrons get to try the four selected ciders with four samples of whatever the side of the night is at their own pace from 6-9pm.

Here's the lineup for last Tuesday's Cider & Long I Pie and our thoughts:

"Redhead's Revenge" (Sweet potato ginger pie) & L'Acier Cider

The pie was a typical sweet potato flavor and consistency tasting like mashed sweet potatoes with ginger and brown sugar mixed in and surrounded by a thick flaky crust. The cider was crisp, acidic and not very apple flavored, reminding us more of a white wine.

"Grandma's Pie" (Spiced apple cranberry) & Crabby Neighbor Cider

The pie was a blend of soft cinnamon apples and cranberries minus all the gooey, sugary pie filling in most apple pies, fully surrounded by a thick flaky crust. Paired well with the tart, fresh taste of the cider made from Granny Smith and crab apples and aged to soften the sour flavors up a bit.

"Honey Flower" (Salted lavender honey) & Remedy Cider

This pie was our unexpected favorite! Who knew a lavender honey pie was so divine?! This was our first experience with such a pie and we are fans for life. While this isn't a typical holiday pie because of the summer ingredients, it is just as decadent and delicious as all the pumpkin cheesecakes and pecan pies. It smelled and tasted like a lavender creme brûlée, but with more texture. The Remedy cider tastes very much like a white IPA. Very heavy on the hops for those who don't drink much beer as it is dry hopped with cascade and citra hops. We felt it overwhelmed and clashed with the delicate flavors of the Honey Flower pie. But we are excited to introduce this cider to our wheat impaired beer nostalgic buddies! 

"Drunken Nut" (bourbon chocolate pecan) & Branch & Bramble Cider

I love a good pecan pie for the holidays and I especially love a pie with whiskey or bourbon in it, I've been making them that way since before I was 21. So kudos there! This Drunken Nut lived up to my expectations with a thick inside that wasn't just that sugary corn syrup filling, but flavor and pecan dense. The nuts had a nice toasty crunchy texture and a rich but slightly bitter chocolate to round out the overall taste that was somewhere between sweet and savory. The Brand & Bramble cider it was paired with was almost sweeter in comparison and didn't really match the flavors in the pie. Instead, it was fresh, floral and fruity, and would have been great with the Grandma's Pie. Luckily, no one is orchestrating the tastings so you are free to taste and pair as you please.

Redhead's Revence & L'Acier

We were surprised to learn that the Ciders and Sides was a weekly occurrence and could not be more excited to see what our friends at Stem roll out for the next pairing. On top of their weekly events, Stem is also host to a plethora of board games and day time activities... Your first Bumble date, girls night out, and friends in town activities just got easier to plan! See you next Tuesday! 

http://stemciders.com/                     http://thelongipie.com/

Vesta gets a makeover & cocktails featured in Winter Warmer

Vesta first opened in 1997 and the original owner Josh Wolken still leads the team and continues to combine positive energy, genuine hospitality, philanthropy and fun in all that Vesta does. For these reasons, along with a wonderful menu, Vesta has been a mainstay in the coveted downtown area for nearly 20 years. Downtown and Denver as a whole has undergone many changes the past 20 years and Vesta has made sure to evolve with the times and trends, while keeping true to its roots to ensure longtime diners as well as new enjoy their visit to Vesta.

The most recent and notable evolution introduces Executive Chef Nicolas Kayser, coming all the way from Hong Kong! He fits in perfect actually, as he grew up here in Denver and received his degree from the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Colorado. After time in New York, Las Vegas and Hong Kong, diners can trust Kayser to continue the world cuisine concept of Vesta while bringing a new and fresh approach to the menu format and culinary style.

The new samplings we tried at their Happy Hour were really delicious and each unique in flavor and form. A couple standouts included their reimagined Tuna Poke spiced up with wasabi, jalapeno ponzu and fresh ginger. Their Tempura shrimp was tasty dipped in their house made sambal aioli containing 10 different chilies! (It’s much more flavorful than it is spicy). A Char Siu Pork Belly app was tender and decadent, topped with yuzu aioli, orange and cilantro. For dinner, the Colorado Rack of Lamb was phenomenal accompanied with crispy polenta, fennel, orange, black mission fig gastrique, and a tzatziki sauce.

Dessert was also a creative, worldly blend of flavors created by pastry chef Nadine Donovan. We tried opposite ends of the spectrum with the Southern-inspired sweet potato beignets with toasted marshmallow and the tropical passion fruit tart with coconut macaroon crust and raspberry sauce. The beignets themselves weren’t that sweet for the dessert category, but all of the little sauces and sides made them magical. The passion fruit cake was very sweet, but in a fruity way that makes it seem light, despite its rich creaminess. Basically, I could gobble up four of these before realizing I was full, and then still might have a couple more bites because it’s delicious and something you hardly see on a menu.

Vesta’s cuisine is complemented by a thoughtful, diverse six-page wine list, draft and bottled beer, and an upgraded cocktail menu offering both classic and contemporary variations with top local spirits. Vesta’s barrel-aged drinks provide the backbone for a new list of cocktails focused on fresh ingredients, seasonal flavors, and creative combinations. For dark spirit drinkers we recommend the Sherry Cobbler, The 7th Son, Apple Sidecar, and two of which you can find on the Passport Program’s Denver Winter Warmer - Do You Remember and Where the Buffalo Roam.

The Winter Warmer Passport is a field guide for great winter inspired drinks in the form of a booklet with 2 for 1 drink offers at a collection of Denver’s coziest and booziest spots in town. The offers run from Dec 1st through March 15th, those bleak, frozen months you’ll need it the most. The warm, inviting vibe Vesta has always been known for got even hotter with new lighting and various design embellishments. Vesta’s Barrel-aged Do You Remember is made with Rittenhouse bonded rye, Montenegro Amaro, Leopold bros tart cherry liqueur, yellow chartreuse, and orange bitters. The Where the Buffalo Roam cocktail is Old Granddad 114 bourbon, Laird’s applejack, sage, house made grenadine, ginger beer, and peychaud’s bitters. For those who don’t splurge on fancy craft cocktails, the Winter Warmer offers the perfect excuse to finally treat yourself (or others) this holiday season! So get your Passport and head to Vesta for a cocktail, the ambience and the delightful dining.

Denver Winter Warmer 2016

Star Wars And The Power of Costume Exhibit At The Denver Arts Museum Impresses In Many Ways

The Force is wide awake in Denver and will be until April 2, 2017. The Denver Art Museum is currently playing host to amazing exhibit Star Wars and The Power of Costume. The exhibition will give DAM visitors a look behind the scenes into the fantasy, marvel and delight of bringing characters in the Star Wars universe to life through a dramatic presentation of original costumes. Star Wars and the Power of Costume will closely examine the captivating process of costume conception and design for iconic outfits, from Princess Leia’s unforgettable bikini to Darth Vader’s imposing black uniform, featured in all seven films of the Star Wars series. We had a chance to check out the exhibit during press day earlier this week and were captivated by the extraordinary detail and craftsmanship each and every costume goes through. From the conceptual sketches to the costumes being brought to life. 

“The creative process behind crafting the world of Star Wars is part of a pop-culture phenomenon that we are thrilled to bring to the Rocky Mountain region,” said Christoph Heinrich, Frederick and Jan Mayer Director of the DAM. “A vivid exhibition display and behind-the-scenes look will delight creatives, designers and die- hard fans alike.”

The challenges and triumphs of bringing characters and their believable worlds to life will be revealed through thematic exhibition sections, including Jedi vs. Sith and the Galactic Senate.

More than 60 hand-crafted costumes from all seven blockbuster Star Wars films will uncover the connection between character and costume. Star Wars and the Power of Costume also will explore the imagination and artistry of the world’s most recognized cinematic costumes, taking a closer look at the iconic villain Darth Vader, Wookiee Chewbacca, X-Wing pilots and DroidsTM, including C-3PO and R2-D2.

“So many of us have warm memories and a fascination associated with the Star Wars films, and it’s really the characters that maintain this longstanding connection,” said Stefania Van Dyke, interpretive specialist at the DAM. “Characters like Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker have become inseparably associated with their costumes, and our unique presentation will give a look at the inspiration and nuanced creative processes of designers and artisans.”

Visitors will be able to tap into fantasy, quality craftsmanship and character development through immersive experiences that include powerful Star Wars royalty, military and senate imagery, as well as behind-the-scenes videos and testimonials from artists, designers and actors.

Star Wars and the Power of Costume will be on view in the Anschutz and Martin and McCormick galleries on level two of the Hamilton Building. Individual tickets for this specially ticketed exhibition will go on sale on May 4, 2016. Tickets for groups of 10 or more are available now by emailing groupsales@denvertmuseum.org or calling 720-913-0088. The museum is now taking reservations for private gallery rentals and events, including holiday parties. Spaces book early, call for rates and more information. 

Photo Credits: Robert Castro

Bacon and Beer | A Celebration of Food and Community

Cheers to bacon and beer. (photo Credit: Robert Castro)

This past Saturday we visited a magical land – one where beer was king and bacon lovers held hands and rejoiced in unison. What is this mythical place you ask? Well, it is the Bacon and Beer Festival! And it was a celebration fit for any self-respecting foodie/beer enthusiast. 

Managing Editor Mcclain managed to grab this shirt for her yoga workouts. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

The event boasted 20 + breweries and over 15 restaurants – all debuting their bacon inspired dishes and beverages. The food ranged from Thai to brunch to the good ol’ American burger. Most breweries stayed true to their brand but, some rolled out bacon inspired libations. A personal favorite of the Ultra5280 staff was the Bacon Bourbon from Ol' Major which took the pairing to a whole new level. They even went so far as to add a mesquite salt chaser – which was absolute perfection. 

Where do we get the bacon flavored salt? (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

We love seeing events that celebrate our local scene, when there’s OMF (Our Mutual Friend), Ratio Beerworks and Call To Arms Brewing Co. on the same ticket – you can count us in. Moving outside of Denver’s coveted local watering holes we were elated to taste such classics as Breckenridge Brewery, Left Hand Brewing Company, Great Divide Brewing and Boulder Beer Co.  The Fest offered a nice gluten free option (although why a gluten free person would attend a Bacon and Beer Fest is beyond us) by adding some ciders to the mix. Stem Ciders and Colorado Cider Company were holding down the fort for our wheat challenged bacon lovers. Side Note: Beer and cider is an amazing combination… future festival idea? TM

Serving up amazing beer our friends from Ratio were on hand. (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Bacon was the ideal sponge for soaking up our beer filled bellies. Some stand out dishes were the Bacon Wontons from Aloy Modern Thai, The Lobby’s bacon-brunch bite, Little Man’s ice cream and from what we’ve heard The Regional had a mean chicken fried bacon dish (sadly they ran out of ingredients before we made the rounds).  The food was unique, tasty and answered every day-drinker’s wildest dreams and wishes.

Lovey bits of bacon morsel goodness compliments of Interstate Kitchen and Bar (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

We wish we could have bottled up the scent emanating from the Glitter Dome this past Saturday – it was a scent filled with bacon fumes, hops and love. To quote our girl Taylor, there are just some things that never go out of style – and bacon and beer will forever be one of them. 

Our Buddies Breckenridge Brewery are Back at Ultraween 6!

Our good friends over at Breckenridge Brewery are once again the official booze sponsor of our annual Ultraween Halloween Party and we are so stoked to have them on tap again!

Ultra5280 and Breckenridge Brewery have had a long history of working together and share a passion for the Denver music, beer and event scene. Ryan Workman, Brand Manager for Breck Brewery explains, “We have always been involved in the Ultraween event from the beginning six years ago. Breckenridge Brewery brews balanced, sessionable beers that are perfect for the Colorado lifestyle. Ultra5280’s whole mission is to cover that awesome lifestyle we all get to live in, so it has always seemed like a perfect fit for us. We’re so happy to see the event grow to become one of Denver’s most sought out Halloween Parties!”

Ultraween6 will be held this Saturday Oct 29th at the historical and possibly haunted by now, Aztlan Theater on Santa Fe Blvd in Denver. This year we have two large local acts performing live and a DJ playing the party hits. (Ticket link at bottom). Breckenridge Brewery will be having a party of their own the following Saturday Nov 5th to kick off ski season!! Their "Opening Day Party" will celebrate with live music, games, art, free snowboard and ski waxing, and your chance to win the first limited-edition "Artist Series" snowboard of 2016! Don't miss this free event at Punch Bowl Social on S. Broadway from 6-10pm.

Breckenridge Brewery was founded in 1990 in Breckenridge, Colorado. In the past two decades they have grown from a small 3,000-barrels-a-year brewpub to one of the most successful craft beer and restaurant companies in the nation. It now handcrafts more than 62,000 barrels of fresh beer annually and owns and operates six brewpubs and ale houses in the state of Colorado.

Back in the early days, however, we very quickly found that there was more demand for craft beer than we could possibly make in that location. In 1992, they opened a second brewpub in downtown Denver. As luck would have it, in 1995, the Colorado Rockies built their stadium across the street. As much as they enjoyed that home, they inevitably outgrew it, and in 1996 moved production to 471 Kalamath Street several miles away. The Kalamath location served them well for 19 years, but as they approached 60,000 barrels a year they began to run out of space for any more expansions. President Todd and team once again searched for the right home that would accommodate their growing family. They found it in a 12-acre stretch of land in Littleton, Colorado and held their grand opening at last summer’s Hootenanny.

Terry L. Usry, Communications Director states that after 26 years, the focus is still on creating well-balanced, approachable, and interesting beers while also creating memorable visitor experiences. Their farm-inspired campus on Brewery Lane features a new 100-barrel brew house, barrel-aging room, all new packaging, dedicated tour staff, and the Farm House restaurant. “The Farm House is so much more than a tasting room. The wraparound porch and spacious beer garden offer multiple areas to convene, relax, and take in views of the majestic Rocky Mountains. Enjoy a comfortable dining atmosphere indoors or a leisurely, communal experience outdoors around fire pits, playing bocce ball, or challenging friends to corn hole. There’s also a 90-minute guided brewery/sampling tours are offered five days a week,” explains Usry.

What makes Breckenridge Brewery so successful and special you ask? Usry says it’s the many people who’ve been with Breckenridge Brewery for so long. “We have folks in the brew house, the restaurants, marketing, and the admin offices that have been with us for 20+ years. Over the years, we’ve grown as a business and as a family. What makes it special here is the pride in our product, the pride in our company, and the culture that we’ve fostered. It’s not just the ‘old-timers’ who’ve shaped it, either. All of our employees contribute to our success by embracing our mantra to offer a comfortable and welcoming place to hang out and enjoy well-balanced, approachable, interesting beers.”

In addition to their dedication and pride in their craft and their customers, they’re always pushing boundaries and dreaming up new and delicious beer. Their two locations, in Breckenridge and Littleton, are destinations for locals and out-of-towners. They now send beer to thirty-five states and continue to create new and exciting batches such as seasonals, barrel-aged beers, the new Brewery Lane Series, and a newly announced nitrogen-charged canned series. Breckenridge Brewery’s special seasonal crafts are especially popular, particularly the Autumn Ale in fall and the Christmas Ale. Also, their new Nitro Series includes seasonals as well, the first of which was just released, Nitro Pumpkin Spice Latte, with the winter nitro seasonal right around the corner!

Nitro Vanilla Porter –  year round - http://www.breckbrew.com/beers/nitro-vanilla-porter

Nitro Lucky U IPA – year round - http://www.breckbrew.com/beers/nitro-lucky-u-ipa

Nitro Pumpkin Spice Latte – fall Nitro seasonal -   http://www.breckbrew.com/beers/nitro-series-seasonal-pumpkin-spice-latte

Another special series this year is their Brewery Lane Series. The Brewery Lane Series is named after their new location on Brewery Lane in Littleton and aims at capturing the essence of the new brewery – big, bold, and adventurous.

After 26 glorious years of creating craft beers, their top selling are the Avalanche Ale, Vanilla Porter, Agave Wheat, Mango Mosaic, 471 Double IPA, and seasonals like Autumn Ale and Christmas Ale. Ultraween will be serving up a few of the favorites both on draft and by the bottle. Can't wait to see you all there, and btw discount tickets can be purchased today only at Illegal Pete's on S Broadway from 4-8pm!!

Westword Dish Served Up Another Great Food Event

This weekend’s Westword Dish marked its 22nd year of bringing bites and booze from across the Denver area to foodie fans. The Dish was again sponsored by Stella Artois in the Performing Arts Center’s Sculpture Park on Speer Blvd. Westword’s Dish publication explains how much has changed on the food front since its first Dish back in 1995, “Denver has witnessed a restaurant boom in recent years that has presented diners with more options than ever before. The rich dining tradition and burgeoning new scene bolstered by recent transplants have helped this list grow.”

We had a couple of tickets to the event we also got to attend last year and were excited to see who would be serving up tasty bites and libations. Most of the time events where there are multiple restaurants vying to sample to patrons attract newer restaurants hoping to market and introduce themselves to the foodie scene. What makes the Dish a bit different however, is the eateries invited are comprised of Westword staff and reader’s favorites from the year. Thus, every year there’s a great selection of restaurants to try, many of which are newer, which gives guests the unique experience to try out different places they've likely heard of and probably planned to go, but just haven’t had the opportunity yet.

The newbies ranged from good, ole' American BBQ, which was the “special section” this year serving up brisket, pork, lamb and sausages, to Thai, Sushi, comfort food, and tacos, which we feel is the ultimate comfort food. As for those we saw at last year’s Dish, (we’re not sure if they are favorites of the staff because of their food/booze or more for their business partnerships) but they included Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, The Nickle, Golden Moon Speakeasy, Stranahan's Whiskey, Little Man Ice Cream, and Milk & Cake.         

Angelo's Oysters: Before & After

We made the rounds, starting at the beginning with the special BBQ booths which were all hearty, saucy goodness. From there the restaurants seemed to be randomly lined up, with palettes and offerings all across the board, with booze booths thoughtfully placed every 5 or so booths, until the end where the desserts were grouped together. Some of the more memorable dishes we tried were the Tuna poke bowl from Ohana Island Kitchen, a Croque Monsieur from the equally fancy Art Hotel’s Fire restaurant, Gorgonzola topped oysters from Angelo’s Taverna, deep dish at Patxi’s Pizza, beef brisket tacos with BBQ and chimichurri sauce from R Tacos and pulled chicken tacos with red chilies from Degree Metropolitan Food+Drink. And all of the desserts were delicious but seemed to run out first, funny how that works.

R Tacos & Degree

These food events are always fun and flavorful, but they can also be tough and not always worth the price if you don’t know how to play it right. For example, first timers will find if they skip or miss a booth and try to go back later, the booth will be empty except for business cards in place of delicious food. The ultimate disappointment after spending a pretty penny to rush around. Many guests choose to divide and conquer or forgo sitting down or setting up at a table until they know they’ve tried it all. It is common to see friends separated, standing in lines alone, or ending conversations early in order to get the goods before they run out. However, this event lasted a bit longer than some of the other ones we recently attended and we were grateful.

Azucar Bakery cookie, Bignets from Syrup & Little Man Ice Cream

Because of these common food festival snags, there is always an incentive to go the VIP route. VIP tickets generally offer early entry, additional alcoholic options and booths, and at the Dish, Stella Artois passes out the beautiful glass goblets as seen in Stella’s advertisements to drink your full size VIP beers in. VIP guests are also able to relax in their own shaded area with lots of tables and seating. One improvement I noticed this year was even the GA area had many more high-tops and picnic tables, some with umbrella coverings so guests weren’t forced to stand in the sun while juggling their drink and samples. Another great thing was water coolers and a couple of soda booths so GA guests could keep hydrated and sober if they chose. Oh and Mile High Soul Club played the perfect mix of sunny, Sunday afternoon tunes!

While we and most of our readers are patrons, we don’t often think about the other side of the event, the vendor’s experience. In a sea of new concepts, restaurants, and fusions, it is one of the few ways for vendors/restaurants to set themselves apart and literally introduce themselves to Denver diners. That being said, we notice some do it better than others. Sometimes you go to booths that hire a promotional team and their lack of knowledge or care seeps its way out to the guests through experience or even the food. Other booths know this is their opportunity to convince us to make our way to suburbia for bomb BBQ or book that expensive reservation for our next date night. These booths are full of enthusiasm, offer out their menus, dish out details, offer coupons, and invite guests to happy hour.

Churn & Burn BBQ

So where can you expect to catch us in the near future? GQUE BBQ won us with their BBQ sauce and smothered beans and Piggin’ Out Smoke House with their selection of meats with Kale citrus salad and a buy one, get one coupon. Churn & Burn BBQ Truck was also a top pick because they offered beef brisket with jalapeno chimichurri atop baked mac & cheese and a corn bread waffle chip. Now that was a great way to be greeted upon entering the Dish! Beyond BBQ, we mentioned Ohana Island Kitchen satisfied our sushi cravings and gave us a coupon to use on delivery. Angelo's, a classic Italian Denver staple, offers oysters for $1 on happy hour along with other apps and cheap drinks. The two tacos we had were not only satisfying but substantial in size. And lastly, Little Man Ice Cream sampled their Mexican Chocolate and a Blueberry Marshmallow ice cream, that surprised us, but yet didn’t as they are always coming up with magical mixtures. After we had come full crescent (that was the layout) we were back at the beginning and ready for a Stella and a seat in the shade.

http://www.westword.com/

http://angelostaverna.com/denver/

 http://www.degreerestaurant.com/

http://gquebbq.com/

http://www.littlemanicecream.com/

http://ohanadenver.com

https://www.patxispizza.com

http://www.pigginout.com/

http://www.rtacos.com/index.html

Adrift Tiki | Transports You to a Tropical Time

We had the honor of attending the newly revamped Adrift Tiki Lounge on South Broadway last weekend to try their new menu and see the updated interior that we were promised would keep the Tiki theme intact. Marketing Director Basha Cohen talks about Adrift's newly enhanced authenticity, "Unlike kitsch, Tiki-tacky bars, Adrift is focused on authenticity, a welcoming spirit and an invitation to escape. The island speakeasy is set in a rich backdrop of starry night, majestic Tiki totems, bamboo walls, twine, decorative blowfish lighting, and a back patio fire pit, all evoking the spirit of a Polynesian lifestyle, with a thoroughly modern twist."

The new interior did keep much of the previous space's charm and tropical flair and we felt transported far off of Denver's busy Broadway. New owners Paul Tamburello (of Little Man Ice Cream) and Loren Martinez have been interested in bringing an immersive dining experience to Denver for some time and are excited to explore and share the mystery of Polynesian culture with Denver diners through their new restaurant. And knowing Tamburello's other projects, we can count on this one to be progressive and expansive as well. Adding to the authenticity of it all, at the culinary helm is native Hawaiian Chef, Shaun Motata. We were excited to dive deeper and try a couple of cocktails and the exotic flavors off the food menu.

The menu consists of small plates, a Hawaiian mix plate with choice of protein, Pu Pu Platters and three burgers. We were surprised the revamp didn't bring forth a larger menu and was focused more on burgers than on fish dishes. We didn't try any of the burgers, but stuck with what we thought were the most authentically Hawaiian/Polynesian dishes like the Guava glazed ribs, Ahi Tuna Poke, and an Miso butternut soup. All of these starters were delicious and had subtle hints of tropical fruits and/or exotic spices and garnished with fresh herbs. We especially loved the volcano-esque presentation of the Ahi Tuna Poke. For the main course we went with the Hawaiian mix plate with chicken, pork and tofu were the other options, and got a traditional taste of the Island.

The cocktails were what stood out and set Adrift apart as a destination for us. The list of cocktails was double in size of the food, which was surprising but also kept it more of a Tiki Bar/Lounge than restaurant, which it was never known as anyway. The popular Tiki cocktails were all listed, however their ingredients were not, and as we discovered by asking, were not quite what we American's are used to. They are considering reprinting the menu with more ingredients but originally chose not to list them to maintain the mystery of Polynesian culture as was customary in the original Tiki bars from the late 30s. Nonetheless, they were all beautiful, liquor-laden and interesting.

As we enjoyed our food and our beverages and chatted with the staff, "Tropical Time" seemed to set in as we stayed nearly three hours! The drinks, presentation and ambiance truly transported us and proved to (still) be the reasons to come to Adrift. However, we could tell it has been revitalized with a bit more class, culture and room to grow that it didn't have previously.

http://www.adriftbar.com/

Colorado Crush: Taking Street Art To Another Level

Amazing artwork on display at Colorado Crush (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

The block was hot! (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Colorado Crush couldn’t have been more properly named; every street artist literally crushed it during this year’s art party. We perused through the dog walkers and art aficionados, breathing in the paint fumes, the aromas of street tacos and the sweet, sticky scent of the rich Rino art culture. We couldn’t have been more impressed with the artists performing the live paintings (seeing as how we struggle applying paint to canvas in the privacy of our own apartments) but countless creative souls braved questionable ladders and scaffolds,, oil slicked alleyways and innumerable prying eyes to beautify the Rino district. 

Dope piece by Instagram users: @scribeswalks and @mikeroane (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

Instagram user and the talented Mr @Detour303 (Photo Credit: Robert Castro)

The seventh annual ‘The Crush’ drew in artists from all corners of the globe, showcasing those with more traditional street art talent alongside those who err on experimental. With densely saturated pigment in the style of fauvist expressionism, neons akin to the city streetscape and urban jungle also serving as their canvas. Giving the artists a full week to complete their own masterpiece, the seven day stint gives us all fresh art to enjoy for a full 365 days. After the winter comes, leaving this year’s works weatherbeaten and shodden, the next Colorado Crush will inevitably roll through town, presenting artists another chance to perfect the Rino landscape. 

Denver Arts | Appreciating the Greatness of Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci was a man of many hats and a master of numerous skills. Aside from being an artist, he was an inventor, a mathematician, and a writer, among other pursuits. Works of art such as ‘The Last Supper’ and the world famous ‘Mona Lisa’ are considered timeless pieces that have influenced fellow geniuses of the past and continue to inspire countless artists up to this day.
It’s safe to say that Da Vinci is a bona fide Renaissance man. In other words, he was Tony Stark way before Stan Lee first penned the billionaire-slash-engineer-slash-playboy-slash-superhero Iron Man.
You know how great an artist is if his or her works still remain influential even to this day. So much so that even an online gaming platforms incorporate his likeness into their games. For instance, Spin Genie recently launched ‘Da Vinci Diamonds modeled after the famous painter. The popular game features some of his iconic creations including ‘The Lady with an Ermine’ and ‘Portrait of a Musician’. Even here in Denver, a city 5,419 miles away from his birthplace in Italy, people got to appreciate the immensity, the significance, and the beauty of his masterpieces – only this time in real life.

naplenews.com

Back in 2012, the Mile High City got a taste of Leonardo Da Vinci’s works when the traveling ‘Da Vinci Machines Exhibit’ made stop at the Denver Pavilions shopping center. The spacious bargain-hunting hub on the 16th Street Mall housed the loan from the Museum of Leonardo Da Vinci in Florence, Italy, and highlighted close to 70 handcrafted exhibits made by third-generation craftsmen. Every display was a replica built from Da Vinci’s 500-year-old designs, half of which were interactive.

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Just late last year, Denver also hosted the world premier of ‘Da Vinci & Michelangelo: Titans Side by Side Original Museum Theatre Performance’. The show ran from November 27, 2015 to the 3rd of January at the Glitter Dome Event Center in the RINO Arts District. It showcased a blend of a classic museum experience and a live state-of-the-art multimedia theatrical presentation. Like the abovementioned exhibit, this ‘Museum Theatre’ production was interactive, thanks to the enduring vehicles that took guests on a trip through the Italian Renaissance period. All in all, these are just simple testaments of Leonardo Da Vinci’s importance and popularity in the modern era. Though Denver may not be at the top of the list in terms of arts, culture, and lifestyle cities in America, it still knows how to value and put a stamp on greatness.

Denver Food+Wine | Too Much to Try, Too Little Time

Our weekend was overflowing with cocktails, fine wines, spirit samplings, and countless Colorado-based culinary creations. We only attended two of the five days' worth of the Denver Food + Wine events, and I am thankful we didn't commit to more as we were sauced by the 4pm close of Saturday's Grand Tasting. Before you accuse us of a low tolerance, let us explain the series of events.

Photo by Nick Adorni

Friday night was a cocktail competition where eleven local celebrity bartenders competed for guest's votes for the “Best Cocktail" in Denver. While the cocktails were sample-sized, they were unlimited until they ran out, which each bar/tender eventually did, and each one contained a different spirit, usually along with various liquors. So by the end of the night you had pretty much consumed everything on the market except beer. If you granted a bartender your "best cocktail" token, then you were rewarded with a full size beverage. It was a tough call for us between about three of the cocktails.

Friday's Shakedown event

There were also restaurants in attendance showcasing Southern-inspired bites vying for guest's tokens. It was a clear standout for us, and most others as it won the competition, with a bone-in short rib atop mashed potatoes and fried onions from Ted's Montana Grill. Between all of the cocktails and food samplings there was hardly time to rest or even walk to the restrooms across the way. There was also live music and tables available outside of the event tent, but no one really made it over there, too caught up in all the excitement (and body heat) inside. The night ended with all of the cocktails having ran dry and the announcement of the winners. "Best Cocktail" for the night was awarded to Shawn Williams of Bar Dough and his tequila+prosecco concoction.

A night's sleep and a needed lazy morning later it was our job to get back out there and drink more . . . over 700 wines and spirits to be exact, and also find room for food from forty Colorado restaurants. We weren't sure we were ready for all this and wanted to start slow and take it easy. But when we walked in there was an Absolute Vodka Bar with various full size cocktails, a Woody Creek Distillers tent with more handcrafted drinks, a Campari Tiki & Rum lounge, St. Germain's bar, AND a Patron Tequila lounge all luring us in with festive drinks, comfy couches and fun flair. It was seriously impossible to start slow.

The Grand Tasting was indeed grand in size, volume and variety. We couldn't make it to everything, and hardly had time to even relax in any of those nice lounges, because (and here's our main complaint) the event was only three hours! To give you an idea of its grand scale, there were multiple main tasting tents, two VIP tents, chef demos and seminars, and all the sponsored lounge bars with full cocktails. Another reason we couldn't make it into every tent and bar was you absolutely needed some restraint and a game plan as far as what you would be tasting in order to avoid a digestive disaster. We don’t know what method they used to arrange the participants within the tents, but we think it could have been better. We felt like if you were there to truly “Taste”, it was overwhelming and difficult to do so in a thoughtful manner. First off, there were just so many different varieties of wines to try, and on top of the unbelievable selection of wine, there were all the different types of spirits as well. Thus, you sort of stuck to a category because it was hard to keep switching taste palettes from tequila to sake to whiskey to vodka, then try throwing in a Red Zin and some sushi! It would have been smart and more approachable and enjoyable for guests if the restaurants/dishes were placed next to spirits or wines that would complement and if the wines would have had some added structural arrangement such as region or variety.

Photo by Nick Adorni

Now we're not ones to complain about how there was so much to choose from, we just wish there had been more time to immerse ourselves and soak it all in a bit better! So all that being said, we totally think it was worth the $125 price tag, and knowing it all goes to charity makes it an even easier ticket to purchase. Everyone went home with a new Riedel wine glass, thoroughly wined and dined, educated if that's what you'd aimed for, and not needing to spend any money (or even any more time awake depending on your BAC), once the event ended.

We wish we had taken some Resqwater home with us. . .

Tiffany Candelaria