My family flew down for a Denver visit packed full of sight seeing, beer tasting, restaurant exploring, firework gawking, and mountain driving. Truth be told, my first impressions from earlier this month of the downtown district was that it lacked a certain vibrance that Minneapolis and Madison seem to hold. However, after a few short days with Team Nuss I have gained a newfound appreciation for the area. For example, there are brick building flanked with painted advertisements that date back to the early 18th century; there are tap rooms and breweries pulled away from the hot sidewalks that are gorged with various beers by the barrel; there are small bike-repair shops and bookstores that have unadvertised coffee bars. Perhaps I was a bit quick to make my assumptions about the city. A few of my favorite memories from the weekend are shared in the pictures to follow...
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| Making the hot journey across Denver's concrete jungle to a watering hole. Hello refreshing beers at the Great Divide Brewery! |
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| Cheers to these wonderful urban explorers. It's a keeper. |
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| We went with the 3 for $3 samplers that were served in these fun glasses. In the end, I think we managed to sample each of their beers on tap, including ones that weren't listed on the menu. |
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| Brewery tour shenanigans... |
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| Drinking beer while learning about beer is probably the best way to approach brewery tours. Good thinking, Mickie. |
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| Who would have thought the brewers to be such creative artisans too. This is a funny picture we found hanging behind a door (I guess we were really paying attention to the tour guide). |
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| Joe joined us for dinner at one of our favorite Uptown restaurants. Joe and I found this place our first weekend to Denver and decided it would make a good first for the family as well. We got outdoor seating and stuff-yourself-silly grub. |
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| What are in those copper mugs that everyone seems to be drinking? Why, its a moscow mule of course! An oldie but a goodie that the mixologists at Steuben's brought back from the 50's. Apparently the copper mug keeps the lime zesty and the cocktail consists of vodka and ginger beer on ice. According to our server, this drink created a good way to use up excess ginger beer (a popular drink during prohibition) and the name comes from the common thought that vodka is a Russian product. We went with multiple straws so that everyone could get a taste. |
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| We spotted one of those rare, giant blue bears that roam wild in Denver. This one looks hungry... |
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| The Bike Doctor hooked us up with four bikes for the weekend. Walking would have made it too difficult to see everything we were hoping to see in the big city. We are on Wynkoop Street (Coor's Field in the background) trying to find some cold beer. It was another summer day in the 90's. Where was this heat coming from? |
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| The Falling Rock Tap House. We had high hopes from the internet reviews on this place, for example that they carry ~100 beers on tap daily. Maybe it was the heat but this place was even better than we could have imagined. We sat in unoccupied leather couches and watched the Rockies vs. Royals game with cool air and frosty, strong beer. |
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| Look! Dad is on TV!! |
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| More wild animals roaming the streets. Mike, pick on someone your own size will ya! |
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| Dinner at the Appaloosa Grill on 16th Street Mall. What a good looking crew. |
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| Fireworks show accompanied by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Having our bikes for this was awesome (no parking mess). Finding 3D glasses was even more awesome. |
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| Estes Park, Trail Ridge Road on Independence Day. You can't leave Colorado without experiencing the Rockies. |
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| We stopped for a late lunch in Lyons on our way to Boulder. It was a funky joint in a small town but I will recommend it to anyone I know going to the Estes area. They had massive portions and delicious beer (they brew Oskar Blues). I had a pint of "The Gubna" and this was probably my favorite beer of the weekend. Come to find out mid pint its about 10% alcohol... wow, food coma + altitude + strong beer = deep desire to nap. |
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| Mike finishing the massive stuffed burrito. In my opinion there should have been streamers and balloons, or at least a pat on the back from the waitress. Good thing mom got him this t-shirt that says, "Chub It" below the flying pig (referring to their "Old Chub" scotch ale). |
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| Taking a stroll down Old Pearl Street in Boulder. All of these adventures in three days... no wonder we were pooped out! Come back soon! |
Looking back, I can't really describe what exactly I thought Denver was missing. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the 16th Street Mall (the iconic main street connecting Civic Center Park to the Union Station) is flanked with commercial shops and restaurants, like the Cheesecake Factory and Forever 21. Where are the Denver originals? Where can I experience something unique to this downtown that I can't find in another metropolis? Market Street and Larimer Street, which cross 16th Street towards the north end, seemed to be teaming with unique dining spots and boutiques, but with a voracious cost! Wow. Does this make me a pessimist? Have I turned into a dining snob? Today I just read an article in the Westward magazine about Theo Adley, the chef at the Pinyon in Boulder, and it made me chuckle. He discussed this very issue with Denver's food scene:
"Being called "America's Foodiest Town" by Bon Appetit was the biggest disservice ever paid to the Boulder/Denver dining scene... I think the title has made us complacent. It made everyone feel so f***ing good comfy... Most people shop at farmers' markets to show off their dogs, not because they actually want to stock up on food..."
Maybe I wasn't crazy to think there should be more chefs like Theo. I scribbled "Pinyon" on my list of restaurants to try before the end of the year.
Other reviews from Denver "foodies" that may provide as a decent road map for an introduction to dining in the Mile High City.
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