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From providing care for adults and children with complications from COVID to addressing the needs of patients with lung, heart, immune and related diseases — our experts work within our communities and across the nation.
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Ranked #1 or #2 in Pulmonology on the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals list for 26 years.
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Easy access to coveted ingredients such as Rocky Mountain spring water and heirloom grain—and a thirsty populace—make Colorado a haven for spirit makers. We found 15 of the best tasting rooms in and around Denver, plus four inventive, destinationworthy sipping spots.
EDITED BY PATRICIA KAOWTHUMRONG
The future of energy is electrified homes and cars. Here’s how Coloradans can help save the planet—and a pile of money while they’re at it.
BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERANDenver’s iconic square is known for its historical charm and independent businesses, but a new ownership group has plans that could change the district from a mecca of local flavor to a plaza full of chains.
BY CHRIS WALKER
A ski camp with Alaskan vibes opens in the Centennial State.
How a Denver writer’s obsession with one of literature’s most infamous books led him down a rabbit hole of depravity, curses, and Ponzi schemes.
18
The beautiful game is even better looking when you’re a fan. Here’s a mile-high primer for the recently converted.
20
Colorado’s Girl Scouts score massive brownie points by building the organization’s first DreamLab.
22
Carla Ladd, the publisher behind Denver’s go-to directory of Black-owned businesses, previews her latest guide.
A
25
Ni Tuyo’s molcajetes are spicing up Denver’s Mexican food scene.
26 REVIEW
The thoughtfully crafted ramens and stir-fries at Dragonfly Noodle are worthy reasons to return to the 16th Street Mall.
BY ALLYSON REEDY
30 BUSINESS
Arapahoe Basin is making the experience of skiing and riding more enjoyable—and generating higher profit margins—by limiting the number of people on the slopes each day.
BY DEVON O’NEIL80
Single on Valentine’s Day? We asked nearly 200 Denverites how they found their partners to give you a statistical advantage for finding love.
With nationally ranked providers, leading-edge medical advances and personalized, compassionate care across hundreds of specialties, we don’t just provide expert healthcare. We provide peace of mind in knowing you’ve chosen the right care team for all the right reasons. Because at CU Medicine, we CU as more than a patient.
We CU as our #1 priority. Find a provider near you at CUmedicine.us.
» Winner, Colorado Agriculture Person of the Year and 2020 Colorado Craft Distiller of the Year.
» 2021 Gold Medal Winner for Environmental Sustainability by Partners for a Clean Environment.
» Finalist, 2022 Good Food Awards for our Original Dry Land Cactus Spirit.
Find us at DRYLANDDISTILLERS.COM and throughout the Front Range at specialty bottle shops.
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The happy blur of the teenage years makes pinpointing a date difficult, but the image is clear in my memory: I was standing at the corner of 14th and Larimer streets staring up at a full-size vintage Cadillac suspended over the entryway to a restaurant. As a 17- or 18-year-old visiting Denver from Atlanta, I didn’t know that Cadillac Ranch was a chain or that the building that housed it was erected in 1993 instead of the late 1800s, like many of the edifices on Larimer Square were. I didn’t know, and I didn’t care, because I was completely captivated by the blocklong throwback to the Mile High City’s early days.
Roughly 25 years later, Cadillac Ranch is gone (replaced by Tamayo in 2001), as are many of the other restaurants and retailers from the mid-1990s. Times change, after all. What hasn’t changed is that I—and many other Denverites—still find Larimer Square’s historical buildings, with their late-Victorian-era charm, incredibly alluring. But the appeal isn’t just the architecture; since the aughts, Larimer Square has been known for its strong contingent of locally owned, independent businesses. Soon that may no longer be the case.
5280 associate editor Chris Walker investigated the tack that new ownership group Asana Partners appears to be taking with Denver’s most iconic block in this month’s “Losing Larimer” (page 54). What he found is, by turns, disappointing, maddening, and potentially grounds for optimism. “So many of Larimer’s longtime small-business owners feel ignored and mistreated by Asana,” Walker says. “Yet Asana is investing in badly needed renovations and looking to bring in national businesses that could provide stability to the area. It’s complicated.”
Business deals worth $92.5 million usually are. Still, Asana’s lack of communication—including declining to be interviewed by 5280—isn’t winning it many friends among those who have long loved Larimer Square.
Going electric isn’t just for the uberrich anymore. Kwak-Hefferan’s “Power Surge” (page 46) explores how electrified cars and homes can help save the planet—without draining your bank account
“Denver is doing such cool things with EV car shares and e-bike libraries, particularly aimed at increasing access in a more equitable way.”
”Going electric is maybe the biggest thing individuals can do to help mitigate the climate crisis.”
“I now get unreasonably excited when I hear a friend’s furnace is dying. ‘Yes! Now you can get a heat pump!’ ”
Email: lindsey@5280.com Twitter: @linzbking
Get your nitro cold brew ready, zip into your Arc’teryx Cerium, and take your rescue pup on a spin through Chautauqua Park. Our insider’s guide to Boulder launches this month, complete with restaurant recommendations, adventure itineraries, and a comprehensive postpandemic Pearl Street hit list.
A ski camp with Alaskan vibes opens in the Centennial State.
Previously, if Coloradans wanted an expedition-style guided ski adventure, their best bet was to book a flight to the 49th state. Not anymore. Starting this month, Telluride-based guide service Mountain Trip will begin hosting guests at its new Bridal Veil Backcountry Ski Camp (from $925 for two nights). At 12,500 feet, the bivouac re-creates the company’s Alaskan base camps—including on Denali—in the San Juan Mountains, only with a bit of added luxury. Instead of lugging in your own shelter and overnight gear, helicopters fly in heated, double-walled tents (complete with insulated platforms for extra warmth), padded cots, and sleeping bags for each trip, and in lieu of freeze-dried gruel, you’ll refuel in the kitchen tent on chef-catered meals. But just because you’ll experience a slightly more cushy stay—which you’ll reach after a three- to four-hour ski traverse from Telluride Ski Resort’s backcountry gates—don’t expect the skiing to be any less epic. The Upper Bridal Veil Basin offers access to everything from mellow, low-angled lines to seriously steep couloirs, and the 4,000-foot descent back to town that caps off the trip requires navigating cliff bands, tree chutes, and other technical terrain.
—JEN MURPHY
How a Denver writer’s obsession with one of literature’s most infamous books led him down a rabbit hole of depravity, curses, and Ponzi schemes.
Some claim that a hex surrounds the Marquis de Sade’s unfinished erotic novel The 120 Days of Sodom. “Throughout history,” says Denver author Joel Warner, “the people who ended up taking the [original] scroll or tried to take the scroll have had some really horrible stuff happen to them,” including early deaths, lost fortunes, and legal troubles. So if something bad befalls Warner, you’ll know what to blame.
While Warner didn’t attempt to make the vulgar yet influential work his own, he certainly became obsessed with the scroll—and the tales that surround it—while researching his latest book, The Curse of the Marquis de Sade. Out on February 21, The Curse weaves together three stories. First is the history of the Marquis, including how the French nobleman penned the work in 1785 while jailed in Paris’ Bastille prison. Then there’s the book’s centurieslong journey across Europe as book collectors, sexologists, and others sought to possess it. Finally, there’s the scroll’s role in France’s largest alleged Ponzi scheme, in which manuscript dealer Gérard Lhéritier is said to have swindled around 18,000 people out of millions of euros in the early 2010s by persuading them to invest in rare manuscripts with the promise of spectacular returns.
Warner first heard about the scroll’s latest scandal from two friends who tried to visit Lhéritier’s Museum of Letters and Manuscripts only to find it closed while investigators removed boxes of evidence from the now-defunct Paris gallery. When they asked a cop what was happening, the policeman said it was related to “the Bernie Madoff of France.” Warner couldn’t shake the scene from his head, and as he dug deeper into 120 Days’ sordid past, a common theme emerged: how people become defined by the things they covet.
Warner admits he’s not exempt from that truism—only his fixations take a different form. “I’m gonna paraphrase my favorite writer, Susan Orlean: I don’t really have obsessions, so I get obsessed with other people’s obsessions,” he says. There were plenty of hurdles that tested Warner’s resolve during the eight years he worked on the story, from losing his first agent because she didn’t believe the book would sell to
canceling his final reporting trip to Europe due to COVID-19. “It was like being dead in the water,” he says of the latter. Luckily, he was able to find documents through other means, including using Google Translate to convince an employee at a German sex research archive to send him digitized versions of important letters. If all goes well, his good fortune will continue. “Hopefully, I won’t run afoul of the curse,” Warner says, “but who knows?”
Executive Chef Robbie Reyes brings sophistication with playfulness to the BDR menu. BDR offers a contemporary steakhouse atmosphere with an upscale mountain dining experience. Their family-style menu features a 45-ounce Wet Aged Tomahawk Ribeye, Bourbon Butter Poached Maine Lobster Tail, or a Community of Pumpkins dish to name a few. Reservations recommended. Dinner service Wednesday–Sunday starting at 2–9 p.m. *Restaurant is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Open Wednesday–Sunday from 2–9 p.m.
Every Sunday, guests are taken on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Breckenridge Distillery’s production facility. This abbreviated tour starts by tasting their awardwinning Breckenridge Vodka and Breckenridge Gin in their original production facility. Their expert guides will take guests on a one-hour tour and finish up the experience with a tasting of their Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey. Tours include a signature Glen Carin tasting glass. Reservations only.
Breckenridge Distillery offers guests a VIP experience during their After Hours Tours. Use your senses to experience the inner workings of how these hand-crafted spirits go from grain to bottle while learning about the history of whiskey and how the distillery was founded. Guests also can try spirits that have yet to be released to the public. Tours begin at 6:15 p.m. by reservation only.
If it’s edible, chances are Liquid Chef Billie Keithley has made a cocktail out of it. And that’s one of the reasons she loves working for the Distillery so much. Keithley
and Bar Manager Griffin Bovich are creating schnapps, shrubs, syrups and juices, among other fresh products, for every specialty cocktail. Popular menu staples include the Obi Wan Old Fashioned, made with Breckenridge Port Cask Whiskey.
5 THE FOUNDER’S
Nerd out with our distillers and become a master blender for a few magical hour. Guests will be taught to break down aggregate flavors while building a whiskey blend complete with mouth feel and finish. You will hand bottle your creation and complete the experience with a customized label.
If you just want to taste our spirits, book a High-end Flight where you can taste through some of the Distillery’s most sought-after spirits and other spirits that have not yet been released to the public (when available). Now open, reservations required.
After getting your turns in on the mountain, head to the Breckenridge Distillery for a newly extended Happy Hour available as soon as the restaurant opens. Enjoy crafted cocktail deals, small bites, and more! Make a Reservation. Happy Hour is served Wednesday–Sunday, 2– 5 p.m. *Restaurant is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Breckenridge Distillery offers one of the most highly awarded craft bourbons on the market and you can try it for free. Guests are offered two complimentary samples from a limited menu and have the option to upgrade their tasting to try Breckenridge Distillery’s high-end spirits high-end spirits. Tastings are available at the Main Street Tasting Room or the Breckenridge Distillery on Airport Road. First come, first serve basis starting daily at 11 a.m.
Dine in one of Breckenridge’s most intimate spaces, the Distillery’s Founder’s Lab. Parties of up to 30 people can reserve the private room featuring old barn wood and aging barrels, all while seated next to the Distillery’s production area. Book a reservation by emailing events@ breckenridgedistillery.com or fill out an inquiry on our website.
In the heart of downtown Breckenridge, get a taste of not only the Distillery’s spirits but also a taste of what the Breckenridge Distillery is all about. Enjoy complimentary tastings, upgraded tastings, Cask Finished Whiskey flights and, coming soon, a 15-year Barrel-aged Manhattan. Visit the Main Street Tasting Room at 137 S. Main St. in the Blue River Plaza. Open daily at 11 a.m.
If you can’t make it to Breckenridge, experience and enjoy Breckenridge Distillery’s award-winning spirits from home. Shop your local retailers or get home delivery. Mix up your favorite cocktails or share a glass neat with friends. Scan the QR code to learn more or get home delivery.
dropped Altitude Sports, the network that carries Rapids, Nuggets, and Avalanche games, over pricing. But this season, Major League Soccer is entering into a 10-year deal with Apple that will permit Apple TV subscribers to stream every league game live—no blackouts on account of disgruntled billionaires. $15 per month or $99 per season; $13 per month or $79 per season with Apple TV Plus
The beautiful game is even better looking when you’re a fan. Here’s a mile-high primer for the recently converted.
If the 2022 World Cup inspired a newfound love of soccer, we’ve got good news: Colorado has a professional team (they play in Commerce City, so you may not have heard of them), and its season starts February 26. The Colorado Rapids are coming off a down year in which they missed the playoffs, but the arrival of a potential star, the signing of a broadcast deal, and the expansion of an interleague competition with top Mexican teams make 2023 a great year to join the burgundy and blue faithful. —SPENCER CAMPBELL
Offseason acquisition Kévin Cabral comes to Colorado from the LA Galaxy—who wanted desperately to rid themselves of the Frenchman. The problem? Shortly after LA spent $6 million to acquire Cabral in 2021, the winger forgot how to
score. But the Rapids, who obtained Cabral at a bargain price, have a knack for reviving lost causes, and the 23-year-old possesses the talent to spark the team’s lackluster offense.
Rabid Rapids fans belong to Centennial 38, the team’s official supporters’ group. To become a member, sign up at c38sg.com. To become a real member, though, you’ll need to
buy tickets (you can do that on the website, too) with the rest of the 38, who sit in sections 108, 116, and 117 for home games at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. When the team is on the road, devotees congregate at the British Bulldog, a pub in Five Points that’s also a hub for fans of the English Premier League.
Subscribers to Comcast and DISH Network haven’t been able to watch Rapids games since August 2019, when the cable providers
Sad about the next World Cup taking nearly a presidential term to get here? And we mean here literally: The 2026 iteration will be hosted jointly by Mexico, Canada, and the United States. To whet your appetite for that tri-country collaboration, check out the newly revamped Leagues Cup. When the month-long tournament begins on July 21, it will be the first time all 47 teams from Liga MX, Mexico’s top league, and MLS, including its three Canadian franchises, face off.
The Rapids are regional rivals with Real Salt Lake (RSL), but the enmity between the two franchises goes beyond geography. In 2006, the teams battled in a heated contest that culminated with Colorado defender (and, amusingly, current RSL head coach) Pablo Mastroeni taking off his shirt, sticking it down his shorts, and getting into an argument on the field with RSL’s owner. Salt Lake has gotten the better of the Rapids since then, posting a 13-5 overall record in the Rocky Mountain Cup, which is awarded to the side with the better head-to-head record in the regular season. The Rapids will get a fresh chance at revenge when RSL comes to Denver on May 20.
Historically, Girl Scouts have met in borrowed spaces like libraries, parks, and church basements. So when Girl Scouts of Colorado sold a Larimer County property to the University of Denver for $11.3 million in October 2021, the beloved dealer of Do-si-dos knew what it wanted to do with the cash: build permanent digs for its troopers.
Dubbed DreamLab, the center opens in Lowry this month and will feature a climbing wall, podcast studio, and STEM laboratory. Troops located closest to the facility will use it for their weekly or biweekly meetups, and squads from across the state can visit whenever they like, including on days specifically set aside for their regions. The 4,000-square-foot building, whose renovations began this past summer, will also serve as a model for similar centers across the country.
This past October, philanthropist (and Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife) MacKenzie Scott donated nearly $85 million to the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, a large portion of which has been set aside specifically for DreamLabs. “We want to get this first one up and running and work out any kinks,” says Leanna Clark, chief executive of Girl Scouts of Colorado. So far, at least 12 regional councils have plans for their own versions, and Centennial State leaders want to use their $2.8 million share of Scott’s gift to help fund additional labs. “When people think of us, they probably think of cookies, and that’s great,” Clark says. “But we’re also about building the leaders of tomorrow. I know these centers will help.”
—BARBARA URZUA—BU
STEM education is a cornerstone of the Girl Scouts’ mission, which is why the Lowry center will feature a multidisciplinary lab for future engineers to explore chemistry, robotics, and coding. “I really like science and math and working with my hands,” says 12-year-old cadette Bianca Morris, “so I think it’ll be fun.”
The center’s main conference area is inspired by a typical scout camping trip: Girls can sit around a faux fire, and there’s even a giant tent for top-secret discussions. “Honestly, I think our adult staff is most excited about having meetings there,” Clark says.
According to Statista, 43 percent of Gen Z listens to podcasts each week. That’s why Clark hopes the recording booth will help keep scouts involved as they age. A show chronicling Colorado troopers’ scouting journeys, from what leadership skills they’re learning to the experiments they’ve conducted in the lab, is currently in the works.
Colorado’s Girl Scouts score massive brownie points by building the organization’s first DreamLab.
Creating the perfect Girl Scout base camp requires a lot more than sweet treats.
Carla Ladd, the publisher of Denver’s go-to directory of Black-owned businesses, previews her latest guide.
In the early 2000s, Carla Ladd found herself facing a secular crisis. “I needed to be around more people who look like me,” she says, “and the only place I was finding that was at church.” When Ladd searched for Blackowned businesses, however, she had trouble finding any—not because they didn’t exist, but because there was no easy way to locate them. Today, denverblackpages.com, the directory she launched in 2002, contains hundreds of listings that help countless people explore the metro area’s vibrant Black community.
Ladd added Little Black Book to her portfolio in 2019. The annual, free softcover guide goes beyond the website’s catalog of businesses and cultural events by also profiling entrepreneurs. Although intended in part for tourists to the Mile High City and older folks who don’t use the internet, the 2023 edition, which hits visitor centers, the airport, and other locations around Denver this month, boasts attractions even the most knowledgeable local will savor. —CHRIS WALKER
With island dishes such as braised oxtails, slow-cooked jerk chicken, and curried goat—all drawn from co-owner Elizabeth ThompsonBarrett’s 20 years of experience owning restaurants in Jamaica—it’s no shock that this northeast Denver eatery has developed a loyal following. What is surprising is how fast it happened: The joint only opened its doors two and a half years ago, during the height of the pandemic.
Denver DJ Kamau “Ktone’’ ChikuMartinez’s nonprofit charity hosts pop-up block parties every summer to build community in neighborhoods affected by youth violence. Last May, the foundation didn’t just crank the music; it also helped children learn how to play it. During the
inaugural Musik SoulChild Academy, 10 sixth- through ninth-graders from disenfranchised communities received free lessons from professional guitar instructors, and counselors guided them through group exercises on emotional intelligence and self-expression.
This Denver butcher is known for its eponymous spicy sausages, but when longtime fans Kwame and Mkale Warner and Walter and Melanie Davis bought the 87-year-old brand in 2018, they spiced things up by opening the company’s first-ever storefront on Colorado Boulevard and by introducing Hatch-chile-and-bacon-stuffed BoomBoom bratwursts. They also tempered Gold Star’s reputation for wicked heat with a virtuous business model: Since 2020, they’ve donated 10 percent of the company’s sales to local nonprofits.
RepresentedBy:
TieRRa MaR GalleRy 225 Canyon Rd, SanTa Fe, nM 87501 www.TieRRaMaRGalleRy.CoM
kaRenRoehl.CoM
The cielo mar y tierra molcajete bowl with chicken, shrimp, and steak
Ni Tuyo’s molcajetes are spicing up Denver’s Mexican food scene.
Pho. Gumbo. Chicken pot pie. This deep into winter, Coloradans are likely getting tired of the same old belly-warmers—making it a perfect time to visit Ni Tuyo in Bonnie Brae. In July, chef Silvia Andaya and the team behind South Broadway’s Adelitas Cocina y Cantina and La Doña Mezcaleria opened the chic eatery and mezcaleria, which specializes in meats and veggies stewed in flavor-packed sauces and served in piping hot volcanicrock molcajetes, aka mortars. Start with Mexican comforts such as tlacoyos—corn-based flatbreads topped with black beans, chorizo, a nopales (prickly pear cactus) salad, and queso fresco—then share one of the bubbling cauldrons (each feeds two to three). We’re partial to the mariscos, which marries a blend of mussels, tilapia, and shrimp with a rich butter and white wine sauce spiced with red pepper flakes, and the Ni Tuyo, whose rib-eye steak, chicken, longaniza (Spanish-style sausage), nopales, and melty panela cheese swim in a roasted tomatillo sauce. Any one of the five varieties, however, is sure to enliven your cold-weather cuisine routine. —RIANE MENARDI MORRISON
In 2010, Edwin Zoe opened Zoe Ma Ma for his mother, Anna. He hoped having a restaurant where she could cook the homestyle Taiwanese and Chinese foods she’d made for him growing up would help her cope with the recent loss of her husband. Anna could fuss over dumplings and braised beef soups, Edwin figured, instead of her son.
But Dragonfly Noodle—which launched in Boulder in May 2022 and opened a second location this past July on LoDo’s 16th Street Mall—is for Edwin. The elevated fast-casual eatery’s menu has everything he, and so many of us, love: steaming bowls of long-simmered ramen; slick, chewy, stir-fried noodles; and pillowy bao stuffed with seasoned meats and spicy sauces.
“Dragonfly is definitely driven by my belly,” says Zoe, who was a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for outstanding restaurateur for his two outposts of Zoe Ma Ma and now-defunct Chimera (which became the Boulder location of Dragonfly). “Coming out of the pandemic,” he says, “I wanted to focus on my core passion, which is noodles.”
1350 16th Street Mall dragonflynoodle.com
Rare-in-Denver fresh ramen noodles, affordably priced dishes, friendly service
In Denver, five versions of steamed buns—ranging from panko-breaded eggplant with Sriracha-ginger aïoli to spicy bulgogi with kimchi to hoisin-spiked roast duck—kick off the concise menu. The bao, about the size of your fist and folded taco-style, are fluffy and slightly sweet. The rich duck iteration is filled with crunchy shallots but wants for a crispier bird skin, while the Korean-style bulgogi—laced with julienne and cross-cut scallions, a zing of miso aïoli, and kicky fermented cabbage—is freshness on a plate.
DON’T MISS Spicy bulgogi bao; yaki udon with rib-eye; Miso Happy ramen
In the winter, though, I want the comfort and soulwarming properties found in ramen, especially when
the bowls are filled with Dragonfly’s house-made noodles. Zoe says he only knows of one other local restaurant (Sunnyside’s Ramen Star) that makes its own strands, possibly because of the expense of dough-making machines. With his Tokyo-sourced, $40,000 Yamato machine, Zoe crafts ramen noodles and then suspends them in one of two base broths. The miso-bonito, a mix of fermented miso paste and dried, shaved bonito fish, has a subtly smoky flavor, and the tonkotsu soup gains milkiness and meaty, hearty notes from pork bones boiled overnight.
The butter-poached Maine lobster rendition might be the most tempting, as the tail floats among cloud ear mushrooms, slick seaweed, a skein of freshmade noodles, and crunchy bean sprouts. You’ll taste the richness
for fear of encountering chunks of dried-out breast meat, but the mix of sweet and umami flavors in the organic sugar and tamari marinade, plus the smokiness from the grill, was something I’d happily eat by the skewerful.
Even though the yaki udon and Singapore noodle plates don’t feature house-made noodles (Edwin’s machine only produces ramen), they’re still worth ordering. The former comes with thinly sliced, melt-in-your-mouth rib-eye steak, seared at high heat and hit with yakitori sauce. The silky ribbons are so soft and slippery that you’ll be forced to slurp the carb-loaded goodness. The Singaporean dish— a web of threadlike rice noodles tossed in curry sauce with slivers of celery and carrots, scrambled egg, and a handful of giant shrimp—is light on the spice and delicious, but it didn’t leave me craving another bite quite like the udon.
in each bite, and at $29, you’ll pay for the indulgence. I actually preferred the simpler—and more budget-friendly—preparation found in the $12 Miso Happy ramen, which features the same accoutrements and miso-bonito broth as the lobster but is topped with super-tender, yakitori-grilled chicken thighs instead. I don’t typically get poultry in ramen
With all my bao and noodle desires sated, there was one area where I was left wanting: the environment. Dragonfly took over a space that previously housed fast-casual Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, but despite a radical renovation, you still order everything—including sake and soju-based cocktails—at a counter. Then eager and attentive servers deliver steaming bowls of goodness to tables in the bright dining area. I’ll admit I was a little confused by the hybrid, fast-casual-slash-dine-in model on my first visit and, honestly, I really didn’t love feasting on such thoughtfully made fare while facing the bussing station full of trash cans, dirty dishes, and empty beer bottles. I will say, however, that when I came with my kids for a second meal, I appreciated the quick-paced experience far more.
Zoe may have created Dragonfly with his preferences in mind, but it’s a restaurant with mass appeal. Highquality noodle-centric dishes, a focused menu, and mostly accessible prices make it pretty darn likable. Turns out, Dragonfly is a restaurant for everyone.
Coloradans are suckers for sake, the rice-based beverage that’s brewed similarly to beer but sips somewhere between a wine and a spirit. One piece of evidence? RiNo is home to one of only 20 sake breweries in the United States. “[People in] Denver are very much into the food scene, and they want to try new drinks,” says William Stewart, co-owner of five-yearold Colorado Sake Co. Once relegated to Japanese menus, sake can now be ordered at a variety of bars and restaurants across town. Here’s where to taste the spectrum. —AR
COLORADO SAKE CO. The state’s only sake brewery and tasting room, Colorado Sake Co. in RiNo produces 12 on-tap variations, including the herbaceous, serrano-pepper-spiced Green Machine and the Bee’s Knees, made with Grand Junction–sourced lavender. Last summer, the spot canned the world’s first sake seltzers, available in yuzu ginger, lime, blood orange, and mixed berry.
DEATH & CO Bartenders at this swanky lobby bar inside RiNo’s Ramble Hotel incorporate the Japanese beverage into cocktails. The Direct Flight (pictured), shaken with Tozai Snow Maiden junmai nigori sake, lemongrass sochu, lime, and maraschino liqueur, is a fan favorite.
GLO NOODLE HOUSE West Highland’s Glo Noodle House serves 20 different types of the fermented rice drink, so in order to try a few, we suggest ordering a flight. Adventurous quaffers should try the Fun & Funky lineup: four twoounce pours of hard-to-find sakes with unique flavor profiles such as a beefy, umami-heavy rendition and one flavored with yuzu, which gives it sweet and tart notes.
The snow crunches under Alan Henceroth’s feet as he clicks out of his bindings and starts to hike across a wind-swept slope at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. It’s 2 p.m. on a Friday in early November, and Henceroth, the chief operating officer of A-Basin, wants to check on the progress of the new Lenawee Express, a high-speed, detachable, six-person chairlift that is set to replace a fixed-grip triple. The $7 million upgrade will dramatically increase uphill capacity and cement A-Basin’s lift fleet as one of the most modern in North America—no small distinction for the 76-year-old anti-resort, whose A-frame lodge walls are dotted with black-and-white photos. “I think we’re really setting ourselves up for the long run with this thing,” Henceroth says, gazing through the lift terminal at the towering East Wall.
Henceroth, who turns 62 this month, has short white hair, a tan, clean-shaven face, and deep blue eyes. He is a diehard skier who started working as a ski patroller at A-Basin 34 years ago. His stoic demeanor comes from his father, a B-17 pilot in World War II who was shot down near Berlin and spent eight months in a German prisoner-of-war camp.
Henceroth grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and didn’t learn to ski until he was in middle school—and then only by taking Greyhound buses to Flagstaff on weekends.
In 1983, he moved to Colorado and started patrolling at Keystone, a gig that led to his career at nearby A-Basin. For four years, he lived with his wife and two young children in an apartment above the ticket windows. Since 2005 he’s been the ski area’s COO and face—guests often ask to take pictures with him—and he still skis A-Basin on his days off.
Replacing Lenawee is the latest upgrade in an almost twodecade run of improvements that have more than doubled A-Basin’s skiable area and that have cost tens of millions of dollars. Due to abundant summer rain and supply chain issues, the lift opening is running a couple of weeks behind schedule, and Henceroth has been putting off announcing the delay to the public on his popular daily blog. “I should probably break the news,” he says.
It’s been a busy day for Henceroth. He got to work at 6:45 a.m., skinned up to Black Mountain Lodge for breakfast alongside 120 paying guests, checked on a trail he hopes to open the following day, visited the snowmaking pump house, made
Arapahoe Basin is making the experience of skiing more enjoyable—and generating higher profits—by limiting the number of people on the slopes.
a quick stop at his office to answer emails and clean up, and then rushed to a luncheon in Silverthorne with the new Colorado president of Xcel Energy, a key partner in A-Basin’s quest for carbon neutrality by 2025. After lunch, Henceroth ducked inside to change back into his ski gear, then hopped on the only open lift, Black Mountain Express, to join me for an interview. At 4:30 p.m., he will ski down to his office in fading light, the last person on the hill.
“If this were 10 or 15 years ago, I probably would be freaked out,” he says of Lenawee’s delay. “I don’t get stressed that easily anymore. It’s more disappointed. I know people want it.”
Indeed, they do. A-Basin, a midsize, nofrills ski area on the Continental Divide, just had a record year, with February and March 2022 being the two most profitable months in its history. In many ways that was consistent with the ski business at large: Both the United States and Colorado set records for skier visits, and Vail Resorts reported its highest quarterly profit ever. But A-Basin’s success represented something else, too. Three years after it stunned the industry by leaving Vail’s vaunted Epic Pass—which delivered more than half of its customers—A-Basin
recorded 40 percent fewer guests last season, yet profits were up 20 percent.
At a time when ski resorts everywhere are struggling to manage capacity, when lift line videos are more likely to go viral than triple corks or face shots, A-Basin’s strategy serves as a contrarian model. An hour’s drive from millions of skiers along Colorado’s Front Range, in arguably the most competitive ski market in the world, A-Basin caps how many season passes it sells and cuts off lift ticket sales to avoid overcrowding. And, oh, yeah, it only recently got cell service.
FOUR YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE the Epic breakup was announced in February 2019. After failing to come to terms on a new contract, A-Basin, a mainstay on Vail Resorts’ season pass for 22 years, decided to leave—and in doing so, potentially concede hundreds of thousands of skier visits each year. “Obviously, they’re the biggest and most successful resort
company in the world,”Henceroth says. “A lot of people thought we were crazy for doing what we did. But we were going in opposite directions.”
To those who were paying attention, the defection wasn’t a huge surprise. A-Basin, aka The Legend, had been swarmed in recent seasons, largely due to the growth of the Epic Pass, which gave holders unlimited access to A-Basin. (No partner resort on the Epic Pass offers unlimited access now.) Its parking lots were full by 7 a.m. on weekends, turning the ability to ski there into a race. Irate guests were sent to park five miles west at Keystone, then shuttled back up U.S. 6—or, worse, turned away entirely after sitting in traffic for hours.
“It just grew and grew and grew,” says vice president of operations Peggy Hiller, who’s worked at A-Basin for more than 25 years.
“Our employees were barely hanging on with their fingernails every crazy day. There was no way to turn the spigot off.”
The ski area increased its staff to 550, trying to keep up with visitation. It added
468 acres of terrain with the ballyhooed Beavers/Steep Gullies expansion in 2018. But one could argue opening up more of the mountain only compounded the problem by attracting even more people. “I equate it to this: Say you’re a rock star coming out with a bunch of great records, and you’ve got a raging drug habit,” Henceroth says. “Yeah, things are good today, but eventually what you’re doing is going to destroy you.”
Arapahoe Basin had been founded in simpler times, in 1946, by 10th Mountain Division veteran Larry Jump and four others who’d been hired by the Denver Chamber of Commerce to explore potential ski area sites. Early on, no one cared that the lifts were slow and the lines were long—that was just the pace of the period.
By the early ’90s, Ralston Purina owned both A-Basin and Keystone, and it bought Breckenridge in 1993. Four years later, the company merged with Vail Resorts—formerly known as Vail Associates—which owned Vail and Beaver Creek. The consolidation, however, attracted scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, which decided Vail Resorts would have to spin off one of its five resorts lest it control too much of the market.
Vail chose to sell A-Basin, a fateful decision for both brands. After an eight-month search for buyers, a Canadian real estate company named Dundee Realty USA—now Dream Unlimited—purchased it. A-Basin’s scrappy employees celebrated and gave away lift tickets on opening day. For so long they’d felt neglected; the ski area had no marketing or human resources departments of its own. Finally, they were autonomous.
Sort of. As a way of boosting A-Basin’s profile, the Department of Justice mandated Vail Resorts include A-Basin on its season pass for five years. That started with a four-person buddy pass to Breckenridge, Keystone, and A-Basin for $750 (roughly $1,500 today). The next year, the company sold individual passes to the same three areas for $199. A-Basin’s inclusion on Vail’s season passes was a lifeline. “We would not have made it without that, I don’t think,” Hiller says.
Each time the contract came up for renewal, A-Basin re-signed. Skier visits increased. Henceroth, who’d gone from ski patrol director to head of mountain operations, oversaw multiple expansions in terrain and chairlifts. Montezuma Bowl’s 400 acres opened in 2008, increasing visits by 30 percent.
The Epic Pass debuted that same year for $579, offering unlimited skiing at Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, Heavenly (along Lake Tahoe), and, of course, A-Basin. (Up to then, most season passes were sold locally and priced such that it only made sense to buy if you were going to ski a lot—not the 10 days pass holders average now.) The 2018 Beavers expansion brought A-Basin’s size to 1,428 acres.
But when the contract with Vail came up again in 2019, the conversation had changed. No longer was the guaranteed revenue enough to justify the headaches that came with the partnership—which is why Henceroth and a small group of ski area leaders decided their only path forward was to end it.
SIX MONTHS AFTER PROCLAIMING IT was no longer Epic, A-Basin announced it was joining the upstart Ikon Pass, which includes such resorts as Aspen Snowmass, Steamboat, Copper, Winter Park, Alta, and Jackson Hole. (Ikon’s privately held parent company, Alterra Mountain Company, owns 15 of the 50 resorts on its pass, compared with Vail Resorts owning 41 of the 84 resorts on the Epic Pass.)
Ikon holders get up to seven days at A-Basin,
A family business with over 50 years of experience in the mattress industry.
They don’t make things like they used to. We do.
and the ski area is paid triple per guest what it used to receive for each Epic Pass visitor, which Henceroth would only say was “more than $10.” The higher margins, along with the steady stream of Ikon visitors (nearly half of A-Basin’s 375,000 visits last season came from Ikon), have shifted the equation.
A-Basin doesn’t require Ikon pass holders to make reservations, like Jackson Hole and Taos do to manage crowding, but A-Basin’s cap on season passes could be considered a more aggressive means of controlling capacity. This year, A-Basin further lowered that cap by 10 percent—a move intended to “make sure people were listening in a noisy market,” says marketing director Jesse True, who’s held leadership positions with Vail Resorts and Intrawest. “We’re serious about this. We’re taking a left when everyone else is going right.”
Not everyone, mind you. While A-Basin was reveling in its windfall, Loveland Ski Area COO Rob Goodell sat on the other side of the Continental Divide, watching the masses flock seven miles south. “We were jealous,” he says. Like A-Basin, Loveland can handle more people on its slopes than in its parking lots, part of the reason why it has
never joined one of the big passes, despite being asked, says Goodell, who declined to name which pass. “We are 40 minutes from the metro area,” he says. “We cringe to think, if we participated, what would happen on those days when we have a 14-inch storm and maybe the other side of the divide didn’t get it. That’s not the experience we want to offer.”
Goodell, who’s worked at Loveland for 30 of the 50 years it has been owned by Colorado’s Upham family, concedes it’s “risky” to be truly independent—and there is only so much one’s commitment can withstand. This year, both Loveland and A-Basin increased their minimum hourly wage to $20 to match Vail Resorts’ starting wage. Loveland had been at $15 just two years ago.
Although the U.S. ski industry’s 60.7 million visitors last year constituted a record, the number was less than one percent higher than the previous record of 60.5 million, set more than a decade earlier. (Colorado, home to 32 of the country’s 473 ski areas, notched 14 million visits, by far the most of any state.) The paltry growth over time, placed in the context of the public relations nightmare that last
year’s overcrowding brought to the sport, was a topic of conversation at the annual National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) convention in Nashville, Tennessee, last May. Vail Resorts executive chairperson of the board Rob Katz, in an acceptance speech while receiving NSAA’s Industry Impact Award, railed against an “anti-
growth narrative” and “growth NIMBYism,” or people opposing new participants because they want to keep the mountain to themselves:
“We can’t be an industry that thinks that if you grow barely one percent over 15 years, we’re growing too fast, right?”
This was a year after Vail Resorts discounted Epic Passes by 20 percent and sold 2.1 million in some form, an increase of 47 percent over the previous season and quadruple the total from five years earlier. In February, March, and April 2022, Vail brought in $372.6 million, a record for the quarter. This past December, Vail Resorts announced it had increased
A-Basin has changed the narrative, if not the industry.
its Epic Pass sales to 2.3 million. An Ikon Pass now costs $320 more than an Epic Pass ($1,179 compared to $859).
How each resort tackles capacity is still shaking out. Sun Valley, in Idaho, and Snowbasin, in Utah, left the Epic Pass last March, three years after joining. Then, like A-Basin, they signed on with Ikon. This year for the first time, Alta, also in Utah, is charging guests to park. Jackson Hole, which president Mary Kate Buckley says has been trying to decrease visits since 2018, sold out of lift tickets on 41 of 137 days last winter. Henceroth recently finished a two-year term as chair of NSAA’s board. “Every one of my peers who I talk to, the biggest thing they’re working on is how to deal with capacity,” he says. The question for resorts remains: How does the industry press forward without excluding new or nontraditional participants?
THE QUEST TO HIT A-BASIN’S visitation sweet spot starts with a weekly meeting. Every Tuesday, a small group of managers convenes to determine that week’s lift ticket strategy (A-Basin uses dynamic pricing that ramps up as the weekend nears), estimating how many season pass holders and Ikon visitors will show up, then adjusting from there. Day tickets are ultimately the lever the team pulls to control each day’s crowds. The goal is to hit 4,140 visitors each day— A-Basin’s Comfortable Carrying Capacity, or CCC—but not exceed it.
Roughly a quarter of the ski area’s guests have season passes, while another quarter buy lift tickets ranging in price from $59 to $189. They are far from inexpensive on the high end of that scale, but as Henceroth says, “We want people to come because they like it here, not just because it’s the cheapest pass around.”
The self-sustaining culture—such as when an employee made stickers to push back on newer visitors calling A-Basin “A-Bay” for short (“A BAY is a body of water surrounded by land on 3 sides”)—is part of why Henceroth feels so protective of the brand. He snakes the office toilet when it’s clogged, has been known to ride the free bus to work, and greets frontline employees by name. It’s hard to call the past four years formative, given the ski area’s lineage, but A-Basin has changed the narrative, if not the industry.
“The Vail partnership was our adolescence,” says Louis Skowyra, A-Basin’s director of lifts and slopes maintenance and one of Henceroth’s confidants. “It did us a lot of good, put us on the map, got us the volume to make all of these improvements. But at some point, you’ve got to spread your wings and fly.”
A-Basin’s corporate parent has made that possible. Toronto-based Dream, a publicly traded company with $17 billion in assets (almost triple Vail Resorts’ $6.28 billion), owns real estate all over the world, from boutique hotels to housing developments to industrial parks. But Dream only owns one ski area, and for years it’s put most of A-Basin’s profit back into infrastructure.
“I swear,” Skowyra says, “everything around here is new and different—the lifts,
the buildings, the restaurants, snowmaking, parking lots. But I often bump into people who say they haven’t skied here since the ’70s, and it still feels familiar to them.”
The secret is not quite as simple as remaining true to oneself, but it’s not far off. “We’re trying to be intentionally different,” Henceroth says, “because we are.” m
Easy access to coveted ingredients such as Rocky Mountain spring water and heirloom grain—and a thirsty populace—make Colorado a haven for spirit makers. Here, in no particular order, 15 of the best tasting rooms in and around Denver, plus four inventive, destination-worthy sipping spots.
EDITED BY PATRICIA KAOWTHUMRONG ◆ PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATT NAGER
Everything about four-yearold Dry Land Distillers feels like a love letter to the rugged landscape from which it derives many of its ingredients, starting with its downtown Longmont tasting room, where honeycolored wood slats, iron accents, and concrete countertops exude high-desert vibes. In fact, cofounder and distiller Nels Wroe is so dedicated to honoring the local turf that he sources native Colorado botanicals, including elderberry and juniper, for his gin and smokes prickly pear cacti (which grow wild in the West) over a wood fire to make an earthy spirit akin to mezcal. Try the latter in the Adobo Cactus, a well-balanced drink enlivened with house-made adobo-infused tonic, bitters, and lime. —Karyna Balch
TAKE IT HOME Starting this month, score a bottle of Barrel Zero heirloom wheat whiskey, a malted ancient grain liquor and the first barrel distilled in Dry Land’s expanded digs, which opened in July 2021. The namesake (think: patient zero) celebrates both the new space and the end of COVID-19 restrictions. $77
Inspired by the tradition of sharing stories over a belly-warming tipple, Scott Yeates opened Mythology Distillery in 2018 to create spirits worthy of the finest campfire lore. In just a few years—first with head distiller Scott Coburn, now with Chris Ritenour helming the custom copper still—the Highland-based operation has developed a well-decorated lineup of whiskey blends and signature distillations, including the dry Needle Pig gin and silver Feather Jester rum. True to its explorer ethos, Mythology has a staff of talented bartenders who are happy to improvise with concoctions catered to your curiosity at its mountain-chic tasting room. But if you’re indecisive, you can’t go wrong with a lavender gin fizz paired with a pretzel board. —Madi Skahill
TAKE IT HOME Eager for a one-of-a-kind beverage adventure? Try the Foragers gin, an annual summer release that features botanicals and herbs handplucked by Denver Botanic Gardens horticulturists. $35
When the pandemic made travel nearly impossible, Cindy and Kyle Pressman drank their way around the world from the safety of their couch. Out of all the styles the husband-and-wife duo tried, they were most enchanted by the refreshing Europeanstyle aperitif wines, though they craved a less cloying version. In 2020, that infatuation led the Pressmans to invent their own American aperitivi dubbed Atōst. The buzz-inducing elixirs (at 21 percent ABV, they’re just low enough for Atōst to technically qualify as a winery, not a distillery) are produced with fermented white wine and a California grape spirit infused with fruits, herbs, and botanicals. Try one of the four flagship flavors—Bloom (floral), Woods (oaky), Citrus (crisp), and Roots (herbaceous)—in Atōst’s tasting room in Golden, where you can also enjoy wine cocktails like the floral Shirley Rose. —Helen Xu
TAKE IT HOME In the springtime, look for the Lemon Lavender, a seasonal crowd-pleaser steeped with California lemons and woodsy purple buds, to use as a floral base for spritzes. $40
At 12-year-old Syntax Distillery in Greeley, head distiller Heather Bean and cocktail mix master Jeff Copeland deliver a variety of concoctions in a cozy bar and lounge housed in a repurposed, 115-yearold grain elevator. When you visit, look for Ginger, the distillery cat, and order the Red Leg, a tart refresher named for one of the historical building’s grain lifts, known in industry parlance as legs. The Red Leg features Syntax’s Crystal vodka, which Bean distills from local wheat in handmade column stills and purifies through carbon filters. The process results in a product so smooth that Bean likes to drink it neat. Until you can make the trip, use this recipe to make one at home. —Sarah Kuta
RED LEG
4 frozen Bing cherries
¾ ounce simple syrup
¾ ounce tart cherry juice
½ ounce fresh lime juice (about half of one lime)
1½ ounces Syntax Crystal vodka
In a cocktail shaker, muddle the cherries with simple syrup (adjust the amount depending on how sweet you like your drinks). Add the rest of the ingredients and ice. Then shake and pour everything into a rocks glass. Garnish with a thin lime wheel.
Located on an unremarkable stretch of South Acoma Street in the Overland neighborhood, Bear Creek Distillery looks like a century-old saloon dropped into a modern-day industrial business center. In reality, it was founded just more than eight years ago by a small group of friends and now produces a wide range of alcoholic beverages. From clear sippers such as silver rum, an assortment of vodkas (corn, rye, and wheat), and white whiskey (aka moonshine) to the hooch Don Draper once dubbed “big and brown,” like straight bourbon and rye whiskey, there’s something for almost everyone in Bear Creek’s small, warmly lit taproom. Pull up a chair and chat with the friendly, knowledgeable bartenders to figure out what you might want to sample; we suggest a flight (four half-ounce pours) so you can directly compare the flavors of various spirits. —Geoff Van Dyke
TAKE IT HOME You can find a solid straight bourbon just about anywhere these days, so why not add something a little different to your bar cart? We found the distillery’s wheat whiskey (made from organic whole wheat) to be less sweet than bourbon and slightly smoother than rye—although at 90 proof, it still delivers a boozy wallop. $50
At a pub in Galway while on their honeymoon in 2011, Meagan and Patrick Miller sampled Redbreast’s single pot still whiskey, an old style undergoing a revival in Ireland, and had a revelation: We should start a distillery Unlike most dewy-eyed dreamers, they actually did it, opening Talnua Distillery in Arvada in 2019. Their brown spirits follow Irish standards, because single pot still whiskey isn’t a regulated category in the United States. They’re made in a pot still (right), versus the more efficient column stills one usually sees, and use 50 percent raw barley and 50 percent malted, whereas most whiskeys use only the latter. To learn the full geopolitical backstory of the style—it involves tax evasion!—book a guided tasting and tour. Or simply try any of the handful of whiskeys (Talnua also makes pot still gin) to see if you can detect the velvety mouthfeel and spicy, earthy notes that are the hallmarks of this rare variety. —Jessica LaRusso
TAKE IT HOME Hold out for Talnua’s annual St. Patrick’s Day release (and massive party) next month: Olde Saint’s Keep is a single pot still whiskey aged in Madeira and cognac barrels. $100
As one of the first craft whiskey distillers in the country (and the first legal one in Colorado after Prohibition), Stranahan’s can easily be credited with jump-starting hooch mania in the Centennial State in 2004. Although the original owners sold to a New Jersey–based spirits company in 2010, operations and distribution remain mostly within our rectangular borders, and the Denver taproom is still a great spot to sip something smooth. Dressed in barrel tops, an antler chandelier, and all the distressed leather you could want, the handsome bar serves classics such as the Stranfather, an old fashioned made with Stranahan’s Original single malt, and the Mile High Mule, a gentle tipple of ginger beer and Blue Peak, a mellow whiskey. But the barkeeps are also happy to keep it simple with drams of pours only available in-house, like the SCW Staff Single Barrel. —Lindsey B. King
TAKE IT HOME The coveted Snowflake is an annual release of an American single malt that’s finished in barrels the head distiller sources from around the world before blending the contents together. This season’s resulting rare whiskey sold out within hours of its December debut, meaning supplies are likely nonexistent. So set a calendar reminder to snag next year’s edition. $120
The second rendition of the award-winning George Dickel and Leopold Bros. Collaboration Blend is a 100 proof mixture of the beloved Tennessee whiskey brand’s column-distilled rye and Leopold Bros.’ Three Chamber distilled rye. $110
Opened in 2014 by booze-crafting pioneer Todd Leopold and his engineering-minded brother Scott, this zero-waste facility in northeast Denver has one of North America’s few (and Colorado’s only) manual malting floors. That’s where the crew follows an ancient methodology of mashing and fermenting locally sourced grain low and slow. The Leopolds, 2020 James Beard Award finalists, also run a rare three-chamber still—the first of its kind to be used worldwide in more than 50 years—to transform the liquid gold into Leopold Bros.’ selection of nearly two dozen prized whiskeys, gins, vodkas, liqueurs, and amari. Watch the centuries-old process firsthand during a group tour, then head to the on-site bar and terrace to taste the results via a flight of five spirits or a pour of the coveted Three Chamber rye whiskey, whose aromas include hazelnut and stone fruits. —MS
Ballmer Peak’s spiced rum, twice distilled via a process that uses pure molasses, is steeped with Sichuan peppercorns, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon, all of which give it a warm yet crisp flavor perfect for mixing into a cable car cocktail. $29
Don’t judge three-year-old Ballmer Peak by its cover. Inside an unassuming warehouse in Lakewood, cofounders Eric Strom and Austin Adamson (who is also the head distiller) serve the suburb’ s finest gins, rums, vodkas, and whiskeys in a mingling-friendly tasting room furnished with booths and a patio. The cocktail menu has more than 30 options, including the Z-Word—a head-spinning concoction that combines three of the distillery’s core rums and two bitters—and the S’mores Old Fashioned, a quaffable take on the treat with graham-cracker-infused whiskey and marshmallow syrup. You can feel good about drinking these beverages, too, given Strom and Adamson’ s devotion to sustainability: Their distilling process was designed to conserve 400,000 gallons of water per year. —Barbara Urzua
Peach Street Distillers has been a grain-to-glass (and fruit-to-glass) distillery since it opened in downtown Palisade in 2005. “Working with our local farmers to turn their work into an elevated spirit form is why we chose to build our distillery in one of the best agricultural regions in the West,” head distiller Davy Lindig says. Below, a sampling of the Colorado-grown ingredients that make Peach Street’s spirits so enticing. SK
Juicy Clingstone, Freestone, Cresthaven, and Newhaven peaches grown at nearby Fuller Orchards are the foundation of Peach Street’s eau de vie, which means “water of life” in French. As the potent young spirit matures in lightly toasted French oak barrels, it transforms into a sumptuous fruit brandy.
Colorado wine lovers know the Grand Valley for its perfectly aligned rows of high-elevation grapes set against the picturesque backdrop of the Book Cliffs. The plump muscat clusters grown at Carlson Vineyards take center stage in Peach Street’s grappa, a popular Italian after-dinner liqueur that offers subtle hints of apricot and raisin.
Corn from Western Slope farmer Paul Young as well as rye and barley from the San Luis Valley’s Proximity Malt contribute sweet, slightly spicy flavors to Peach Street’s Colorado straight bourbon.
TAKE IT HOME Gould uses a small-batch production method that was popular during France’s late-19th-century belle epoque (known as the country’s golden age, when spirit sales tripled) to conjure his herbaceous 130 proof Redux absinthe. $82
To create his aged masterpieces, Golden Moon owner and distiller Stephen Gould spent much of his life researching vintage distilling processes, with a significant portion of that knowledge coming from rare books dating as far back as the 1500s. The fruits of his labor are 14-year-old Golden Moon’s 20-plus whiskeys, gins, and liqueurs, which you can imbibe in a speakeasy-inspired tasting room tucked in a downtown Golden alleyway. The candlelit, taxidermic-elk-studded venue—which also features weekly live music, from rock to bluegrass—is a fitting locale for watching mixologists prepare drinks such as the Edna Jensen, a sweet elixir made from absinthe, lime juice, and Golden Moon’s floral crème de violette. To see Gould’s mastery at work, book a tour of the distillery, located about four miles from the bar. —BU
Ironton’s Ponderosa gin—which has a floral and woody flavor profile, thanks to pine needles, sage, lavender, and rosemary from Ironton’s beautiful on-site gardens—has earned international accolades. $34
There’s a seat—and a spirit—for everyone at four-and-a-halfyear-old Ironton’s sprawling, topographic-map-adorned RiNo tasting room, which boasts a 10,000-square-foot patio lined with retired chairlifts, fire pits, and Adirondack chairs. Cofounder Kallyn Romero and head distiller Laura Walters helm a female-forward team that crafts spirits beyond the usual bourbons and single malts. Ironton’s Nordic Gold barrel-aged aquavit, for instance, is a rye-based drink laden with caraway, dill, anise, and fennel that’s stored in rye whiskey barrels for six months, yielding a straw yellow color and aromas of honey and toffee. Also look for the java liqueur, made with air-roasted beans from Denver’s Kaladi Coffee Roasters, among other aperitifs and digestifs. Seasonal cocktails—such as the rum mule topped with a pumpkin spice liqueur float—complement a roster of wood-fired pizzas, spent-grain garlic knots, and other elevated bar bites. —Riane Menardi Morrison
In 1998, Craig Engelhorn shared one of his homebrews with a friend named Dale Katechis in their tiny hometown of Lyons. While Katechis, the owner of newly opened Oskar Blues, used the recipe (with Engelhorn’s blessing) to begin making and distributing what became the brewery’s wildly popular flagship Dale’s Pale Ale, Engelhorn moved on to higher ABV offerings. He launched Lyons’ Spirit Hound Distillers with two others in 2011 and spent a few years creating rums, gins, and other clear liquors while waiting for his single malt whiskey to age. In 2015, he finally cut the product with Rocky Mountain water and began corking bottles, and today, Engelhorn produces nearly 300 barrels of Spirit Hound Straight Malt Whisky per year. At right, a look at how the second smash hit of Engelhorn’s beverage career is made.
—Maren HorjusElevation, in feet, of Alamosa, aka the Land of Cool Sunshine, where Spirit Hound sources its barley. “It sits in a bowl that can be just as cold and dry as Minnesota in winter,” Engelhorn says. “That makes for great grain.”
Miles the barley is driven north to Lyons.
Hours it takes to turn San Luis Valley grain into a mash.
1 Week the mash spends fermenting.
Hours the mash is distilled in two copper stills, which Engelhorn handmade in 2010. “If we need another, I’ll hire someone to pound the sheet metal this time,” he says.
Years, at a minimum, the fermented beverage needs to age to be classified as a straight malt whiskey.
Score Spirit Hound
Straight Malt Whisky
achieved at the 2022 London International Spirits Competition, where it won Whisky of the Year out of a pool of over 1,000 entries in the category.
Cost of a three-ounce pour at Spirit Hound’s cozy, English-pub-style tasting room, which is slated to expand its outdoor sipping area later this year.
Kraig Weaver hates reruns. For evidence, look no further than the rotating cocktail list at the Block Distilling Co., the RiNo operation he launched in 2017 with his wife, Michelle, and his brother and head distiller, Kameron. With the help of bar lead and creative director Melissa Ostrow (pictured), even evergreen cocktails such as the classic martini receive subtle makeovers— like the addition of fresh garnishes or different renditions of gin (the Weavers have four versions, one for each season)—to ensure no lineup is the same. What you can count on for your visit to the Block, however, is potions brightened with ingredients such as pistachio orgeat (a nutty syrup), sage-thyme honey, and salted plum. Thursday through Sunday, you can also expect stacked sandwiches, stuffed with the likes of decadent hot chicken or peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, courtesy of the This Is a Waffle Truck parked on-site. —PK
TAKE IT HOME After soaking with botanicals such as vanilla, pepper, bay leaf, and juniper and resting in unused whiskey barrels for more than six months, the Block’s Winter gin becomes a honey-kissed, hot-toddy-ready spirit. $43
Slink into this elegant LoHi establishment to sip elevated craft cocktails against a backdrop of low-slung, velvet-upholstered couches, vaulted ceilings, and cascading greenery. Perhaps the chicest distillery in town, five-year-old Family Jones has sophisticated spirits to match its decor—including the Annika Jones (vodka), Juniper Jones (gin), and Ella Jones (bourbon)—whose names nod to the kindred theme. The liquors are each bottled at less than 50 percent ABV, making them easy sippers and stellar foundations for house cocktails that are categorized as “bright and lifted” or “boozy and bold.” We like the Negroni 2.0, a variation on the classic made with gin, nonalcoholic Giffard aperitif syrup, triple sec, and Peychaud’s bitters. Pair your pour with a plate of burrata with peaches, tomatoes, and smoked almonds or the house-made focaccia with rosemary oil and compound butter. Happy hour, from 4 to 6 p.m. daily, provides the same fabulous experience for less outlay, with $5 well drinks and $2 off specialty cocktails. —RMM
TAKE IT HOME The Juniper Jones gin, which strikes a bitter-sweet balance between dry London varieties and botanical New World drams, is an iteration that appeals to connoisseurs and dabblers alike. $37
TAKE
Get the flagship fourgrain straight bourbon bottled in bond, a designation that means it was made in a single season by a single distiller and aged for at least four years (in Laws’ case, eight years) in a charred American oak barrel. $85
When former finance executive Al Laws set out to fulfill his lifelong dream of starting a distillery, he committed to producing great spirits and capturing Colorado’s terroir. To find out how he did it, take a 60-minute tour of Laws Whiskey House, a no-frills distillery that opened in Overland in 2011. The program highlights the heirloom grains that lend unique characteristics to Laws’ products: For example, the San Luis Valley rye crop used in the rye whiskey gives fresh, vegetal highlights to the golden liquid. You’ll also spot fermentation tanks left open to catch wild yeast in the air, which adds distinct notes of spices and dried fruits. At the session’s end, taste three of the flagship spirits—straight bourbon, rye whiskey, and wheat whiskey—and purchase pours in the shop and true tasting room (no mixers!), which is open Wednesday through Sunday for those who forgo the tour. —RMM
Mile High’s Elevate vodka is made with local corn instead of wheat, rice, or rye and distilled six times for an ultrasmooth flavor and finish. Bring your empty bottle back to the bar to receive a drink on the house. $20
This is not your father’s bourbon brand—and that’s precisely the point. Eleven-year-old Mile High Spirits prides itself on taking the stuffiness out of distilling while still achieving top-shelf taste. That tenet is evident in the company’s rotation of inventive cocktails, starring house-made infusions such as almond tequila and apple pie moonshine, and in the playful lineup of entertainment at its gigantic Five Points facility and tasting room. Enjoy a DJ set by the Bachelor franchise’s Blake Hortsmann or a rowdy round of bingo while sipping a barrel-finished Fireside Old Fashioned, which goes down so effortlessly many patrons opt to take the 80-proof potion to go ($30 for a 750-milliliter bottle). From Thursday through Sunday, grab a bite from food trucks outside to devour under a disco ball chandelier on the covered patio. —MS
Beans sourced from Central America by Denver’s Copper Door Coffee Roasters give the distillery’s Barista Spirits Americano—a solid foundation for espresso martinis and Irish coffees—characteristics of almond and sweet cream. $34
Like all good Coloradans, we enjoy the rustic, woodenrobed distillery aesthetic, but there’s something undeniably sexy about walking into six-year-old Deviation Distilling’s Dairy Block venue. Co-founders Cindi and Bob Wiley and Dave Gade (also head distiller) tapped local design firm Unum: Collaborative to make it feel more like an upscale lounge than an afterthought tasting room. While homages to Deviation’s function are evident in the constellation of gin-bottle lights hanging from the ceiling, the leather benches and plush, fire-pit-heated seating on the front patio create a date-night-ready haven that happens to have a splendid drink list. Flirt over a round of frothy, gin-forward Blood Orange Flips or pours of the butterscotch-scented Zin Finished bourbon. —PK
Since the Pullman Distillery opened in Frisco two years ago, guests have been able to linger over go-to cocktails such as whiskey sours and vodka tonics in a 280-square-foot 1881 rail car, where exposed wood beams, plush green velvet chairs, and damask floral wallpaper create a 19th-century ambience. Read on for an abridged history of the singular sipping spot. —RMM
1881: Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad Car No. 120 is built in Alamosa and spends most of the next seven decades carrying mail between Summit County and Denver.
1951: After being rebuilt in 1900 and 1926, the car is retired and later scrapped.
1988: The car is found, restored, and eventually parked on Frisco’s Main Street.
2009: Car No. 120 is moved into the Frisco Emporium building.
2010: Scott Pohlman opens Ein Prosit, a Bavarian beer hall, in the Frisco Emporium.
2021: Following eight months of restoration work, which included replacing the floor, Pohlman debuts a tasting room inside Car No. 120, where patrons can sample his new Pullman Distillery’s vodka, gin, agave spirit, and rye, bourbon, and single malt whiskeys, all made with spring water sourced from terrain between Arapahoe Basin and Keystone. m
BY ELISABETH KWAK-HEFFERAN ILLUSTRATIONS BY KATHLEEN FU
coming in how we heat our homes, power our toasters, cook our scrambled eggs, and drive from place to place. In fact, the transformation is already in its nascent stages in Colorado and the rest of the country. It will have a profound impact on the planet we call home, but in day-to-day life, we’ll hardly notice a difference— except to appreciate cheaper bills and zippier acceleration in our cars.
The changeover we’re talking about is beneficial electrification, or “moving from traditionally fossil-fuel-powered devices to their electric counterparts,” says Kyri Baker, a University of Colorado Boulder professor and fellow at CU’s Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, a research and education organization partnered with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. That means weaning ourselves off internal combustion vehicle engines and gas furnaces, boilers, water heaters, fireplaces, dryers, and stoves in favor of fully electric vehicles (EVs), air-source heat pumps, water heaters, and cooktops—and the more clean energy we generate from solar panels to run them, the better. “Electrification is really the biggest thing we can do to drive down emissions as quickly as we need to in order to avoid the worst of the climate catastrophe,” says Gina McCrackin, climate action collaborative manager for the Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon, an environmental education and sustainability nonprofit. “It’s a massive deal.”
That’s not to say electric devices aren’t responsible for any carbon emissions: A decent chunk of the electrons on Colorado’s grid right now come from burning fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal on the utility level, so electricity itself still has a footprint. But the juice coming out of your outlets is greener than you might think, and it’s getting more eco-friendly every year. In fact, Colorado and the state’s major electric utilities have committed to dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels in favor of solar, wind, hydropower, and battery storage. By 2030, Xcel Energy plans to be using 80 percent renewable energy, and Holy Cross Energy, a smaller utility on the Western Slope, has pledged to produce 100 percent clean energy by the same year. This kind of rapid drawdown on climate-warming fossil fuels is exactly what experts say is necessary to mitigate the climate crisis.
But in order to make beneficial electrification, well, beneficial, we must begin to swap out our fossil-fuel guzzlers now. Fortunately, the conversion doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive or difficult. The biggest-ticket consumer items—electric vehicles, solar panels, and heat pumps—generally do involve a significant upfront investment, but they pay off in lower energy bills that save money over the lives of the devices. Plus, plenty of incentives—offered by entities such as the federal government and your local utility—exist to help people afford the switch. Last year’s federal Inflation Reduction Act is the flashiest option, offering major tax breaks for upgrading to electrified items starting this year, but policies at the state and local levels also chip in tax credits and rebates worth thousands of dollars. Most important, “individual action can change the market,” says Diego Betts, energy programs coordinator at Walking Mountains Science Center. “The more people who want to electrify, the more businesses will respond with more and better and cheaper electric options.”
So, the question isn’t “Why electrify?” It’s “Where to begin?” Fortunately, we can help with that.
I can only afford one large purchase right now—which one would have the biggest impact?
Your current furnace or baseboard heaters and/or central AC need to be replaced.
You want to put in central AC where it didn’t exist before.
You’d be replacing an ancient gas guzzler.
You drive a lot.
Lower-impact transportation, like biking and public transit, isn’t available or practical for you.
You own a single-family home.
You want to reduce your tax liability.
Your home has a heavy electrical load and you want lower bills.
You’d have to be a real HVAC nerd to get excited about heat pumps (which is too bad, because they represent some nifty technology). But no matter: You don’t need to study airflow diagrams to appreciate this upstart on the home heating and cooling market. These ultra-efficient electric units pull outside heat into your home during the winter—yep, even when it’s very cold out— and cool your home’s hot air in the summer. Like a standard air conditioner that also works in reverse, heat pumps use refrigerant coils to absorb heat and transfer it either inside or outside your home. Because they’re moving heat and not creating it, heat pumps use much less energy than a conventional system.
Air-source heat pumps come in two main styles: ducted and ductless, the latter of which are often called mini-splits. Ducted heat pumps “are essentially like having a central furnace,” says Neil Kolwey, director of the Beneficial Electrification League of Colorado. “Instead of having gas burners down there, you have the heat exchanger from the heat pump putting warm air into the fan system and blowing it through the house.” Mini-splits, best for spaces without pre-existing ductwork, consist of an outdoor condenser unit and one or more mounted heads inside a home that recirculate air.
The minimum expected reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the typical existing home in Colorado after installing a heat pump
Percentage of Colorado homes with air-source heat pumps in 2022
Switch: Installed a heat pump in September 2022
Prep Work: Seek out multiple bids. “The quotes we got were all over the place. Shopping around is really important, because heat pumps aren’t as established as gas furnaces. Some HVAC companies are hesitant to make the switch.” Note: Loveelectric.org maintains a list of installers who have experience with heat pumps.
More than other electrification initiatives, heat pumps have attracted tons of incentives, some of which are income-dependent. Take this sample bill for a cold-climate-specific heat pump system for a Denver resident who makes $51,000.
(Colorado’s 2.9 percent sales tax is not applied to such purchases.)
–$2,000
The Inflation Reduction Act’s federal tax credit is 30 percent of the system cost, up to $2,000. Mental note: If you don’t owe that much in taxes, you will not be able to enjoy this credit and will not get a refund, though any remainder credit will roll over into the next tax year.
–$8,000
Amount you’ll save annually if you replace propane heat with a heat pump. The annual savings for changing out electric resistance heating (e.g. baseboard heaters) is about $459.
Electrification doesn’t stop at heating and cooling. Check out these three other eco-friendly appliances.
Heat pump water heater. After an air-source heat pump, this has the next-biggest impact on your carbon footprint, reducing emissions by 60 to 70 percent versus an electric or propane water heater and 50 percent versus a natural gas version. Money back: up to $1,750 in upfront discounts* and up to $2,000 as a federal tax credit,* plus some utility rebates.
Induction stove. Not only are these electric appliances quicker and more efficient than their gas counterparts, but they also eliminate gas’ indoor air pollution, which can have adverse health effects. You’ll need specific pots and pans—iron or certain stainless steel—but discounts and rebates will likely cover those. Money back: up to $840 in upfront discounts,* plus some utility rebates.
Heat pump clothes dryer. These devices reuse heat rather than venting it, cutting emissions by about 28 percent. Money back: up to $840 in upfront discounts,* plus some utility rebates.
*Income caps apply.
If your income falls between 80 percent and 150 percent of your area’s median income, the federal High-Efficiency Electric Home Rebate Act covers half the cost up to $8,000. If your income falls under 80 percent, the act covers the whole cost, up to $8,000. These funds will be disbursed by the states and are expected to become available in the second half of 2023.
–$1,800
Colorado offers a 10 percent tax credit.
–$1,000
Xcel Energy offers a rebate (up to $1,000) if your unit meets certain specs and is installed by a partner contractor.
*Also, Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency plans to offer an additional heat pump rebate; at press time, the 2023 amount had not been determined. Visit denvergov.org for updates. Residents of some other communities qualify for other rebates. Aspenites, for example, can get another $2,500 back through the Community Office for Resource Efficiency, and Walking Mountains Science Center gives rebates to Eagle Valley dwellers
Electric vehicles, or EVs, aren’t exactly new; the first EV hit U.S. streets in the late 19th century, and allelectric cars and plug-in hybrids have been widely available since the early 2010s. But EVs seem poised for their big break: Coloradans registered more than 20,000 EVs in 2021, a 205 percent increase from just three years earlier, and that was before the federal government beefed up incentives and pledged billions for charging infrastructure in 2022.
Still, most consumers have questions. How far will EVs go? Newer, battery-powered EVs can go a median range of more than 250 miles without plugging in. How do they drive? Just like an internal combustion car—except you skip the gas station in favor of a charging station, often your garage (see “Charge It Up” ). Avoiding Conoco alone makes EVs cheaper to run, but they also require less maintenance than gas cars. According to a 2022 report from the Zero Emission Transportation Association, a gas car costs three to five times more than an EV per mile.
And they’re much greener. “Even if it’s operated on the dirtiest coal grid,” says Bonnie Trowbridge, executive director of Drive Clean Colorado, “an EV is always going to be cleaner than a gas vehicle.” Xcel Energy reports that an EV charged on its grid today produces half as much carbon as a gas car—a number that’s projected to plummet to 85 percent less by 2030.
There are two main types of chargers that can be used in homes. (A third type, direct current fast chargers and Tesla Superchargers, are primarily found in public charging stations along major roads.)
Plugs into the vehicle and a standard 120-volt outlet
Generally comes standard with an EV
Adds about four to five miles of range per hour of charging; depending on the EV, you’ll need 12 to 24 hours to fully recharge an EV
Usually sufficient for everyday driving—roughly 50 miles a day—especially if you recharge overnight
Plugs into the vehicle and a 240-volt outlet (the type a clothes dryer uses)
Costs $200 to $700-plus
You may need to install new electrical wiring if you don’t already have the proper outlet in your garage (up to $1,500)
Adds 20 to 30 miles of range per hour of charging and takes up to 10 hours to fully recharge Great if you do lots of daily driving and for peace of mind that you’ll always have enough range to get where you’re going
Optimal range at which to keep an EV charged. It’s OK to charge fully occasionally, like for road trips, but frequent swings from low charge to high charge strain the battery.
You can make an EV work even without a dedicated garage with an outlet, says Grace Rink, executive director for Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency. “Most people think that if you have an EV, you need to be able to plug in at home,” she says. “But there are lots—lots—of public charging stations. And most of the time, you don’t need to plug in every night. Drivers can identify the closest charging stations to their residences, workplaces, or other places they go frequently.” Rink says it’s really just about doing a little bit of planning ahead. For example, she suggests this mindset: I’m going to be at the movies for two hours—I’ll plug in there, and I’ll be topped off for the next three days. More public direct current fast chargers are coming online, too, which are quick in comparison (at 20 to 40 minutes), making them “like going to the gas station,” Trowbridge says. ReCharge Colorado, run by the state energy office, has coaches who can help your landlord apply for grants to install a charging station at your apartment or condo complex.
Colorado’s rank among U.S. states for the most EV chargers per capita
Mike McLaughlin 57, Nederland
Switch: Bought a Rivian R1T in July 2022
Prep Work: Research independent reviews from places such as Car and Driver. “From a performance standpoint, there’s always a concern about a first-generation product. What helped me overcome that was, early on, there were fantastic reviews across the board.
The truck is a bit of a rocket ship to ride in. The one missing feature is that they need a sound effect of Han Solo going at lightspeed.”
EVs are getting more affordable. The federal government, courtesy of last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, offers a tax credit of up to $7,500 for qualifying new EVs (criteria include cost and where critical components are made, plus your income) and up to $4,000 on used ones. In addition, Colorado chips in a tax credit of $2,000 for new EVs. Check with your electric utility, too—some, such as Xcel Energy and San Isabel Electric, offer rebates to certain customers.
68 , 652
EVs registered in Colorado as of December 7, 2022
The federal government offers a tax credit up to $1,000; when funding is available, the city of Denver adds a rebate up to $1,000; and a number of utilities give rebates.
Check driveelectriccolorado.org for details.
Last year, my husband and I decided we wanted an EV. As parents alarmed about the climate-changed world our kids are growing up in, it seemed like the responsible thing to do. There was just one problem: A battery-powered vehicle with the range, cargo space, and all-wheel-drive to replace our Subaru Outback was way out of our price range. So, we cured our EV fever by keeping the gas car and adding a used 2012 Nissan Leaf as our second vehicle. With a max range of 70 miles and little space for skis, it can’t carry us on our far-flung weekend excursions, but its $8,500 price tag was much more manageable than, say, a new Subaru Solterra. Experts say this two-car plan can be a great transition into EVs, especially right now, as charging infrastructure and car technology are still improving. “We know that the majority of households in Denver have two vehicles,” Rink says. “I would encourage folks to take a look at their driving needs. If they don’t actually need to drive two vehicles a long distance most of the time, I think an EV would be a very workable option.”
It has been for us. After a year of cruising around town for preschool drop-offs, grocery store runs, and trips to the library, we found we were using the Leaf 90 percent of the time. The Outback still took us farther afield, but even then we’d go months between gas station visits (a perk made sweeter by spiking gas prices). In a few years, as more chargers pop up and
prices drop, we plan to go all-in on a newer EV with better range. Till then, you’ll find us in the Leaf. —EKH
Just a decade ago, transforming sunbeams into electricity was an extremely expensive way to get power on both the utility and residential levels. Now, thanks to huge gains in scale efficiency helped along by pro-solar policies, solar is consistently the cheapest method (along with wind) for squeezing voltage from nature when sourcing new power generation. Plus, the Golden-based National Renewable Energy Laboratory says the cost to install a home system has fallen 64 percent since 2010.
All of that means homeowners in Colorado now have a great opportunity to harness the state’s purported 300-plus days of annual sunshine. That number, says John Bringenberg, board president of New Energy Colorado, a nonprofit that promotes renewable energy, happens to be true (or close enough!) and gives the Centennial State a fantastic climate for exploiting the power of the sun. Plus, plugging into solar doesn’t have to be difficult; you don’t even need to install panels on your own home to do so (see “Wait, What If I Live In An Apartment…”). If you do decide to solarize your roof, however, you’ll likely generate more than enough daily juice to run your lights, laptops, and clothes dryer. We’ll concede that solar panels alter the aesthetics of your cute Victorian, but their benefits ought to inspire appreciation for the space-age touch they add to your roof.
The total bill for a home solar system in Colorado will vary depending on the style of panels you choose and the size of your array, but New Energy Colorado’s Bringenberg says the ballpark cost is $18,000 to $30,000 before incentives. Expect it to take eight to 12 years to recoup your investment in energy savings—faster if your utility increases electricity prices over the years—and for your system to last 30 years or more. “Even if it is a slow payback, not doing solar has zero return on investment,” Bringenberg says. Low-interest solar loans—such as the Residential Energy Upgrade loans available from the green bank Colorado Clean Energy Fund—can help make that investment more manageable.
A policy called net metering further takes the financial sting out of a solar installation. Set up by the installer, net metering ties your solar system to the electrical grid, so that when you’re producing more energy than you’re using, you allow it to be used by other energy customers and the utility charges them for that juice. The utility then credits your solar bank (essentially your account), and when it’s cloudy or dark, you draw free power from the grid until your credits run out, at which point you’d pay the utility for that electricity.
In Colorado, the sun shines on both homeowners and renters alike, thanks to a very cool decade-old scheme called community solar. “[Community solar] allows people an opportunity to participate in solar and receive money, even if they can’t host the system themselves,” says Kevin Cray, the Mountain West regional director for the Coalition for Community Solar Access, a national business trade organization that promotes community solar projects. Instead, you subscribe to a centrally located solar array somewhere in your area; the project must be partnered up with your utility. In return, you can typically get 10 to 15 percent off your electric bill. As of November, there were 6,527 residential subscriptions with Xcel Energy–backed projects (the vast majority of the state’s options). Black Hills Energy also offers community solar to its customers south and southeast of Colorado Springs, and a few other small utilities may do the same, so check with your provider.
Even if you do own your roof, it might not be optimally positioned for solar panels. Or it could be too shaded by that old cottonwood. No worries: A roof isn’t the only place for panels. If you have an acre or more of land, a ground-mounted solar system could make sense, Bringenberg says. A stand-alone carport or garage can also host your array—and, bonus, keep ice off your windshield, too.
Colorado’s rank among U.S. states for solar installations
Amount of the state’s electricity that comes from solar
Switch: Installed solar panels in 2018 (he also has a heat pump)
Prep Work: Tighten up your home first. “We sealed every crack in the lumber, windows, and doors. That’s the first thing everyone should do. Then we put solar panels in and dropped our electric bill down to the absolute minimum.”
Thank the Inflation Reduction Act once again for a tax credit good for 30 percent of the cost of a new solar system.
Some community nonprofits (including in Pitkin and Summit counties and in the Eagle Valley) also provide rebates up to $2,500; check energysmart colorado.com for details.
Holy Cross Energy customers can apply for an additional rebate of up to $3,400
The city of Denver kicks in $8,000 rebates for people making less than 100 percent of the local median income, which is $82,100 for one person and $117,200 for a household of four.
If you’re not that into poring over the details of kilowatt-hours or microinverters—that is, like most of us—then a solar co-op could be your jam. Here’s how it works: Interested homeowners sign up with a local co-op during its enrollment period. It’s free, there’s no obligation to purchase, and the co-op does all the work recruiting more members and negotiating prices and terms with a number of vetted solar installers. A committee of co-op members chooses the winning installer, who then provides customized proposals tailored to members’ household needs, usually with a significant savings due to the power of bulk buying. “It streamlines the process of going solar,” says Bryce Carter, until recently the Colorado program director for the nonprofit Solar United Neighbors, which facilitates solar co-ops across the state. “We’re able to help folks, answer questions, and address any technical issues.” Find your local co-op at solarunitedneighbors.org/colorado.
Xcel Energy is rolling out time-of-use (TOU) rates in Colorado from now through 2025, which means electricity will be pricier during the periods of highest demand (afternoons and early evenings) and cheaper in the nights and mornings. When the TOU program rolls out for solar homes later this year, it’ll be a boon: You’ll generate your own power as the sun shines during peak rates and draw from the grid when prices are lowest. m
Denver’s iconic square is known for its historical charm and independent businesses, but a new ownership group has plans that could change the district from a mecca of local flavor to a plaza full of chains.
BY CHRIS WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY BY FERNANDO GOMES
During the night, a fire had broken out in the building and burned a neighboring business’ interior before firefighters were able to douse the flames at 3:36 a.m. But now, Veronica told her husband, the inside of Victoriana Antique and Fine Jewelry, the couple’s boutique specializing in 19th- and 20th-century estate and designer jewelry, smelled heavily of smoke.
The couple’s insurance company would eventually value the smoke damage in the shop at $60,000, but upon reaching the store that day, Prebble’s first instinct wasn’t to call his insurer; he wanted to get ahold of his property manager to find out why he hadn’t been alerted about the fire. By 10:30 a.m., no one from Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL)—the multinational corporation that now manages Larimer Square—had contacted him. When Prebble finally reached someone, the property manager said JLL was aware of the fire and had been trying to contact all affected Larimer Square tenants, including the owner of Victoriana.
“I said, ‘I’m the fucking tenant!’ ” Prebble says.
He was incredulous—especially after verifying that Larimer Square’s security office had his emergency contact information on file. On top of that, there was only one other tenant who operated a business adjacent to where the blaze had broken out. How difficult could it have been for anyone at JLL to reach him?
The more Prebble thought about it, though, the more he realized he shouldn’t have expected a high level of client care: In nearly five months, no one from JLL, nor the North Carolina–based investment firm Asana Partners, which had purchased Larimer Square for $92.5 million in December 2020 and hired JLL to be its property manager, had stepped into his shop to introduce themselves. He might not have
noticed the inattention, Prebble says, had Larimer Square’s previous landlords and property managers not been so personable and communicative during the roughly two decades he and Veronica had operated Victoriana along the block.
Prebble says he’d had an inkling that the absentee style of management did not bode well for shops like his. The fire bolstered that belief. Grumbling among tenants that Asana Partners had been avoiding discussions about renewing leases or, in other cases, asking for rents that were as much as double what tenants had been paying didn’t inspire confidence, either. But not even Prebble imagined that, in the coming year, things would get so bad between him and the new owners that he’d decide to leave Denver’s storied shopping district—and that he wouldn’t be the only one to do so.
LARIMER SQUARE WAS Denver’s first commercial block and even housed the first City Hall before a flood washed the building away in 1864. Over the past century, the stretch of Larimer Street between 14th and 15th streets has gone through as many booms and busts as greater Denver has—including a period in the mid-1950s when Larimer Street developed a reputation for seedy flophouses, giving the Denver Urban Renewal Authority justification to target the block for demolition. In a forward-thinking business move that’s been cemented into modern Denver lore, developer Dana Crawford and her husband, John, pulled together a group of investors to create Larimer Square Associates in 1963 and, by buying all the buildings on the block, ultimately saved them from the wrecking ball. Crawford’s vision transformed the block. Inspired by preservation projects in St. Louis’ Gaslight Square and San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square, in the spring of 1965 she began hiring local brick- and stonemasons, woodworkers, and other craftsmen to renovate the insides of 23 brick structures constructed between 1875 and 1900. Crawford then populated the buildings with a variety of tenants—restaurants, retail shops, galleries, and boutiques, plus offices on the upper floors. Larimer Square’s revival helped bolster a national preservation movement, and within two decades, the area emerged as one of the defining attractions of the Mile High City—and remained so even after Crawford’s investment group sold it for $14.5 million to San Diego–based developer Hahn Company in 1986. Today, it’s difficult to imagine downtown without the iconic anchor, a stately shopping and dining district illuminated by overhead strings of twinkling Edison bulbs.
But the romantic atmosphere and chic window displays belie a threatening reality: Larimer’s buildings have grown tired and creaky. The rear half of the 143-year-old Sussex Building, at 1426 to 1430 Larimer Street, is slowly sinking. The mortar in many of the structures’ brick facades is crumbling. And, up and down the block, the architectural relics are outfitted with outdated electrical wiring and inefficient heating and cooling infrastructure. The whole block is in need of significant repairs—up to $60 million worth, according to a previous manager of the square.
Realizing this need, in 2018 then Larimer Square owner and Colorado resident Jeff Hermanson (who acquired the property from Hahn in 1993) and a company he brought on to help manage it, Urban Villages, announced a proposal to tackle those renovations while also attaching additions to the backs of some of the buildings—essentially lopping off their rear ends and erecting glassy, high-rise apartments and office spaces that would loom over the street. Raising capital for the additions would have paid for the repairs, but because Larimer Square is a designated historical district, Hermanson first needed design approval from the city.
The proposal fizzled. Preservationists and nonprofits, including Historic Denver, an organization Crawford co-founded in 1970, successfully
argued against Hermanson’s plan, saying it went too far in changing the historical character of the area. Then, when the pandemic hit in March 2020, all renovation plans were placed on hold as Hermanson reduced rents and worked to keep tenants—particularly the locally owned businesses he’d brought to the square—solvent in the face of stay-at-home orders and decreased foot traffic.
Many Larimer Square shopkeepers had speculated that Hermanson (who declined to be interviewed for this story) would eventually sell the square to Urban Villages. But in a surprise move, it was Asana Partners, a real estate investment firm based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that announced in December 2020 it had bought the block from Hermanson. The purchase represented a dramatic shift in ownership from a local proprietor to an out-of-state interest. Still, some saw a potential upside: Larimer Square’s acquisition by a moneyed company offered hope that the old buildings would get the expensive engineering and infrastructure repairs they needed.
“We are honored to be the next steward of this iconic portfolio,” an Asana executive said in a statement at the time. “We plan to invest the necessary capital to both restore and preserve the historic nature of these buildings within their existing footprint and improve the spaces to meet the expectations of today’s retail and creative office tenants.”
That initial proclamation sounded promising to longtime tenants, but the reality of Asana’s stewardship over the past 27 months has been marked with tension. The primary issues, according to numerous current and former tenants, have been Asana’s poor communication around its future plans as well as its seeming indifference to the legacies of homegrown stores and restaurants that helped turn the street into a celebration of Denver entrepreneurship.
Asana Partners and JLL both declined to be interviewed for this article. Asana instead provided 5280 with the following written statement: “Since acquisition, we’ve been working through the design and approval process to restore and preserve Larimer Square for the long-term, and we have worked diligently with community stakeholders to finalize our restoration plan. We have invested several million dollars in historic preservation efforts to date, and the next stage of renovations include structural, mechanical, and electrical upgrades that require the temporary dislocation of existing tenants. We continue to work on relocation options with impacted tenants to facilitate these important upgrades and in a number of cases, successfully came to terms with local tenants to maintain their presence in Larimer Square. We understand there are many factors that go into long-term business decisions for all parties. Our primary goal remains to preserve and enhance Larimer Square’s unique vibrancy long into the future.”
While 2021 presented warning signs about Asana’s management style, it was an unnerving discovery in February 2022 that turned tension into panic. “There was a brochure that came out for [commercial leasing] brokers with all these plans for the square,” Prebble says. “It caused a big stir.” The online brochure, which listed Asana Partners and JLL as contacts, included a map showing retail spaces that were available for lease—including spaces that were already occupied by
tenants who had no intention of leaving the square. “Our name was not on there,” Prebble says of the map, “and they had my space going from 850 [square feet] to 4,200 or 4,500 square feet.”
The reconfigured and enlarged retail footprints drawn on the map revealed some of Asana’s plans for renovating the buildings; just as revealing, however, was a merchandising plan that suggested that national clothing store Heyday, LA-based fast-casual restaurant Sweetgreen, and chain beauty parlor DryBar might move into the spaces on the block, rather than local, independent businesses. Concerned, some tenants began calling JLL and Asana to ask why their places of business were listed as available for rent and replaced with generic names like “Unit F.” Those tenants say neither JLL nor Asana responded directly to their questions and concerns. Weeks later, the documents were no longer available online.
ALTHOUGH LARIMER SQUARE developed a reputation for prioritizing locally owned boutiques and restaurants under Hermanson, it hasn’t always been that way. When Crawford managed the square, she filled some storefronts with homegrown businesses—including ones she started herself, like the Market—but she also brought in national tenants, including WilliamsSonoma, Ann Taylor, Laura Ashley, and Talbots. Although not everyone is happy that Asana’s marketing plan suggests things may be swinging back in the direction of chains, Kourtny Garrett, the president and CEO of nonprofit business organization Downtown Denver Partnership (DDP), says having more national outlets isn’t a bad thing. “A mix [of local businesses] with nationals is important,” Garrett says. “Nationals provide a stable anchor from an economic perspective.”
Economic stability has, of course, been in short supply lately. Whether or not Denverites think they want chains on Larimer, Garrett says they draw foot traffic—something that’s particularly important because downtown is still seeing only about half of the daytime traffic it did before the pandemic. That’s despite recent efforts to make its dining and shopping districts more appealing to pedestrians, including the city’s closure of Larimer Square to vehicles.
Since that blockade, which started in summer 2020, DDP has measured higher restaurant revenues and foot traffic on Larimer Square compared with other areas of downtown. The success of the effort has led to discussions between DDP and the city to preserve the closure indefinitely, a move that would mean erecting semipermanent barricades to replace the bright orange signs that currently adorn the block’s entrances.
As for issues between the square’s tenants and Asana? “We’ve definitely heard the narrative,” Garrett says, “but I haven’t spoken with Asana.”
Mary Eckels tried to speak with JLL, many times. A metal artist who’d owned Gustermans Silversmiths—which opened on Larimer in 1965 and was the last original tenant of Crawford’s Larimer Square—since 1978, Eckels surprised even herself when she decided at the beginning of 2022 not to renew her lease. She says she made the decision because of the lack of communication from JLL when she reached out after receiving
invoices—in addition to her typical rent statements—with line items she’d never seen before and didn’t understand. “The descriptions were very vague,” Eckels says. “They were things like ‘other income.’ ”
Throughout 2021, Eckels says she asked Asana or JLL to explain the extraneous charges, but it was always a challenge to get a human being on the phone. When she finally succeeded in obtaining paperwork that supposedly explained the bills, “the ledger they sent me copies of was unclear and convoluted,” she says.
By the time Eckels had racked up more than $3,000 in bills she says no one could properly explain, she’d had enough. “I gave them my notice that I was going to vacate at the end of my lease, and they did come back to me with an offer to stay in my spot,” Eckels says. “The rate would’ve been the same for one year, and then it would’ve increased by about 30 percent. And I thought, I don’t get along with these guys well enough to want to put myself into that position. With Asana, there’s no affinity between the landlord and the tenant. And that was something that had been really important in Larimer Square.”
At Victoriana, Prebble was having problems with his landlord that went beyond poor communication and unexplained charges. A month after the brochure debacle, he received a letter from JLL asking him to move to a new location on the block so Asana could renovate and expand his current unit. Prebble says he might have been fine with relocating had his landlord granted him a comparable storefront. Instead, the retail space to which Asana asked him to move featured a narrow, bottlenecked entryway that funneled into a small room. “From a jeweler’s standpoint,” he says, “that’s a great place to get held up, with limited visibility from the street.”
When Prebble pointed this out to Asana—and the company failed to present him with better options for relocation—he, too, made the decision to leave the square by September 3, 2022. After Gustermans Silversmiths, Victoriana Fine and Antique Jewelry was the oldest store on the block, having been established by Crawford herself in 1977. But the direction Larimer was heading wasn’t something Prebble wanted to be a part of.
He wasn’t alone: An exodus was underway. By mid-2022, fine jewelry store John Atencio left Larimer Square after having spent 39 years on the block. According to its namesake owner, “with so many tenants leaving, we were a little skittish about our security.” And like Victoriana, Atencio says he was asked to move his store to a different space to accommodate construction, which he wasn’t interested in doing. “We hated leaving because we’ve been there so long,” Atencio says. But the jeweler, which has five other locations in Colorado, says he hasn’t ruled out returning to Larimer Square when renovations are completed.
A return to Larimer Square does not look like it’s in Bistro Vendôme’s future, however. In September, the operators of the French restaurant, which had served customers its traditional bistro fare since 2003, announced the restaurant would relocate to Park Hill after a final brunch service on January 1. “We could have moved into the [former] TAG space or
something like that,” says Beth Gruitch, co-proprietor of Crafted Concepts, which owns Bistro Vendôme and Rioja, another popular restaurant on the square. “But relocating there would’ve been temporary. It would’ve been a two-year deal, and we just didn’t find the benefit in that.”
Gruitch says that she and James Beard Award–winning chef Jennifer Jasinski, who co-owns Crafted Concepts with Gruitch, had been looking to open a restaurant in a residential location like Park Hill. Even so, it was difficult to have to give up the charming courtyard space in Larimer Square.
They are, however, cautiously optimistic about Asana. “In the long run, the vision for what Asana has going on is amazing. I think it’s going to be incredible in about two years,” Gruitch says, though she admits details from Asana haven’t been forthcoming. “There are no town halls to say, ‘Here are the updates,’ or, ‘Here’s what’s going on,’ by any means,” she says. “I feel like we’re constantly requesting phone calls to stay informed.” At least in Gruitch’s case, the landlord sometimes answered them.
ASANA PARTNERS WAS FOUNDED in 2015, and in less than a decade, the private equity firm has acquired at least 7.7 million square feet of leasable space in 25 cities across the United States. In Denver, that includes more than just Larimer Square: Over the past two years, the company has also spent tens of millions to acquire the Hardware Block on Wazee Street in LoDo and numerous properties along Tennyson Street in the Berkeley neighborhood. The real estate investment firm’s highest-profile assets, however, reside outside the Centennial State.
In 2017, Asana Partners paid $108 million for some of the most prime real estate in Harvard Square, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The triangle-shaped plaza, framed by old brick buildings filled with boutiques, restaurants, and bookstores, has been the economic epicenter for Harvard University students and locals alike since before the United States was a country. Just like the unfolding situation in Larimer Square, though, Asana’s relationships with some of Harvard Square’s existing tenants have reportedly been less than cordial.
In May 2020, Harvard University’s college paper, the Harvard Crimson, published a lengthy article detailing how Asana’s acquisition of key real estate assets in Harvard Square had already changed the nature of the shopping district. The newspaper noted that five locally owned businesses—including Crema Cafe, a beloved coffeeshop—had already left Asana’s buildings, with some tenants complaining that the firm had tried to increase their rents well beyond what they could pay. The Crimson also observed that every new tenant Asana
“THERE ARE NO TOWN HALLS TO SAY, ‘HERE ARE THE UPDATES,’ OR, ‘HERE’S WHAT’S GOING ON,’ BY ANY MEANS.”
Indicates a restaurant featured in 5280 for the first time (though not necessarily a restaurant that has just opened).
Indicates inclusion in 5280’s 2022 list of Denver’s best restaurants. These selections are at the discretion of 5280 editors and are subject to change
Blackbelly $$$
Boulder /American At Blackbelly, chef Hosea Rosenberg’s carnivore-friendly menu features charcuterie, small plates, and daily butcher specials. Also check out the grab-and-go market next door. Reservations accepted. 1606 Conestoga St., Boulder, 303-247-1000. Dinner
Blue Pan Pizza $$
West Highland / Pizza Masterfully crafted, crispyedged Detroit-style pizza is the draw at this tiny spot. Also try the Congress Park location, and look for a new Golden location later this year. 3930 W. 32nd Ave., 720-456-7666. Lunch, Dinner
AA5 $$$$
Downtown / Steak House The team behind Forget Me Not and Tap and Burger offers a refreshing chophouse experience with a stellar lineup of steaks in a hip, delightfully funky bar and dining room. Reservations accepted. 1600 15th St., 303-623-0534. Dinner
Annette $$$
Aurora / American Caroline Glover brings a warm, intimate dining experience to Stanley Marketplace. Enjoy a family-style menu featuring seasonal salads, toasts, and wood-grilled fare. Reservations accepted. Stanley Marketplace, 2501 Dallas St., Ste. 108, Aurora, 720-710-9975. Dinner
Ash’Kara $$$
Highland / Middle Eastern Chef Daniel Asher offers a playful take on Middle Eastern cuisine at this plant-bedecked eatery. Order the falafel or king salmon crudo. Also try the Boulder location. Reservations accepted. 2005 W. 33rd Ave., 303-537-4407. Dinner, Brunch
CChez Maggy $$$$
Downtown /French Chef Ludo Lefebvre plates Colorado-inspired French classics at this brasserie inside the Thompson Denver hotel. Don’t miss the expertly prepared escargot and the gluten-free crab cake bound with shrimp paste. Reservations
BBellota $$$
RiNo / Mexican Go for elevated regional Mexican fare like shrimp tacos basted in shrimpshell-infused butter and the popular fried quesadilla de requesón. Reservations accepted. The Source, 3350 Brighton Blvd., 720-542-3721. Lunch, Dinner
The Bindery $$$
LoHi / Contemporary Linda Hampsten Fox’s eatery offers worldly fare inspired by her travels. Settle in for a brunch of duck confit hash, or get the smoked rabbit pecan pie with mustard gelato for dinner. Reservations accepted. 1817 Central St., 303-993-2364. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Want More Dining Options? Visit our online listings at 5280.com/ restaurants.
accepted. 1616 Market St., 720-794-9544. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Chook $
Platt Park /Australian Chook specializes in Aussiestyle, charcoal-grilled rotisserie chicken and fresh veggie sides such as smashed cucumbers and celery-apple slaw. Multiple locations. Reservations not accepted. 1300 S. Pearl St., 303-282-8399. Lunch, Dinner
Comal Heritage Food Incubator $$
Globeville / International Find an array of family recipes from Latin America at this welcoming restaurant, which has a rotating menu and provides job training to immigrant and refugee women. Reservations not accepted. 3455 Ringsby Ct., Ste. 105, 303-292-0770. Lunch
Corrida $$$$ Boulder /Spanish Housed on the rooftop level of the Pearl West building, this elegant Spanish steak house offers stunning Flatiron views and fabulous cocktails and wines. Splurge on the Japanese wagyu or opt for a regeneratively sourced steak. Reservations accepted. 1023 Walnut St., Ste. 400, Boulder, 303-444-1333. Dinner, Brunch
When customers requested a quieter alternative to the Greenwood Village barcade Pindustry, owner Bob Koontz delivered. Last October, he debuted the Rouge Wine Bar & Patio next door. Inside the ’20s-themed venue, patrons can enjoy nearly 200 bottles sourced from boutique growers as well as a globally influenced lineup of shareable plates. Look for the spaghetti squash with grilled pomodoro sauce and pecorino or the hamachi sashimi with ponzu, chile, and toasted sesame oil.
DDaughter Thai Kitchen & Bar $$$$ Highland /Thai This upscale Thai restaurant from Ounjit Hardacre serves beautifully plated dishes and inventive cocktails with an elegant ambience to match. Try the lychee-kissed massaman curry with bone-in Colorado lamb or the larb, frog legs or soft-shell crab tossed with lime juice, mint, roasted rice, and shallots. Reservations accepted. 1700 Platte St., Ste. 140, 720-6674652. Lunch, Dinner
Derecho $$$ Cherry Creek / Spanish Inventive cocktails, a deep wine list, and delicious tapas are part of the elegant experience at this bar from the team behind Machete Tequila & Tacos. Pair a Frenchvermouth-infused Negroni with the piquillo rellenos. Reservations accepted. 2817 E. Third Ave., 720-769-8166. Dinner, Brunch
Dragonfly Noodle $$
Downtown / Asian This eatery from restaurateur Edwin Zoe (of Zoe Ma Ma fame) serves a multinational variety of bao and noodle dishes. Order the yaki udon with tender steak or any of the slurpworthy bowls of ramen with house-made noodles. Also try the Boulder location. Reservations not accepted. 1350 16th St. Mall, 720-543-8000. Lunch, Dinner
The Colorado Garden & Home Show is presented by Colorado Garden Foundation and held at the Colorado Convention Center from February 4-12. The home show showcases more than 500 home improvement companies, 8 landscaped gardens, FREE seminars and more.
Information and tickets at coloradogardenfoundation.org.
Boettcher Concert Hall | 7:30 p.m.
From the mind of RZA – de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan – comes a symphonic double-feature that bridges the gap between classical and contemporary music. Experience Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) alongside a brand-new work, A Ballet Through Mud, featuring spoken word, live ballet, and rich orchestration.
Information and tickets at tickets.coloradosymphony.org/6408.
Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus | 7 to 10 p.m. Release your inner child at the Children’s Museum’s adults-only extravaganza! Taste beers from local breweries, snack on light bites, and best of all, enjoy an evening of play in our exhibits. Come be a kid again! Tickets are just $45.
Information and tickets at mychildsmuseum.org.
Celebrating the best stuff in Denver for 30 years! It’s that time of year again! Denver, we want to get your recommendations on the best places to dine, shop, and play in and around our wonderful city. Show your go-to establishments some love, VOTE TODAY. Visit 5280scene.com to cast your vote.
Dry Storage $$
Boulder / Cafe Savor coffee and carbs galore at this innovative cafe and retail grain mill. An exquisite selection of pastries, breads, and sandwiches are made from scratch daily. Reservations not accepted. 3601 Arapahoe Ave., Unit D-181, Boulder, 720-420-0918. Breakfast, Lunch
Farmhouse Thai Eatery $$
FLakewood / Thai This cozy spot offers flavorful specialties from multiple regions, including northern Thailand’s khao soi (egg noodles in coconut curry) and som tum (green papaya salad). Reservations accepted. 98 Wadsworth Blvd., Ste. 117, Lakewood, 303-237-2475. Lunch, Dinner
Gaetano’s $$$
GHighland / Italian This beloved neighborhood hangout features old-school favorites, such as chicken Parmesan, minestrone soup, and sandwiches stuffed with sausage and peppers. Reservations accepted. 3760 Tejon St., 303-455-9852. Lunch, Dinner
The Greenwich $$$
Edge Restaurant &Bar $$$$
EDowntown/ Steak House Inside the Four Seasons Hotel, this steak house serves contemporary fare. Order the dry-aged bison rib-eye. Reservations accepted. 1111 14th St., 303-389-3343. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Edgewater Public Market $$
Edgewater / International Satisfy your cravings for everything from wild game sandwiches to Ethiopian fare at this eclectic collective of nearly two dozen food stalls and boutiques. 5505 W. 20th Ave., 303-797-9119. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
El Valle Mexican Restaurant $
Sunnyside / Mexican This casual Mexican spot serves filling breakfast burritos, plates of sizzling fajitas, and street-style tacos. Reservations accepted. 2925 W. 38th Ave., 303-975-6456. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The Fifth String $$$$ LoHi / American At the Fifth String, chef Amos Watts offers his seasonally inspired cooking alongside an in-house beef butchering program. The results, such as the tallow candle bread service, are delicious and inventive. Reservations accepted. 3316 Tejon St., Ste. 102, 720-420-0622. Dinner
Fish N Beer
$$$
RiNo / Seafood Kevin Morrison offers approachable seafood and a hearty beer list at this oysterette. Try the lobster mac and cheese or grilled whole bass. Reservations accepted. 3510 Larimer St., 303-248-3497. Dinner
Foraged $$$
Downtown / New American An excellent raw bar and seasonally inspired dishes by chef Duy Pham pair well with the whiskey-driven cocktail menu at this expansive restaurant in the Dairy Block. Reservations accepted. 1825 Blake St., 720-826-2147.
Lunch, Dinner
• Get ideas, inspiration and advice for your home from more than 500+ companies and take advantage of show-only specials!
• Experience the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation Entry Garden presented by Bellco and see 7 more gardens bursting with thousands of beautiful flowers.
• Visit the CSU Education Garden to see new plant varieties and get free advice from their Master Gardeners.
RiNo / Pizza Restaurateur Delores Tronco brings a slice of her favorite New York City neighborhood to RiNo at the Greenwich. Don’t miss the satisfying sourdough pizzas and fresh, seasonal salads. Reservations accepted. 3258 Larimer St., 720-868-5006. Dinner
GQue BBQ $$
Westminster / Barbecue This fast-casual joint serves award-winning hickory-smoked pork, brisket, chicken wings, ribs, and more. Order the jalapeñocheddar sausage. Multiple locations. Reservations not accepted. 5120 W. 120th Ave., Westminster, 303-379-9205. Lunch, Dinner
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining $$$
Downtown / Japanese This Japan-based chain boasts table-centered grills on which diners cook proteins like Harami skirt steak. There are also noodle and rice dishes and appetizers such as tuna poke nachos. Reservations accepted. 1998 18th St., 720-726-4068. Lunch, Dinner
Saturdays, Feb. 4 and 11 10 am–6 pm Sundays, Feb. 5 and 12 10 am–5 pm *Mon., Feb. 6 – Fri., Feb. 10 Noon–6 pm $12 adults and $10 seniors *All Weekdays are 2-for-1 Admission! Kids 12 and under are FREE!
PURCHASE ADVANCE TICKETS AT:
Introducing the 5280 Thought Forum, a brand new event that will bring together Denver’s smartest, most innovative, and most creative people to discuss themes that are relevant to life in the Mile High City. Engage in conversation with prominent local voices on a variety of topics that highlight the challenges and opportunities ahead for our city.
Highland’s Indian Cuisine $$$
Highlands Ranch / Indian Enjoy upscale curries, biryani, and tandoori selections at the first Indian restaurant in the area. Reservations not accepted. 9344 Dorchester St., Ste. 101, Highlands Ranch, 720-420-9374. Lunch, Dinner
HiRa Cafe & Patisserie $
Aurora / Ethiopian Pastry chef-owner Hiwot Solomon pairs her from-scratch desserts and Ethiopian breakfast plates with house-roasted, single-origin coffee at this cheery cafe. 10782 E. Iliff Ave, Aurora, 720-949-1703. Breakfast, Lunch
Hop Alley $$$
RiNo / Chinese From Tommy Lee of Uncle, this neighborhood hangout serves dishes rooted in the Chinese tradition with a touch of distinctive flair. Try the dan dan mian and the fiery la zi ji laced with numbing peppercorns. Reservations accepted. 3500 Larimer St., 720-379-8340. Dinner
Il Porcellino Salumi $$
Berkeley / Deli This neighborhood market and deli serves locally sourced cured meats and fresh butcher cuts. Pick a selection to take with you, or enjoy a fresh salumi platter or sandwich in-house. 4334 W. 41st Ave., 303-477-3206. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Istanbul Bakery & Cafe $
Washington Virginia Vale / Middle Eastern Inside a shopping center, owner Ismet Yilmaz prepares authentic Turkish pastries. Try the su böreği (water börek). Also check out the University Park location. Reservations not accepted. 850 S. Monaco Pkwy., Ste. 9, 720-536-5455. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Izakaya Den $$
Platt Park / Japanese Ultra-fresh sushi, sashimi, and creative small plates are on the menu at this local favorite from the team behind Sushi Den. Reservations accepted. 1487-A S. Pearl St., 303-777-0691. Dinner
Kachina Cantina $$
KDowntown / Southwestern Located in the Dairy Block, this spot specializes in Southwestern fare, such as Navajo tacos. Also try the Westminster-based sister location, Kachina Southwestern Grill. Reservations accepted. 1890 Wazee St., 720-460-2728. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Katsu Ramen $$ Aurora / Japanese Satisfy a ramen craving with one of the traditional styles offered at this cozy spot. Get a combo meal, featuring your choice of ramen plus gyoza and a rice bowl. Reservations not accepted. 1930 S. Havana St., Aurora, 303-7512222. Lunch, Dinner
Misfit Snackbar $$
City Park / Contemporary Chef-owner Bo Porytko serves a rotating lineup of creative plates at this walk-up kitchen inside Middleman cocktail bar. Each one is a satisfying and imaginative twist on familiar pub fare. Try the chips and dip: smashed potatoes with an ever-changing house sauce. Reservations not accepted. 3401 E. Colfax Ave., 303-353-4207. Dinner
Jamaican Grille $$
JLincoln Park / Jamaican This family-owned Jamaican restaurant serves classic Caribbean-centric dishes like jerk chicken and fried plantains. Also try the Jamaican Mini Grille and International Jerk Market in Lakewood. Reservations accepted. 709 W. Eighth Ave., 303-623-0013. Lunch, Dinner
Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar $$$
Downtown / Seafood Enjoy a well-curated raw oyster bar and seasonally composed plates in an upbeat atmosphere. Multiple locations. Reservations accepted. 1539 17th St., 303-292-5767. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
LLa Chiva $$ Overland / Colombian This brick-and-mortar, spawned from the popular food truck of the same name, gives Denverites a cozy, colorful place to enjoy the cuisine of chef-owner Jorge Aguirre’s native Colombia. Reservations accepted. 1417 S. Broadway, 720-389-9847. Lunch, Dinner
La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal $$
Ballpark / Mexican James Beard Award finalist Jose Avila serves up comforting pozole and other traditional Mexican fare at this casual eatery. Don’t miss the weekend brunch for chilaquiles, huaraches, and a killer house michelada. Reservations not accepted. 2233 Larimer St., 720-519-1060. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Le French $$
Southmoor Park / French This chic Belleview Station bistro, owned by French-Senegalese sisters, transports diners to France via pastries and Parisian cuisine. Ring in cocktail hour with wine and beverages courtesy of an afternoon cart service. Reservations accepted. 4901 S. Newport St., 720-710-8963. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Los Cabos $$$
Downtown / Peruvian This cozy spot from chefowner Francesca Ruiz serves Peruvian specialties with Cantonese and European influences. Don’t miss the ceviche mixto and lomo saltado (a Chinese-style stir-fry with steak). Reservations accepted. 1525 Champa St., 303-595-3232. Lunch, Dinner
NNi Tuyo $$$ Belcaro / Mexican Visit this eatery run by chef Silvia Andaya for bubbly molcajetes—piping-hot stone bowls of Mexican meats and veggies stewed in flavorful sauces—and an extensive selection of agave spirits. Reservations not accepted. 730 S. University Blvd., 303-282-8896. Lunch, Dinner
Noisette $$$$ Highland / French Chefs Tim and Lillian Lu serve elegant renditions of bourgeoisie-style specialties (home-cooked comforts) in a romantic, lightdrenched space. Try the magret de canard, duck breast with jus. Reservations accepted. 3254 Navajo St., Ste. 100, 720-769-8103. Dinner
NOLA Voodoo Tavern and Perks $$ Cole / Southern New Orleans native and owner Henry Batiste serves his grandmother’s recipes for gumbo, po’boys, and much more at this Louisianainspired spot. Don’t miss the Crawfish Monica: rotini pasta with cream sauce and shellfish. Reservations accepted. 3321 Bruce Randolph Ave., 720-3899544. Lunch, Dinner
OOhana Island Kitchen $ LoHi / Seafood This Hawaiian-inspired eatery serves top-notch tuna poke, Spam musubi, roasted pork, and more in a casual setting. Reservations not accepted. 2563 15th St., 303-718-6580. Lunch, Dinner
Olive & Finch $$ City Park West / International Discover wholesome, inspired meals at this restaurant, bakery, and juice bar, where you’ll find a full coffee bar, artisan sandwiches, hearty soups, tasty salads, and pastries made in-house daily. Also try the Cherry Creek location. 1552 E. 17th Ave., 303-832-8663. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mango House $$
MAurora / International This immigrant- and refugee-led food hall is home to six outstanding culinary concepts: Urban Burma, Jasmine Syrian Food, Golden Sky Sushi, Odaa Ethiopian Restaurant, Rocky Mountain Sudanese Restaurant, and Nepali Mountain Kitchen. 10180 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora, 303-900-8639. Lunch, Dinner
PPete’s Kitchen $ Cheesman Park / American A Denver landmark, Pete’s is known for its breakfasts but also serves gyros and souvlaki sandwiches. Reservations not accepted. 1962 E. Colfax Ave., 303-321-3139. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Pho Duy $
Westwood / Vietnamese Slurp down delicious bowls of noodle soup at this popular Vietnamese mainstay. 925 S. Federal Blvd., 303-937-1609. Lunch, Dinner
Point Easy $$$$
Whittier / Contemporary This casual, inviting farmto-table eatery reimagines American and Italian classics with thoughtfully sourced ingredients, many of which are local. Don’t miss the house-made lasagna. Reservations accepted. 2000 E. 28th Ave., 303-233-5656. Dinner
Pupusas Lover $$
University Hills / Salvadoran This family-owned restaurant serves a variety of traditional dishes, from the popular pupusas to banana leaf tamales. Many gluten-free and vegan options are available. Reservations accepted. 2236 S. Colorado Blvd., 720-508-3197. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Q House $$$
QCity Park / Chinese Enjoy a modern take on Chinese cuisine executed by chef Christopher Lin, an alum of Momofuku in New York City. Try the braised pork rice. Reservations accepted. 3421 E. Colfax Ave., 720-729-8887. Dinner
Que Bueno Suerte $$$
Platt Park / Latin American The menu at this vibrant restaurant offers familiar items like tacos and fajitas as well as upscale Mexican fare. Try the pulpo a la parrilla (citrus-garlic octopus with huitlacoche-butter sauce). Reservations accepted. 1518 S. Pearl St., 720-642-7322. Dinner
RRedeemer Pizza $$$
RiNo / Pizza Spencer White and Alex Figura, the duo behind Dio Mio, bring blistered, New York City–style sourdough pizza to RiNo. Nosh on full-size pies in the dining room or nab a slice to go from the casual walk-up window on the back patio. Reservations accepted. 2705 Larimer St., 720-780-1379. Dinner
Reynard Social $$
Downtown / American Classic cocktails, upscale bites, and gorgeous views are the draw at Reynard Social, located in the Thompson Hotel downtown. Pair a dirty martini with the wild mushroom fondue. Reservations accepted. 1616 Market St., 303-572-1321. Dinner
Rouge Wine Bar & Patio $$$
Greenwood Village / American From the team behind Pindustry, this 1920s-themed bar boasts an extensive wine list and international small plates like lamb merguez and green curry mussels. Reservations accepted. 7939 E. Arapahoe Rd., Ste. 190, Greenwood Village, 720-864-9463. Dinner, Brunch
Rye Society Delicatessen and Picklery $$
RiNo / Deli Stop by this neighborhood Jewish deli for comfort-food favorites including pastrami on rye. Reservations not accepted. 3090 Larimer St., 303-593-2713. Breakfast, Lunch
SSafta $$$
RiNo /Mediterranean Chef Alon Shaya brings his modern Israeli fare to Denver. Start with creamy hummus and wood-oven-fired pita before moving on to harissa-coated roast chicken and tender cabbage cooked sous vide. Reservations accepted. The Source Hotel & Market Hall, 3330 Brighton Blvd., 720-408-2444. Lunch, Dinner
Somebody People $$
Overland /Mediterranean At this vegan restaurant, Sam and Tricia Maher and head chef Art Burnayev run a pasta program with dishes that celebrate seasonal bounty. Try the Feed Me experience. Reservations accepted. 1165 S. Broadway, Ste. 104, 720-502-5681. Dinner, Brunch
Spuntino $$$
Highland /Italian Enjoy the locally sourced menu at this Italian-inspired, husband-and-wife-owned spot. Don’t miss the South Indian dishes or housemade gelato for dessert. Reservations accepted. 2639 W. 32nd Ave., 303-433-0949. Dinner
Sullivan Scrap Kitchen $$
City Park West / Seasonal Chef-owner Terrance Rogers uses sustainably sourced ingredients and leftover or unused food items from his catering company to produce a menu of light and fresh fare. 1740 E. 17th Ave., 720-242-6292. Lunch, Dinner
Sunday Vinyl $$$$
Downtown /European This Union Station restaurant offers warm hospitality and exquisite cuisine, all to the soundtrack of a vinyl-only playlist. Try the house hot dog and oysters. Reservations accepted. 1803 16th St., 720-738-1803. Dinner, Brunch
Super Mega Bien $$$
RiNo /Latin American Dana Rodriguez offers large-format, shareable items and Pan-Latin small plates, the latter served from roving dim-sum-style carts. Try the braised lamb with grilled cactus salad. Reservations not accepted. The Ramble Hotel, 1260 25th St., 720-269-4695. Dinner
Tamayo $$$
TDowntown / Mexican This LoDo restaurant with a lovely rooftop patio from restaurateur Richard Sandoval serves modern dishes based on traditional recipes and ingredients. Choose from a selection of more than 100 blanco, reposado, and añejo tequilas and order the queso fundido and red snapper ceviche to share. Reservations accepted. 1400 Larimer St., 720-946-1433. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Tavernetta $$$$
Downtown / Italian The team behind Boulder’s Frasca Food and Wine offers the same attention to detail and hospitality at this more casual Denver restaurant. Reservations accepted. 1889 16th St., 720-605-1889. Lunch, Dinner
Tessa Delicatessen $ Montclair / Deli This modern all-day eatery from Vince Howard, formerly of Del Rey Deli in Los Angeles, has hot and cold sandwiches, salads, and chef’s choice meat and cheese trays. Reservations not accepted. 5724 E. Colfax Ave., 720-7469138. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Teocalli Cocina $$
Arvada / Mexican This industrial-meets-tropical Mexican restaurant offers elevated entrées like charred beef short rib with grilled bone marrow, pork shank pibil, and hamachi ceviche. Also try the Lafayette location. Reservations accepted. 5770 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., 303-923-3170. Lunch, Dinner
Tocabe, An American Indian Eatery $ Berkeley / American Feast on Indigenous fare such as fry bread tacos with bison, beans, lettuce, cheese, and salsas alongside spicy potato- and corn-laden green chile stew at this fast-casual spot.
Also try the Greenwood Village location. Reservations not accepted. 3536 W. 44th Ave., 720-524-8282. Lunch, Dinner
UUchi Denver $$$$ RiNo / Japanese James Beard Award–winning chef Tyson Cole combines unexpected flavors for his unique take on Japanese food at this restaurant with its own garden. Visit for the daily happy hour, when nigiri and temaki are less than $10. Reservations accepted. 2500 Lawrence St., 303-444-1922. Dinner
Uncle $$
Speer / Asian A bustling atmosphere defines this popular noodle house. The menu includes Chinesestyle steamed buns and, of course, noodles. Also try the Highland location. Reservations accepted. 95 S. Pennsylvania St., 720-638-1859. Dinner
Unravel Coffee $
Virginia Village / Cafe House-roasted beans and high-tech tools lead to stellar espresso drinks at this Virginia Village coffeeshop. You can also enjoy nourishing toasts, grain bowls, salads, and smoothies from inside the modern space. Try the prosciutto toast with ricotta and tomatoes. 1441 S. Holly St., 303-884-2380. Breakfast, Lunch
Urban Village Grill $$$
Lone Tree / Indian Chef Charles Mani serves classic and contemporary dishes from regions across India at this eatery inside Park Meadows Mall. Reservations accepted. 8505 Park Meadows Center Dr., Unit 2184, Lone Tree, 720-536-8565. Lunch, Dinner
Vinh Xuong Bakery $
VAthmar Park / Vietnamese This family-owned bakery stretches back more than 25 years, serving up delicious banh mi and other tasty Vietnamese treats. Reservations not accepted. 2370 W. Alameda Ave., 303-922-0999. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Voghera Ristorante & Apericena $$$
Berkeley / Italian Enjoy Italian-style tapas such as beef tartare, burrata, and pancetta-wrapped scallops at this rustic-chic Berkeley outpost. Reservations accepted. 3963 Tennyson St., 303-455-9111. Dinner, Brunch
Water Grill
W$$$$
Downtown / Seafood Fresh seafood is flown in from around the world daily to this chic restaurant specializing in shellfish and raw bar offerings. Order a platter of oysters or a bowl of spicy cioppino Reservations accepted. 1691 Market St., 303-727-5711. Dinner
Whittier Cafe $
Whittier / Cafe This espresso bar, which supports social justice causes, serves coffee, beer, and wine sourced from African nations and a small menu of pastries, burritos, and more. Reservations not accepted. 1710 E. 25th Ave., 720-550-7440. Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch
The Wolf’s Tailor $$$$ Sunnyside / Contemporary Chef Kelly Whitaker fuses Asian and Italian techniques and ingredients at this hip Sunnyside eatery. The results, such as 7X brisket braised in dashi and red wine, are unique and delicious. Reservations accepted. 4058 Tejon St., 720-456-6507. Dinner
Wooden Spoon Cafe & Bakery $ Highland / American Start your morning off right with hot drinks, fresh baked goods, and pastries at this cozy spot. Or stop in for a hearty sandwich at lunchtime or to pick up a mini Boston cream pie. Reservations not accepted. 2418 W. 32nd Ave., 303-999-0327. Breakfast, Lunch
green-chile-smothered burrito for breakfast. Reservations not accepted. 715 Washington Ave., Golden, 303-215-3436. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
YumCha $$
Downtown / Asian From restaurateur Lon Symensma of ChoLon and LeRoux comes a dim sum house and noodle bar serving staples like xiaolongbao and steamed pork dumplings. Reservations accepted. 1520 16th St. Mall, 720-638-8179. Lunch, Dinner
Yabby Hut $$
YLakewood / Cajun Transport yourself to the bayou at this seafood joint where you can dive into Cajun crawfish, king crab legs, shrimp, and clams. Don’t fret about leaving a mess on the throw-away tablecloths. Reservations not accepted. 3355 S. Yarrow St., Lakewood, 303-985-0231. Lunch, Dinner
Yard House
$$$
Downtown / Fusion This fun and casual American eatery features a center island bar and classic rock tunes. Order the porcini-crusted halibut, spicy tuna stack, or any of the signature burgers. Also try the Lakewood location. Reservations accepted. 1555 Court Place, 303-572-9273. Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
Yazoo Barbeque Co. $
ZZin Zin’s Burmese Cuisine $ Aurora /Asian Sample Burmese cuisine like beef samosas and mohinga (rice noodles in a split pea purée) at this takeout-only restaurant located inside Aurora Town Center. 14200 E. Alameda Ave., Aurora, 720-982-2477. Lunch, Dinner
Zoe Ma Ma $
Downtown/ Chinese This cozy, counter-service spot offers Chinese home-style cooking. Order the Sichuan braised beef noodle soup, which features house-made noodles. Also try the Boulder location. Reservations not accepted. 1625 Wynkoop St., 303-545-6262. Lunch, Dinner
Xicamiti La Taquería $$
XGolden / Mexican This long-standing joint serves cooked-to-order burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and alambres (skillet dishes) made with recipes inspired by Walter Meza’s childhood in Mexico. Grab a
Five Points / Barbecue This unpretentious barbecue joint offers a Deep South menu, featuring slow-smoked pork ribs, brisket, and home-style sides. Don’t miss the hash brown casserole. Also try the Greenwood Village location. 2150 Broadway, 303-296-3334. Lunch, Dinner
These listings are in no way related to advertising in 5280. If you find that a restaurant differs significantly from the information in its listing or your favorite restaurant is missing from the Dining Guide, please let us know. Write us at 5280 Publishing, Inc., 1675 Larimer St., Suite 675, Denver, CO 80202 or dining@5280.com.
(303) 340-3647 isdenver.org/summer
Every week at the International School of Denver, your child will explore the world while moving their body, expanding their mind, developing new skills, and forming new friendships.
summer@kentdenver.org kentdenver.org/summer23
Summer at Kent Denver offers all children ages 4-18 the opportunity to experience innovative, creative, hands-on learning. With over 120 camps to choose from in the arts, athletics, our Tiny Farm Day Camp, academics, innovation and technology, there’s summer fun for everyone!
Chatfield Farms gardencamp@botanicgardens.org botanicagardens.org
Join us for camp! Dig in the dirt, meet farm animals and connect with nature while learning about the daily rhythms outside of the city.
info@coloradowatersports.com coloradowatersports.com
Our camps include sailing, paddle boarding, kayaking, and more. Campers will get to try a little bit of everything. Our sailing, paddle, and combo camps ensure there is a camp for everyone.
Maggie Wright, Summer at Ricks Director
Margaret.wright@du.edu | (303) 871-4839
Summer at Ricks blends fun summer activities with rich learning experiences all while enjoying the benefits of the University of Denver campus. Campers in Preschool – 6th grade will enjoy weekly themes and specialty camps.
(303) 777-5870 (x284) denveracademy.org/summer
Experience the Denver Academy difference with academic programs/coaching for students with varied learning profiles, including those with dyslexia & ADHD, in grades 1-12. Day camps and one-week recreational classes offered. (June 12 - July 7)
gardencamp@botanicgardens.org botanicagardens.org
Join us for week-long camps with a variety of activities. Discover the world of plants through art, science, gardening and outdoor exploration. Ages 6-12.
Denver/Littleton Lakewood & Greeley Locations
EveryChildReading.org | (720) 235-5935
We build literacy, writing and math skills, selfesteem, and confidence for students who want or need summer support or have dyslexia. This is a time for them to thrive and learn.
Mary Stein | (303) 377-1805
dreambigdaycamp.com
1-3-6-9 weeks of unforgettable fun!
Team/individual sports, performing arts, arts/crafts, Color War, Carnival, Western, Space, World Cup Soccer Days, climbing wall, science, yoga, waterslides, popsicles and more! 6:1 ratios with mature staff.
stmarys.academy/summer (303) 762-8300
St. Mary’s Academy Summer Camps offers a variety of activities, from enriching play for our youngest campers to thematic weeks, field trips, and adventure camps for our older campers.
Heather Lowe at HEATHER@5280.COM
actually leased spaces to between 2017 and May 2020 had been a national or international retail chain, including Patagonia and Ray-Ban. One displaced storeowner told the Crimson he understood the business reality of the situation: “They’re going to lease to whoever pays the top dollar…and I respect that. That’s the way life is.” Other Harvard Square tenants were less gracious and claimed Asana was “aloof” and “out of touch.” Most everyone agreed that the character of Harvard Square was shifting fast.
The nature of Larimer Square continued to evolve as 2022 progressed, too. Paperedover storefronts proliferated along the block. Clothing stores Moda Man and Pendleton Woolen Mills both relocated their shops to other Denver locations, and locally owned
couple says talks with Asana about staying on the block by opening different concepts have been exercises in futility.
Jacqueline says there were discussions with Asana about the possibility of opening a bar or restaurant in the old Crimson Room space at the corner of 14th Street. But after the couple pushed back on rent quotes they believed were too high, she says Asana promptly informed them it had found another operator for the space. (In January, the Denver Post reported that L.A.-based hospitality group Pouring With Heart will open a cocktail bar there.) The Bonannos also prepared an elaborate proposal to revive a historic bar on the second floor of one of Larimer Square’s buildings, but the plan went nowhere. Instead, a young Asana representative counterpitched the Bonannos about opening a restaurant in a totally different location—one that happened to be next door to four restaurants the Bonannos already own in Capitol Hill. “He didn’t even know the names of any of our four restaurants on that block,” Jacqueline says. “Personally,
ice cream shop Hidden Gems shut its doors. Some of those vacancies were (and still are) likely construction-related, but with at least 10 empty units facing Larimer Street in fall 2022, Prebble brought up the potential of so-called high-rent blight, a term used when a landlord will let a unit sit vacant until it finds a tenant willing to match the rent demands. Two more looming vacancies were added to the list in October, when local restaurateurs Frank and Jacqueline Bonanno announced that their underground speakeasy, Green Russell, and the adjoining Russell’s Smokehouse would be closing after New Year’s Eve because Asana needed the spaces for renovations.
The Bonannos say that having to close the 12-year-old businesses, both of which were profitable, was disappointing after pouring so much energy and time into making them work. But they were more concerned about the 67 employees who had cooked in the kitchen, waited tables, and tended bar for them—all of whom they say they offered to relocate to their other restaurants to save their jobs. While the Bonannos knew the closures were a distinct possibility—Asana had put them on a month-to-month lease after their previous lease ran out in May 2021—the
I’m kind of wounded to have a conversation with someone who’s half my age who’s so glib about displacing us [from Larimer Square].”
She likened the situation to the hedge fund that bought the Denver Post. “Is the Post better off now that a major conglomerate purchased it?” she asks rhetorically. “Larimer Square is special, and this is something really unique, and it defines our city.”
Both Green Russell and Russell’s Smokehouse shut their doors on January 1—the same day as Bistro Vendôme. At least for now, the Bonannos still have a presence on the square with their Italian restaurant, Osteria Marco, which has about five years left on its lease. “We would love to see Osteria be there for another 15 years,” says Frank, who is hoping for productive lease renewal negotiations.
Still, the Bonannos have been left to ponder Asana’s approach. Frank wonders if rents eventually will climb so high that it creates rapid restaurant turnover. Another possibility, he says, is that Asana fills its restaurant spaces with chain eateries that can operate on thin margins. “I’m sure Asana did not spend all of this money without having a vision of what they want to do,” he says.
“I’M KIND OF WOUNDED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE WHO’S HALF MY AGE WHO’S SO GLIB ABOUT DISPLACING US.”
“It’s just a matter of whether they’re sharing it with us and who’s included in that vision.”
One place to look for answers is the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission. Because Larimer Square is a designated historical district—the city’s first, in fact—Asana must secure the commission’s approval for any construction or demolition plans that concern the exteriors of the buildings or that could alter their historical character. On August 16, architects hired by Asana unveiled a number of blueprints to widen the entryway of the Kettle Arcade building as well as to put rooftop additions on the Lincoln and Buerger buildings—the latter being part of a broader effort to open up office floor plans along the block and add alluring amenities to the buildings that might attract office tenants with more employees.
The commission conditionally approved all of the plans on August 16, but not before Crawford called into the public meeting and, much as she did when Hermanson presented his plans in 2018, voiced her concerns. The grand dame of Larimer was specifically disquieted by how some of the mocked-up architectural renderings appeared to show more bars and restaurants populating the block—a move the now 91-year-old preservationist icon opposes. Crawford explained that she doesn’t want Larimer Square to end up filled with so many bars that it turns into a facsimile of the area around Coors Field.
Even so, Crawford struck a sanguine tone a few months later. She says she’s giving Asana Partners the benefit of the doubt that it will honor Larimer Square’s “philosophical basis,” the desire that she and other investors originally had to preserve not just the architectural character of the block but also its history as a thriving commercial district that appeals to all Denverites, including families. And while
she admitted that she “shed tears” when she heard about Victoriana closing and that she’s “sick about Gustermans, too,” she now says her comments at the August 16 meeting were premature. “I think that maybe the stuff that went to the city group was pushed a little before its time,” she says. “I had to give myself a lecture because I was getting really upset. I had to say, ‘Things change, Dana. They can’t just stay the same.’ ”
SINCE THE LAST TIME Eckels stepped out of Gustermans Silversmiths’ old storefront last spring, she hasn’t gone back to Larimer Square. She says she can’t bring herself to do it—not with how much it’s changing. “I do miss those days when Larimer was a little more innocent,” she says. She misses the days of the Denver Chalk Art Festival and holidays when the street was full of folks enjoying the lively atmosphere. She misses the times when store owners would visit each other’s businesses as friends. “They’re messing with what makes it special,” she says of Asana. “What they should do is be faithful custodians and fix it up and make it really glorious and put in some really brilliant entrepreneurs.”
Yet Eckels knows all too well that some of those brilliant entrepreneurs—and potential future ones—are already gone or planning to leave. One of them had worked for Victoriana. Prebble says he had planned to sell his business to his store manager, Zach Burk, who was employed at the jewelry store for 12 years. After Victoriana had a going-outof-business sale in August, Prebble says Burk seemed resigned to maybe opening an antique jewelry business in another state. “That’s part of the real hurt with this whole thing,” Prebble says of his protégé. “It affects him more than it did me.”
Now both Victoriana and Gustermans Silversmiths have changed their business models, their storefronts swapped for web pages that encourage customers to set up private appointments. This is not what Prebble nor Eckels ever envisioned for 2023. “I feel like I’ve been done wrong,” Prebble says.
His greater concern, however, is for Larimer Square. “It’s not going to disappear—and it’s going to be restored,” he says. But if the square gets taken over by more national and international chains? “I just don’t think there’ll be anything unique about it,” he says. Until Asana is willing to share more of its plans, Prebble—like everyone else—is going to have to wait and see. m
Chris Walker is an associate editor at 5280 This is his first full-length narrative for the magazine. Email feedback to letters@5280.com.
In recent months, the world has re-energized, and hope has bloomed in ways that many had not experienced since before this decade began. In contrast, shifting economic and global conditions have awakened and heightened certain sensitivities. This age of extremes has given way to a curious range of design ideas. From eclectic and new to natural and nostalgic, here are some of the most notable home design features and themes we expect to see in the year ahead.
By Lauren Oosterlinck
Bring the vacation to you. After nearly two years of limited travel, a sense of wanderlust has arisen for many. Yet, rather than actually traveling to fulfill this urge, savvy decorators have opted instead to create an escape within the residence. With a continued desire to revel in the comforts of home, many have embraced the idea that venturing out truly isn’t necessary to achieve that breezy, revitalizing experience. Using warm wood tones, bright light and airy linen curtains and furnishings, abodes will have rooms – both indoors and out – transformed in the style of beachy resort destinations and dreamy European villas.
Bring the vacation to you. After nearly two years of limited travel, a sense of wanderlust has arisen for many. Yet, rather than actually traveling to fulfill this urge, savvy decorators have opted instead to create an escape within the residence. With a continued desire to revel in the comforts of home, many have embraced the idea that venturing out truly isn’t necessary to achieve that breezy, revitalizing experience. Using warm wood tones, bright light and airy linen curtains and furnishings, abodes will have rooms – both indoors and out – transformed in the style of beachy resort destinations and dreamy European villas.
Connect to nature and the present. People are recognizing the desire to be more present and peaceful in the moment, and are erring toward pragmatic sensibilities in lifestyle and functionality. Balance continues to be key, with an emphasis on the senses – translating into the use of natural textiles and rare materials in home décor such as crude clay, terra-cotta, handcrafted finishings and glazed tiles made fromorganic materials.Color schemes areinspiredby nature and the desert theme has gained in appeal, incorporating gentle beiges and greys. Comforting, tactile interior designs also blend organic shapes, arches and irregular forms to create a cozy, warm aesthetic. Such biophilic design will continue as a trend. In fact, you might even consider introducing a full-sized tree to the kitchen – olive trees are favored –to add an impressive fixture and create a Mediterranean, rustic vibe.
Connect to nature and the present. People are recognizing the desire to be more present and peaceful in the moment, and are erring toward pragmatic sensibilities in lifestyle and functionality. Balance continues to be key, with an emphasis on the senses – translating into the use of natural textiles and rare materials in home décor such as crude clay, terra-cotta, handcrafted finishings and glazed tiles made from organic materials. Color schemes are inspired by nature and the desert theme has gained in appeal, incorporating gentle beiges and greys. Comforting, tactile interior designs also blend organic shapes, arches and irregular forms to create a cozy, warm aesthetic. Such biophilic design will continue as a trend. In fact, you might even consider introducing a full-sized tree to the kitchen – olive trees are favored –to add an impressive fixture and create a Mediterranean, rustic vibe.
Embrace opulence and idiosyncrasy. In a distinctly disparate tone, an “anti-neutral renaissance” has simultaneously gained traction, influencing home interiors. For those on this opposite end of the spectrum, minimalist fatigue has set in, driving the desire for extravagance and affecting a mood for glamour. A major theme for the new year is celebrating individuality, so unique touches, unconventional decorative fabrics and elements will reign. Think luxe jewel tones, whimsical details and embellishments galore. Expect striking visual effects in homes such as curvy and geometric shapes, fanciful rugs, monochromatic rooms in vivid shades and two-toned cabinets in contrasting colors. Emerald green, cobalt and rust are expected to be top interior colors. Hellenism and antiquity will also see a surge in popularity, so Corinthian-style furnishings, statues and wallpaper motifs will be highly sought after.
Embrace opulence and idiosyncrasy. In a distinctly disparate tone, an “anti-neutral renaissance” has simultaneously gained traction, influencing home interiors. For those on this opposite end of the spectrum, minimalist fatigue has set in, driving the desire for extravagance and affecting a mood for glamour. A major theme for the new year is celebrating individuality, so unique touches, unconventional decorative fabrics and elements will reign. Think luxe jewel tones, whimsical details and embellishments galore. Expect striking visual effects in homes such as curvy and geometric shapes, fanciful rugs, monochromatic rooms in vivid shades and two-toned cabinets in contrasting colors. Emerald green, cobalt and rust are expected to be top interior colors. Hellenism and antiquity will also see a surge in popularity, so Corinthian-style furnishings, statues and wallpaper motifs will be highly sought after.
Make a statement with stone. Combining aspects of the two aforementioned trends, another emerging style in 2023 will be the use of unexpected stones in surprising ways. Anticipate colorful marble in creative reds, corals, deep blues and jewel tones. Exotic types of porcelain, soapstone and granite will be used in a variety of ways: subtly – for serving platters, side tables or nightstands – and dramatically – for accent walls, tables, bathtubs or countertops that transition into bold backsplashes – to incorporate as standalone art or a stunning focal point.
Make a statement with stone. Combining aspects of the two aforementioned trends, another emerging style in 2023 will be the use of unexpected stones in surprising ways. Anticipate colorful marble in creative reds, corals, deep blues and jewel tones. Exotic types of porcelain, soapstone and granite will be used in a variety of ways: subtly – for serving platters, side tables or nightstands – and dramatically – for accent walls, tables, bathtubs or countertops that transition into bold backsplashes – to incorporate as standalone art or a stunning focal point.
Whether you feel like a design daredevil or crave simplicity, the coming year boasts a menu of delights to fulfill the moods and needs of many appetites. We hope you’re inspired to customize and love your home more than ever in 2023.
Whether you feel like a design daredevil or crave simplicity, the coming year boasts a menu of delights to fulfill the moods and needs of many appetites. We hope you’re inspired to customize and love your home more than ever in 2023.
No surprise here: Most people said they met online. If you can’t tolerate hookup apps such as Tinder—the digital matchmaker used by the majority of our respondents—ask your friends and family for introductions. A fifth of Denverites who responded met their better halves through IRL social networks.
Single on Valentine’s Day? We asked nearly 200 Denverites how they found their partners to give you a statistical advantage for finding love. —HELEN XU
More than 80 percent of couples lived within a 30-minute car ride of each other when they started dating. In fact, nearly 17 percent of couples lived within walking distance.
The average time, in years, that married Denverites dated before getting engaged. Now you know exactly how long you have to save for that dream ring.
Only 16 percent said it would be a deal breaker if a potential partner didn’t know how to ski or snowboard. Meaning, despite the unspoken rule to identify your ski passes on your dating profile, an inability to rip shouldn’t prevent you from eventually realizing a mountain wedding.
Percent of ZIP code 80203’s population that was single during the 2020 census, making the Capitol Hill neighborhood it covers the best place in the metro area for an old-fashioned meet cute. The worst? Broomfield County’s 80023 and Jefferson County’s 80007, where single men and women, respectively, make up 14 percent of the population.
