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Denver Tiki - General info, events, etc. |
MoaiMan
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Sep 03, 2007
Posts: 18
From: Arvada, CO
|  Posted: 2010-02-26 9:36 pm Permalink
Dale -
Been doing any carving lately?
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Tiki Fink
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 21, 2006
Posts: 392
From: Denver, CO
| Posted: 2010-02-27 11:15 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2010-02-18 22:57, Carmine Verandah wrote:
Thank you, TikiMike and TikiFink for a most satisfying celebration of Chinese New Year, tiki-style.
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You are quite welcome!! Hope to see you on the FOM site soon!
[ This Message was edited by: Tiki Fink 2010-02-27 11:15 ]
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Mr. Dale
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 26, 2004
Posts: 300
From: a garage somewhere in Arvada, Colorado
| Posted: 2010-02-28 08:23 am Permalink
Hey Moai man......Howz ya been? Hope the family is doing good.
No I haven't carved in quite some time. I just spent the last year overcoming all the ugly symptoms of divorce. There are so many changes and repairs for both the house and the family that have to get done. But its getting better every day. Amy and I are still friends..and we share the babies equally. The kids are actually doing better with it than we are.
So between work and the kiddos I only have one day a week to do all that I need to. So carving has taken a back seat. But thats o.k. It'll come back when the gods tell me they need out.
BUT....I have been doing more of my steel work that I have always done and will do. So I haven't and won't give up art. It'll just take more time than it used to. All in all its gonna be good.
Are you still painting? You need to show at the Mod. show next year. You really have some crazy talent.
Take care brother......
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Beach Bum Scott
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 28, 2008
Posts: 304
From: The Ranch in CO
| Posted: 2010-02-28 09:43 am Permalink
Hey Denver Tribe...
Taking advantage of Denver's Restaurant Week Tammy and I took a trip to 8 Rivers, the Rum and Caribbean place in Lodo that CucamongaChango and I were discussing earlier.
Well I am pleased to report that my worries about it being a trustafarain wannabe place were not correct.
Very nice what I would expect of a high end Caribbean resort, not just a Bob Marley Bar.
The Rum selection is just what the website claims and the Owner and Bar staff were very nice and happy to talk Rums with us pulling down several bottles just to get the "nose of".
They were also quite honest about comparing/describing the different types by the same distillers.
I was also able to make my own "Flight" to compare 4 different rums that they have that I have never tried.
on to the food...
Some of you are aware that I spent some time living down island in the land of Jimmy...(they didn't play any)
I am very happy to report that the menu items that we tried were some of the best island fare I have ever had not just the standard throw some jerk on chicken and call it Jamaican.
Portions were large not what I would expect of a Lodo cuisine place
Tammy and I will be going back for sure.
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Matterhorn1959
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 18, 2006
Posts: 177
From: Mile High City
| Posted: 2010-03-01 06:51 am Permalink
Hey Scott,
Joyce and I also took advantage of the Restaurant Week to sample 8 Rivers. I did not try the rum flight as the server was understaffed for the night. However, I did find the food to be very good and the ambiance was very nice, not a Reggae/Rasta spot at all. However, the Painkiller was not that good. I did enjoy seeing the number of rums available.
Last night we went to Black Cat Bistro in Boulder and had a lovely pre-prohibition cocktail the Corpse Reviver that was fantastic.
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CucamongaChango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2008
Posts: 264
From: Denver, CO
| Posted: 2010-03-01 07:58 am Permalink
Nice reviews on 8 Rivers, I'll have to finally get over there some day soon.
For ye olde school cocktail ambiance, my wife and I got our fix last week when we stopped by the Cruise Room downtown. Wow! What an awesome old bar. I drank Sazeracs and the wife had some martinis. A little pricey, but a really nice evening, too.
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Helz
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 31, 2004
Posts: 415
From: Westminster, CO
| Posted: 2010-03-01 9:47 pm Permalink
The place sounds great....and the rum selection on the website has definite possibilities...Gotta love the El Dorado 21 year and of course the 1703.
Anyone try the Mehkong from Thailand?
Dale - We still gotta talk mugs sometime man.....
[ This Message was edited by: Helz 2010-03-01 21:50 ]
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Mr. Dale
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 26, 2004
Posts: 300
From: a garage somewhere in Arvada, Colorado
| Posted: 2010-03-02 8:08 pm Permalink
Helz....thanks for coming over and putting away a few Hurricanes the other day....I think we saved Arvada from flooding.
Hell yes...we need to talk...Maybe at this 8 rivers place thats so popular here. Sounds good yes?
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tikibars
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 2014
From: Aku Hall, Chicago
| Posted: 2010-03-13 10:16 pm Permalink
Aloha Denver tribe -
I'll be visiting your fair city from Monday, March 29 through the morning of Thursday April 1.
Anyone want to give me the skinny on things to do/see in Denver on a weeknight?
Tiki, craft cocktails, anything retro/vintage/mid century... damned good food... local color...
Also:
Can I get around this city on public transport (used to car-free Chicago/NY city living...), or will need a car?
Could also use a recommendation for a cheap motel in a fairly safe neighborhood...
mahalo
_________________
- James T.
My new book is "Destination: Cocktails": www.destinationcocktails.com.
Get "Big Stone Head: Easter Island and Pop Culture" at: www.bigstonehead.com.
See www.tydirium.net for Tiki Road Trip, global travelogues, and more!
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CucamongaChango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2008
Posts: 264
From: Denver, CO
| Posted: 2010-03-15 10:55 am Permalink
Howdy!
Not a lot of tiki here... as in practically none.
What is here, is beer. Dunno if you're a beer person or not, but I am a fully certifiable beer geek and I can recommend to you Falling Rock taphouse, which is one of the world's great beer temples. Also, there are so many excellent home-grown breweries that I can also strongly urge you to try a couple of them. Downtown are several, but I would recommend Great Divide and Breckenridge. Both have an array of styles and will allow you to taste to find the right one for you. Great Divide is my current favorite, and they are doing some wonderful things over there right now. The Claymore Scotch Ale and the Hoss Rye Lager both blew me away.
For cocktails, try the Cruise Room. It's been there since 1933, and has a beautiful decor designed by the guy who did the Queen Mary. Classic cocktails like Sazeracs and Old Fashioneds are the things to have here. It is a treat.
Food-wise, I haven't been here all that long, but I'll tell you what I know.
-Mead St. Station is a neighborhood pub that has startlingly good food. The baseball sirloin is excellent, as is the ham/brie/pear sandwich. Friendly folks, good beers on tap, full bar... great place.
-Fogo de Chao is a chain, I'll put that out there first and foremost. But, if you're a carnivore, I can't think of a better place to go. This is one of those Brazilian steakhouse places where gauchos come to your table with endless skewers of meat. Heaven.
-Cherry Cricket is said to have the best burgers on the planet. I haven't had one yet, but I'm looking forward to it.
-Carl's Pizza is an old school dive Italian place that warms my heart just thinking about it.
-Cheeky Monk is a Belgian beer bar with excellent fries, mussels, and sandwiches. the beer menu is the star here, if you like Belgians, but the food is good too.
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burleyque
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Mar 29, 2002
Posts: 47
From: Denver
| Posted: 2010-03-15 1:38 pm Permalink
Not much Tiki beyond a few Chinese places that serve exotic drinks in the mugs- The best decor, drinks and food is at Twin Dragon- http://www.twindragonrestaurant.com/- but we've got a few great craft cocktail places poppin up. Steuben's is the best, featuring vintage and classically minded coctails using fresh ingredients and small batch spirits http://www.steubens.com/plus there food is terrific.
The Cruise Room is a vintage dream serving vintage coctails with fresh juices. Their cocktail menu is very fru-fru, but you can skip it and just have them make you any cocktail you can think of http://www.theoxfordhotel.com/dining/cruise-room.php. They're attached to a McCormick's restaurant, with great seafood.
South Broadway has some great vintage clothes and bookstores, plus the amazing Mayan Theatre and Beatrice and Woodsley's http://www.beatriceandwoodsley.com/(more great coctails, incredible design, local and super interesting/delicious food and their happy hour features half price drinks). They have a sister bar downtown called Double Daughters, not far from the cruise room that's worth a look http://doubledaughters.com/
Root Down http://www.rootdowndenver.com/in Denver's Highland neighborhood and Colt and Grey http://www.coltandgray.com/on the west side of downtown both have incredible food, and amazing craft cocktails.
Also in the highlands A Cote, a quaint french absinthe bar with a full shelf of different absinthes. They have wonderful cocktails and light french fare- and next door is Z cuisine, a full (and terrific) french restaurant. http://www.zcuisineonline.com/
There's some really cool mid-century modern neighborhoods. They're outside of central Denver, but well worth the taxi fare http://www.milehimodern.com/modernTour.php
I'd recommend the Curtis downtown- it's centrally located, has a great restaurant with good cocktails (The Corner Office). Every floor has a different pop culture theme. http://www.thecurtis.com/ Not super cheap, but sometimes they have special rates. The Ramada on Colfax is a good deal with comfortable rooms 1150 E. Colfax Ave and it's known as the 'Rockmada' for it's proximity to several music venues that put their performers up there. In the 1960's it was home to a tiki bar, that is sadly long gone. The 15 runs up and down Colfax, one of the main streets in Denver, and connects to broadway's 0 bus and the light rail.
Colfax was once the main road into the mountains and there are amazing vintage hotels, bars and restaurants with their original signage all along the road (which is the longest continuous street in the US). If you take the 15 or a cab at night, most of them still light up and they're pretty awesome.
Also on west Colfax is one of my favorite places, Casa Bonita- a fake Mexican wonderland/restaurant. The food's not great (they make it palatable to kids, so lots of velveeta) but the 2 story waterfall, volcanic rocks, silly shows and mariachi make the 8 bucks (for dinner, or you can just pay that entry fee) well worth it. They do make a decent if candy-like Pina Colada. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_Bonita
Depending on where you want to go and do and where you stay, the busses and light rail plus an occasional cab might be just fine.
If you have any more questions feel free to contact me! viviennevavoom@gmail.com
Michelle
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ZuluMagoo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 26, 2002
Posts: 468
From: Denver, CO
| Posted: 2010-03-15 2:15 pm Permalink
Hey, JT.
There are some great suggestions here from Michelle and Chango.
I'd bring you over to the Kona Luanii (my basement) for a few cocktails, but I'm taking my kids down to Arizona that week for Spring Break.
Zulu
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CucamongaChango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2008
Posts: 264
From: Denver, CO
| Posted: 2010-03-15 9:59 pm Permalink
Holy smokes!
I'm gonna print out Burleyque's post and hit the town.
Great stuff in there.
Thanks!
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tikibars
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 2014
From: Aku Hall, Chicago
| Posted: 2010-03-16 11:00 pm Permalink
Thanks so much for the info!
Lots of really enticing stuff there.
I wonder if I can hit it all?
Just may try!
Cruise Room was also recommended to me by The Jab a while back, so it's a must visit.
Cheeky Monk and Carl's sound interesting, and I'll probably hit as many of the places Michelle listed as I can - they all sound right up my alley.
Thanks also to the pointers towards vintage clothes, neon, and bookstores... all three categories are must-explore topics for me. With all of that plus the art museum, it seems like my itinerary is nearly full already.
Any pointers towards parks or hiking for further afternoon activities that might let take advantage of the terrain? I'm not super-sporty, but hiking trails or something might be good...
If any of you want to meet me out Tues or Weds, I'd love to say hi to the Denver 'ohana.
mahalo
_________________
- James T.
My new book is "Destination: Cocktails": www.destinationcocktails.com.
Get "Big Stone Head: Easter Island and Pop Culture" at: www.bigstonehead.com.
See www.tydirium.net for Tiki Road Trip, global travelogues, and more!
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CucamongaChango
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2008
Posts: 264
From: Denver, CO
| Posted: 2010-03-17 07:36 am Permalink
I'm a big-time hiker, but I've only been here a couple of months and haven't gotten out all that much yet. One hike that I think is a must-do, however, is Red Rocks.
Extremely easy to get to, just head out West on the 70 to Morrison and follow the signs, you can hang out and see the world-famous ampitheatre and walk the steps and all that... but there are lots of trails around there, too. There's a loop that starts around the lower visitor center (Red Rocks Entrance 2) that'll only take you about 45 minutes to do, but will give you pretty good immersion into the beauty and geology of the region.
That same trip, you could go up the winding road to Lookout Mtn from Golden and visit Buffalo Bill's grave.
For another local park, a friend of mine recommended Roxborough State Park off of the 25 south of the city, and it looks pretty great. And then there's also the Flatirons up in Boulder.
If you want to take the time and get up in the mountains, the only place I've been yet is Rocky Mtn NP in Estes Park. There's a lot to see there, and well worth the drive.
[ This Message was edited by: CucamongaChango 2010-03-17 07:37 ]
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