by Mark Smiley | Nov 2, 2015 | Feature Story Middle Left
Right On ’Que: Sizzling
Carve BBQ Opening In Glendale
New Eatery From Southern Concepts To Add Fire In Belly Of Valley’s Dining Crowd
So you’re looking for that next great eating odyssey. Food you crave that’s guaranteed to satisfy your hunger. A renegade wave of new eateries is opening in Glendale and Denver with Texas-size ambitions and creative swagger that’s turning the Valley into the next great dining destination and barbeque is just the beginning.
Carving out a laid-back local hot spot in Glendale is Southern Concepts Restaurants Group’s fast casual barbeque concept Carve Barbeque opening Nov. 5 in the 1000 S. Colorado Blvd. shopping plaza. To celebrate the opening Carve will donate 10 percent of all sales to the Denver Rescue Mission during grand opening day. In addition, the first 25 guests to arrive on grand opening day will receive free Carve for one year. It is the first barbeque eatery from the Colorado Springs-based group that owns and manages three ful
l-service restaurants in the market. “Carve is different than your traditional pit barbeque restaurant — it is barbeque without boundaries,” explains Mitchell Roth, Southern Concept’s CEO. “We will be setting ourselves apart by choosing only the finest quality, all-natural meats.”
Customers will walk down the food line in the contemporary eatery where they choose from four styles — naked, salad, sandwich or street taco — plus meat garnishments. The eatery will serve pork, chicken, brisket, ribs plus prime rib, all natural wood-smoked. The fresh sides will range from traditional options like coleslaw, to barbecue pico de gallo and charred corn salad. Craft brews and local wines will be available. Information: 303-756-3356.
Eatery Explosion
There are a multitude of new eateries open or scheduled to open as the holidays near. Newly opened in Glendale is Noodle Fresh offering Asian Street Tacos, Ramen bowls plus create-your-own noodle bowls. Information: 303-757-0145. Also now open is Telegraph Bistro & Bar in the Wash Park neighborhood at 295 S. Pennsylvania. It features a menu of seasonal New American cuisine em
phasizing fresh seafood and vegetables. Information: 720-440-9846.
The Blue Island Oyster Bar — sister restaurant to Golden’s Table Mountain Inn eatery — has opened in Cherry Creek’s 250 Columbine project. Along with oysters from the restaurant’s own New York oyster farm, you can dine on lobster rolls, caviar, crudos, burgers, fresh fish, chowders and salads. Information: 303-333-2462.
Additional restaurants yet to open include Matsuhisa Cherry Creek, scheduled to open by year’s end in the Creek’s Steele Creek Apartment building; Del Frisco’s Grille — the casual sibling to Del Frisco’s — is opening a space in the new First Bank Building in Cherry Creek boasting a rooftop patio and an upscale bar. The menu will include prime-grade steaks, pristine seafood and two-fisted sandwiches and flatbreads. Finally, SOL Mexican Cocina is also opening in the 250 Columbine project. It will focus on the coastal cuisine of the Baja coast. The menu will range from various guacamoles to seafood dishes, street tacos, and bigger entree plates.
by Mark Smiley | Nov 2, 2015 | Editorials
Robert Speth v. Happy Haynes
On November 3 there will be an off year election here in Denver for which there is little excitement except over the endless attempts to get Denver taxpayers to pay for everything from redoing the stock show grounds to paying for the college education of the political elite’s kids and those belonging to politically favored groups.
But there is one hotly contested elective office fight and that concerns three positions on the seven person Denver Public School Board. The most interesting is the at large contest between current DPS Board President Allegra “Happy” Haynes and Robert Speth, a senior strategic account manager for Sprint.
The race boils down to corporate oriented reformers versus teacher union supporters as it does in almost all DPS elections. Corporate oriented reformers presently control six of the seven positions with the sole teacher union supporter Arturo Jimenez not running for re-election.
Challenger Robert Speth appears to be a highly intelligent individual with a wife and two children in the Denver Public system at Valdez Elementary School in northwest Denver. His campaign slogan is “A Parent. Not a Politician.”
For those not in the know, his opponent, 62-year-old Happy Haynes, is a lifelong politician who has never had children, much less one in the Denver Public Schools. Some of her opponents have long claimed that she does not even really live in Denver. She is, in fact, is perhaps one of the strangest and least qualified presidents of a school board in the country.
Haynes was recently handed the high paying city job of executive director of the Denver Parks Department by longtime political ally Mayor Michael Hancock without interviewing a single other candidate and halting the national search to help locate qualified individuals for the position. Her appointment was widely condemned across almost all political spectrums with park advocates pointing out she had absolutely no background or qualifications for the post. But being unqualified for a job under the Hancock Administration is not deemed an impediment as long as you are politically connected to the mayor.
She has also refused to resign as school board president to take the Parks Department position saying that during the day she would be head of Parks and a DPS president at night. Good government types have pointed that she has endless conflicts of interest between her two jobs. As president of the DPS she previously spearheaded the partial destruction of Hentzell Park to benefit the building of a new school. Okay for DPS, but a disaster for the park. The utterly spineless Denver Ethics Board, however, blessed her having the two jobs at once. What is all the more amazing about Haynes holding two jobs at once is that Haynes is not known for being a particularly hard worker. In all her time on Denver City Council she did not have a single accomplishment. She is best remembered by her fellow councilmembers as a person who failed to return almost every telephone call from her constituents. Incumbency in Denver is such a powerful force that once you are elected it is almost impossible to be voted out even if you, like Ms. Haynes, stiff-arm the people who put you in office.
Perhaps because she never had any children herself she has shown almost no actual interest in Denver’s school kids. She has been little more than a rubber stamp for literally every proposal of controversial DPS Superintendent Tom Boasberg and the corporate backers of Mayor Hancock.
Ms. Haynes’ primary attribute for her entire adult life appears to be having a politically connected mother, Jo Anne Haynes, and fortuitously being nicknamed by her mother at an early age “Happy.” Who wouldn’t want to vote for someone named Happy.
Ms. Haynes appears to recognize that her primary qualification to any job is her nickname as all of her yard signs simply say “Happy!” not dissimilar to Republican presidential candidate John Ellis Bush’s campaign signs simply saying “Jeb!”
Our primary concern with Robert Speth is that we do not agree with his strategy for improving Denver schools, including severely limiting charter schools and choice in the Denver school system. He wants teachers limited to those who are “certified” and wants teachers promoted based on seniority. By straitjacketing the choice that a parent has in Denver to a “neighborhood school” you make the Denver Public Schools even less attractive than they are now and cause more parents to abandon the public school system.
However, we are also cognizant that the majority of the school board will be pro-reform no matter the results of this election. Having no dissenting voices on the DPS School Board is not a good idea. Superintendent Boasberg has grown ever more arrogant and self important over the years and there needs to be at least one voice that will act as query to the actions of the school administrators.
We may not agree with some of the positions of Robert Speth but he is at least a very concerned and intelligent DPS parent whose decisions on the Board will directly affect his own children. Happy Haynes is a lifetime politician who has repeatedly shown her only interest is what is good for Happy Haynes. Moreover voting for Speth is also at least one clear symbolic vote against the corruption that has overtaken Denver City Hall.
— Editorial Board
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2015 | General Featured
by Casey Bloyer
For a craft beer fan like myself autumn is a wonderful time of year to celebrate with delicious fall beer and what else, Oktoberfest! The average American has attended or knows about the fall festival that has become a pilgrimage for most beer lovers, but do they know what it is really about? Oktoberfest is about a marriage that happened in 1810 in, yes you guessed, Germany!
On October 12, 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The wedding took place in Munich, and all the citizens were invited to come celebrate the nuptials on the fields at the city gates. The fields are now named Theresinwiese in honor of the Princess, and today Oktoberfest is still held there.
The locals refer to the event just as “Wies’n” and more than six million people now attend “Wies’n” every year! The celebration in Germany has evolved into one big carnival party with something that everyone can enjoy and, of course, beer takes center stage.
You can find many more Oktoberfests across the world. Locall
y you can find several different festivals in each city in Colorado spanning from early September to the beginning of October. Also, there is that little festival at the end of September in Denver called The Great American Beer Festival.
Summer beer festivals focus on the beer but Oktoberfest is more of a celebration that usually is more family friendly than regular beer festivals. This is just one reason that as a beer lover, Fall is my favorite beer season. The air grows crisp and the colors start to change and the beer grows more hearty and rich with deep flavors!
Since we are in Colorado, one of the big four craft beer states (California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington) we are very lucky to have so many choices for outstanding beer. I can’t wait for this time of year and for seasonal beers to be released with one exception…PUMPKIN BEER!
Never has a beer been more argued than this type of beer. If you have listened to Brewski-Reviewski.podbean.com you know that I absolutely hate these beers! I have yet to try one that I like, or that I think is good. So just know you won’t get any recommendations from this writer on pumpkin beer. I will, however, let you know about my five favorite fall beers.
These are the type of beers I like to have on a cool afternoon in th
e Rockies or by a fireside at night. Here they are from 5-1:
5: Left Hand Brewing — “Oktoberfest Marzen Lager” — The maltiness of this beer is off the charts and is one beer that you can have a couple of and not feel like you just ate a full meal! This is a crisp fun lager!
4: Prost — “Marzen Oktoberfest” — If you are looking for German beer and a great fall beer for that special festival this is the beer for you! This is a more traditional Marzen with a nice orange color to it. I don’t mind having 1… or 6 of these if I’m not driving anywhere.
3: Oskar Blues Brewery — “Ten Fidy” — Get ready for a beer that will knock your socks off! This 10.5% ABV is packed with a punch of chocolate, caramel and coffee! Make sure you don’t have these on an empty stomach!
2: Black Shirt Brewing — Any beer they do! They call their beers “The Red Ale Pro
ject” and all the beers they do tie into music! I have ye
t to have a beer at BSB that is anything less than great! I recommend the Red Porter for this time of year.
1: Avery Brewing Company — The Kaiser Imperial Oktoberfest — This is the beer to end all fall beers! I am not surprised this is what Avery does with all their beers. The malt combined with the spiced hoppiness is fantastic. If an Oktoberfest is not serving this in Colorado then it is not the right festival.
Honorable Mention:
Bull & Bush Brewery — Hail Brau Hefeweizen — This unfiltered wheat beer is a classic Hefeweizen and great beer for any Oktoberfest festival. But make sure you swing by their brewery for any of their beers and the food as well!
Comrade Brewing — Bierstadt Lagerhaus Hefeweizen — Great beer for this time of year and a lot lighter than any other beers coming up on this list. I love the banana notes that come from this beer. Make sure you try the superpower IPA as it well may well be the best IPA in Colorado.
Fall is a wonderful time in Colorado to be able to enjoy the outdoors, and a great beer is a plus. We are just lucky to have the best of both worlds here, so get out there and try a new beer. I hope to see you at one of the many festivals this fall and please tell me if I am wrong about any of these beers. I love hearing about new beers to try, but do not bring up those evil forsaken pumpkin beers! Enjoy the outdoors, have a beer and until the next time . . . raise your glass!
Casey Bloyer is the Executive Producer of The Peter Boyles Show and The Dan Caplis Show. He is the co-host of Brewski-Reviewski with Connor Shreve who is the Sports Director at 710KNUS. Brewski-Reviewski is a bi-monthly podcast talking about all things craft beer in Colorado. Twitter @Breviewski; Facebook www. facebook.com/craftbeerradio; email brcraftbeer @gmail.com.
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2015 | Uncategorized
A Big Booo to you!
Both horrifying and hilarious, this is the bewitching month when “A Haunting We Will Go!” We must have bats in our belfry because what was once a one-day holiday has been carved into a full month of freakish parties, spooky street people and ghoulish performances.
Here’s the Chronicle’s list of haunted houses, paranormal parties, street prowling events and pumpkin carvings to keep you frightened and fearful.
The 13th Floor, Oct. 1-Nov.14
This house takes guests through a frightening tour of horror. Brave guests will learn just why the 13th floor is so often omitted from building plans — if they make it through to tell the tale. Thrills with intricate sets, highly selective casting, and incredible special effects makeup that are sure to make reality and fiction blur into terror. Information: 303-355-3327.
The Asylum, Oct. 1-Nov. 1
Back again, this 1800s era themed “hospital for t
he mentally insane” has been taken over by the patients and prisoners. Tapping into some of our greatest fears, the haunted experience is a head-trip that screams of its tortured souls inside the once orderly insane asylum. Information: 303-355-3327.
Mausoleum, Oct. 1-Nov. 1
You can’t predict what will happen next. No one can survive because you are already dead! Do you have the nerve to tour a haunted mausoleum at night? The ghosts await your arrival. Information: 303-795-6666.
13th Door, Oct. 2-Nov.1
This is a terrifying journey through petrifying halls filled with relentless scares and screaming. Only the brave should enter and try to navigate the horrifying hallways. Information: 720-261-0570.
Pumpkin Harvest Festival, Oct. 3-4
Old-time fall celebration with pumpkins, wagon rides, caramel apples and cider at Four Mile Historic Park, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The historic 12-acre site provides the perfect country setting for nostalgic autumn fun, including a scarecrow-building station and pumpkin patch, pie-eating contests, live music, crafts, seasonal treats, and county fair amusements. Historic demonstrations and tours of the Four Mile House Museum will highlight how families in the region lived and prepared for the season during the late 1800s. Information: 720-865-0800.
Colorado Ghost Stories, Oct. 8
Join Active Minds as they tiptoe through the haunted houses and ghoulish graveyards of the area. They will tell the ghost stories associated with the Stanley Hotel, Cheesman Park, the Molly Brown House, and more as we visit the past and the past visits with us a bit. The free event is from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Highland Senior Center. Information: 303-458-4868.
Glow At The Gardens, Oct. 14, 21 & 28
Pumpkin displays, luminaria-lined pathways and cocktail parties at the Botanic Gardens, 6-9 p.m. Stories by The Story Seeker, scavenger hunts and other fall-themed activities will be part of the fun. All activities included with admission. Separate costs are for food and cash bar. Oct. 14: Sea-themed pumpkin display with live music in the Glow Lounge featuring Branden Sipes. Oct. 21: Dinosaur-themed pumpkin display and a mask station for children. Glow Lounge live music by Yoshi & Dan. Oct. 28: Halloween-themed pumpkin display with trick-or-treating. Classic Vinyl Band Live in the Glow Lounge. Information: 720-865-3500.
Victorian Horrors XXII,
Oct. 16-17 & 23-24
Costumed actors at the Molly Brown House Museum bring to life tales of terror from such masters of Victorian gothic literature as Edgar Allan Poe, HG Wells and Mary Shelley. Come the first time, or come again for a fresh set of terrifying tales. Information: 303-832-4092.
Salem Witches, Oct. 21
Learn about an extraordinary series of events that took place in Salem, Massachusetts, and the hysterical community reaction known as the Salem Witch Hunt. Free event is in the Cherry Creek Library, 6-7 p.m. Reservations not required. Information: 720-865-0120.
Monsters & Legends, Oct. 24
From the vampires of Eastern Europe, to the stories of the Loch Ness monster, Big Foot, and more, Active Minds will explore the origins and history of familiar (and not so familiar) tales and how they have evolved and grown over time. Free event is at the Eugene Field Library on S. University Blvd. Reservations not required.
Pumpkin Patch Party, Oct. 24
On Havana Street event at The English Teacup where kids can decorate a mini pumpkin for free. There will be pumpkin scones and pumpkin tea. Information: 303-514-0958.
Boo At The Zoo, Oct. 25-26
The annual Boo at the Denver Zoo offers more than 25 trick-or-treat stations, creepy crawly animal demonstrations and exciting family-friendly entertainment under the canopy of fall foliage of the Denver Zoo. Activities are free with zoo admission. Information: 720-337-1400.
Halloween Party, Oct. 29
This YMCA event is for local kids with a costume contest, crafts, treats and a haunted house at the Glendale Sports Center, 5:30-7 p.m. Information: 303-639-4711.
Halloween BOO-lesque Show,
Oct. 29-31
Join the Clocktower Clockettes at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret as they pay a spooky burlesque tribute to all the thrills and chills of America’s spookiest holiday. You’ll see zombies, vampires, witches, black cats and even The Blob … scenes so frightening they’ll scare The Clockettes right out of their shirts! I
nformation: 303-293-0075.
Highland Haunt, Oct. 31
Free and open to the public on 32nd Ave. between Zuni and Clay, activities include trick or treating, a costume parade, piñata stations, cakewalk and live music, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Information: highlandhaunt.com.
Spooky Walk & Howl-O-Ween Pet Costume Contest, Oct. 31
Event sponsored by On Havana Street offers free candy and prizes. Information: 303-514-0958.
Boneyard Garden Ghosts, Oct. 31
Enjoy Victorian tea service and delve into Victorian Halloween traditions, costumes and games at the suitably spooky and quite possibly haunted Molly Brown House, tea served at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Information: 303-832-4092.
Coloween, Oct. 31
Coloween is one of the most anticipated Denver Halloween parties. You can choose from parties at City Hall and The Curtis Hotel, among the wildest costume parties in the city. Information: 303-937-9365.
Halloween Costume Ball, Oct. 31-Nov. 1
Live Halloween entertainment and great DJs plus a $1,000 “Best of The Ball” costume contest. The Ball is in the Grand Ballroom of the historic Sherman St. Event Center, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Information: 720-319-8441.
Dracula, Oct. 31-Nov. 2
Colorado Ballet again presents a special Halloween presentation of Dracula at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Spine tingling would be an understatement for how this thrilling performance based on Bram Stoker’s gothic horror will leave you feeling. Portrayed through dance, Dracula will reveal passion, seduction and elegance in a way that the book cannot. Information: 303-837-8888.
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2015 | Travel
by Megan Carthel
The walls of Koko FitClub, located at 6231 E. 14th Ave. in Mayfair, aren’t lined with mirrors and weight racks. Instead, a simple layout with a handful of elliptical, treadmill and weight machines fill out the small space. In fact, no mirrors will be found in this gym, and that’s just the point. “It’s not about being skinny or weighing 120 pounds,” franchise owner Jennifer Mercado said. “It’s about being strong.”
It’s no secret that Americans aren’t the trimmest. The National Institute of Health estimates nearly 70 percent of Americans ages 20 and up are overweight or obese. Mercado and her husband, Kevin, along with Koko Fitness, are trying to make that statistic smaller. After he suffered a heart attack at age 39, the Mercados knew they needed to change their lifestyle.
At Koko FitClub, technology is the personal trainer. It’s a marriage of both computers and fitness — a metaphorical match to the Mercados. Kevin, a software engineer, and Jennifer, a runner and formerly from a corporate environment, blend with the gym. “For me,” Mercado said, “it seems like one of the smartest ways technology can be there to help people get better and improve their life.”
So how is technology helping people lose weight? The answer is much like a game. Each member has their own website and USB drive that retains all of their information, such as height, weight, BMI, workouts and nutrition. Each workout is pre-planned and tailored to each member. Every part of the experience is tracked and designed to motivate. Club members carry their USB flash drives on colored lanyards correlated to the amount of time they’ve been training at the gym. Mercado said it’s a way for members to show pride in their progress.
A screen in the middle of the gym proudly flaunts member names on a “leader board” for perfect workouts. While burning calories, club members can have their pick of scenic routes and keep up with a pacemaker. At the end of each workout, members are rewarded with points. A perfect workout gets a member a free
T-shirt and their name on the leader board. Think of a gold star sticker, but for adults.
“It makes it a little fun, but it’s a great workout,” said club member Daniel Kraus, 29. Kraus said he’s never been a fanatic of gyms, but the streamlined ease of Koko is a perfect fit for him.
Kathy Adams, a 70-year-old member, said she checks the leader board every time she works out. This was a surprise to Adams who said she has always been a “do-it-yourselfer.” This simple work-for-reward technique seems to be one of the key motivational points for Koko FitClub. “It is that feeling, I think,” Mercado said, “that people just want to be recognized for working hard and feeling good about it.”
And, in a world of instant gratification, instant results can undoubtedly be motivational — and that’s what the technology at Koko FitClub can provide people. It’s real time data showing real time results. “The numbers don’t lie,” Adams said. “That in itself is very motivating. You can start seeing improvement. You don’t think you’re getting better, you know on paper you’re getting better and stronger.”
Mercado said many people quit trying to get healthy and lose weight because they don’t see results. The “smart trainer,” as it’s called, keeps track of the improvement each member makes during their workouts and shares the data instantly as well as on a personalized website. Koko FitClub seems to have found a way to simplify a very complicated thing. When club members come into the gym, everything is mapped out for them, from weight to reps.
Nutrition isn’t spared, either. Recipes and meal guidelines are part of each member’s website — something that Nel Lenhart, 50, a club member, said has made a positive impact on her family. The gym itself gives off a family feeling. Lenhart describes the atmosphere as “encouraging” and “comfortable.” Mercado said when people go into a large gym environment, they can sometimes be intimidated and uncomfortable asking for help, the exact opposite of what Mercado and the Koko FitClub conveys. “You get the sense that people are glad I’m here, and they’re proud of me for showing up,” Lenhart said.
Because the workouts are easy to follow, the fear of being “that person” at the gym is basically eliminated. “You don’t have to worry about the whole gym thing, going in with all these people, not knowing what you’re doing or waiting for this machine or that machine,” Kraus said. Koko FitClub supports a friendly environment and pushes the goal of health, not just quick weight loss. “We are the life prescription keeping people healthy,” Mercado said.
For more information call 303-872-8380 or visit kokodenver.com.
