unfinished business

I have been lazy and have so many opinions on places I have visited in the last month, so here goes:

Snooze: chic diner with lots of modern flair to go along with the peanut butter and jelly pancakes. highly recommended before a browse thru the Ballpark market.

Aztec Sol: a wannabe authentic taqueria that falls short. the food was americanized with little spice or taste. the plus was the patio seating with the party atomsphere outside. still need to visit Taqueria Patzuaro also on 32nd and Tacos Jalisco is an all time favorite visited just last night.

Peaks Lounge: still a hidden gem in Denver offering expansive views of the city with the mountains in the backdrop. located on the 27th floor of the new Hyatt downtown, a cocktail at sunset would be drinking in Denver!

Jazz in the Park: finally got around to this citywide picnic in the park. apparently if your intent is to actually listen to the live jazz, you need to show up early to get prime real estate in front of the bandstand. otherwise bring your cooler, blanket and dog to people watch and enjoy denver's fine city park.

My Brother's Bar: watch out you might miss this bar on the corner of 15th and Platte without a sign over the door (SE corner), but when you have found your way to the patio, you know you are home. a little classical music faintly heard mixed with the chatter. my personal favorite is the J.C.B. burger with jalapano cream cheese, but unfortunately the burger is sometimes over-cooked and dried out. i will continue to go back for the laid back neighborhood-bar-feel.

The Homestead Golf Course: since in my very short golfing career, i have only played par 3 nine holes, this was quite a treat to play 18 with my dad for father's day. lovely course with up-close view of the foothills.

Tifah: wednesday night the fox had the honor of hosting the sounds of Tifah and band. the only way to listen to this girl's voice is live to capture the full, rich texture and the added violinist rocked! keep your ears open for this girl...

shining a mile high

My friend from childhood came into town for the weekend and Denver was the star. I understand how the Denver area has placed in the top five places to live for singles year after year. Growing up in Colorado I take for granted everything it has to offer. And as chefs continue to open wonderfully delicious restaurants in various neighborhoods, this only supplements the recreational activities that abound both in the mountains and the city.

Thursday night we headed to a Uptown Tavern which is just that, a local tavern with lots of T.V.s showing the current sporting events. This night was the NBA finals so the place was packed out including the large outdoor patio and the 2 lanes of miniture bowling. The food is regular bar food with nothing extraordinary. A fun bar to hang out with friends.

Have you heard of LoHi? The new name for the Lower Highlands which borders are I-25, Speer, Federal, and 38th. New restaurants are popping up all over the place which is making this a very appealing neighborhood with it's close vicinty to downtown and the amazing city views. Duo Restaurant at 32nd Ave and Zuni Street is a welcomed addition. The warm goat cheese served with pistachios and sour cherry vinaigrette was a wonderful starter and I could not get enough of the grilled pork chops on mash potatoes and had a dipping sauce that tasted like wasabi and cider. There were antique windows hanging as a partition between the bar and dining area which added a great touch to the decor.

more weekend to come...

my favorite pastime

Any restaurant named after the activity I spend most of my nights doing has to be good. Snooze just opened in the Ballpark neighborhood and the breakfast menu sounds yummy with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pancakes! I'll check it out and report back soon...

sunday jazz in the park

I cannot wait to have a picnic Sunday evening in City Park and listen to live jazz music. The best part, it's free! So bring your blanket, picnic and good bottle of wine to enjoy After Midnight this Sunday and other fun bands throughout the summer.

salud napa valley

I never knew I liked wine so much until I went to Napa Valley last weekend. To taste the pepper and chocolate in red wines and the honey and vanilla in white wines, all my favorite flavors wrapped up into one sip. And I think the beautiful setting definately helps the tasting process. Favorite memory of the weekend was jogging in the evening down a dirt road with grapes on either side of me taking in the smell as the sun slipped from the valley... close to heaven.
So I was sad to hear that the global warming could effect the wines coming out of Napa Valley and France. As the temperature slowly creeps up across the globe, the temperature-sensitive grapes may not be in their optimum climate and new areas could be known for great wine.

But if Napa's out, other North American regions may take its place, Jones says, such as: British Columbia's Okanagan valley, Washington's Puget Sound area, upstate New York and Long Island, Michigan's coastal zone and Virginia.

I have my doubts that a weekend in Michigan wine tasting won't quite live up to Napa Valley.