If you haven’t been to the most happening spot in the LoHi neighborhood yet, you’re missing out.  The owners of Root Down, a renowned organic eatery specializing in connecting the neighborhood via food and drink, opened Linger in June of last year and have provided this up and coming neighborhood with a fantastic location for food and drink.  A happy hour menu comprised of array of $5 specialty cocktails and wines, dollar off drafts and a street food menu with price tags of under $6 make this a great gathering spot for post work libations.

Linger is set in the old Olinger Mortuary at 15^th and Boulder, setting the stage for an eclectic evening.  A retro funeral home theme throughout the two-story space, a rooftop patio and a bar lined with Lite Brite pegs all lend themselves to the originality of the restaurant.  Due to great happy hour deals and the amazingness of the space and the location, you should get there early for a good seat as there is typically a wait for bar and patio seating as early as 4pm.

The cocktails at Linger are explorative, yet user friendly.  The Ginger Collins, ringing in at $5, is a refreshing ginger lemonade in a tall glass that you will have to have seconds of.  Also on the $5 menu is a Lemongrass daiquiri, served up in a classic cocktail glass, a Red Sangria or a house red or white wine.  The happy hour specials also extend to the seven tap handles, four of which are rotating so there is always a new selection. Currently, Delirium Tremens, Odells Levity Amber and Rogue Dead Guy Ale are among the taps that are a dollar off from 4-6:30 Tuesday through Friday exclusively in the bar area.

If you can’t make it for happy hour, browse the regular cocktail menu featuring 15 specialty drinks in the $8-10 range.  Try an Anejo Manhattan with grapefruit juice or the New Saigon, comprised of gin, cucumber, jalapeno and Thai Basil.  If cocktails aren’t your thing, check out the amazing selection of 19 bottles and cans of beer and four specialty beers by the bottle.  Currently, Colorado Cider, Avery’s The Reverend, Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti and Stone Sublimely Self Righteous are the offerings on this exclusive beer list.

Stop by for a drink at Linger this week at 2030 West 30th Avenue in LoHi.

On the corner of 14th and Champa, a new farm to table concept restaurant has come to town. Row 14 opened in the SPIRE in March of 2011 and has since been dedicated to bringing local cuisine to its seasonal and signature dishes along with non-pretentious wine pairings. Their cuisine is described at “experiential,” combining global influences and new American cuisine.

The goal of Row 14 is to make wine pairing with food a more approachable activity during your dining experience. “We intend to have sophisticated yet approachable offerings that will change frequently and complement both our signature and seasonal dishes,” boasts their website and they do so by offering wines from around the globe to match your palate. They will be hosting their first annual rose patio party on August 12. For $25, you can enjoy 20 roses from around the world paired with summer hors d’oeuvres in the Colorado evening sunlight.

In addition to wine accessibility, Row 14 makes dinner easy as well with a menu filled with ala carte options for the explorative diner or featured dinners for those who want their mind made up for them. Start with the “First Up” section and try the XO Shrimp Rangoons with foie gras butter or the Philly Cheesesteak Empanadas with red pepper marmalade. Or, build your own charcuterie plate for $16 by choosing two meats and cheeses from the SALT or MILK portion of the menu.

On the entrée side, Espelette Marinated Rabbit and Tender Pork Belly Loin take center stage and are paired with brilliant sides such as melted leeks, marbled potatoes, roasted bok choy or local oyster mushrooms. Add your own side dish from the “extras” section and choose from roasted fingerling potatoes with bleu cheese or crispy brussel sprouts with grana padano. If nothing here is floating your fancy, just check back next month…The seasonal dishes change every six to ten weeks.

Seven days a week, Row 14 offers a special of the day, featuring one food item with a beverage for $15. This weekend, Try the Beer Battered Spam paired with Riesling on Friday or the Grilled cheese with pork belly paired with Steamworks Colorado Kolsch on Saturday.

Stop by for a taste and a sip, or several of each, at Row 14 this weekend at 891 14th Street in the SPIRE.

Ute City, Aspen’s newest, and local-friendly, addition to restaurant row, is a great choice if you’re pondering where to spend an evening this weekend.  Located at 308 East Hopkins Street, with panoramic views of Aspen Mountain, an amazing food and drink selection and easy on your wallet pricing all in a relaxed, breezy environment, Ute City is destined to become the newest locals hangout amidst the flounder of its upscale neighboring competitors.

Start your Friday or Saturday evening under an umbrella on one of the patio loungers with an amazing selection of cocktails or wine.  Three different types of mojitos, a spicy mango-rita and some other ingenious libation creations worth taste bud testing line the pages of the extensive list of liquors, beers, cocktails and wines.  The liquor behind the bar is all listed here…with price tags, which is a rarity that leads me to believe they aren’t trying to hide behind high mark-ups on their booze selection.  The wine list goes on for days.  Eighteen pages of new and old world selections are grouped by rice and region, making it extremely user friendly.

As for the eats, Chef Peter Coyne is of the “farm to table” school of thought.  He encapsulates American classics, integrating Colorado ingredients and dappling these creations with the flair of European flavors.  After round one of cocktails on the veranda, step inside and enjoy an appetizer with the mountain breeze fleeting through the floor to ceiling windows.  Try the crispy calamari with fried lemon chips and picholine olives, the chef’s seasonal soup creation or the pecan-crusted soft shell crab.  At the intermezzo, sample a quinoa or roasted beet salad.

For your entrée, be prepared to be daunted by the selection.  An array of pastas, seafood and meats adorn the main pages of the menu with all but one priced below $30.  If pasta is suiting your mood, try the vegetarian lasagna or the forest mushroom gnocchi in truffle sauce.  An organic Scottish Salmon is a highlight on the oceanic side of things, with the swordfish coming in at a close second.

Don’t be afraid of the heavier side of things.  The ale braised short ribs are renowned and prepared via slow cooking for 15 hours in Colorado’s own Odell 90 Shilling Scottish Ale.  Colorado Lamb and Elk Meatloaf also bring local fare into the spotlight.

Save room for dessert and enjoy Ute City’s homemade selection of ice cream and sorbets!

Stop by Ute City this weekend for brunch, lunch, dinner or drinks at 308 East Hopkins Street in the shadow of Aspen Mountain.

If wine and food pairings in a non-pretentious atmosphere is calling you this weekend, have dinner at The Cellar Wine Bar at 2556 15^th Street, voted best wine bar in Denver by the Westword since they opened in 2011.

Chef Joe Freemond, a long-time Denver resident with a slew of internationally conceived flavors in his tool box, joined the Cellar team in May and launched the summer menu in early June, combining these tastes with Colorado ingredients.  Utilizing the assets of local purveyors such as Il Mondo Vecchio Salumi, Dolce Sicilia Italian Bakery, The Truffle Cheese Shop, Savory Spice, Tonali’s Meats, Fresh Guys Produce and Italco Food Products and knowledge gained from his international travels, Chef Freemond has concocted a summer menu worth savoring.

Begin your meal by discussing your options with the knowledgeable staff.  The immense number of wine bottles lining both the walls and the extensive menu can be overwhelming.  Be sure to inquire as to pairings with each course, or ask about a flight that could pair with the entire meal.  With a refreshingly Old World dominated wine selection, complimented by selections from Australia, Colorado and California, and a price range of seven to sixteen dollars a glass, you will want to sample a variety of wines with your meal.

Tuesday to Thursday from 5pm to 10pm and Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 12am, indulge yourself in a wine and food fiasco.  Try the Watermelon Gazpacho or the Chef’s Mussel Selection to start.  As an intermission, try one of the three bruschetta.  For the main course, either choose from an assortment of small plates, such as hummus, roasted portabella or lamb and pork sausage, or jumpright into a meal with one of the renowned handmade pastas.  Don’t overindulge during dinner, however, as the dessert, and the dessert wine selection, will round out your meal with sweet tooth satisfaction.  Try the Chocolate Pot de Crème or, for something lighter, the Ricotta Marzolina with fresh figs, berries and aged balsamic.

Stop by the Cellar Wine Bar in Lohi this weekend, 556 15^th Street,  for wine, food and an internationally fantastic experience.