Welcome to Pub-Football Culture off Historic Colfax Ave.

If you know nothing about the pub-football culture that originated in Great Britain by our British beer drinking and football loving friends, then check out this link here and watch this introductory video provided by the Three Lions Pub.

The pub-football culture at Three Lions Pub, located off historic Colfax Ave., fills a unique niche for the Denver community, providing a hom

As you might expect at such a high-quality pub, the drinks are plentiful so that there is never a dry well.  From American microbrews to European Drafts, Three Lions stocks an adequate list for even the pickiest drinker.  The weekend features football specials including $3.50 Bloody Mary’s and $3.75 Mimosa’s during their morning happy hour from 7-11 am that coincides nicely with the viewing of European football.e away from home, where competitive passions may be unleashed.  Three Lions Pub updates their schedules and standings daily, and offers live MLS coverage daily as well.  The pub even opens early for European football.  Check here for featured matches along with food and drink specials.

If you get hungry after sipping on your drink of choice, order a plate of their house curry to share amongst the table.  Made according to the owner’s mom’s recipe, the curry is served over steamed jasmine rice and potatoes, paired with cilantro chutney and a warm pita.  Then, dip into a Chocolate Chip Guinness Cake that is best eaten with a Guinness, of course.

High-quality comfort food, a pint of fine ale, good company, and a bit of footy on the telly will have you enjoying the pub-football culture right in the heart of the Mile High City.

Three Lion’s Pub is located at 2239 E Colfax Ave Denver, CO 80206;

Tel: 303-997-6886.

Matt Selby and James Iacino from Corner House in Denver join Culinary Connectors LIVE! host Becky Creighton. Corner House is a neighborhood bistro-style restaurant with community table seating creating a warm and inviting environment. Matt and James discuss the small, but expanding menu, that features seasonally inspired sharable items. They also discuss their personal favorite dish, the mussels. Kelly Liken from Vail also calls in and her and Becky call about the upcoming Cochon555 competition visit Vail March 10th!

Cooked or Raw, Kenichi’s Sushi is a Work of Art

courtesy of: http://www.kenichiaspen.com/

Bite by bite, I delicately piece through the plate of sushi before me that more closely resembles a fine work of Asian art rather than the succulent, rich, satisfying plate of sushi that it is.  At Kenichi, located in the mountain resort town of Aspen, Master Sushi Chef Kiyomi Sano and Executive Chef Ed Schmidt combine their talents in the art of cooking and making sushi in order to create culinary works of art that look just as good as they taste.

The menu features an endless list of seafood options, all listed in their traditional names in addition to english, that may be enjoyed in sushi form or cooked to the diner’s delight.  Among the finest sushi you may come across in this land-locked state, Kenichi offers such notable dishes as the wild salmon sashimi with goat cheese and a red onion vinaigrette.  Their house sushi rolls are made of ingredients as novel as the presentation.  Try their “Kamodo” made with blackened tuna, mango, and avocado on edamame paper, a novelty indeed.

If you prefer your seafood cooked, cut into their Asian BBQ Wild Salmon with wok-fired greens and a japanese mustard emulsion.  My personal favorite might just be the truffle miso halibut with stir-fried garlic spinach, combining flavors of Asia and Italy for a compatible marriage that will surely last.

Cooked or raw, the seafood at Kenichi’s holds an appearance and a taste that will have you dreaming up what sort of artwork you might be able to taste next.  You might just hang a picture of your sushi up on your kitchen wall.

Kenichi is located at 533 East Hopkins Avenue #2, Tel: 970-920-2212.

Shaken, Not Stirred

courtesy of: http://writing.cwbuecheler.com/2012/11/26/new-article-james-bond-and-the-martini/

For those James Bond fans who have always fantasized of speaking the famous words “vodka martini…shaken, not stirred, ” BB’s Kitchen might just be the place where such fantasies may become a reality.  BB’s allows you to order your martini any way you like it—shaken, with a twist, a little dirty, manhattan sly, just plain perfect, or the good old-fashioned way.

If the classics bore you, BB’s will accommodate you according to your ability to hold your drinks. For all those light weights, they offer such refreshing drinks as the Orange Mojito with muddled oranges, a far cry from a traditional mojito. However, if you are more of a big hitter, BB’s may suggest a more potent Whiskey Tea made with locally distilled Leopold’s Peach Whiskey.

If you are still holding on once the first drinks have been had, it might be in your best interest to try a drink from BB’s “Into the Evening” category that will reinvigorate and refresh. BB’s Elderflower Margarita is a wise choice, the elderflower offering a healthy does of antioxidants and vitamin C that will fight off that lingering winter cold, preparing you for this coming spring.

Cocktails will keep you busy at BB’s, but if you are a wine and beer connoisseur, BB’s offers a long list of local beer and novel wines. Their canned beers, such as the straw-colored Colorado Kolsch, sell for just five bucks.  For a worldly wine tasting experience, taste test their Pinot Grigio from Trentino, Italy, grown in the Italian sunshine at the base of tall, green mountains that divide Austria and Italy.

Whether you would like your drink shaken, stirred, twisted, canned, dirty, or muddled, just speak the words and BB’s Kitchen will provide you with a taste of whatever drink your fantasy calls for.

BB’s Kitchen is located at 525 E. Cooper Avenue, 2nd floor, Aspen CO 81611; Tel: 970-429-8284.

Karin Lawler from The Truffle Cheese Shop joins Culinary Connectors LIVE! host Becky Creighton and gives us an education on cheeses from around the world. The Truffle Cheese Shop specializes in handmade, small batch cheeses, charcuterie, and other speciality items. Karin and Becky discuss how cheese pairs with beer and wines and how to experiment with flavors. Becky also gives away some awesome gift certificates and discusses the upcoming Denver Restaurant Week.

A Denver Landmark Continues Its Legacy

Tucked away on the corner of 17th and Humboldt, Strings is a neighborhood bistro that’s casual appearance masks its landmark reputation.  A visit to Strings will take you on a journey into Denver’s past, as you hear of tales of famous rock stars dining at Strings decades ago, relics of their visits still hanging about in the numerous nooks and crevices.

The layout of Strings is unique, offering you personal dining in a nook if you so wish, or out in the open at a large round table fit for ample socializing.  If you stumble upon the right seat, you may sit and watch String’s line of professional chefs performing their magic.  On a Sunday morning, you can watch them as they serve up a carrot cake pancake with cream cheese whipped cream and a generous drizzle of cinnamon maple syrup, hopefully yours to indulge upon of course.

The chefs’ performance continues into the night as they serve up endless bowls of pasta.  Try their orcchiette (Italian for “little ears”) pasta mixed with pan-roasted broccoli, small, white cannellini beans, roasted red peppers, spicy, succulent olives, and Jumping Goat feta cheese that adds that much desired creaminess.

One trip to this renowned spot, and you might just get all strung up over this Denver legacy.

Drinking Colorado Brews with the Best View in Town

Having one of the best views of downtown Denver, in addition to one of the most extensive lists of Colorado brews on tap, the Ale House at Amato’s has become one of the hippest and hottest spots to savor a Colorado beer along with a signature Colorado sunset.  With their own roof-top patio and an open-air bar, there are plenty of spots available to take in the view.

They have 42 beers on tap and a beer lineup that changes daily, so you will always have something new to try at Amato’s.  Being a part of the Breckenridge Brewery family of brewpubs, Amato’s has all of the brews from the Breckenridge Brewery and one of its partners, Wynkoop Brewery.  Beyond these Colorado classic brews, Amato’s offers a full taste panel of Colorado’s best, including Boulder Beer, Odell, Ska, and Bristol Brewing among others.

Amato’s extends this Colorado proud mentality to its wine list, including in-state wines such as Denver’s own Infinite Monkey Theorem.  Cocktails are also created with local in mind, often containing small batch, Colorado made liquors and any other local ingredients the mixologist can get his hands upon.

With one of the longest lists of local, Colorado brews, wines, and liquors, in addition to jaw-dropping downtown views, the Ale House at Amato’s has quickly become the hot spot for those seeking an authentic Colorado experience.

Ale House at Amato’s is located at 2501 16th Street, Denver CO 80211, Tel: 303-433-9734.

Meet Denver’s Eco-Friendly, Locally Oriented Sports Tavern

There are not many sports taverns like Stoney’s Full Steam Tavern who are on a mission to reduce their carbon footprint.  This environmental awareness has been applied to how they decorate their walls, the high-efficiency light bulbs and Energystar TV’s they use, and of course, the food they serve.  All of the food served at Stoney’s must meet high standards of quality, freshness, seasonality, and environmental ethics.

Stoney’s wants to be more than a sports tavern, like the well-known chain Old Chicago.  Stoney’s wants to live up to being a truly “local” place that celebrates what the state of Colorado may bring to the table.  They have a long list of local partners with whom they work with, which may be found at the website listed below.

Stoney’s will even use local ingredients to make many of their house made items such as their potato chips, nacho cheese, and their Lamb BLT made with house made lamb pancetta that melts in your mouth.

Get oriented with this unique sports tavern this Saturday to celebrate Mardi Gras at their Masquerade Ball.  Beginning at 8pm, all guests will arrive dressed in their finest, with masks at hand.  Their special menu includes black bean and alligator stew, and red beans and rice, all done in authentic Creole style.

Check out Stone’s local partners at <http://fullsteamtavern.com/about-us/p11608.>

Stoney’s Full Steam Tavern is located in Denver’s LoDo at 1434 Blake Street, Denver CO 80202, Tel: 720-465-9830.

Define your Time with your Wine at Lala’s Happy Hour

courtesy of westword blog

Gazing down at the wine menu at Lala’s Wine Bar & Pizzeria, my imagination wanders and begins to ponder upon which wine will define this moment, bringing me pleasure and allowing me to relax and throw aside my stresses and worries for this one glass of wine.

Do I want a wine that is provocative, lip-smacking, and fresh, or a wine that is velvety, smooth, and graceful?  Maybe something rich, round, sensuous, and slightly divine might appease me.  Of course, a wine that is fruity and full of life would rejuvenate me, and a wine that is juicy, sexy, and upfront may awaken me to experience pleasure again.

Lala’s Wine Bar has all of their wines normally under $10 priced at $5 per glass during happy hour, which is 3-7 and 10 to close, seven days a week.  Their wine over $10 is half price.  You can even book your own wine flight, bringing you to your desired destination, for only $12.  Beer and wine cocktails are also available for a pittance.

Now, you will have to excuse me as I go for my grande finale wine, located under “finale” on the menu, offering me a sweet, lasting, and even somewhat of a climatic ending.

Saluto (to your health!).

LaLa’s Wine Bar is located at 410 E. 7th Avenue Denver 80203,  Tel: 303-861-9463 (WINE).

Vestal Virgins Enchant Diners in LoDo

 At Vesta Dipping Grill in LoDo Denver, you cannot avoid enchantment.  Statues of the Vestal Virgins of Rome’s dazzling past keep the flame alive at Vesta as they reside among diners who dip their way into a tempting mélange of sauces: hot, spicy, savory and sweet.  With a few dips, the senses are held captive by the unexpected magic that comes from such flavorful potions.

With a long list of sauces that take up half the menu, diners can keep the spell going as long as they would like, taste testing all of the magical concoctions.  Medleys such as pistachio mint made with toasted pistachios, mint, and lime, or the wasabi syrup made with wasabi powder, lemongrass, and ginger, keep the diner stimulated and asking for more.

For a heated experience, diners feast upon Vesta’s barrel-aged hot sauce, the barrel lacing the hot peppers with flavors of oak and smoke.  This is the hottest condiment of 2013, and will be a part of Vesta’s Monday Supper and the upcoming Denver Restaurant Week.  For more information on how to fall under the spell this Monday night, check out: http://www.vestagrill.com/menus/mondaysupper.

Vesta Dipping Grill is located at 1822 Blake Street Denver CO 80202, Tel: 303-296-1970.