You step back into time during the prohibition era when you step into the pub Prohibition on the corner of Colfax and Pennsylvania.  The sleek, black booths, old fashioned bar and classic drinks at Prohibition fit the name.  Prohibition has been serving top notch food, beers, classic drinks and not so classic drinks like Whiskey Thyme or Strawberry Fields since 2011.

Prohibition has happy hour Monday-Friday from 3-7pm and offers $3 well drinks and tap beers and $5 appetizers including crispy polenta, tortilla chips with queso, serrano peppers and sausage or Mac n cheese.  Prohibition may be just as known for their food as drinks with entrees.  They offer unique meal options such as braised short ribs with Parmesan polenta cake and bacon Brussels sprouts hash or handmade chicken pot pie with seasonal vegetables and homemade biscuit or ricotta gnocchi  with charred grape tomatoes, eggplant, olives baby arugula in a smoked tomato Parmesan couli.

Don’t forget about brunch on the weekends; Prohibition offers appetizing brunch items such as maple bacon bread pudding, Prohibition Benedict with braised short ribs, poached eggs, smoky tomato hollandaise and breakfast potatoes or the veggie benedict with poached eggs, grilled veggies and smoky tomato hollandaise sauce.

Prohibition is located at 504 E Colfax. Denver 80203, 303-832-4840.

Happy Hour Monday-Friday 3pm-7pm

Monday-Tuesday 4pm-2am

Wednesday-Friday 11am-2am

Saturday and Sunday 10:30am-2am.  Brunch Saturday and Sunday from 10:30am-3pm.

Next time you’re in Boulder, check out Fresh Thymes for a home cooked, allergen free food with quality, local ingredients.  The entire restaurant is gluten and peanut free, and most dishes are free from dairy and soy.  However, even people without allergies will delight in the food Fresh Thymes offers because it is simply good food anyone can appreciate.

The 6 philosophies Fresh Thymes is founded on are:

1. Skip food science.  The food doesn’t have any additives or unpronounceable, unrecognizable ingredients.

2. Eat like your great grandma.  Your great grandma didn’t have a diet full of processed foods.  Instead it was grass fed meats, pasture raised chickens, organic poultry, all natural cheeses and local produce and honey.  Fresh Thymes also believes this is what food should still be.

3. Call dibs on local.  Fresh Thymes uses local ingredients as much as possible, and has a goal to source at least 60% ingredients locally.

4. Listen to your body.  Stop when you’re full, eat when you’re hungry.

5. Show allergens the exit.  Fresh Thymes is gluten and peanut free and other allergenic foods are used sparingly and are marked on the menu.

6. Find better fats.  Fresh Thymes doesn’t use any canola or peanut oils- instead they use coconut and extra virgin olive oil.

New Happy Hour Menu

Fresh Thymes just rolled out a new happy hour menu that is available 4-6:30pm Monday-Saturday that includes small bites for $2 and specials on wine.

Must try items include:

-Anything with their steak

-Zucchini fritters with sriracha aioli

-Curry kale chips

-Chewy ginger cookies

-Any of their grilled pizzas

-Magic bars

Until Fresh Thymes opens a location in Denver, it is worth the trip to Boulder to check out this restaurant.  They are proving you can serve quality, healthy food that anyone can like- including those with food allergies.

Fresh Thymes is located at 2500 30th St. Boulder 80301 303-955-7988.  They are open Monday-Saturday from 11am-9pm, happy hour Monday-Saturday 4-6:30pm.

Colorado is home to some of the nation’s top craft brewers.  If you are looking for an easy way to sample the top Colorado breweries in one location, you need to go to the Summer Brew Fest.  The Summer Brew Fest celebrates craft brews from around Colorado and also featuring live music, food and other vendors.

The Summer Brew Fest is on Friday July 25th and Saturday July 26th at the Mile High Station on Colfax.  The event is from 7-10pm each night with the option to buy a VIP ticket for an opportunity to arrive at 6pm for first samplings and a special beer and cheese tasting.  Friday and Saturday will feature different breweries, so check Summer Brew Fest website for a complete list of vendors each day.

Tickets for Summer Brew Fest are available for single day pass of $30, VIP for $35.  You can also buy a discounted ticket for both days for $55.  Day of tickets are available for $35 online until 4pm of the day, then you can buy tickets at the door, cash only.

Summer Brew Fest is located at Mile High Station 2027 West Lower Colfax Ave. Denver 80204 Friday July 25th and Saturday July 26th from 7-10pm.

Glaze by Sasa is the formerly Glaze Baum Cake Shop renovated to include a sushi bar and a wider dessert menu.  Glaze By Sasa is tucked away in the Congress Park neighborhood, but it is worth it not to over look.  Owner/Baker Heather Alcott makes the unique Japanese cakes that received numerous accolades of praise, but earlier in 2014 Glaze Baum Cakes shut it’s doors.  Luckily for Denver, Glaze by Sasa re-opened as a slightly different concept offering sushi and a larger menu selection.

Photo from: http://denver.eater.com/archives/2014/03/04/glaze-will-return-as-a-sushi-and-dessert-bar-in-partnership-with-sushi-sasa.php

Wayne Conwell, owner of Sushi Sasa in LoHi, joined forces with Alcott to offer the best Japanese dishes in one place- sushi and Japanese inspired desserts- into Glaze by Sasa.  The baum cakes from Glaze are very unique; these cakes have multiple delicate layers made in a special Japanese made oven.  These layers are topped with decadent glazes such as Belgium chocolate, white chocolate or rum.

Glaze by Sasa offers some of the best foods inspired by Japanese culture, and a beautifully redecorated interior of this little restaurant will add to your pleasurable experience.  If you haven’t been yet to Glaze by Sasa, don’t wait any longer!

Glaze by Sasa is open 9am-9pm 7 days a week.  720-308-2420.

Glaze is located at 1160 Madison St. Denver 80206.

BaRed (pronounced bar-red) covers everything from morning coffee and breakfast, to affordable yet classy lunch, quality happy hour and tasty dinner options.  BaRed comes across as an upscale bar with their own in house mixologist Thomasz.  However, BaRed boldly claims they have the best bar food around Denver for affordable prices- no mundane, lackluster bar food here.

Inside BaRed

Happy hour at BaRed is Monday-Friday from 4-7pm.  They offer $1.50 oysters, $5 Arrincini (Italian rice ball stuffed with marinara, mozzarella cheese, basil oil and balsamic reduction) $5 red or white wine glasses, $6 cocktails created by mixologist Thomasz, $4 liquors and $3 draught beers.

They offer daily lunch specials like Tuscan white bean soup with stuffed shells or French onion soup with homemade meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  For breakfast BaRed offers a full espresso bar that serves Pablo’s coffee with pastries.  Dinner options include various flat breads, chicken katsu sandwich made with panko crusted chicken breast on sourdough with spicy mayo, lettuce, pickles and soy sauce or a flat iron steak sandwich.

The Mixology menu, what BaRed is known for, features creations from the mixologist like Green Fairy Citron with Absinth mata hari, lemon, sugar and a splash of soda or the Mandarin-tini with Hangar 1 Mandarin Vodka and guava liqueur.

BaRed is located at 437 W. Colfax Ave. Denver 80204.  303-573-0223.

Open Monday-Friday 10am-2am

Saturday: 5pm-2am

Sunday: 6pm-close

Happy Hour Monday-Friday 4-7pm

Culinary Connectors now offers Denver craft beer tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  These tours are the best way to tour and taste some of Denver’s best breweries.  Denver has one of the nation’s most diverse and top notch breweries in the nation.  Culinary Connector’s Denver craft beer tours will give you an inside look into how the craft beer is made and an opportunity to taste different samples of craft beer around the city.

All the Denver craft beer tours have 3 stops- 2 different tap rooms and 1 local brewery and 3-4 beer tastings at each stop.  Thursday’s tour from 4-6pm rotates between LoDo (Lower Downtown) and Ball Park neighborhoods with stops at Wynkoop Brewery, Blake Street Vault, Stoney’s Full Steam Tavern, Star Bar and The Lobby.  Friday’s tour from 4-6pm is in LoHi (Lower Highlands) neighborhood with stops at Highland Tap & Burger, Ale House and Prost Brewing Company.  Saturday’s new tour from 2-4pm in LoDo at Jagged Mountain and The Lobby.

 Tickets for Denver craft beer tours cost $29, and tickets sales close at 12pm until the day of the tour.  Maximum capacity for the tours are 15 people.  Schedule your Denver craft beer tours soon to experience and learn about some of Denver’s best craft brews.

Whiskey Rebellion is something you do not want to miss this Thursday, July 10th if you are a whiskey fan.  Whiskey Rebellion is meant to show case some of America’s best whiskeys and will have a variety of whiskey producers and suppliers offering samples for guests to try.  Whiskey Rebellion will also have whiskey experts available for any questions and explaining the distillery process.

A ticket to the Whiskey Rebellion will get you into the event, along with sampling 12 different whiskeys, see a cocktail demo and eating snacks from The Corner Office.  What makes this event even better is that it is fundraising for Water For People, a non-profit organization helping bring fresh water to everyone in the world.

The event is put on by Aaron Cohen from Eat Boston.  Cohen wanted to inform people more about whiskey, as many people like to drink it but don’t know a lot about it.  Look for local Colorado distillery Peach Street Distilleries as one to try.

Whiskey Rebellion will be held July 10th from 6-8:30pm at The Curtis 1405 Curtis St.

Tickets cost $37-75.

Photo from:
http://www.5280.com/spirits/digital/2014/07/03/dont-miss-whiskey-rebellion

Nestled up in the Berkley neighborhood is a newly opened quaint, bright, creative bakery and cafe The Noshery.  The Noshery was started by chef Andrea Knight, who gained experience working at D Bar, the Berkshire, Wooden Spoon and Whole Foods.

The spot The Noshery is at in Berkley neighborhood has been a neighborhood cafe for the past 60 years (2 owners, each 30 years).  Needless to say, The Noshery hopes to be part of the community another 30 + years.  Knight redesigned the inside to make it bright, welcoming and open.  The Noshery’s menu has delightful goodies like fruit tarts, cookies, meringues, cupcakes, muffins, cheesecake bites and cakes.  They also have a wide savory menu featuring sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, salads and soups.  There are two kinds of savory turnovers offered each day, but they sell quick.  Personal favorites are the cheesecake bites, lemon blueberry tart and kringlas (a German treat that is a cross between a cookie and a cake).

The Noshery is located at 4994 Lowell Blvd. Denver 80221. 720-524-3893.

The Noshery is open Tuesday-Sunday 7:30am-4pm.  (Note: they will be closed the 4th of July.)

Blueberry lemon tart

The Blake Street Vault is in one of Denver’s oldest buildings that dates back to the 1860’s.  The building started out as a saloon and boarding house for Denver’s business district, and it attracted all kinds of big names and intrigue through it’s early years.  There was a vault for the money in the basement, and the alcohol was brought up from the basement in large barrels with an elevator.  Both of these are still in the basement although they aren’t used anymore.

Inside Blake Street Vault

The building has switched hands and themes through the many years, but since 2008 Blake Street Vault went back to it’s initial roots as a place to meet friends, get good drinks and great food.  Blake Street Vault’s bar area has been renovated, but much of the old building still stands in place like from the Old West.  Some even rumor that the place is haunted, and suspicious things have been known to happen in the bar.

Besides the historical fascination with Blake Street Vault, another reason to go there is their happy hour is everyday from 11am-7pm.  Happy hour prices are $4 well drinks, $1 off draft beers, long iced tea and sweet tea vodka and lemonade for $4.  Small bites like cheese curds, fried green beans or sliders are available for $3-$7.

Blake Street Vault is located at 1526 Blake Street, Denver 80202.  303-825-9833.

Sunday-Wednesday: 11am-midnight

Thursday-Saturday: 11am-2am

Happy hour everyday from 11am-7pm