Cooper Lounge is one of the most sophisticated bars in Denver.  Located in Union Station, it is actually hidden from plain site.  It is a small space tucked away and is somewhat hidden by the railing wrapping around the second story.  Cooper Lounge acts as a lounge area for the Crawford Hotel, but it is also open to the public.

The public can enjoy the feel of this swanky 1930’s style bar anytime.  Walk ins are welcome from the desk on the South side of the Great Hall near Amtrak.  The concierge will then escort you to the second floor when seating is available at Cooper Lounge.  You may have to wait for seating, as space is limited, but the high end drinks, knowledgeable bar tenders and beautiful views of downtown and Union Station make it worth it.

Enjoy an extensive wine list or cocktails such as:

Timeless Old Fashioned with Peach Street Straight Bourbon served over muddled sugar, orange twist, and lemon twist with angostura bitters.

Coloradier with Breckenridge Bourbon stirred with Breckenridge Bitters and Sweet Vermouth, served with an orange twist.

Palisaide Sour with Peach Street Pear Eu de Vie, Egg Whites, Lemon Juice, and Simple Syrup, shaken and finished with Black Walnut Bitters.

Cooper Lounge is located at 1701 Wynkoop St. (second story) Denver 80202. 720-460-3738.

Monday-Sunday 11am-midnight

Reservations may be booked up to two weeks in advance for parties of 20 guests or less. For reservations, please call 720-460-3738. The Cooper Lounge reservation line is live from 9 am to 11 pm daily.

Photo from http://thecrawfordhotel.com/cooper-lounge-2/

Tuesday September 23- Saturday September 28 Denver Harvest Week is highlighting some of the best independent restaurants and local farmers in the Denver area. Each night a group of 5+ chefs/restaurants will come together to create pop-up parties at the GrowHaus. The event is also a fundraiser for GrowHaus, an urban garden.

Tuesday- Duel in the West, Grapes vs. Grains. This is a match between wine and beer with a 7 course dinner. Restaurants include Lola, Wazee Supper Club, Lower 48, Argyll and Central Bistro.

Wednesday- GrowLove- Buddha’s Vegetarian Delight. This is a vegetarian feast with Asian inspired dishes and cocktails. Restaurants include Colt & Gray, Ace Eat & Serve, Euclid Hall, Coohills, Fuel, Vine St. Pub and Rootdown.

Thursday- The Feast of the Hunters and Gatherers. Chefs will be gathering, killing and grilling for this feast. Restaurants include Trilium, Panzano, Harman’s Eat and Drink, Beatrice & Woodsley, Squeaky Bean, Work & Class and Cafe Bar.

Friday- Footloose and Farm Fresh. A DJ will be on site for dancing and of course incredible food and beer to go with the party. Restaurants include Pinche Tacos, Jonsey’s, Adelita’s, Appaloosa Grill, Biker Jim’s, Lucky Pie, Ste. Ellie, Parallel 17, B-Side and The Lobby.

Saturday- Brunch celebration will conclude Denver Harvest Week celebration, and it includes bottomless mimosas and bloody marys. Kids under 13 get in free! Restaurants include Snooze, Vesta, Beast & Bottle, Lou’s Food Bar and Session Kitchen.

For more information and to get your tickets, see www.harvestweek.com.

Old Major is known for it’s farm to table, nose to tail menu.  They have an in house butchery program, cure in house, use local ingredients when possible and have sustainable seafood.  The building Old Major is in used to be a skating rink, but they have turned it into a beautiful, American style restaurant.

Needless to say Old Major has received much attention and awards locally and nationally, including one of America’s best restaurants by Thrillist, restaurant of the year by Eater Denver and one of 12 hottest brunches across America by Zagat.  Old Major also offers an awesome happy hour menu 7 days a week with $5 cocktails including the Moscow Mule with vodka, lime juice and ginger beer or the Blood Orange Bee’s Knees with gin, lemon juice, honey and sparkling blood orange.  Happy hour also includes $6 wine glasses and $2 off draft beers.

You can taste some creations from Old Major chef Justin Brunson and bar manager Ryan Conklin at the Toques and Tails event on May 22 from 6-9pm. This event involves 8 different restaurants from Denver, and is a friendly judged competition based on food and drink pairings from each participating restaurant.  Guests at the event will be able to try samples from all chefs and bar tenders and have a say on the people’s choice vote for best dish, best cocktail and best dish and cocktail pairing.  Tickets are available now for this event, and the event also raises money for Share our Strength No Kid Hungry program.

Old Major is located at 3316 Tejon St. Denver 80211. Phone number: 720.420.0622

Dinner 7 days a week 5-10pm

Happy hour 7 days a week 3-6pm

Brunch Saturday and Sunday 9:30am-2pm

Central Bistro and Bar is considered a true American restaurant with fine food in a relaxed, home feel environment.  Central Bistro and Bar has a vintage feel to it with a high end menu at affordable prices.  For example, you can enjoy unique American spins like chicken fried chicken oysters, lemon cured foie gras, lobster tail cioppinno, sofrito skirt steak, caramelized Brussels Sprouts or decadent chocolate fraiche cake and nutella waffle.

This week enjoy the beautiful weather during Central’s happy hour Wednesday-Friday from 4:30-6pm.  Enjoy 40% off bottled wines, $5 select wines by the glass, $3 draft beers and $5 specialty cocktails.  If you’re looking for something special, Central offers, in their words, “weird” cocktail concoctions, barrel aged cocktails and whiskey flights.

Central Bistro and Bar is a featured restaurant in Toques and Tails competition on May 22.  This is a fun competition between 8 restaurants in Denver that are judged on 1 dish and 1 beverage.  Chef Mat Selby and bar manager James Menkal will be representing Central Bistro and Bar.  Guests at the event will be able to walk around the venue trying the food and cocktails from each restaurant.  Tickets to Toques and Tails are available now, and the event is on from 6-9pm Thursday May 22.  This event benefits the charity Share Our Strength.

Central Bistro and Bar is located at 1691 Central St. Denver 80211

Lunch: Wednesday-Friday 11am-2pm

Dinner: Tuesday-Thursday 4:30-10pm

Friday-Saturday 4:30-10:30pm

Sunday 4:30-8pm

Sunday brunch: 10am-2pm

Happy Hour: Wednesday-Friday 4:30-6pm

The Corner Office and Martini Bar is located in downtown Denver next to the Denver Center for Performing Arts and offers an outstanding drink menu and delicious global food pairings.  The Corner Office has won numerous awards for their cuisine and drinks, including Open Table’s 2014 Diner’s Choice Award.

The cocktails are hand crafted with house made ingredients, and happy hour includes $5-6 cocktails, $3 Colorado brewed beers and $5 wine glasses.  The cocktails delicately pair unique flavor combinations together like basil, lemon and raw sugar in the Rye me a River or blood orange liqueur, pomegranate, vanilla and lime in the Carousel.  The happy hour menu includes unique bites such as Koren style wings, duck poutine, veggie burger and saffron risotto fritters.

Taste more from The Corner Office at the Toques and Tails culinary event 6-9pm MST on May 22.  Toques and Tails is a friendly competitive competition between some of Denver’s best chefs and bar tenders.  Representing The Corner Office will be executive chef Rich Byers and Bar Manager Ben Anderson.  At the event, guests will have the opportunity to taste the food and drinks the chefs and bar tenders come up with from 8 of Denver’s best restaurants.  To purchase tickets for this event, click here.

The Corner Office is located at 1401 Curtis St. Denver 80202

Breakfast: M-F 6-11am

Lunch: M-F 11-3pm

Happy Hour: Every day 3-6pm; 9-11pm

Dinner: Sunday-Thursday 3pm-10pm

Dinner Friday and Saturday: 3pm-11pm

According to Denver Westword, “Crave makes getting buzzed on caffeine and liquored up at the same time seem downright classy.”  Westword gave Crave “Best Hot Booze” for Denver 2014.  Located downtown by the Colorado Convention Center, crave offers a unique blend of savory, bitter, hand crafted, sweet and everything in between.

Crave offers brunch/lunch options and is also vibrant at night to pair homemade sweets with hand crafted cocktails.  Crave offers anything you crave with sweets from alcohol to coffee, and sometimes the two mixed together like the Irish coffee.

On the savory side, dinner and snack options like meat/cheese plates, bacon wrapped pheasant or brie and fig ravioli.  If you want something sweet and sassy, try the chocolate trio, Guinness chocolate cake or Rocky Mountain Semifreddo.

Crave offers an assortment of wine, beer, champagne, cocktails, non-alcohol drinks and hot coffee, so anytime of the day or night you are bound to find something you are “craving” for.

Crave is located at 891 14th St. Denver, CO 80202.

Monday-Closed

Tuesday-Sunday 11am-close

Lunch hours: 11am-4pm

Dinner hours: 4pm-close

Brunch is Saturday and Sundays 11am-2pm.

One of the stops of Culinary Connectors Restaurant Tours Denver is the contemporary sushi bar Epernay.  Epernay is a unique concept that focuses on raw sushi and hot sous-vide items with an Asian flair mixed with European influences.  Chef Nick Shankland brings his diverse background in cooking to combine flavor and cooking styles unlike anywhere else.  A must try from the menu is Chef Nick’s banana bread pudding.

Choose to drink at Epernay this week and you won’t be disappointed.  They have an extensive wine and cocktail list, and they have the largest champagne menu in Colorado.  Epernay was also voted best lounge of the year for 2014 by the Night Club Hall of Fame.

Happy hour prices are 1/2 off wine and champagne glasses, $5 cocktails, hot sake is 2 for 1, and there are discounts on the appetizers.

Culinary Connectors Restaurant Tours Denver offer an inside look into some of the top restaurants in town, like Epernay.  Top restaurant tours offer sample bites from the chef, sometimes creations not on the menu, drinks to pair the tastings, and the opportunity to hear the chef/owner’s passion and expertise.

Epernay is located at 1080 14th St. Denver, CO 80202.

Hours are: Tuesday-Thursday 4-11pm, Friday and Saturday 4pm-2am, Sunday 4-11pm.

Atticus is the newest restaurant addition from the restaurant group Table to Tavern that specializes in local Colorado brews, distilleries and a comfort food menu.  Other restaurants from Table to Tavern include Boone’s Tavern, Handlebar Tavern and Table 6.

Atticus opened in November 2013, and is located off Evans Ave. near the University of Denver.  Atticus has a beautiful interior, and a friendly neighborhood hangout atmosphere.  The menu offers breakfast, lunch, happy hour and dinner.  Happy hour $1 off draft and specialty beers, $2 off wine glasses, $5 for 1/2 order of mussles and frites and $5 for board with 2 meats and 2 cheeses.

Atticus offers unique comfort food dishes including grilled hanger steak made with cherry whiskey butter and pork belly Brussels sprouts and potatoes, herb crusted quail or coffee and coriander crusted local lamb.  Atticus offers distinctive drinks from some of Denver’s best breweries and distilleries.  Coffee lovers should try from Atticus Denver’s Leopold Brother’s French Press coffee liquor.  For a fruity, herbal spirit, try the award winning Leopold’s Three Pins.  Craving a root beer float?  Atticus has you (or the kids) covered for this rare treat.

Atticus is located at 1115 East Evans Avenue, Denver, CO 80210.

Atticus is open Monday-Saturday 7am-11pm, Sunday 7am-2pm.

Happy Hour is Monday-Friday 3pm-6pm.

Take Your Drinking Seriously this New Year’s Eve

If there is any day of the year where you should take your drinking seriously, many would agree it would be New Year’s Eve. That is why this New Year’s Eve it is imperative that you end the year 2013 and start off the year 2014 with a night of serious drinks from Denver’s The Lobby that are guaranteed to keep the celebration going all night long.

With the logo, “Playful Eats. Serious Drinks.” you can tell right off that The Lobby understands the importance of their “Drink Book” in enhancing their patron’s experience at their one of a kind neighborhood bar and restaurant. For this reason The Lobby is offering all you can drink packages this New Year’s Eve. The “Basic Package” is more than basic with all you can drink wells, house wine, and select draft brews. For those who want to take their drinking to a whole new level of seriousness, The Lobby also will have a “Premium Package” with wells, wines, draft and bottled beers, and all liquors. Finally, for those looking to have some food with their drinks, there will be a prix fixe menu than can either accompany a beer or wine pairing package or one of the all you can drink packages described above.

Classic Cocktail at The Lobby topped with bacon and a slice of orange

If you cannot make it to The Lobby this New Year’s Eve, then there will still be time to enjoy some serious drinking in the New Year. With The Lobby’s happy hour Tuesday through Saturday from 3 to 6:30 p.m. and Friday through Saturday 9-11 p.m., there will be plenty of time 6 days a week to enjoy The Lobby’s famous bottomless mimosas, one of their 12 Colorado draft beers, house wines, a Coors Light beer tower, crafted cocktails, and/or premium wells. A look in the drink book and you will see all of the high-quality classics you were hoping for including Svedka, New Amsterdam Gin, Appleton Rum, Sauza silver, Tequila, Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Tuaca, Herradura, and Fireball among others. In addition, as an avid supporter of Colorado breweries and distilleries, The Lobby always has a rotating selection of local brews and spirits including a Brewery of the Month.

Beer on Draft at The Lobby

Whether you are still in search of that perfect New Year’s Eve spot to enjoy a night of drinking and fun, or you just are looking for a new drink spot in the Mile High City, The Lobby is the ideal spot to enjoy a drink right in Denver’s Ballpark Neighborhood. Next time you want to enjoy a serious drink in a classy atmosphere, tell your friends or that special someone “Meet me at the Lobby.”  You won’t regret it!

The Lobby is located at 2191 Arapahoe St. Denver CO 80205; Tel: 303-997-9911.

Now for the Denver foodie trivia question to see how educated of a foodie you are!

True/False: The Lobby is a family and Colorado owned business.

Tune in this coming Friday for the answer!

The answer to last Friday’s blog question: “True/False: Chef Ryan Leinonen of Trillium got the chance to cook at the famous James Beard House in San Francisco, California in August of 2010.” Answer: “False. Chef Ryan Leinonen of Trillium cooked at the famous James Beard House in New York City in August 2005.“

Take Flight with Central Bistro & Bar

this New Year’s Eve

Named after Denver’s Central St., Central Bistro & Bar is a true American restaurant that attracts those looking for an unforgettable sip of America complete with a view of downtown Denver as the cherry on top. Central Bistro & Bar is the type of place where friends and family may relax and reminisce while the waitstaff at Central do their part to spoil, delight, and pamper. At Central, life is about eating, drinking, and ultimately nurturing. One visit and you will feel the urge to reorganize those priorities of yours to match those “central” to life at this Denver bistro and bar.

To start off 2014 on the right step, you might begin this re-prioritizing this New Year’s Eve as you give into the sweet life of feasting and drinking at Central Bistro & Bar. If you are looking to jump on board in light of this enticing proposition, prepare to take flight as Central will be taking you on a journey of fine cuisine and libations from some of the culinary capitals of the world. This journey consisting of five unforgettable courses will guide you through the cuisine and regional wine pairings of Spain, Italy, and France.

If you are not looking to feast in the last hours of 2013, and would rather participate in an evening of fine drinks then you might consider Central’s Open Bar offer that includes a midnight toast for only $35! This deal will get you open access to select wines, draft beer, and premium cocktails from 11-1am. With such a deal, you will feel no guilt over raising as many glasses as you so desire!

Central’s Bar

You might also take flight with the help of Central’s Bar with a night full of whiskey tasting. Central offers an impressive lineup of flights to choose from, all offering a different style of whiskey to taste. Flights include Rye, Bourbon, Local, Light, Mash, and the creme of the crop, the “High End Flight” for those looking to end 2013 and begin 2014 in “high” style. To mix things up a bit, Central also offers their own Whiskey cocktails that range from the basic Old Fashioned made from Woodford Reserve or Breckenridge Bourbon to what they call the “Horse’s Neck” formed from George Dickel Whiskey, Ginger Ale, and that unexpected lemony twist.

Woodford Reserve Whiskey

No matter what flight you are looking to take this New Year’s Eve, Central Bistro has you covered taking you around the world of the culinary capitals of the world or right through the wide world of whiskey. With only so many seats available, book your flight now and then prepare for a night of the sweet life.

Central Bistro & Bar is located at 1691 Central St. Denver CO 80211; Tel: 303-477-4582.

Now for the Denver foodie trivia question to see how educated of a foodie you are!

Which city do the vintage pieces decorating the walls of Central Bistro come from?

Tune in this coming Friday for the answer!

The answer to last Friday’s blog question: “Sunday nights at the Second Home are all you can eat of what popular classic American food? Hint: This particular food comes from down south.” Answer: “Sunday nights at Cherry Creek’s Second Home are all you can eat fried chicken, a southern classic indeed.“