Essentials of Denver
By Douglas Brown, FrontDoor.com | Published: 10/30/2008
Pete's Kitchen on East Colfax Avenue is a great place to grab a late-night bite in Denver. Pete's Kitchen
Food and Drink Essentials: Best Places to...
BUY GROCERIES
Whole Foods. There are four in Boulder and another 11 in the Denver area. Denver's best is in the Tamarac area, 7400 E. Hampden Ave. It has an island ringed by a bar and chairs, where you can sit and order fresh pizza and other Italian food. Ditto for the seafood area. One rather large section of the market is dedicated entirely to smoked seafood. Barbecue? The staff smokes the store's own meats, and they have a barbecue station busy with employees cutting slabs of brisket and pork for customers.
If you're not up for a Whole Foods experience -- confronting such a pageant of opulence can intimidate or irritate (or both) -- check out the city's Safeway markets (one at 6220 E. 14th Ave., 303-355-7339). Many of them are trying to compete with Whole Foods by stocking much more organic foodstuffs, and by broadening their selection of gourmet products.
GET A BEER
Falling Rock Tap House
1919 Blake St.
If you like beer, then Denver is your nirvana. The state supports dozens of breweries and even more brewpubs. Falling Rock Tap House doesn't brew its own beer, but it does gather in one spot as much Colorado beer as possible. The people who work the taps know their beer.
GRAB DRINKS WITH A YOUNGER CROWD
The Thin Man
2015 E. 17th Ave.
Hipsters, intellectuals and plain old partyers hang out at this Uptown bar, which is open to the sidewalk in the summer. It's not a fancy place, and the food options are minimal, but the vibe is gold.
TAKE A DINNER DATE
Swimclub 32
3628 W. 32nd Ave.
The West Highlands neighborhood is one of Denver's more bohemian and diverse patches of real estate. At Swimclub 32, the pappardelle pasta is homemade, the mozzarella is prepared from scratch three times a day, and the duck pizza is a must.
GRAB A LATE-NIGHT BITE
Pete's Kitchen
1962 E. Colfax
If you're aching for something chipotle or lemongrass, a smattering of things fish sauce, tamarind or confit, don't come to this pocket-sized diner. But a late-night burger, a mess of home fries, a chicken fried steak, gyros plate or hot beef sandwich? Pete's is your place.
SIP A LATTE
St. Mark's Coffeehouse
2019 E. 17th St.
Plank floors. Eclectic music. Capacious interior. Good coffee. Amazing vibe. That's St. Mark's, in the Uptown neighborhood beside the aforementioned Thin Man bar. St. Mark's is the funkiest coffeeshop in Denver. It's a mish-mash; the art on the walls, the chairs and tables, the people. It's the best place for people-watching in the city.
Kaladi Brothers Coffee
1730 E. Evans Ave.
This University of Denver hangout has the rough-hewn ambiance you might seek on a cold December afternoon, but it's the coffee that will keep you coming back. The owner is a true coffee geek; he even travels to coffee-growing countries to scope out the beans and he roasts it himself.