Give us some best kept secrets of denver...

[ditto]

Has anyone tried El Tapatio? They have two locations - Lakewood & Golden. I read a good article in the DenverPost about El Tapatio and it might be worth trying. Someone said the food was tasteless, but other reviews seemed positive.

[esya]

Well, technically it's in Glendale but Denver has the best Starbucks between Calif and Chicago (24 hour), simply because Glendale is the most international city within a city in Denver. It is truly a multicultural must-stop, next to the Barnes and Noble on Colorado Blvd. Best times: after 9 pm or on a beautiful day.

To be fair, it's still not my favorite, I prefer Deidrich's near Congress Park (all my old gay uncles hanging out playing chess and chatting), or Stellas', a Washington Park institution complete with open mikes, poetry nights, and lots of scene.

Burger and beers are best at Cherry Cricket (atmosphere) and the brownies at Racines are a terrific bargain.

[esya]

Another Denver institution, on East Colfax, is Bastien's Steak house. All the ambiance of the 1960s and really the steaks are as good as the snooty restaurant reviewer in one of the local papers said. We took the whole family recently. Our 17 year old polka dot loving daughter loved it and so did we. The bar is teen tiny but the place has been frequently cleaned and redecorated--it does NOT have that funky-old smell that old places often have.

[vegaspilgrim]

Thought I would revive this thread. I'm back in town for a couple of weeks before I'm off to another out-of-state degree program. I took the light rail downtown today and walked around downtown, the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the Golden Triangle area, and the Santa Fe Dr arts district (first time I ever saw it-- it was pretty neat). A LONG walk. I have to say I was pretty impressed with a lot of things I saw. If there's one residential neighborhood in Denver that can truly be called urban, it's Capitol Hill. That's one area I plan on going back to do some more exploring. There is no doubt that when you are walking around that neighborhood you're not in the suburbs anymore. But this got me thinking... and I hope I don't offend anyone with this question, but even in Denver's urban neighborhood, what really makes a Denver urban neighborhood, say Capitol Hill, uniquely "Denver" as opposed to Anywhere Urban Hipster USA?

I couldn't help but notice several places repeating the same themes: "Philly cheesesteak" this, "pizzeria" that, "Coney Island" this (so many of these "urban" themed restaurants are trying to imitate some other well known city), this salon, this record store (and they all look the same with dozens of fliers posted on the windows), that coffee place. Now, all that stuff is great, but just as one brand new suburb can feel like Generic Suburbia USA, sometimes I feel the same way about inner city gentrified urban hipster areas-- that they can all start feeling the same too, after a while. Even the young people (and yes, I noticed *mainly* young people, my age and a little bit older in my walk around Capitol Hill) who live in these communities, especially in the newer contructed condo buidings, start looking the same after a while. Where is the local flavor? Where can you go where you really feel some kind of regional uniqueness? Or does this simply not exist?

[SheridanL]

Washington Park or....Cheeseman Park.........the very areas I was NOT allowed to go to in MY heyday!!!

[Katiana]

I like the Bonnie Brae area, especially the ice cream store!

[icewater]

Uniquely Denver: I've only been here for 3 years, but might sound off on this one. I live in Cap Hill, and yeah, it's got alot of the hipsters and quasi-yuppies you'd see wherever else so I don't think this is uniquely denver...although WaxTrax at 13th and Washington I guess is a Denver mainstay- although it's a usual indie record shoppe. Try riding the 15 bus on colfax from broadway (you'll get an eyeopener at that stop) east to about Colorado. You'll see a very good mix of people and shops.
Really, an interesting part of town is on about 47th and Josephine. Not really a white area at all, but I've been told that "this area's been the same for 40 years". You'll see and hear things that are definitely NOT the self-conscious efforts of cap-hill hipsters. No fixed gear bikes or tight '80s t-shirts. Alot of this neighborhood is difficult to understand, but I think it reflects alot of the immigration debate that's been in the headlines lately: people who will take low-wage jobs and try to make a living. You'll see clothing drying on the fence, big pride-inducing pickups, and maybe hear a chicken in the yard. Everytime I go there I see a guy wheeling a snack cart around selling ices and treats.....never seen this in Cap Hill. This area certainly doesn't reflect all or most of denver, but is a part of it nonetheless. Don't make it high on your list of must-sees, but it's there.
For an easier dose of this maybe walk down Federal Blvd south from about 20th to Alameda. You'll see the Asian and Hispanic sections of the street and probably catch an authentic meal.

A Good Denver Spot: the Mercury Cafe on about 22nd and Stout. Neo-liberal cafe with decent food and always a poetry reading, open-mic night, or protest march. Lots of good xmas lights too.

[Sockeye]

GREAT authentic Mex at El Jaliciense at 41st and Wadsworth in Wheat Ridge. Live mariachi band Fri and Saturday, i.e., loud, but festive.
Pete's Kitchen on E. Colfax has terrific enchiladas.
Qdoba and Chipotle are yuppified versions of real Mex.
For great soul food there's Pierre's Supper Club in Curtis park, going strong for over 50 years. Ethel's House of Soul at 26th and Welton. or my current favorite M&D's Barbeque and Fish Palace on E. 28th Ave near York. Check out their peach cobbler...droooool...