Denver Recommendations for a NY Transplant (Food & Activities) (Aurora: fit in, 2009)

[Zalman B]

Hello everyone.

I am strongly considering a move westward to Denver to pursue graduate school at the University of Denver (DU). It would most likely be this coming fall (’09). I have a list of questions/topics that I was hoping to get some feedback on. I’ve searched the forum and gotten some suggestions from other threads and the web, but further feedback is always appreciated, either in the form of new suggestions or comments on those suggestions I’ve accumulated. Obviously none of the things listed below are make-or-break for a move to Denver, but they are things I enjoy and it’d be nice to know whether I have them to look forward to if I make the move. I'm not sure whether I'll have access to a car or be relying on friends/transit, so easy accessibility of places is a definite plus. I'll likely be living in the DU area, though that is still up in the air.

FOOD
Where can I find the best…

Pizza? (preference is for New York style, but a good deep dish is appreciated too)
• Benny Blanco’s (616 E 13th Ave, Denver, CO)
• Anthony’s Pizza
• Abo’s Pizza (305 S Downing St, Denver, CO)
• Wazee Supper Club (1600 15th St, Denver, CO)
• Marquis Pizza (2009 Larimer St, Denver, CO)
• Two Fisted Mario’s Pizza (1626 Market St, Denver, CO)

Mexican?
• Benny’s Restaurante & Cantina (301 E 7th Ave, Denver, CO)
• Tacos Jalisco Mexican Food (4309 W 38th Ave, Denver, CO)
• La Loma Restaurant (2527 W 26th Ave, Denver, CO)
• Real de Minas (11101 E Colfax Avenue, Aurora, CO)

Italian?
• Osteria Marco Restaurant (1453 Larimer St, Denver, CO)
• Trattoria Stella (3470 W 32nd Ave, Denver, CO)
• Luca D’Italia (711 Grant St, Denver, CO)

American/Diner?
• Duo Restaurant (2413 W 32nd Ave, Denver, CO)
• Mead Street Station (3625 W 32nd Ave, Denver, CO)
• Bang (3472 W 32nd Ave, Denver, CO)
• Rocky Mountain Diner (800 18th St # 100, Denver, CO)
• Gelman’s Restaurant & Bar (2911 W 38th Ave, Denver, CO‎)
• Ted’s Montana Grill (1401 Larimer St, Denver, CO)

Hot dogs?
• Mustard’s Last Stand II (2081 S University Blvd, Denver, CO)
• Are there street vendors in Denver?

Hamburgers?
• My Brother’s Bar (2376 15th St, Denver, CO)
• Cherry Cricket (2641 E. 2nd Ave, Denver, CO)
• Smashburger (1120 S. Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO)
• Citygrille (321 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO)

BBQ?
• M&D’s Barbeque Café (2000 E 28th Ave, Denver, CO)
• Sam Taylor’s Bar BQ (435 S Cherry St, Denver, CO)

Chinese?
• Chopsticks (2990 W Mississippi Ave, Denver, CO)
• Empress Dim Sum Seafood Restaurant (2825 W Alameda Ave, Denver, CO)
• Super Star Asian Cuisine (2200 W Alameda Ave # 5A, Denver, CO)
• Imperial Chinese Seafood (431 S Broadway, Denver, CO)
• Kings Land Chinese Seafood (2200 W Alameda Ave # 44, Denver, CO‎)

Asian?
• New Saigon Restaurant (630 S Federal Blvd, Denver, CO‎)
• Thai House (8025 Sheridan Blvd # Q, Arvada, CO)
• Spicy Basil (1 Broadway # 100B, Denver, CO)

Steak?
• Mickey’s Top Sirloin (6950 Broadway, Denver, CO)

German?
• Café Berlin (323 14th St, Denver, CO‎) --- There is apparently a second Café Berlin location at 2005 E 17th Ave, Denver, CO?

Middle Eastern?
• Damascus Restaurant (2276 S Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO‎)

Late night/24-hour options?
• Jerusalem Restaurant (1890 E Evans Ave, Denver, CO)
• El Padrino, Inc. (4745 Federal Blvd, Denver, CO)
• Would love to get more of these…

Breakfast?

Other Suggestions? Any type/style of food, I'll try just about anything…

ENTERTAINMENT/ACTIVITIES

Can someone recommend a good…

• Casino? (preferences between Black Hawk, Central City, & Cripple Creek? I’d be looking primarily for poker, all varieties)
• Independent Movie Theater? (either one that shows independent movies or mainstream movies but is run independently)
• Drive-in Movie Theater?
• Comedy Club?
• Bowling Alley?
• Live Music Venue? (any/all types)
• Place to play chess? (I’ve heard 16th street mall)
• Gym? (on a student budget)

I'm still looking for threads for other fun ideas and outdoor activities, but these are some of the things I know I would miss if I couldn't find them.

Thanks!

[ramanboy33]

FOOD
Where can I find the best…

Pizza?

My Favorite: Benny Blanco's
Avoid: Anthonys

• Benny Blanco’s - Fantastic pizza, horrible service, no dining room
• Anthony’s Pizza - Not great, overpriced
• Abo’s Pizza - Never tried
• Wazee Supper Club - Decent food, I like the feel of the place
• Marquis Pizza - Never tried
• Two Fisted Mario’s Pizza - Good late at night if you frequent LODO

Mexican?

My Favorite: El Taco De Mexico (714 Santa Fe Dr, Denver)
Avoid: Mezcal (just awful)

• Benny’s Restaurante & Cantina - Overrated crap
• Tacos Jalisco Mexican Food - Never been
• La Loma Restaurant - Very good
• Real de Minas - Never been

Italian?

My favorite - Trattoria Stella (or Luca D’Italia if I want to spend big bucks)

• Osteria Marco Restaurant - Never been
• Trattoria Stella - Fantastic, not very traditional
• Luca D’Italia - Fantastic, very expensive

American/Diner?

My favorite: Root Down (1600 W. 33rd Avenue)

• Duo Restaurant - Very good
• Mead Street Station - Fun bar
• Bang - Never been (heard good things)
• Rocky Mountain Diner - Never tired
• Gelman’s Restaurant & Bar - Never tried
• Ted’s Montana Grill - Good food especially for a large chain

Hot dogs?

My favorite: I don't think I've every ordered a hot dog out

• Are there street vendors in Denver - There are downtown

Hamburgers?

My favorite: My Brother's Bar (Blake Street Tavern is also good)

• My Brother’s Bar - Fantastic
• Cherry Cricket - Very good, greasy
• Smashburger - Very good, especially for a chain
• Citygrille - Never tried (heard good things)

BBQ?

My Favorite: Yazzo BBQ (2150 Broadway, Denver)

• M&D’s Barbeque Café - Never tired
• Sam Taylor’s Bar BQ - Never tired

Chinese?

I hate chinese food, so I won't comment

Asian?

My Favorite: Kim Ba (2495 S Havana St, Aurora)

• New Saigon Restaurant - Never tried
• Thai House - Never tried
• Spicy Basil - Not great, not bad - cheap, but a chain

Steak?

My Favorite: Brooks Steakhouse (6538 S. Yosemite Cir, Greenwood Village)

• Mickey’s Top Sirloin - Never tried

Late night/24-hour options?
• Jerusalem Restaurant - Open late, near DU, great hummus, dry meat
• Would love to get more of these - 24-Hour and Late Night Denver - FunDenver

Breakfast?
Day in and Day out - Sam's #3 - Great, cheap diner
Weekend Brunch: Root Down, Lola (1575 Boulder St, Denver), Stellas (3201 E Colfax Ave, Denver), Bump and Grind (439 E 17th Ave, Denver - go mainly for the show)


ENTERTAINMENT/ACTIVITIES

Can someone recommend a good…

• Casino? - Gilpin Casion (111 Main St Black Hawk) - Best Poker room in CO
• Independent Movie Theater? - Landmark has 4 theaters in Denver - Landmark - Denver , the Starz Filmcenter (downtown on the Auraria campus) is where the Denver film society is housed.

• Drive-in Movie Theater -88 drive-in theatre (8780 Rosemary Street, Commerce City) - It's the only one in town
• Gym? - Can't you use the campus gym?

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by ramanboy33

FOOD
• Gym? - Can't you use the campus gym?

DU has a fabulous facility. There is also Pete's restaurant right near campus (on Evans and University), a family-style restaurant with a Greek theme.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by Katiana

DU has a fabulous facility. There is also Pete's restaurant right near campus (on Evans and University), a family-style restaurant with a Greek theme.

I had a late breakfast at Pete's on Thursday. I was expecting diner-dreck, but was too hungry to care after basically skipping dinner the previous night, so I was pleasantly surprised that the food was quite good. Although it was nearly noon, I was in the mood for eggs, so I ordered the gyro skillet, but I will definitely go back to try their traditional gyro sandwich, as the pita that came with my breakfast was not the usual cardboard one finds in less authentic places.

Consider this another plug for Pete's.

[Zalman B]

Thanks very much for the feedback so far. I wasn't sure about the DU gym facility because you need to be taking a certain number of credits in order to have free access (otherwise I think it's $40/month) but it looks like I will be able to use it, so that will be very convenient.

The 24-Hour and Late Night Denver link was very helpful and I'll also definitely add Pete's University Park Cafe (http://www.petesrestaurants.com/univ...Parkcafe.html; 2345 E. Evans Avenue - Denver, CO) to my list. I think that's the one based on the description that was given. Thanks again!

[DenverAztec]

...I'm not sure whether I'll have access to a car or be relying on friends/transit, so easy accessibility of places is a definite plus. I'll likely be living in the DU area, though that is still up in the air.

Light rail connects the campus to the Denver Tech center to the south and Downtown Denver to the north. You can also take the bus routes RTD fairly easily and the busses are very sound with their scheduling and timeliness.

FOOD All that you mentioned are great. Denver actually does just fine in the food area, you just will find it different from what you are use to. You won't find a kinish, pretzel or a slice on every street corner, but you will find different things. Pizza and pasta won't live up to your standards, but the Mexican, Ethieopian and American you might be surprised. In NYC and in Chicago, I always have to leave the core to find good Mexican.

Where can I find the best…

Pizza:

• My favorite is Enzo's on Colfax for thin - enzo's end pizzeria: welcome
• BeauJo's for VERY thick - Beaujos, Colorado Style Pizza

Mexican:

• Benny's for non-traditional
• Taqueria Patzquaro for traditional - Welcome to Patzcuaro's, the pork is out of this world, chicken consistently good but the beef is hit or miss depending on the cook.

Italian:

• Carmine's on Penn - Carmine's on Penn
• Patsy's - Welcome to Patsy's Italian Restaurant

American/Diner:

• Racien's - Welcome to Racines
• Dixon's - Welcome to Dixons Lower Downtown Denver Grill
• Annie's - Annie's Cafe in Denver, Colorado
• Avenue Grill - The Avenue Grill Restaurant Denver Colorado
• Stueben's - Steuben's Food Service in Uptown Neighborhood of Denver | Steubens

Hot dogs:
Steve's on Colfax is popular but dogs are not all the rage here like in other cities and not sold on all corners. Actually very few corners but you may find one on or near campus and some on the 16th Street Mall downtown. Since the dogs don't always fit into a specific meat category and are not considered the best for you, they have never been a huge rage. IMO, if they were on every corner folks would care more about convienience then meat content, and munch them down.

Hamburgers:
I like the Cherry Cricket and Hamburger Mary's - Home | hamburgermarysdenver.com
Also try Governor's Park


BBQ:
Brother's BBQ - Brothers BBQ is Denver's Best BBQ Restaurant. Award-winning barbeque dining and catering in Denver, Colorado.

Chinese, Japanese, Asian Fusion:

• Thai Basil - Thai Basil Denver | Asian restaurant in Wash Park | Restaurant menus, reviews and maps on urbanspoon.com
• Asian Fusion - L'Asie Fusion Bistro - Capitol Hill - Denver, CO 80203 | Metromix Denver
• Sushi Den or Kenny Sodona's for sushi

Steak:

• Sullivan's
• Capitol Grill
• Del Frisco's

Breakfast:

• Snooze - SNOOZE IS HOME (new location later this summer at 7th and Colorado)
• Lucielle's - 275 S Logan St, Denver, CO 80209, (303) 282-6258

Other Suggestions? Any type/style of food, I'll try just about anything…

Arada Restaurant Official Website
Little India Menu
Pho 70 - Pho 79 - Denver, CO, 80219 - Citysearch
Water Course - WaterCourse Foods - Denver's Premier Vegetarian Restaurant


ENTERTAINMENT/ACTIVITIES

• Independent Movie Theater: - Stars, Mayan, Chez Artist, Esquire
• Live Music Venue: Red Rocks, Fillmore, SOBO, Meade Street, Dazzel, Skylark, check www.westword.com - it is our Village Voice.
• Gym: if you can't use the one on campus consider the recreation center at Washington Park

Hope this helps!

Denver Aztec

[kristenfromdenver]

My goodness, you guys did a great job covering everything.

I was going to add Taqueria Patzquaro for Mexican, but DenverAztec already did that. My other major favorite is Jalisco, which you already had.

My new favorite pizza is Wymans on 13th and Vine in Cap Hill. Actual chicago style, if you like that.

For italian, I recently went to Stella's again and I love that place. Even their brunch is fabulous. Osteria Marco in Larimer Square is fun too - afforadable and in LoDo - nice combination.

Red Rocks is a must, also!

You guys really covered it all! nice work!

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by kristenfromdenver

My goodness, you guys did a great job covering everything....

Zalman got reps for researching the forum BEFORE posting, that way we get the job done with the least effort and condense the info into as few posts as possible. If only everyone did that, moderators would be a lot less busy with the merging of duplicate threads and the deleting of clutter posts that say only "thank you" or "me too" -- better to use the "scales of justice" icon and use the feedback process to say thanks or me too.

[Zalman B]

Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for the input. I fly out to Denver on the 31st so I'll be able to give a lot of these places a try relatively soon.

Rather than start a new thread, I'm going to try to keep my thoughts on them consolidated to this thread, and this way if anyone else has new suggestions I'll be sure to catch them.

Thanks!

[80skeys]

For middle eastern:

Damascus
Jersulaem
House of Kabob

those are all good